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Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Harmonisation within Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling for Regulatory Purposes (HARMO 2017), 2017

In recent years there has been an increasing spread of wood biomass. The use of wood biomass as a... more In recent years there has been an increasing spread of wood biomass. The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduction of CO2 emissions at a global scale, but it may also result in worse local air quality conditions, due to their emissions of particulate matter, in particular, and other pollutants. The aim of this study is to assess the trends of atmospheric pollution in a study area, assuming that all heating systems are replaced by small size biomass boilers linked to the buildings through district heating network. Ground level concentrations of PM, emitted by different heating systems, have been evaluated through numerical simulations performed by means of an atmospheric dispersion model. The impact of such a network have been analysed taking into account different emission scenarios, related to different boilers operating conditions. Results show that the environmental performances of a woodchip boilers network can be optimized by combining it with other renewable source of energy devoted to the supply of hot water. A sensitivity analysis has been done in order to observe how modification in some input data can influence the results and allow to improve the design hypothesis. © 2018 Hungarian Meteorological Service. All Rights Reserved.

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Prevention of Accidents at Work collects papers presented at the 9th International Conference on the Prevention of Accidents at Work (WOS 2017) held in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 3-6, 2017, organized by the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 2017

International and National databases confirm a global inequality in terms of financial, economic ... more International and National databases confirm a global inequality in terms of financial, economic and social development of Countries, despite the World Globalization process of International integration by the interchange of worldviews, knowledges and cultures. Such mismatches are even more evident between the low-income countries and the “rich” ones, where techniques, technologies, geopolitical economies, and normative frameworks are strengthen. Unfortunately, these aspects somehow affect the working conditions in critical NACE sectors, where the occurrence of work related injuries is still impressive. The mismanagement of OS\&H aspects is related to a lacking management of emissions toward the surrounding territory, contributing to determine important environmental impacts; this is more evident in high-risk activities such as Mining and Quarrying - M\&Q. The present work aims to provide some useful tools to manage OS\&H and Environmental issues in M\&Q, a sector where the involved techniques and technologies significantly depend on the economic and cultural context.

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International scientific journal-Journal of environmental science, 2015

Thermal plants using wood biomass have been strongly supported in recent years by the European Un... more Thermal plants using wood biomass have been strongly supported in recent years by the European Union. The design solution deemed more sustainable for the environment involves the construction of small plants, whose needs can be guaranteed by timber coming from the surrounding territory. Often this solution can not be deemed as the most compatible with the requirement of safety. For small size wood-energy chain the implementation of the best available technology regarding occupational and environmental safety implies an higher economic charge compared to large systems based on major capital investments. Purpose of this study is the application of a methodology designed for the analysis of risk in order to identify and to assess the impacts on the environment. This analysis will be applied to forest yards, corresponding to the first phase of the forest - wood - energy chain, i.e. the raw material procurement. Based on the feedback received, adjustments to the methodology will be identified to permit an easier application both to occupational risk analysis and to environmental impact assessment. It will therefore be possible to optimize the identification of the procedures to implement. A future goal is the application of the method to the entire supply chain, from timber's procurement to the plant's realization and implementation. After identifying the criteria to determine the most suitable operating procedures (according to the characteristics of the examined wooded lot), the individual work phases have been divided into sub-phases and elementary processes. For each elementary processing the main sources of risk have been identified. They were divided into employed equipment, materials (raw and complementary materials, waste and products), work environment and organization. Keeping this division for each source of risk the related hazard's factors, the possible impacts on the surrounding environment deriving from them and the procedures to minimize them have been identified and verified on real cases

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articles by Matteo Bo

GEAM, 2014

In the realization of wood biomass thermal plants, environmental sustainability is best achieved ... more In the realization of wood biomass thermal plants, environmental sustainability is best achieved through the small-scale plant's adoption. Their needs can be ensured by the surrounding forest resources. This involves, at equal output power, for the environmental and safety control systems a greater economic burden compared to large-scale systems based on massive financial investments. The aim of this study is to define a methodology analysis for the identification of safe and environmentally sustainable work's practices. The methodology will be applied initially to the forest yards, corresponding to the first phase of the forest - wood - energy cycle, i.e. the raw material procurement. The different steps of Hazard Identification, Risk Analysis and Risk Assessment have been applied to the occupational safety of a case study representative of an alpine valley's wooded area. In this analysis have been taken into account the standard operating conditions. The presence of functional anomalies was, instead, analysed by applying a Design FMECA to a forestry plant of timber's handling

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GEAM, 2015

The description of the environmental conditions of an area is often done by using modeling progra... more The description of the environmental conditions of an area is often done by using modeling programs. Its validation requires a significant number of background values, representative of the real state. These data are also necessary for the proper management of environmental issues in relation to different causes of present pollution. The sampling of these values, moreover, requires the execution of measurements characterized by a burden of cost and time. For this reason the possibility to take in advantage the existing background's environmental data, collected from studies conducted in the past, is a great resource base for the qualification and land management. However, historical data are characterized by heterogeneity in format and content and are liable to risk of obsolescence due to changes over time in the context. This research proposes a methodology of processing the historical documentation (when present) in order to obtain homogeneous data, comparable with one another and representative of the current conditions of the territory. These results, jointly with the analysis of the environmental context, are also aimed to the design of additional measures necessary for the completion of the scoreboard. The method was applied to the noise and airborne particulates risk factors.

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Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 2018

The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduct... more The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduction of CO2 emissions at a global scale, but it may also result in worse local air quality conditions, due to their emissions of particulate matter. The aim of this study is to assess the actual trend of atmospheric pollution in a study area, assuming that all heating systems are replaced by small size biomass boilers linked to the buildings through district heating network. Ground level concentrations of particulate matter, emitted by different heating systems, are therefore evaluated through numerical simulations performed by means of an atmospheric dispersion model (Sirane). As a first step, we have compared the environmental impact of a woodchip boilers network with that given by the use of traditional heating systems, i.e. wood stoves and natural gas boilers. As a second step, we have analysed the impact of such a network taking into account different emission scenarios, related to different boilers operating conditions. Results show that the environmental performances of a woodchip boilers network can be optimized by combining it with other renewable sources of energy devoted to the supply of hot water. The adopted analysis methodology can be applied to other real or hypothetic punctual sources on the territory.

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Atmosphere, 2017

Background: Air pollution is a major global environmental risk factor. Since people spend most of... more Background: Air pollution is a major global environmental risk factor. Since people spend most of their time indoors, the sole measure of outdoor concentrations is not sufficient to assess total exposure to air pollution. Therefore, the arising interest by the international community to indoor-outdoor relationships has led to the development of various techniques for the study of emission and exchange parameters among ambient and non-ambient pollutants. However, a standardised method is still lacking due to the complex release and dispersion of pollutants and the site conditions among studies. Methods: This review attempts to fill this gap to some extent by focusing on the analysis of the variety of site-specific approaches for the assessment of particulate matter in work and life environments. Results: First, the main analogies and differences between indoor and outdoor particles emerging from several studies are briefly described. Commonly-used indicators, sampling methods, and other approaches are compared. Second, recommendations for further studies based on recent results in order to improve the assessment and management of those issues are provided. Conclusions: This review is a step towards a comprehensive understanding of indoor and outdoor exposures which may stimulate the development of innovative tools for further epidemiological and multidisciplinary research.

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Noise and Health, 2016

Background: The Occupational Health and Safety (OH\&S) literature shows that noise could represen... more Background: The Occupational Health and Safety (OH\&S) literature shows that noise could represent a risk factor for professional orchestral musicians. The continuative exposition to elevated noise levels and the particular nature of the activity make necessary an “atypical” OH\&S approach, which was identified to be necessarily organizational. Materials and Methods: In this study, a parametric-based method for orchestral exposure assessment and management was developed. The goal was to achieve a predictive tool to involve safety in the decision making of concert season program. After setting the parameters, the project's hypothesis was defined and then validated through a yearly-scale monitoring on an important European symphonic orchestra. Moreover, workers’ exposure was assessed from the parametric study by a wide measurement campaign. Results: A general validation of the method was obtained by the verification of the main parameters’ (repertoire, headcount, and disposition) significant influence on the sound pressure levels produced by the orchestra. Exposure levels comparable to the trends in literature for symphonic orchestras were observed, with criticalities among brass musicians, which was the only group exceeding the upper exposure action values. Conclusion: This research has emphasized that the exposure condition of musicians can be critical and requires the implementation of improvement plans. The study has shown that the predictive analysis can be performed on parameters describing the concert's emissive characteristics. The future development of research currently under study will focus on the concert's pieces and the use of parameters as indicators of the exposure context.

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GEAM, 2016

The insurgence or persistence of critical scenarios of damage and nuisance on populations is veri... more The insurgence or persistence of critical scenarios of damage and nuisance on populations is verified at local scale for the direct interaction among hazard factors from productive activities and receptors such as residential areas. This can be even worsened where local criticalities are overlapped to the diffuse pollution originated by the whole group of sources coexisting on a territory. The interference of the various emissions factors with communication, rest and performance can lead to physiological and psychological disorders, fatigue, anxiety and stress at the exposed. Furthermore, from the existing definitions, emerge that a hazard factor can impact not exclusively on the state of health of the individual, but also on the quality and usability of environments and territories. Often, even without exceeding the normative limits, an altered perception and a limitation or impediment in the use of a territory, compared to what expected in a period before the occurrence of the disturbing event, can be observed. A systemic approach for the assessment and management of disturbance and annoyance arising from the exposure to different hazard factors in work and life environments, still lacks.Aim of this paper is to analyze the disturbance and annoyance phenomenon related to noise, vibrations, airborne particulate, odors and their synergic effects, and to review the existing literature. The review indicates that annoyance can be observed even when the limit values are respected; the deep knowledge of plants and the specific skills developed in OS\&H field can play a central role in the prevention of disturbance and annoyance effects. The analysis here carried out for noise, vibrations, airborne particulate and odors annoyances can be generalizable to other pollution factors as an applicable qualitative methodology.

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GEAM, 2015

The aim of this work is the characterization by means of cone-calorimeter tests of rice dust expl... more The aim of this work is the characterization by means of cone-calorimeter tests of rice dust explosiveness, determining the ignition temperature of a 5 mm thick layer, T5 mm, in order to define the critical temperature range for industrial processes management where such materials are involved, granting at the same time plant safety and efficiency. The variability in material behavior, along seasons and/or production process phases, requires an expeditious evaluation of explosiveness conditions, especially regarding the minimum ignition energy and temperature. For dust layers explosiveness, the minimum ignition temperature was obtained by cone-calorimeter samples lab tests and through the correlation with the heat release rate (HRR), a parameter measured by the test equipment in accordance with the international technical standards. To achieve such a result, a test campaign on dust created by rice bran were then compared with existing experimental literature data

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Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Harmonisation within Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling for Regulatory Purposes (HARMO 2017), 2017

In recent years there has been an increasing spread of wood biomass. The use of wood biomass as a... more In recent years there has been an increasing spread of wood biomass. The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduction of CO2 emissions at a global scale, but it may also result in worse local air quality conditions, due to their emissions of particulate matter, in particular, and other pollutants. The aim of this study is to assess the trends of atmospheric pollution in a study area, assuming that all heating systems are replaced by small size biomass boilers linked to the buildings through district heating network. Ground level concentrations of PM, emitted by different heating systems, have been evaluated through numerical simulations performed by means of an atmospheric dispersion model. The impact of such a network have been analysed taking into account different emission scenarios, related to different boilers operating conditions. Results show that the environmental performances of a woodchip boilers network can be optimized by combining it with other renewable source of energy devoted to the supply of hot water. A sensitivity analysis has been done in order to observe how modification in some input data can influence the results and allow to improve the design hypothesis. © 2018 Hungarian Meteorological Service. All Rights Reserved.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Prevention of Accidents at Work collects papers presented at the 9th International Conference on the Prevention of Accidents at Work (WOS 2017) held in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 3-6, 2017, organized by the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 2017

International and National databases confirm a global inequality in terms of financial, economic ... more International and National databases confirm a global inequality in terms of financial, economic and social development of Countries, despite the World Globalization process of International integration by the interchange of worldviews, knowledges and cultures. Such mismatches are even more evident between the low-income countries and the “rich” ones, where techniques, technologies, geopolitical economies, and normative frameworks are strengthen. Unfortunately, these aspects somehow affect the working conditions in critical NACE sectors, where the occurrence of work related injuries is still impressive. The mismanagement of OS\&H aspects is related to a lacking management of emissions toward the surrounding territory, contributing to determine important environmental impacts; this is more evident in high-risk activities such as Mining and Quarrying - M\&Q. The present work aims to provide some useful tools to manage OS\&H and Environmental issues in M\&Q, a sector where the involved techniques and technologies significantly depend on the economic and cultural context.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

International scientific journal-Journal of environmental science, 2015

Thermal plants using wood biomass have been strongly supported in recent years by the European Un... more Thermal plants using wood biomass have been strongly supported in recent years by the European Union. The design solution deemed more sustainable for the environment involves the construction of small plants, whose needs can be guaranteed by timber coming from the surrounding territory. Often this solution can not be deemed as the most compatible with the requirement of safety. For small size wood-energy chain the implementation of the best available technology regarding occupational and environmental safety implies an higher economic charge compared to large systems based on major capital investments. Purpose of this study is the application of a methodology designed for the analysis of risk in order to identify and to assess the impacts on the environment. This analysis will be applied to forest yards, corresponding to the first phase of the forest - wood - energy chain, i.e. the raw material procurement. Based on the feedback received, adjustments to the methodology will be identified to permit an easier application both to occupational risk analysis and to environmental impact assessment. It will therefore be possible to optimize the identification of the procedures to implement. A future goal is the application of the method to the entire supply chain, from timber's procurement to the plant's realization and implementation. After identifying the criteria to determine the most suitable operating procedures (according to the characteristics of the examined wooded lot), the individual work phases have been divided into sub-phases and elementary processes. For each elementary processing the main sources of risk have been identified. They were divided into employed equipment, materials (raw and complementary materials, waste and products), work environment and organization. Keeping this division for each source of risk the related hazard's factors, the possible impacts on the surrounding environment deriving from them and the procedures to minimize them have been identified and verified on real cases

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

GEAM, 2014

In the realization of wood biomass thermal plants, environmental sustainability is best achieved ... more In the realization of wood biomass thermal plants, environmental sustainability is best achieved through the small-scale plant's adoption. Their needs can be ensured by the surrounding forest resources. This involves, at equal output power, for the environmental and safety control systems a greater economic burden compared to large-scale systems based on massive financial investments. The aim of this study is to define a methodology analysis for the identification of safe and environmentally sustainable work's practices. The methodology will be applied initially to the forest yards, corresponding to the first phase of the forest - wood - energy cycle, i.e. the raw material procurement. The different steps of Hazard Identification, Risk Analysis and Risk Assessment have been applied to the occupational safety of a case study representative of an alpine valley's wooded area. In this analysis have been taken into account the standard operating conditions. The presence of functional anomalies was, instead, analysed by applying a Design FMECA to a forestry plant of timber's handling

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

GEAM, 2015

The description of the environmental conditions of an area is often done by using modeling progra... more The description of the environmental conditions of an area is often done by using modeling programs. Its validation requires a significant number of background values, representative of the real state. These data are also necessary for the proper management of environmental issues in relation to different causes of present pollution. The sampling of these values, moreover, requires the execution of measurements characterized by a burden of cost and time. For this reason the possibility to take in advantage the existing background's environmental data, collected from studies conducted in the past, is a great resource base for the qualification and land management. However, historical data are characterized by heterogeneity in format and content and are liable to risk of obsolescence due to changes over time in the context. This research proposes a methodology of processing the historical documentation (when present) in order to obtain homogeneous data, comparable with one another and representative of the current conditions of the territory. These results, jointly with the analysis of the environmental context, are also aimed to the design of additional measures necessary for the completion of the scoreboard. The method was applied to the noise and airborne particulates risk factors.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 2018

The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduct... more The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduction of CO2 emissions at a global scale, but it may also result in worse local air quality conditions, due to their emissions of particulate matter. The aim of this study is to assess the actual trend of atmospheric pollution in a study area, assuming that all heating systems are replaced by small size biomass boilers linked to the buildings through district heating network. Ground level concentrations of particulate matter, emitted by different heating systems, are therefore evaluated through numerical simulations performed by means of an atmospheric dispersion model (Sirane). As a first step, we have compared the environmental impact of a woodchip boilers network with that given by the use of traditional heating systems, i.e. wood stoves and natural gas boilers. As a second step, we have analysed the impact of such a network taking into account different emission scenarios, related to different boilers operating conditions. Results show that the environmental performances of a woodchip boilers network can be optimized by combining it with other renewable sources of energy devoted to the supply of hot water. The adopted analysis methodology can be applied to other real or hypothetic punctual sources on the territory.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Atmosphere, 2017

Background: Air pollution is a major global environmental risk factor. Since people spend most of... more Background: Air pollution is a major global environmental risk factor. Since people spend most of their time indoors, the sole measure of outdoor concentrations is not sufficient to assess total exposure to air pollution. Therefore, the arising interest by the international community to indoor-outdoor relationships has led to the development of various techniques for the study of emission and exchange parameters among ambient and non-ambient pollutants. However, a standardised method is still lacking due to the complex release and dispersion of pollutants and the site conditions among studies. Methods: This review attempts to fill this gap to some extent by focusing on the analysis of the variety of site-specific approaches for the assessment of particulate matter in work and life environments. Results: First, the main analogies and differences between indoor and outdoor particles emerging from several studies are briefly described. Commonly-used indicators, sampling methods, and other approaches are compared. Second, recommendations for further studies based on recent results in order to improve the assessment and management of those issues are provided. Conclusions: This review is a step towards a comprehensive understanding of indoor and outdoor exposures which may stimulate the development of innovative tools for further epidemiological and multidisciplinary research.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Noise and Health, 2016

Background: The Occupational Health and Safety (OH\&S) literature shows that noise could represen... more Background: The Occupational Health and Safety (OH\&S) literature shows that noise could represent a risk factor for professional orchestral musicians. The continuative exposition to elevated noise levels and the particular nature of the activity make necessary an “atypical” OH\&S approach, which was identified to be necessarily organizational. Materials and Methods: In this study, a parametric-based method for orchestral exposure assessment and management was developed. The goal was to achieve a predictive tool to involve safety in the decision making of concert season program. After setting the parameters, the project's hypothesis was defined and then validated through a yearly-scale monitoring on an important European symphonic orchestra. Moreover, workers’ exposure was assessed from the parametric study by a wide measurement campaign. Results: A general validation of the method was obtained by the verification of the main parameters’ (repertoire, headcount, and disposition) significant influence on the sound pressure levels produced by the orchestra. Exposure levels comparable to the trends in literature for symphonic orchestras were observed, with criticalities among brass musicians, which was the only group exceeding the upper exposure action values. Conclusion: This research has emphasized that the exposure condition of musicians can be critical and requires the implementation of improvement plans. The study has shown that the predictive analysis can be performed on parameters describing the concert's emissive characteristics. The future development of research currently under study will focus on the concert's pieces and the use of parameters as indicators of the exposure context.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

GEAM, 2016

The insurgence or persistence of critical scenarios of damage and nuisance on populations is veri... more The insurgence or persistence of critical scenarios of damage and nuisance on populations is verified at local scale for the direct interaction among hazard factors from productive activities and receptors such as residential areas. This can be even worsened where local criticalities are overlapped to the diffuse pollution originated by the whole group of sources coexisting on a territory. The interference of the various emissions factors with communication, rest and performance can lead to physiological and psychological disorders, fatigue, anxiety and stress at the exposed. Furthermore, from the existing definitions, emerge that a hazard factor can impact not exclusively on the state of health of the individual, but also on the quality and usability of environments and territories. Often, even without exceeding the normative limits, an altered perception and a limitation or impediment in the use of a territory, compared to what expected in a period before the occurrence of the disturbing event, can be observed. A systemic approach for the assessment and management of disturbance and annoyance arising from the exposure to different hazard factors in work and life environments, still lacks.Aim of this paper is to analyze the disturbance and annoyance phenomenon related to noise, vibrations, airborne particulate, odors and their synergic effects, and to review the existing literature. The review indicates that annoyance can be observed even when the limit values are respected; the deep knowledge of plants and the specific skills developed in OS\&H field can play a central role in the prevention of disturbance and annoyance effects. The analysis here carried out for noise, vibrations, airborne particulate and odors annoyances can be generalizable to other pollution factors as an applicable qualitative methodology.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

GEAM, 2015

The aim of this work is the characterization by means of cone-calorimeter tests of rice dust expl... more The aim of this work is the characterization by means of cone-calorimeter tests of rice dust explosiveness, determining the ignition temperature of a 5 mm thick layer, T5 mm, in order to define the critical temperature range for industrial processes management where such materials are involved, granting at the same time plant safety and efficiency. The variability in material behavior, along seasons and/or production process phases, requires an expeditious evaluation of explosiveness conditions, especially regarding the minimum ignition energy and temperature. For dust layers explosiveness, the minimum ignition temperature was obtained by cone-calorimeter samples lab tests and through the correlation with the heat release rate (HRR), a parameter measured by the test equipment in accordance with the international technical standards. To achieve such a result, a test campaign on dust created by rice bran were then compared with existing experimental literature data

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact