I FABBISOGNI DEI TERRITORI, L’AGENDA ONU 2030 E L’OFFERTA FORMATIVA UNIVERSITARIA

La diffusione del Covid19 ha indubbiamente generato un’amplificazione delle preoccupazioni destate dalle emergenze climatiche e ambientali. Ne è emersa una geografia che, mentre in una prospettiva globale presenta caratteri di omogeneità, a scala locale e regionale rivela dinamiche e velocità diversificate: e questo sia con riferimento ai risvolti negativi prodotti dalla crisi e dalla pandemia, sia in relazione alle politiche adottate a livello europeo ed internazionale in ottica sostenibile. Sono mutati i fabbisogni dei territori e al contempo le relazioni tra gli attori economici e sociali che ne determinano le traiettorie evolutive. Pur nella condivisione di macro obiettivi dettati dall’Agenda ONU 2030, e rimarcati dalla strategia europea correlata al Green Deal, si registrano in Italia criticità numerose e tali per cui il rilancio degli investimenti e l’attenzione per le politiche ambientali devono andare di pari passo verso un’economia green e circolare. Da più parti viene invocato un intervento sinergico di Governo, Istituzioni e Parti Sociali per investire su settori strategici, fra cui ricerca e formazione, generando nuove competenze “verdi”, orientate alla tutela dell’ambiente e alla sostenibilità secondo un approccio interdisciplinare. In questa cornice, il lavoro si propone di presentare strategie e azioni con cui l’Università del Piemonte Orientale sta affrontando le tematiche dell’ambiente e della sostenibilità, evidenziando in particolare come la progettazione di due nuovi corsi di laurea consenta di condensare e fertilizzare spinte endogene ed esogene, includendo metodi e percorsi geografici innovativi. Questa visione integrata favorisce il consolidamento dei processi di migrazione alla sostenibilità su vari piani, dalla società civile al contesto industriale, dagli istituti scolastici al no profit e terzo settore, in modo da avviare un processo di accompagnamento alla sostenibilità tour court dell’intera società in modo armonico e sinergico

Perfluoropolyether-Based Micellar Aggregates Coatings for Corrosion Resistance Enhancement of Copper-Based Alloys

In this paper, a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) micellar solution was effectively deposited on metallic substrates using a dip-coating process to enhance brass and nickel aluminum bronze (NAB) corrosion resistance. Particular attention was paid to the aesthetic results as well. Enabling the metallic substrates hydrophobic to facilitate water and moisture removal was the key concept of this work. The corrosion resistance of the as-received and coated metals was investigated via a salt spray chamber test. The study focused on the characterization of the polymeric coating via dynamic light scattering and wettability tests, while the substrates were assessed with traditional metallographic techniques. The preparation of the polymeric solution was important in determining the final corrosion resistance of the two substrates. Noteworthy was the effectiveness of the PFPE-based coating when it was applied to the brass rather than the NAB. Moreover, the polymer concentration of the dip-coating polymeric emulsion was the most significant factor to obtaining adequate protection: higher polymer concentrations resulted in a decrease in corrosion resistance

Fingerprinting the Hydration Products of Hydraulic Binders Using Snapshots from Time-Resolved In Situ Multinuclear MAS NMR Spectroscopy

The very early hydration behavior of a hydraulic binder phase, ye'elimite, Ca4Al6O12SO4, in the absence and in the presence of calcium sulfate, has been investigated. A time-resolved in situ multin..

Selective bacterial colonization processes on polyethylene waste samples in an abandoned landfill site

The microbial colonization of plastic wastes has been extensively studied in marine environments, while studies on aged terrestrial wastes are scarce, and mostly limited to the isolation of plastic-degrading microorganisms. Here we have applied a multidisciplinary approach involving culturomics, next-generation sequencing analyses and fine-scale physico-chemical measurements to characterize plastic wastes retrieved in landfill abandoned for more than 35 years, and to assess the composition of bacterial communities thriving as biofilms on the films’ surfaces. All samples were characterized by different colors but were all of polyethylene; IR and DSC analyses identified different level of degradation, while FT-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence further assessed the degradation level and the presence of pigments. Each plastic type harbored distinct bacterial communities from the others, in agreement with the differences highlighted by the physico-chemical analyses. Furthermore, the most degraded polyethylene films were found to host a bacterial community more similar to the surrounding soil as revealed by both α- and β-diversity NGS analyses. This work confirms the novel hypothesis that different polyethylene terrestrial waste samples select for different bacterial communities, and that structure of these communities can be correlated with physico-chemical properties of the plastics, including the degradation degree

Adsorption Features of Various Inorganic Materials for the Drug Removal from Water and Synthetic Urine Medium: A Multi-Technique Time-Resolved In Situ Investigation

Pharmaceutical active compounds, including hundreds of different substances, are counted among the emerging contaminants in waterbodies, whose presence raises a growing concern for the ecosystem. Drugs are metabolized and excreted mainly through urine as an unchanged active ingredient or in the form of metabolites. These emerging contaminants are not effectively removed with the technologies currently in use, making them a relevant environmental problem. This study proposes the treatment of urine and water at the source that can allow an easier removal of dissolved drugs and metabolites. The treatment of synthetic urine, with dissolved ibuprofen as a model compound, by adsorption, using various classes of inorganic materials, such as clays, hierarchical zeolites and ordered mesoporous silica (MCM-41), is presented. A multi-technique approach involving X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state NMR, UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopies was employed to investigate the adsorption process in inorganic adsorbents. Moreover, the uptake, the ensuing competition, the efficiency and selectivity as well as the packing of the model compound in ordered mesoporous silica during the incipient wetness impregnation process were all thoroughly monitored by a novel approach, involving combined complementary time-resolved in situ 1H and 13C MAS NMR spectroscopy as well as X-ray powder diffraction

The role universities and cities can play in the EU’s Green Deal

Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, Europe has shaped a new strategy, the European Green Deal, to help the EU’s economy become sustainable. Much of its success will be determined by European cities where around 75 per cent of the European population live, work, travel and study. This paper considers European cities and their universities, in particular their strategic role in addressing societal and environmental challenges, training the younger generation, investing in research and engaging local communities in the transformational actions urgently needed. In particular, concrete actions and steps made by the University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO) in Italy to address environmental sustainability and social responsibility are presented in this paper