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Social acceptance has proven to be a significant barrier in the implementation of renewable energy systems (hereinafter “RES”). While a general acceptance of RES is high, low local acceptance has hindered the development of renewable energy projects (hereinafter “REP”). This study assesses the determinants of local and general social acceptance of REP across Europe through a qualitative analysis from 25 case studies of the most significant social drivers and barriers that include all European countries. These case studies contain qualitative and quantitative analyses of the main factors for social acceptance of many representative groups including residents, stakeholders, and experts. Understanding the influences of social acceptance enables us to create strategies that will promote the development of REP by mitigating any public opposition.

Aerosols play a crucial role in air quality, climate regulation, and public health; their timely monitoring is hence fundamental. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) is the parameter used to investigate the spatial–temporal distribution of aerosols from space. Specifically, the AOD retrieved from the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm applied to a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is suitable for aerosol investigation at a local scale by exploiting its high spatial resolution (1 km × 1 km). In this study, the MAIAC AOD retrieval over Rome (Italy) was validated for the first time, using ground-based data provided by an AERONET station operating in a semi-rural environment close to the city, over a time series from January 2001 to December 2022. Moreover, AOD trends were evaluated in a study area encompassing Rome and its surroundings, characterized by a transition zone between urban and rural environments. The results show a general underestimation of the MAIAC AOD; specifically, the validation process highlighted the less accurate performance of the algorithm under higher aerosol loading and with predominantly coarse mode aerosol. Interesting results were obtained concerning the influence of the geometrical configuration of satellite acquisition on the accuracy of the MAIAC product. In particular, the solar zenith angle, the relative azimuth and the scattering angle between the principal plane of the sun and satellite synergistically influence retrievals. Finally, the spatial distribution of the AOD shows a decreasing trend over the 2001–2022 period and a strong influence of the city of Rome over the whole study area.

First continuous measurements of atmospheric CH4 were carried out for one year (June 2023–May 2024) at Liberti Observatory of CNR-IIA, in a semi-rural site near Rome. Seasonal and diurnal variations were analyzed. CH4 monthly mean concentrations showed maximum and minimum values in winter and summer, respectively, which agree with the other European trends. Minimum CH4 values during summer could likely be due to a combination of favorable atmospheric mixing properties and increased atmospheric CH4 oxidation. The correlation analysis showed that temperature, global radiation, and wind speed revealed significant negative correlations with this greenhouse gas, indicating the influence of local sources. However, poor correlations during different seasonal periods also suggested the role of air mass transport sources. The CH4 concentrations exhibited clear diurnal cycles with daytime low and night-time high values, mainly driven by atmospheric stability conditions and photochemistry. A cluster analysis of air mass trajectories showed that CH4 concentrations were influenced all year by anthropogenic emissions. Elevated concentrations arrived from NE Europe, except in winter when the influence of NW European and local contributions became more significant. Furthermore, level-3 XCH4 data from the satellite TROPOMI showed a methane columnar concentration increase from 2018 to 2024 in agreement with the global annual increase from the NOAA network during the same period.

The recycling of plastic waste is undergoing fast growth due to environmental, health and economic issues, and several blends of post-consumer and post-industrial polymeric materials have been characterized in recent years. However, most of these researches have focused on plastic containers and packaging, neglecting hard plastic waste. This study provides the first experimental characterization of different blends of hard plastic waste and virgin polypropylene in terms of melt index, differential scan calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical properties (tensile, impact and Shore hardness) and Vicat softening test. Compared to blends based on packaging plastic waste, significant differences were observed in terms of melt flow index (about 10 points higher for hard plastic waste). Mechanical properties, in particular yield strain, were instead quite similar (between 5 and 9%), despite a higher standard deviation being observed, up to 10%, probably due to incomplete homogenization. Results demonstrate that these worse performances could be mainly attributed to the presence of different additives, as well as to the presence of impurities or traces of other polymers, other than incomplete homogenization. On the other hand, acceptable results were obtained for selected blends; the optimal blending ratio was identified as 78% post-consumer waste and 22% post-industrial waste, meeting the requirement for injection molding and thermoforming.

Brake wear emission is a significant contributor to vehicle-related particulate matter, especially in areas with high traffic density and braking frequency. Only recently, non-exhaust emissions from car brake wear have been regulated under Euro 7 regulation, which introduces emission limits for both brake and tires. It also introduces a standard brake particle assessment procedure which includes sampling procedure and measurement techniques defined in the Global Technical Regulation on brakes from light-duty vehicles up to 3.5 t. Over the years, various experimental setups have been tried leading to non-comparable results. The brake wear particle emissions, expressed as emission factors, are mostly estimated as particle mass or particle number and described using different units (e.g., mg/stop brake, mg/km brake; particle number/cm 3 ) making the comparison between studies very difficult. The aim of the present literature review is to present the state-of-the-art of different experimental methods tuned for assessing brake wear emissions, including electric vehicles. The experiments are carried in close, semi-closed, and open systems, and depending on the experimental design, different sampling methods are applied to reduce particle transport loss and guarantee the efficiency of the particle sampling. Driving condition (e.g., speed and applied pressure), formulation of brake materials, and friction temperature have been found to strongly affect the emission characteristics of brake particles, and this needs to be considered when designing study procedures. The findings reported in this review can be beneficial to policy makers and researchers.

First continuous measurements of atmospheric CH[sub.4] were carried out for one year (June 2023–May 2024) at Liberti Observatory of CNR-IIA, in a semi-rural site near Rome. Seasonal and diurnal variations were analyzed. CH[sub.4] monthly mean concentrations showed maximum and minimum values in winter and summer, respectively, which agree with the other European trends. Minimum CH[sub.4] values during summer could likely be due to a combination of favorable atmospheric mixing properties and increased atmospheric CH[sub.4] oxidation. The correlation analysis showed that temperature, global radiation, and wind speed revealed significant negative correlations with this greenhouse gas, indicating the influence of local sources. However, poor correlations during different seasonal periods also suggested the role of air mass transport sources. The CH[sub.4] concentrations exhibited clear diurnal cycles with daytime low and night-time high values, mainly driven by atmospheric stability conditions and photochemistry. A cluster analysis of air mass trajectories showed that CH[sub.4] concentrations were influenced all year by anthropogenic emissions. Elevated concentrations arrived from NE Europe, except in winter when the influence of NW European and local contributions became more significant. Furthermore, level-3 XCH[sub.4] data from the satellite TROPOMI showed a methane columnar concentration increase from 2018 to 2024 in agreement with the global annual increase from the NOAA network during the same period.

Small islands are recognized for their vulnerability to climate change. In this context, mitigation and adaptation policies are needed, but the ecological transition must be based on data. This study aims to assess the level of sustainability reached by 26 of the inhabited Italian small islands; it collects and analyzes the data and initiatives on the energy, mobility, waste, and water sectors and discusses the islands’ steps toward sustainability. The findings show that 18 of the 26 islands are not interconnected with the national grid and that the renewable sources cover less than 5% of the energy demand on 25 of the 26 islands. The number per capita of private vehicles reaches 90 cars per 100 inhabitants on three islands. The average of the separate collection of waste on the islands is 52%, which is far from the minimum recommended threshold of 65%. Pipelines or tankers on 17 of the 26 islands guarantee the water supply, and desalination plants are still not the rule, while the presence of wastewater treatment has been detected on 12 islands, and it often provides only partial treatment. An ambitious multi-stakeholder sustainability plan for each island should be developed to overcome the typical barriers of the island and to increase the building capacity in order to use economic incentives for that goal.