Guidi Nissim Werther, PhD
Keywords
Phytomanagement, Urban forests, Pollution, Gentile remediation, Phytotechnology, Natural-based solutions, Phytoremediation
The activity is focused on the following research lines
Enviromental Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Plant Biodiversity and Agrobiodiversity
Background
My research interest is in multifunctional use of plants for phytoremediation, an environmentally friendly technique used to decontaminate polluted soils and waters of heavy metals, organic contaminants and mineral nutrients using plants.
In the last few years my scientific interests are evolving towards phytoremediation techniques to clean-up urban and peri-urban brownfields as an active component of the urban landscape. I am particularly interested in the additional environmental (i.e., beyond soil cleansing) and social benefits associated with this technology, including the technical constraints and knowledge gaps that should be further addressed to make this technique efficient on a larger scale.
The use of trees for the reclamation of brownfields shows several benefits in addition to depollution. Most tree species used for phytoremediation may actively reduce the volume of stormwater runoff and mitigate the risk of local flooding events. They can actively contribute to CO2 sequestration and function as highly aesthetic living barriers for noise and air pollution attenuation. Some uncertainties associated with the use of this reclamation technique in urban areas (i.e., BVOC emission, pollen production) still need to be addressed. Nevertheless, within the large family of green technologies, phytoremediation has huge potential to be used as an effective tool for the clean-up of contaminated urban brownfields, thus contributing to the development of more sustainable modern towns.
Research interest
The use of green plants for the reclamation of urban brownfields;
Phytoremediation for landfill leachate and wastewater treatment
Selected articles
-Palm E., Klein J.D., Mancuso S., Guidi Nissim W. (2022). The physiological response of different brook willow (Salix acmophylla Boiss.) ecotypes to salinity. Plants, 11, 739. doi.org/10.3390/plants11060739
-Palm E., Guidi Nissim W., Adamcová D., Podlasek A., Jakimiuk A., Vaverková M.D., (2022). Sinapis alba L. and Triticum aestivum L. as biotest model species for evaluating municipal solid waste leachate toxicity. Journal of Environmental Management, 302, 114012. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114012
-Guidi Nissim W., Palm E., Pandolfi, C., Mancuso S., Azzarello E. (2021). Relationship between Leachate Pollution Index and growth response of two willow and poplar hybrids: Implications for phyto-treatment applications. Waste Management, 136:162-173. doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.09.012
-Guidi Nissim W., Palm E., Pandolfi, C., Mancuso S., Azzarello E. (2021). Willow and poplar for the phyto-treatment of landfill leachate in Mediterranean climate. Journal of Environmental Management, 277:111454. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111454
International and national collaborations
Michel Labrecque and Fréderic Pitre, Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (IRBV)- Université de Montréal (Canada)
Joshua Klein, Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center (Israel)
Magdalena Daria Vaverková, Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University, Brno, (Czech Republic)
Maurizio Capuana Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, (Italy)
Guidi_Nissim’s Lab – #Guidi_NissimLab_BtBs
last update: May 2022