In particolare, evitare il depauperamento del suolo in quanto risorsa naturale non rinnovabile, massimizzando sia il suo riutilizzo, in linea con gli obiettivi dell’economia circolare, che minimizzando la produzione di rifiuti da dover conferire in discarica. Tali importanti obiettivi sono stati raggiunti grazie all’utilizzo da parte dell’impresa che ha eseguito i lavori di un Protocollo in fase di scavo per la valutazione della compatibilità ambientale delle terre e rocce da scavo, messo a punto e proposto dal CNR a seguito di accurati studi ambientali sito-specifici propedeutici alla fase di scavo che hanno visto coinvolto anche l’ISP in collaborazione con Autostrade per l’Italia SpA. Il protocollo approvato dal MATTM e condiviso in tavoli tecnici con ISS, Arpa Toscana, ISPRA e l’impresa di scavo, ha previsto durante tutta la durata dell’opera la valutazione settimanale da parte del CNR, di concerto con gli organi di controllo regionali, della eco-compatibilità delle terre scavate, attraverso la determinazione della persistenza di composti chimici presenti negli additivi utilizzati come coadiuvanti lo scavo e la caratterizzazione ecotossicologica delle stesse. Tali valutazioni hanno consentito di garantire un conferimento finale delle terre scavate ambientalmente sicuro, che ha riguardato in gran parte il rifacimento del verde nelle banchine autostradali. Luisa Patrolecco (CNR-ISP)

Science and business: the role of CNR in the construction of the largest three-lane tunnel in the world in line with international objectives of environmental protection and circular economy

On March 18, 2022, the extension and widening of the Barberino del Mugello-Firenze Nord section of the A1 motorway was inaugurated. 

This was completed with the construction of the Santa Lucia tunnel, which is almost 8 km long, and is the longest three lane tunnel in the world. This event was attended by the presidents of the Tuscany and Emilia Romagna regions, the mayor of Florence and the mayors of Barberino di Mugello and Calenzano, management of Autostrade per l'Italia SpA, as well as the Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility.

The construction of the tunnel lasted three years and had among the main objectives the conservation and protection of the environmental in which the excavation took place. This was done through sustainable management of the large quantities of earth produced (approximately 1,480,000 m3). In particular, it was used to avoid the depletion of the soil as a non-renewable natural resource, maximizing both its reuse, in line with the objectives of the circular economy, and minimizing the production of waste to be disposed of in landfills. These important objectives were achieved thanks to the use, by the company that carried out the work, of a Protocol of the excavation phase for the evaluation of the environmental compatibility of excavated soil debris, developed and proposed by the CNR by following careful site-specific environmental studies, in preparation prior to the excavation phase, which also involved the ISP in collaboration with Autostrade per l'Italia SpA. This protocol, approved by the MATTM and shared in technical discussions with ISS, Arpa Toscana, ISPRA and the excavation company, provided weekly evaluations by the CNR, in agreement with the regional control bodies, of the eco-compatibility of the excavated soils produced during the work, through the determination of the persistence of chemical compounds present in the additives used as adjuvants in the excavation and the ecotoxicological characterization of the same materials. These assessments made it possible to guarantee a safe final destination for the excavated land, which largely involved the refurbishment of the green areas on the motorway embankments.

Luisa Patrolecco (CNR-ISP)

References
• Barra Caracciolo A, Grenni P, Mariani L, Rauseo J, Di Lenola, Muzzini V, Donati E, Lacchetti I, Gucci PMB, Finizio A, Beccaloni E, Patrolecco L, 2021. Mesocosm Experiments at a Tunnelling Construction Site for Assessing Re-Use of Spoil Material as a By-Product. Water, 13 (2): 161. DOI:10.3390/w13020161
• Mariani L, Grenni P, Barra Caracciolo A, Donati E, Rauseo J, Rolando L, Patrolecco L, 2020. Toxic response of the bacterium Vibrio fischeri to sodium lauryl ether sulphate residues in excavated soils. Ecotoxicology 29:815–824. DOI:10.1007/s10646-020-02202-7