MALAGROTTA – Landfill Monitoring System
Cliente: Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive | Sapienza Università di Roma
Anno: from January 2011 to September 2011
Ambito Tematico: Environmental Monitoring
MALAGROTTA – Landfill Monitoring System
LANDFILL MONITORING SYSTEM
For the Landfill Monitoring project at the Malagrotta landfill, DEV4U transformed an environmental and regulatory requirement into a fully operational digital solution. The client and institutional partners included the Department of Public Health at “La Sapienza” University of Rome and the landfill operators.
The objective was ambitious: to build a web portal capable of collecting, visualizing, and making environmental monitoring data (air, water, leachate, noise) accessible both in a public site and within a restricted area for technical staff.
The project started with a detailed analysis of the monitoring plan: sampling points, media under investigation, frequency, and chemical/microbiological parameters.
Based on this groundwork, DEV4U designed a customized relational database, a modular web platform built in ColdFusion + MySQL, and an intuitive front-end.
Every data point acquired from field surveys was entered, stored, and made queryable through historical charts and customizable reports. The portal also highlighted out-of-range values and generated tailored tables and PDFs.
The system architecture was divided into two main sections: a secure private area for operators and technicians (data management, entry, and maintenance) and a public area, serving as an instrument of environmental transparency, where citizens and institutions could consult tables and interactive charts. Implementation required tailored query logic and adaptations to the various monitoring plans of the site.
In this project, DEV4U did not simply deliver software; it built a digital ecosystem for environmental monitoring that supported scientific decision-making, ensured regulatory transparency, and provided a robust tool for both institutions and the wider public.
• URL of our solution brochure: LANDFILL-Monitoring.pdf (Italian language)
URL of our solution brochure: LANDFILL-Monitoring.pdf (Italian language)
PROJECT REPORT
Following Presidential Decree DPR 915/1982, the Malagrotta landfill was isolated by means of an impermeable diaphragm surrounding its entire perimeter.
The objective of the study (1993–2001) was to monitor the landfill with a focus on landfill stability and its interaction with the soil, hygienic and health surveillance of aquifers, air, noise, the health and safety of operators, as well as disinfection and pest control interventions.
Measurements were carried out at 21 points to verify subsidence of the landfill surface and the underlying soil, and at 30 piezometers located at critical points inside and outside the landfill and adjacent to the diaphragm.
Some of these piezometers were also used for water sampling to conduct both chemical and microbiological analyses.
Leachate samples were analyzed, air quality was studied from both microbiological and chemical perspectives, and noise level surveys were performed.
The monitoring plan highlighted positive trends in terms of the interaction between the landfill, the hydrogeological regime, and potential impacts on the surrounding environment.
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Study and project conducted by:
Esperienze di monitoraggio igienico-sanitario in un impianto di trattamento di rifiuti solidi urbani.
Antonio Boccia (1), Angela Del Cimmuto (1), Daniela Tufi (1), Maria De Giusti (1), Massimo Grisolia (2)
(1) Section of Clinical Medicine and Public Health, Department of Experimental Medicine and Pathology, Sapienza University of Rome
(2) Chair of Geotechnical Engineering, Department of Hydraulics, Transport and Roads, Sapienza University of Rome