Environmental damage remediation, case study: Cengio and Saliceto Site of National Interest

The case of ACNA in Cengio has become an historic case regarding the detrimental consequences and negative impact on ecosystems that arise when industrial activities proceed without environmental compatibility standards, without proper regulations, controls, and management by the government and competent authorities. The purpose of this thesis will be to describe the events that led to one of Italy's most significant environmental disasters, as well as analyse the components characterizing the impacts of ACNA industrial activities and pollution on the ecosystem, soil, the Bormida River, and the health of the residents in the surrounding areas of Cengio and Saliceto. Additionally, the Remediation Technologies will be presented and discussed, using the example of the remediation and environmental restoration carried out by ENIRewind in the Site of National Interest (SIN) of Cengio and Saliceto. The thesis is divided into four central chapters. The first two central chapters will provide an overview of the main topics covered during the study course, including an overview of the issue of Climate Change. Starting with a description of the climate system as a whole, then the sectors, and the causes that have the greatest influence on the alteration of the planet's normal climate equilibrium, and also the consequences and impacts of climate change on the environment and human society will be described. Finally, possible future scenarios dependent on mitigation and adaptation actions undertaken in the present, short, medium, and long term will be presented. The fourth and fifth chapters establish a link between climate change and the case study. As stated and confirmed by the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will serve as the main references throughout the entire thesis, ecosystems represent the largest natural barrier against the impacts of climate change in the coming decades. Therefore, the importance of safeguarding ecosystems plays a crucial role in facing climate change and is closely linked to the concept of sustainable development. When, on the other hand, there is an unequivocal state of degradation and destruction of the ecosystem caused by industrial activity, remediation and restoration activities are necessary. The fifth and final chapter will describe the case study of the Cengio and Saliceto SIN, starting with a brief description of the affected area, then the chronology of events, will be presented. Additionally, studies conducted by regional, national and private agencies over the years, along with their respective results, pollutants identified, pollution levels, and the consequences of ACNA's activities on the soil, groundwater, the Bormida River, and the residents in the industrial area's vicinity, will be presented. Finally, the Remediation Technologies and all the activities carried out by ENIRewind for the remediation and environmental restoration of the Cengio and Saliceto SIN, which have been ongoing for approximately 20 years, as well as the achieved objectives, will be described. In conclusion, this thesis will demonstrate, through the presentation of the case study, how industrial activities carried out without adequate control and environmental compatibility criteria can deteriorate the health of an ecosystem and how challenging it is, from a regulatory, legislative, social, technological, time-consuming, and economic perspective, to restore the state of a destroyed ecosystem.