Governance and Energy-Environmental ModelsThe estimation of environmental impacts in terms of air quality allows to assist policy makers, both at the industrial and institutional level, in the definition of policies to reduce, mitigate and compensate air pollution, at different spatial scales (regional, local, urban).
TerrAria’s ability to study environmental reality, through data analysis and processing, and especially through its modeling approach, allows it to address different specialized and multidisciplinary issues, always alert to new connections.
TerrAria’s expertise and professionalism matured in the field of air quality is evidenced by many studies, in Italy and abroad, concerning construction sites, oil platforms, vehicular traffic, industrial flares, livestock farms, industrial plants (refineries, chemical plants, thermoelectric power plants, compressor stations, incinerators, cogeneration plants for biogas and biomass production, painting and food production plants) and European projects.
TerrAria, depending on the application and the detail required, conducts air quality impact assessments using the major atmospheric pollutant dispersion models that are an international reference and are recognized by the U.S. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency).
The installation of new plants (Refineries, Power Plants and industrial plants in general), the functional and emission modification of existing plants and the construction of new road infrastructure, is often subject to an Environmental Impact Study. The EIS is the central tool of the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure that provides the technical elements on the environmental impacts of the work, relevant to assessing its compatibility with the environmental context (Legislative Decree No. 152, April 3, 2006 – Consolidated Environmental Act or Environmental Code).
TerrAria, supports companies in the processing and submission of the necessary documentation for the Integrated Environmental Authorization, which is essential for the authorization to operate certain facilities, which must ensure compliance with the requirements of Part Two of Legislative Decree 152/2006.
TerrAria also engages in Integrated Environmental and Health Impact Assessment or Health Damage Assessment, providing a quantitative estimate of the risk due to exposure to toxic and/or carcinogenic substances and the consequences on human health.
TerrAria’s modeling team, in addition to using already available models, develops ad hoc models (UTAQ) and software (RIAT+). Recent works include, for example, the assessment of impacts on air quality, climate and human health related to the EIA of the “Dalmine – Como – Varese – Valico del Gaggiolo freeway link and related works” related to the approved Variante Tratta D project and the EIA of the “A4-A52 interconnection branch enhancement between A4 dir. Turin and A52 dir. Rho and Monza S. Alessandro interchange – Work related to Olympics 2026.”
TerrAria is dedicated to the estimation of environmental impacts in terms of air quality, investigating aspects of air quality at different spatial scales through the use of existing models at regional (CAMx and WRF-CHEM), local (CALPUFF, CALINE AND COPERT models) and micro (CFD models) scales, as well as the development of models and software, including the UTAQ model at the urban level. Reconstruction of the meteorological field as input to air quality models is carried out using the WRF, CALMET and MICROMETEO meteorological models. In addition to air quality, TerrAria also deals with odor impact assessment.
TerrAria also uses decision support models on the basis of which the RIAT+ application was built in order to support decision makers and engineers to identify the optimal emission reduction measures to improve air quality at minimum cost.
