MASCIANDARO GRAZIA
Position: Dirigente di Ricerca
Type: T.I.
Phone: 050-3152472
Location: Pisa
Research Lines: Contamination of ecosystems, Circular economy, Sustainable management, Soil health
I was born in Matera on July 19, 1967 and, after graduating from high school, I moved to Pisa where I graduated in 1991 in Biological Sciences with a grade of 110/110 cum laude. The degree thesis entitled: “Study of an anaerobic digestion process of straw and pig slurry for the production of methane and a vegetal compost”, was carried out at the CNR, former Institute for Soil Chemistry of Pisa.
At this point, the path within the CNR began with a post-graduate internship and several scholarships until obtaining a position as a Fixed-Term Researcher for five years (1996-2000). During this period, and precisely in 1997, I was awarded a six-month CNR scholarship to carry out research in the field of disciplines related to the National Committee for Agricultural Sciences at Wye College-University of London, Department of Agriculture, Wye, Ashford, Kent, under the direction of Prof. Howard Lee, following a program entitled: “Application of compost to soil: biochemical and eco-physiological role of the humic substances in soil fertility and plant nutrition”. Other scholarships and short-term fellowships in England and Spain followed. In 2001 I won a competition for a Permanent Researcher, in 2006 that of First Researcher until 2021 when I won the competition for Research Director.
In 2018 I received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa conferred by the Rector Prof. Dr. Ion NICOLAE of the BIOTERRA University of Bucharest; while, in 2017 I obtained the National Scientific Qualification for the functions of Full Professor announced with Call D.D. 1532/2016 – Competition Sector 07/E1 – Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Genetics and Pedology.
Since 2022 I have been the Head of the Secondary Branch of Pisa of the Institute for Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET) of the CNR. Here I coordinate activities and working groups that deal with: Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for Soils and Environmental Matrices (dredging sediments and sewage sludge), Valorization of Organic Residues, Soil Health and Fertility, Soil Organic Matter.
Projects
Production
- Nicese F.P., Azzini L., Lucchetti S., Macci C., Vannucchi F., Masciandaro G., Pantani O.L., Arfaioli P., Pathan S.I., Pietramellara G., Manzini J.
Co-Composting of Green Waste and Dredged Sediments Can Reduce the Environmental Impact of the Potted Nursery without Affecting Plant Growth
(2024) Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
DOI: 10.3390/app14041538 - Macci C., Vannucchi F., Scartazza A., Masciandaro G., Doni S., Peruzzi E.
Soil–Plant Indicators for Assessing Nutrient Cycling and Ecosystem Functionality in Urban Forestry
(2025) Urban Science DOI: 10.3390/urbansci9030082 - Doni S., Peruzzi E., Manzi D., Masini C., Mattii G.B., Macci C., Masciandaro G. Co-composting winery waste and zeolite: a sustainable valorisation example
(2024) Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management
DOI: 10.1007/s10163-023-01884-5 - Vannucchi F., Bondi G., Traversari S., Peruzzi E., Doni S., Masciandaro G., Carpi G., Calcaprina M., Macci C.
Vermicomposting Nursery Green Waste: A Circular Economy Approach
(2024) Waste and Biomass Valorization
DOI: 10.1007/s12649-024-02444-0 - Macci C., Vannucchi F., Peruzzi E., Giordani E., Masciandaro G., Doni S.
Landfarming efficiently recovers marine dredged sediment for pomegranate cultivation
(2023) Journal of Soils and Sediments
DOI: 10.1007/s11368-023-03436-8 - Macci C., Vannucchi F., Peruzzi E., Doni S., Lucchetti S., Waska K., Heřmánková M., Scodellini R., Cincinelli A., Nicese F.P., Azzini L., Masciandaro G.
A low impact sediment and green waste co-compost: can it replace peat in the nursery sector?
(2023) Environment, Development and Sustainability
DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-04331-5 - Vannucchi F., Scartazza A., Macci C., Bretzel F., Doni S., Rosellini I., Tassi E., Pini R., Masciandaro G., Peruzzi E.
Isotope signature and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry as key indicators of urban soil functionality
(2025) Journal of Soils and Sediments
DOI: 10.1007/s11368-024-03892-w - Vannucchi F., Peruzzi E., Doni S., Manzi D., Azzini L., Pathan S.I., Pietramellara G., Arfaioli P., Nicese F.P., Masciandaro G., Macci C.
Biological Assessment of Green Waste and Dredged Sediment Co-Composting for Nursery Plant Cultivation
(2024) Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
DOI: 10.3390/app14135767 - Doni S., Masciandaro G., Macci C., Manzi D., Mattii G.B., Cataldo E., Gispert M., Vannucchi F., Peruzzi E.
Zeolite and Winery Waste as Innovative By-Product for Vineyard Soil Management
(2024) Environments – MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/environments11020029 - Scartazza A., Vannucchi F., Peruzzi E., Macci C., Scatena M., Manzini J., Masciandaro G., Hoshika Y., Paoletti E.
Nutrient Interaction in the Soil-Plant System and Tree Physiological Functional Traits in an Urban Green Infrastructure
(2025) Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
DOI: 10.1007/s42729-025-02301-6
Research fields
Dr. Grazia Masciandaro is the Head of the Pisa Unit of the CNR-IRET since 02/28/2022 and she is involved in research and dissemination activities in the following topics:
- Soil quality
The research activity about this topic is based on the study of soil organic matter and enzymatic bioindicators involved in the nutrient cycles, on the evaluation of organic pollutant degradation, and on the structural stability of the soil.
Practical applications: The bioindicators were then used and validated as markers of soil quality in the European Project LIFE ZEOWINE LIFE17 ENV/IT/427 “Zeolite and Winery Wastes as Innovative Product for Wine Production” (2018-2022) which was coordinated by Dr. Masciandaro. In this project, the health of soil and plant was monitored, as well as the quality of the grapes and wine after treatment of the vineyards with compost obtained from the residues of the wine production chain with the addition of zeolite. The improvement and conservation of soil quality is also the objective of remediation of polluted land.
2. Marine and inland water sedimentsDr. Masciandaro has developed a treatment strategy for the decontamination and reuse of dredged sediments. The sediments that are polluted by hydrocarbons and heavy metals are treated with vegetable compost and salinity-resistant plants. The valorized sediments are then reused in the agronomic and environmental fields. This topic was the subject of the European projects LIFE SUBSED LIFE17 ENV/IT/347 (2018-2021) Sustainable Substrate for Agriculture from Dredged Marine Sediments: from Ports to Pots (Beneficiary); LIFE AGRISED LIFE17 EMNV/IT/269 (2018- 2021) Use of Dredged Sediments for Creating Innovative Growing Media and Techno-Soils for Plant Nursery and Soil Rehabilitation (Beneficiary); LIFE GREENSEAS4LIFE SAP/ENV (2023- 2027) GREen ENgineering Solutions: a new LIFE for SEdiments And Shells 101114177 (Principal Investigator). The results of the research activities were published in National and International Scientific Journals, and they were also the subject of reports at conferences and workshops, and training courses at National and International Universities.