It was an intense and engaging day, during which the students demonstrated strong interest and active participation — clear evidence that hands-on learning remains an invaluable educational opportunity.
We would like to thank all the students for their enthusiasm and attention, Professor Morosini and Engineer Germani for their vision and collaboration, our colleagues from Ramboll, CIEM, and Orange for their professionalism and availability.
A special thanks to Lamberti Albizzate team for their dedication, time, and commitment in making this initiative possible.
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From Classroom to Field
Students Explore Sustainability in Action at Our Albizzate Plant
Reading time: 3 min
On Wednesday 20 may, 2026, our Albizzate plant welcomed 19 students from the Environmental and Workplace Sustainability Engineering course at the University of Insubria in Varese.
The group was accompanied by Professor Cristiana Morosini and Gianluca Germani, representing the Province of Varese.
The students were welcomed by Simone Vaccari, Plant Director, Adriana Morosi from Site Direction Assistant , and Francesca Mattachini Health & Safety Manager (RSPP), who guided them through a day dedicated to environmental sustainability, groundwater monitoring, and wastewater treatment technologies.
This initiative has now become a long-standing appointment for our site: this is the fifth consecutive year in which students have had the opportunity to attend lectures by environmental experts and visit an industrial facility, combining academic learning with hands-on experience in the field.
Groundwater monitoring
The morning session focused on contaminated soil remediation and groundwater monitoring.
Giorgio Carabelli from Ramboll Italia introduced the students to a real remediation project, illustrating the different recovery phases and possible intervention scenarios.
He also demonstrated the equipment used for groundwater sampling and explained the related monitoring procedures.
The session concluded with a practical groundwater sampling activity carried out at our facility by Matteo Bertoldi from Ramboll.
Wastewater treatment plant
In the afternoon, the students visited our wastewater treatment plant. The facility is one of the few in Europe equipped with an MBR (Membrane BioReactor) system, an advanced technology that combines biological treatment with membrane filtration. This innovative solution allows the production of high-quality treated water while significantly reducing waste and environmental impact.
Davide Sacchi from CIEM presented the technology and described the upgrade project completed last year to adapt the previous treatment plant to the new MBR system.
The visit then continued on site, where Giorgio Adesini, Waste Water Treatment Plant Manager, illustrated the structure and operation of the facility.
Sludge composition
During the technical session, students explored sludge composition analysis as a key tool for monitoring wastewater treatment plant performance.
Using microscopes, they observed the biological composition of activated sludge and attended a short presentation by Massimo Cibra from Orange on the different microorganisms commonly found in oxidation tanks, according to the Madoni method: a microscopic analysis protocol developed by Professor Paolo Madoni to assess the biological quality of activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants. By identifying, counting, and classifying the microfauna (protozoa and metazoa), the method helps diagnose the health status of the treatment system and prevent purification issues.
The session introduced students to bacteria, unicellular microorganisms such as flagellates, free-swimming and sessile ciliates, and predatory protozoa, as well as multicellular organisms including nematodes, rotifers, and amoebae, providing valuable practical insights into wastewater biology