BINDA GILBERTO

Novembre 2025-oggi Tenure-Track Researcher (RTT)
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Varese (VA, Italia)
Principal Investigator of the project “AWARE- Assessing plastic as a neW component of Aquatic ecosystems in the anthRopocenE”

January 2024-ongoing Part-time researcher
Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo (Norway)
Principal investigator of the project “PATTERN- PlAsTic effecTs on the Exchanges of nutRients and biological informatioN in aquatic ecosystems”
November 2023 – December 2023 Postdoctoral fellow
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Como (Italy)
Project title: “Frontal chromatography coupled to ICP-MS for the speciation analysis of mercury”
Supervisor: Prof. Damiano Monticelli
November 2021-October 2023 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Individual Fellow
Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo (Norway)
Project title: “PLANET- understanding PLAstic pollutioN effects on the biogeochemical cycle of ElemenTs”
Supervisor: Dott. Luca Nizzetto
November 2020-October 2021 Postdoctoral fellow
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Como (Italy)
Project title: “Project title: “TELAMONES- evaluation of a new material for paleoseismological analog modeling””
Supervisor: Prof. Franz Livio
June 2019-May 2020 Postdoctoral fellow
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Como (Italy)
Project title: “Biomass derived carbon materials and their use in sodium ion batteries”
Supervisor: Prof. Carlo Dossi
October 2018- May 2019
Consultant for remediation technologies
Copernico Srl, Cinisello Balsamo (Italy)
• Environmental consultant for environmental remediation systems
• Field work assistance and field sampling
• Data reports and monitoring system maintenance


EDUCATION AND TRAINING

October-2015 March 2019 PhD in Chemical and Environmental Sciences
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Como (Italy)
Dissertation title: Integrated multidisciplinary approaches to investigate geochemical anomalies in waters ”
Supervisor: Prof. Andrea Pozzi
(October 2017-December 2017) Visiting PhD student
University of Nevada, Reno (USA)
• Sampling and analysis of water following USGSprotocols
• Hydrogeological and geochemical data analysis
Supervisors: Dr. Michael Rosen and Prof. Paula Noble
(December 2016-March 2017) Visiting PhD student
National University of Ireland, Galway (Irlanda)
• GIS and geostatistic al skills improvement
• Environmental data analysis
Supervisor: Prof. Chaosheng Zhang

October 2013 – September 2015 Master’s degree in environmental sciences (class LM-75)
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Como
Dissertation title: Trace element analysis in mountainous aquifers (in Italian)
Supervisor: Prof. Andrea Pozzi
Grade:110/110 cum laude
October 2010 –February 2014 Bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences (classe L-32)
Università degli studi dell’Insubria, Como
Dissertation title: “Vegetation analysis and climate changes impact on biodiversity and vegetal
distribution in the Scorluzzo glacial cirque ( S telvio Pass)” (in Italian)
Supervisor: Prof. Nicoletta Cannone
Grade:110/110
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Co-author of 42 peer reviewed articles on international scientfic journals, mainly relevant to environmental chemistry, analytical chemistry and biogeochemistry. They yielded 1490 citations (H-index: 18, from Scopus database)
2025 Klun, B., Starin, M., Novak, J., Putar, U., Korošin, N. Č., Binda, G., & Kalčíková, G. (2025). Biofilm formation on polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics in freshwater: Influence of environmental factors. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 118689.
Spanu, D., Omodei, C., Binda, G., Grande, T., & Recchia, S. (2025). Tellurium Speciation via Frontal Chromatography ICP-MS: An Innovative and Effective Approach for the Ultratrace Detection in Environmental Matrices. Journal of Analysis and Testing, 1-13.
Binda, G., Carnati, S., Passignani, N., et al., (2025). A screening of metal (loid) content in conventional and compostable plastic polymers: understanding the sources and the connected environmental implications. Environmental Pollution, 126364.
Roncoroni, G., Spanu, D., Binda, G., & Monticelli, D. (2025). Metal Ion Isotope Ratio Using ESI-Orbitrap HRMS: Proof of Concept and Initial Performance Evaluation for Lead Isotopic Ratios. Analytical Chemistry.
Zecca, P. A., Scurati, E. I., Zara, F., et al. (2025). Microscopic Acid‐Induced Degradation and Elemental Release From Thermoformed and 3D‐Printed Orthodontic Aligners in a Simulated Gastric Environment. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 113(10), e35674.
Trotta, S., Binda, G., Pozzi, A., & Michetti, A. M. (2025). Unravelling the Effect of Sediment Properties on As (V) and As (III) Adsorption/Desorption Processes: Implications for Groundwater Geochemistry. Water, 17(17), 2616.
Boldrocchi, G., Villa, B., Monticelli, D., et al. (2025). Zooplankton as a Bioindicator of Marine Contamination for Filter-Feeding Basking Sharks, Fin Whales and Devil Rays at Caprera Canyon (Mediterranean Sea). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 1-10.
2024 Carnati, S., Pozzi, A., Spanu, D., et al. (2024). Towards harmonization of metal (loid) s analysis in conventional and compostable plastics: Comparison of acid digestion protocols in LDPE and PBAT/TPS blends. Chemosphere, 143581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143581
Villa, B., Bettinetti, R., Santolini, C. et al. (2024). Evaluation of the Adriatic Sea pollution using mesozooplankton as an environmental indicator. Chemosphere, 143553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143553
Hurley, R., Binda, G., Briassoulis, D. et al. (2024). Production and characterisation of environmentally relevant microplastic test materials derived from agricultural plastics. Science of The Total Environment, 946, 174325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174325
Binda, G., Carnati, S., Costa, M. et al. (2024). The interaction between plastics and microalgae affects community assembly and nutrient availability. Communications Earth & Environment, 5(1), 545. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01706-y
Rødland, E. S., Binda, G., Spanu, D. et al. (2024). Are eco-friendly “green” tires also chemically green? Comparing metals, rubbers and selected organic compounds in green and conventional tires. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 476, 135042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135042
López, A. R., Binda, G., Roncoroni, G. et al. (2024). Optimizing Antimony Speciation Analysis via Frontal Chromatography–ICP-MS to Explore the Release of PET Additives. Molecules, 29(12), 2870. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29122870
Nizzetto, L., Binda, G., Hurley, R. et al. (2024). Comments to “Degli-Innocenti, F. The pathology of hype, hyperbole and publication bias is creating an unwarranted concern towards biodegradable mulch films”[J. Hazard. Mater. 463 (2024) 132923]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 471, 133690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133690
Binda, G., Kalčíková, G., Allan, I. J., Hurley, R., Rødland, E., Spanu, D., & Nizzetto, L. (2024). Microplastic aging processes: Environmental relevance and analytical implications. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 117566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2024.117566
2023 Lawrence, J., Santolini, C., Binda, G., et al. (2023). Freshwater Lacustrine Zooplankton and Microplastic: An Issue to Be Still Explored. Toxics, 11(12), 1017. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11121017
Carnati, S., Pozzi, A., Spanu, D. et al. (2023). Assessing sources and fractions of metals associated with environmental plastics: a case study in Lake Como (Italy). Environmental Science: Advances, 2, 1746-1756. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3VA00254C
Spanu, D., Dhahri, A., Binda, G. et al. (2023) "Ultrafast Electrochemical Self-Doping of Anodic Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes for Enhanced Electroanalytical and Photocatalytic Performance." Chemosensors 11 (11), 560. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors11110560
Spanu, D., Fantinuoli, S., Binda, G., et al. (2023). Streamlining antimony speciation analysis in natural waters with frontal chromatography-ICP-MS. Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 207, 106762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2023.106762
Binda, G., Costa, M., Supraha, L. et al. (2023). Untangling the role of biotic and abiotic ageing of various environmental plastics toward the sorption of metals. Science of The Total Environment, 893, 164807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164807
Binda, G., Carnati, S., Spanu, D. et al. (2023). Selection of the optimal extraction protocol to investigate the interaction between trace elements and environmental plastic. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 452, 131330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131330
Spanu, D., Palestra, A., Prina, V. et al. (2023). Tackling the Challenging Determination of Trace Elements in Ultrapure Silicon Carbide by LA-ICP-MS. Molecules, 28(6), 2845. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062845
Binda, G., Zanetti, G., Bellasi, A. et al. (2023). Physicochemical and biological ageing processes of (micro) plastics in the environment: a multi-tiered study on polyethylene. Environmental Science and Pollution research, 30(3), 6298-6312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22599-4
2022 Bellasi, A., Binda, G., Boldrocchi, G. et al. (2022). What Are Lake Beaches Made of? An Assessment of Plastic Beach Litter on the Shores of Como Bay (Italy). Applied Sciences, 12(11), 5388. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115388
Binda, G., Faccini, D., Zava, M. et al. (2022). Exploring the adsorption of Pb on microalgae-derived biochar: a versatile material for environmental remediation and electroanalytical applications. Chemosensors, 10(5), 168. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors10050168
Pinna, M., Signorelli, A., Binda, G. et al. (2022). How to Clean and Safely Remove HF from Acid Digestion Solutions for Ultra-Trace Analysis: A Microwave-Assisted Vessel-Inside-Vessel Protocol. Methods and Protocols, 5(2), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/mps5020030
Binda, G., Frascoli, F., Spanu, D. et al. (2022). Geochemical Markers as a Tool for the Characterization of a Multi-Layer Urban Aquifer: The Case Study of Como (Northern Italy). Water, 14(1), 124. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14010124
2021 Gibertini, E., Liberale, F., Dossi, C. et al. (2021). Algae-derived hard carbon anodes for Na-ion batteries. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 51(12), 1665-1673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-021-01609-2
Binda, G., Spanu, D., Monticelli, D. et al. (2021). Unfolding the interaction between microplastics and (trace) elements in water: A critical review. Water Research, 204, 117637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117637
Rovelli, S., Cattaneo, A., Binda, G. et al. (2021). How to obtain large amounts of location-and time-specific PM2. 5 with homogeneous mass and composition? A possible approach, from particulate collection to chemical characterization. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 12(10), 101193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2021.101193
Pinna, M., Binda, G., Altomare, M. et al. (2021). Biochar nanoparticles over TiO2 nanotube arrays: A green Co-catalyst to boost the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Catalysts, 11(9), 1048. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11091048
Bellasi, A., Binda, G., Pozzi, A., et al. (2021). The extraction of microplastics from sediments: An overview of existing methods and the proposal of a new and green alternative. Chemosphere, 278, 130357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130357
Binda, G., Bellasi, A., Spanu, D., et al. (2021). Evaluating the environmental impacts of personal protective equipment use by the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of lombardy (Northern Italy). Environments, 8(4), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8040033
Spanu, D., Binda, G., Marelli, M., et al. (2021). Quantitative Determination of the Surface Distribution of Supported Metal Nanoparticles: A Laser Ablation–ICP–MS Based Approach. Chemosensors, 9(4), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9040077
Binda, G., Di Iorio, A., Monticelli, D. (2021). The what, how, why, and when of dendrochemistry: (paleo) environmental information from the chemical analysis of tree rings. Science of The Total Environment, 758, 143672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143672
Spanu, D., Nemenyi, A., Marelli, M. et al. (2021). Development of a Scanning Chemical Vapour Deposition Reactor for the realization of patterned and non-patterned depositions: a preliminary overview. Thin Solid Films, 138446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2020.138446
Spanu, D., Monticelli, D., Binda, G. et al. (2021). One-minute highly selective Cr (VI) determination at ultra-trace levels: An ICP-MS method based on the on-line trapping of Cr (III). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 412, 125280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125280
Binda, G., Pozzi, A., Spanu, D. et al. (2021). Integration of photogrammetry from unmanned aerial vehicles, field measurements and discrete fracture network modeling to understand groundwater flow in remote settings: test and comparison with geochemical markers in an Alpine catchment. Hydrogeology Journal, 29, 1203–1218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-021-02304-4
2020 Binda, G., Spanu, D., Bettinetti, R. et al. (2020). Comprehensive comparison of microalgae-derived biochar from different feedstocks: A prospective study for future environmental applications. Algal Research, 52, 102103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2020.102103
Spanu, D., Binda, G., Dossi, C., et al. (2020). Biochar as an alternative sustainable platform for sensing applications: A review. Microchemical Journal, 159, 105506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2020.105506
Dossi, C., Binda, G., Monticelli, D. et al. (2020). Exploiting Laser-Ablation ICP-MS for the Characterization of Salt-Derived Bismuth Films on Screen-Printed Electrodes: A Preliminary Investigation Biosensors, 10 (9), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios10090119
Bellasi, A., Binda, G., Pozzi, A. et al. (2020). Microplastic Contamination in Freshwater Environments: A Review, Focusing on Interactions with Sediments and Benthic Organisms. Environments, 7(4), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7040030
Binda, G., Pozzi, A., Michetti, A. M. et al. (2020). Towards the understanding of hydrogeochemical seismic responses in karst aquifers: A retrospective meta-analysis focused on the Apennines (Italy). Minerals, 10(12), 1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/min10121058
Binda, G., Pozzi, A., Livio, F., (2020). An integrated interdisciplinary approach to evaluate potentially toxic element sources in a mountainous watershed, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 42, 1255–1272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00405-4
2018 Binda, G., Pozzi, A., Livio, F., Piasini, P., Zhang, C., (2018). Anomalously high concentration of Ni as sulphide phase in sediment and in water of a mountain catchment with serpentinite bedrock, Journal of Geochemical Exploration,190, 58-68, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2018.02.014
Rosen, M.R., Binda, G., Archer, C., Pozzi, A., Michetti, A.M., Noble, P.J., (2018). Mechanisms of earthquake induced chemical and fluid transport to carbonate groundwater springs after earthquakes Water Resources Research, 54 (8), 5225-5244, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017WR022097
Civico, R., Pucci, S., Villani, F., et al., (2018). Surface ruptures following the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake, central Italy, Journal of Maps 14(2), https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2018.1441756
Villani F., Civico R., Pucci S., et al., (2018). A database of the coseismic effects following the 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquake in Central Italy, Scientific Data 5:180049, https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2018.49
RESEARCH PROJECTS

2026-2028 • Principal Investigator of the project funded by the Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS 2022-2023) of the ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR) per il progetto “AWARE- Assessing plastic as a neW component of Aquatic ecosystems in the anthRopocenE ”. (budget of1.321.495,74 €, project code J53C25000600001).
2024-2026 • Principal Investigator of the project “PATTERN- PlAsTic effecTs on the Exchanges of nutRients and biological informatioN in aquatic ecosystems” funded by the FRIPRO young talent researchers program of the Norwegian Research Council (budget of NOK 7.950.000). https://www.forskningsradet.no/en/call-for-proposals/2023/researcher-project-young-talents-fripro/
2021-2023 • Principal Investigator of the project “PLANET- understanding PLAstic pollutioN effects on the biogeochemical cycle of ElemenTs” funded by the EU–Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Individual Fellowship program (budget of € 200.000, grant agreement nr. 882682). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101023603/it
OTHER RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Oral presentation at conferences • Binda, G., Carnati, S., Costa, M., et al. Effects of biofouled plastics on phytoplankton community assembling and water chemistry: pilot study and implications for freshwater environments. EGU General Assembly 2024 (Vienna, Austria and online). April 2024
• Binda, G., Supraha, L., Costa, M. et al. Can plastic pollution affect the environmental fate of (trace) elements? a preliminary investigation in water. SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting (Dublin, Ireland). May 2023
• Binda, G., Carnati, S., Pozzi, A. et al. An integrated analytical approach to investigate the interaction between microplastic and (trace) elements in environmental samples. XXIX Congresso della Divisione di Chimica Analitica della Società Chimica Italiana (Milazzo, Italy). September 2022
• Binda, G., Nizzetto, L. Understanding the effects of plastic pollution on the biogeochemical cycle of elements: introducing PLANET project. EGU General Assembly 2022 (Vienna, Austria and online). May 2022
• Binda, G., Carnati, S., Spanu, D. et al. A sequential extraction scheme to selectively analyze adsorbed (trace) elements on plastic particles. SETAC Europe 32nd Annual Meeting” (Copenhagen, Denmark and online). May 2022
• Binda, G., Michetti, A.M., Noble, P., et al. Hydrogeochemical response of karstic aquifers to strong earthquakes: The 2016-2017 Amatrice-Norcia sequence in central Italy. EGU General Assembly 2018, Vienna (Austria), April 2018
• Binda, G., Pozzi, A., Livio, F. Multidisciplinary approach to understand groundwater flow in fractured aquifers with different lithologies: a case study in the central Alps (first results) International Conference on Groundwater in Fractured Rocks (Chaves, Portugal). June 2017
Posters at conferences • Binda, G. and Nizzetto, L. Can microplastics favour the dispersal of algal species? Results from a laboratory setup. Agrifoodplast international conference (Piacenza, Italy). September 2023.
• Binda, G., Hurley, R., Nizzetto, L.Untangling environmental ageing processes of (micro)plastic toward the creation of realistic reference materials. SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting” (Dublin, Ireland and online). May 2023
• Binda, G., Pozzi, A., Dossi, C. An integrated multidisciplinary approach to investigate trace elements sources in a mountain watershed. XXVIII Congresso della Divisione di Chimica Analitica della Società Chimica Italiana Bari (Italy), September 2019
• Binda, G., Pozzi, A. Hydrochemical and spatial analyses as tools to decipher groundwater flow: a case study in the central Alps. XXVI Congresso della società Chimica Italiana, Paestum (Italy), September 2017
Editorial activities • Guest editor of the Special issue “Understanding Hydrogeochemical Responses to Earthquake” for the journal Minerals-MDPI https://www.mdpi.com/journal/minerals/special_issues/UHRE
• Guest editor of the Special issue “Biochar Based Sustainable Sensing Platforms” for the journal Chemosensors-MDPI https://www.mdpi.com/journal/chemosensors/special_issues/Biocharsensors
• Guest editor of the research topic “Chemical Dynamics of Microplastics in Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems” for the journal Discover environment https://link.springer.com/collections/hgcbffiijg
• Guest editor of the topic “Innovative Approaches to Trace Element Speciation: Methods and Applications” for the journal Frontiers in chemistry https://link.springer.com/collections/hgcbffiijg
• Reviewer activities for several international journals, such as: “Nature”, “Nature Climate Change”, “Water Research”, “Journal of Hazardous Materials”, “TrAC-Trends in Analytical Chemistry”, “Environmental Science and Technology”, “Environmental pollution”, “Science of the total environment”, “Chemosphere”, “Frontiers in Earth science”, “Environmental geochemistry and health”, “Environmental Science Europe”, “Journal of soils and sediments”, “Microplastics and Nanoplastics”, “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health”, “Water”, “Minerals”.”

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Lecturer of the “Analytical methods for environmental monitoring” class (32 hours) for the Master’s degree program in “Environmental sciences” (W008), academic years 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2023-2024
Lecturer of the “Analytical chemistry” laboratory class (48 hours) for the Bachelor’s degree program in “Environmental and natural sciences” (W003), Università degli studi dell’Insubria, academic years 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2023-2024