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1
Hitchin, Suzanne. "Perceptual methods for environmental assessment : odour and landfill." Thesis, Cranfield University, 1998. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/11024.
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This thesis investigates the phenomenon of environmental annoyance from waste management, specifically landfill odours. The research study identifies the scope and significance of parameters that influence the extent of impact and includes these in a framework that can be used to influence the design and development of a population response model for odours. The research design considers the physiological, lifestyle and location factors that influence exposure and response to landfill odour and addresses three research objectives: • To produce a framework within which a community based population response model could be developed. • Determine and demonstrate the variability of response within a popUlation exposed to landfill odour. • To determine and demonstrate how spatial and temporal factors also contribute to the differential exposure and response of individuals to odour pollution. The research activity involved the design and implementation of an odour monitoring panel. Volunteers were recruited in the vicinity of two landfill sites where they monitored daily for odours for three months. This programme provided information on their routine activities and exposure to odour at the time. The thesis concludes by noting the following: • Location and climatic factors may generate more variability (at this scale of sample) than interpersonal differences. • The results from laboratory experiments examining hedonic properties were not repeated in the external environment. • The response levels between males and females were inconsistent with current knowledge and research assessing gender differences in the ability to detect odours. Additionally, the research demonstrates how data on the detection of odour in communities could be included in research activity that links olfactometry and the experience of odour in the environment.
2
Gühnemann, Astrid. "Methods for strategic environmental assessment of transport infrastructure plans." Baden-Baden : Nomos, 2000. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/47703213.html.
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Grytli, Tuva. "Integration of Methods for Environmental Assessment and Investment Analysis." Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-10933.
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Background, aim and scope. In this thesis a framework for integrating life cycle assessment and investment analysis is derived, aimed to (1) unite economic and environmental perspectives, and (2) strengthen system borders. The application of the model is shown in a case study of a bioenergy facility in central Norway. Prices and environmental impacts are calculated, and the results are compared to those for electricity generated from natural gas. Two examples of utilisation of the results are presented. Methods. Hybrid life cycle assessment is employed to enable the use of the price model from input-output analysis. The price model is extended to facilitate the integration of investment analysis. The resulting framework embodies all aspects from investment analysis, including tax and discounting. The result is a model performing a state of the art hybrid life cycle assessment and a net present worth analysis to obtain environmental and economic results with consistent system borders. Application. The method is applied to a case study, evaluating an electricity generating bioenergy facility in central Norway. The bioenergy facility was found to be a viable investment. Using bioenergy as an abatement measure against global warming was found to be competitive against carbon credits in the case of CO2 quota prices at the level assumed in 2030. Results and discussion. The model produced robust results comparable to those found in other studies. The framework proved to have several advantages in addition to strengthened system borders; amongst others a mutual empowerment between the two base analyses in relation to decision making, and a possibility for establishing eco-efficiency indicators.
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Barker, Greg. "Environmental sustainability assessment methods for buildings in South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9868.
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Bibliography: leaves 223-228.In the past, economic instruments for environmental purposes were strongly resisted by industry, government and the public. As such, they were used only in exceptional circumstances. More recently, there has been a realisation that economic instruments can be a powerful complement to direct regulations. Consequently, economic instruments1 are playing an increasingly important role in the environmental management of buildings. The activities of the construction industry are driven by economic forces, so using market mechanisms is a logical strategy to pursue the objectives of sustainable construction2 . Perhaps the question is not whether economic mechanisms should be employed to improve environmental building performance, but rather how this should be achieved. This paper suggests that it can be achieved by using the economic instrument of ecolabelling to create market competition for improved building performance. Ecolabelling has traditionally been associated with household products, but has more recently been applied to a wider range of products, including buildings and building materials. The basis for building ecolabels is provided by the results of building environmental assessments, which evaluate building performance. In developed countries, these assessments have stimulated market demand for 'green' building developments. Building environmental assessment methods have used the concept of ecolabelling to provide consumers with an additional benchmark in renting or purchasing buildings.
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Benkherouf, M. (Moaadh). "Life cycle assessment of arsenic removal methods." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2018. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201812043210.
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The presence of arsenic in drinking water has been a major concern for years, due to its concentration being above the maximum allowable limit of 10 μg/l. Ingestion of arsenic-contaminated water causes different types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, skin lesion and more. Many techniques have been developed and used to reduce arsenic levels to the maximum allowable limit. The conventional methods to do so are adsorption, membrane filtration, coagulation-flocculation, oxidation, and ion exchange. The most common adsorption material is activated carbon produced from hard coal, but there is a shift towards using agro-waste materials in order to produce a more environmentally-friendly adsorbent with high rejection levels. Such materials include cocoa pod husk, ice cream beans, and red mombin seeds, where cocoa pod husk AC was able to remove 80% of arsenate, and red mombin seeds AC removed arsenate almost completely. Nanofiltration membranes were reportedly effective for arsenic removal, reaching a removal percentage of 90%. In this work, a life cycle assessment analysis using SimaPro was conducted for arsenic removal using red mombin seeds activated carbon and spiral wound nanofiltration membranes, as they are able to reach high removal efficiencies. The methods were then compared based on their impacts on the different environmental and damage categories to determine which is the better option. The results showed that nanofiltration had the lowest environmental impacts over the different impact categories by a huge differenceJuomaveden sisältämä arseeni on ollut merkittävä ongelma jo pitkään, sillä arseenipitoisuus ylittää usein sille asetun raja-arvon 10 μg/l. Arseenipitoisen juomaveden käyttö aiheuttaa muun muassa syöpä- ja verenkiertoelimistön sairauksia sekä iho-ongelmia. Juomaveden arseenipitoisuuden vähentämiseksi on kehitetty useita menetelmiä, joista tavallisimpia ovat adsorptio, kalvoerotus, koagulaatio ja flokkaus, hapetus ja ioninvaihto. Yleisin adsorptiomateriaali on aktiivihiili, joka on valmistettu kivihiilestä, mutta nykyisin maatalousjätteestä valmistetut adsorbentit ovat kiinnostuksen kohteena, sillä ne ovat ympäristöystävällisempiä ja niiden avulla voidaan saavuttaa korkea haitta-aineiden poistoprosentti. Tällaisia materiaaleja ovat muun muassa kaakaopavun kuoret ja punamombinin siemenet. Tutkimuksissa on saavutettu kaakaopavun kuorista valmistetun adsorbentin avulla 80 %:n poistuma arseenille ja punamombinin siemenet ovat poistaneet vedestä arseenin lähes kokonaan. Nanosuodatuksessa kalvot ovat tutkimusten mukaan poistaneet arseenista 90 %. Tässä tutkimuksessa suoritettiin SimaPro-ohjelmiston avulla elinkaariarviointi kahdelle vedenkäsittelymenetelmälle: adsorptiolle, jossa käytettiin punamombinin siemenistä valmistettua adsorbenttia, sekä nanosuodatukselle, jossa käytettiin spiraalikalvoja. Menetelmiä verrattiin niiden ympäristövaikutusten perusteella parhaan vaihtoehdon löytämiseksi. Tulosten perusteella nanosuodatuksen ympäristövaikutukset kaikissa vaikutusluokissa olivat merkittävästi alhaisemmat
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Gourlay, Robert C., and n/a. "Environmental assessment for land use management : the development and application of environmental assessment methods and techniques at the Singleton Training Area (STA)- Army." University of Canberra. Resource, Environmental & Heritage Sciences, 1997. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061113.153454.
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Methods and techniques for environmental impact assessment (EIA) and development of land use
management options are described. The methods and techniques have specific application in Defence
estate management, and general application in other areas of land use assessment and management.
The EIA methodology includes techniques for land cover and soil classification, land capability and
suitability assessment. The biophysical classifications and assessment techniques are based on the
application of various para and non- parametric approaches. The study area for the application of the
EIA methods and techniques was the Singleton Training Area (STA) in the Hunter Valley of central
New South Wales.
Defence estates are required to provide a wide range of terrain and other environmental conditions to
support the development of combat related tactics. The maintenance of these areas for sustainable use
is fundamental in achieving both military and land use management objectives. The EIA of the STA
provided a means of testing the efficiency of the methods and techniques developed in this thesis.
The baseline resource inventory data used in the EIA includes land cover and vegetation maps derived
from satellite digital data and soils maps derived from both conventional methods and airborne gammaradiation
data. This information, together with the military land use requirements provided the basis
for land capability and suitability assessment, and development of land use management options.
7
Palm, Peter. "Efficient methods for assessment of physical load at work." Licentiate thesis, Uppsala universitet, Arbets- och miljömedicin, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-278965.
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Strömberg, Larissa. "Integrated environmental assessment methods as a tool for sustainable design : some case studies." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Byggvetenskap, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-405.
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DiGiulio, Dominic Christopher. "Development of recommendations and methods to support assessment of soil venting performance and closure." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/284268.
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Soil venting, which includes gas injection as well as gas extraction in subsurface media, has become the primary method used in the United States to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from unsaturated subsurface media. The popularity and widespread use of venting is due to its simplicity of operation and proven ability to remove contaminant mass inexpensively compared to competing technologies. Despite the common use of venting in the Superfund program, there is little consistency in approach to assessment of performance and closure. Assessment of the technology's performance and eventual decisions on closure are based primarily on negotiations between responsible parties and regulators. In this process there is widespread use and reliance on empirical methods as opposed to an emphasis on understanding fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes controlling mass removal during the venting operation. This results in the technology not being used to its fullest potential, nor its limitations being well understood. The overall purpose of the work described in this dissertation was to improve the "state of the art" and "state of the science" of soil venting application. This purpose was accomplished by attainment of three specific objectives. The first objective was to develop an overall regulatory approach to assess venting performance and closure including measures to ensure consistency in ground-water and vadose zone remediation. The second objective was to provide comprehensive and detailed literature reviews on gas flow and vapor transport. These reviews formed the basis of recommendations and methods to improve venting design and monitoring. The third objective was to perform research to improve various aspects of venting application. This research consisted of: (1) analysis of linearization of the gas flow equation, (2) one-dimensional steady-state analysis of gas slippage, (3) two-dimensional steady-state analysis of gas flow and permeability estimation in a domain open to the atmosphere, (4) two-dimensional steady-state analysis of gas flow and permeability estimation in a semi-confined domain, (5) two-dimensional transient gas flow analysis and permeability estimation, (6) analysis and comparison of radius of influence versus critical pore-gas velocity based venting design, (7) modification of a gas extraction well to minimize water-table upwelling, (8) simulation of rate-limited vapor transport with diffusion modeling, (9) assessment of respiration testing, (10) development of a one-dimensional, analytical, vadose zone transport code to simulate mass flux to and from the capillary fringe, and (11) analysis of water-table mounding during sparging.
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Strömberg, Larissa. "Integrated environmental assessment methods as a tool for sustainable design : some case studies /." Stockholm, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-405.
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Holland, Michael. "An Assessment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Environmental Plan Evaluation Methods." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2011. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/124.
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency with a mission to develop water resource projects to benefit the nation. Some of its large scale projects have been built to benefit cities, but through unintended consequences have caused economic and environmental damages. For example, its control of Mississippi River flooding has protected the City of New Orleans, but contributed to land loss in coastal Louisiana, and by some accounts, made the population more susceptible to hurricane damage. The agency has now embarked on a mission to restore some of the damaged environmental areas. This dissertation evaluates whether policies and practices used by the agency to evaluate and select plans to implement is logically flawed and could produce suboptimal project selection. The primary issue is the practice of including only implementation costs in the analysis while excluding other positive and negative economic impacts. A case study is performed using the method to evaluate a traditional economic development project for which optimal project selection has already been determined using widely accepted benefit-cost practices. The results show that the Corps' environmental project evaluation method would cause rejection of the most efficient plan. The loss of welfare that would result from using this technique is measured by comparing the welfare gain of the optimal project to the welfare gain of the suboptimal projects which could be selected using the flawed methodology. In addition, the dissertation evaluates whether suboptimal results could be produced using two other current Corps policies: selecting projects based on production efficiency, and the exclusion of environmental benefits from the discounting process. For the first policy, a simple counter example shows how clearly inferior choices may come from including only supply considerations in investment choices. For the second policy, it is demonstrated mathematically that refraining from discounting benefits while discounting costs causes a bias towards selection of plans that take longer to build, are delayed in their implantation, or a combination of the two.
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Dorafshan, Sattar. "Non-Contact Evaluation Methods for Infrastructure Condition Assessment." DigitalCommons@USU, 2018. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7314.
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The United States infrastructure, e.g. roads and bridges, are in a critical condition. Inspection, monitoring, and maintenance of these infrastructure in the traditional manner can be expensive, dangerous, time-consuming, and tied to human judgment (the inspector). Non-contact methods can help overcoming these challenges. In this dissertation two aspects of non-contact methods are explored: inspections using unmanned aerial systems (UASs), and conditions assessment using image processing and machine learning techniques. This presents a set of investigations to determine a guideline for remote autonomous bridge inspections.
13
Caulfield, Peter Nicholas. "Innovative methods for the assessment of hazardous waste on remediation and construction projects." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41338.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-126).
by Peter Nicholas Caulfield.
M.S.
14
Pascual, González Janire. "Development of systematic methods for the assessment and optimization of life cycle environmental impacts." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/318584.
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Avui en dia, dur a terme estudis ambientals requereix una gran quantitat de dades i de temps, la qual cosa dificulta l’adopció dels principis de sostenibilitat en el disseny dels productes. A més, ha augmentat l’externalització dels impactes ambientals, el que afavoreix el desplaçament de les tasques de fabricació cap a països amb regulacions ambientals menys severes. Per tant, el desenvolupament de polítiques ambientals senzilles i eficaces s'ha convertit en un repte. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és desenvolupar un conjunt de mètodes sistemàtics per a l'avaluació i optimització de mètriques ambientals des d'una perspectiva sostenible tant a escala macroeconòmica com a escala industrial. Amb aquest fi, en primer lloc realitzem una anàlisi estadística multivariable utilitzant dades ambientals amb l’objectiut d'avaluar la relació entre les diferents mètriques ambientals i per identificar patrons d'impacte ambiental de països. Això ens permet identificar les mètriques ambientals més representatives que reduiran la quantitat de dades necessària per a l'elaboració d'estudis ambientals. A més, hem desenvolupat un model d'optimització multiobjetiu per identificar quins sectors d'una economia han de regular-se en primer lloc per reduir l'impacte mediambiental a nivell global provocant els mínims canvis possibles en aquesta economia. L'ús combinat d'aquestes eines aclareix com es generen els impactes ambientals i com dissenyar polítiques ambientals senzilles i eficaces tant a escala industrial com global.Hoy en día, realizar estudios ambientales requiere una gran cantidad de datos y de tiempo, lo que dificulta la adopción de los principios de sostenibilidad en el diseño de productos. Además, hay un aumento en la externalización de impactos ambientales que favorece el traslado de la fabricación a países con regulaciones ambientales menos severas. Por lo tanto, el desarrollo de políticas ambientales sencillas y eficaces se ha convertido en un reto. El objetivo de esta tesis es desarrollar un conjunto de métodos sistemáticos para la evaluación y optimización de métricas ambientales desde una perspectiva sostenible tanto a escala macroeconómica como a escala industrial. Para ello, en primer lugar realizamos un análisis estadístico multivariante utilizando datos ambientales con el fin de evaluar la relación entre las diferentes métricas ambientales y para identificar patrones de impacto ambiental de países. Esto nos permite identificar las métricas ambientales más representativas que reducirán la cantidad de datos necesaria para la elaboración de estudios ambientales. Además, hemos desarrollado un modelo de optimización multiobjetivo para identificar que sectores de una economía deben regularse en primer lugar con el fin de reducir el impacto medioambiental a nivel global provocando los mínimos cambios posibles en dicha economía. El uso combinado de estas herramientas clarifica cómo se generan los impactos ambientales y cómo diseñar políticas ambientales sencillas y eficaces tanto a escala industrial como global.
Nowadays, conducting environmental studies has become data intensive and time consuming which hinders the widespread adoption of sustainability principles in the design of products. In addition, there is an increase in externalization of environmental impacts which favors the displacement of manufacturing tasks to countries with softer environmental regulations. Therefore, the development of simple and effective environmental policies has become a challenging task. The aim of this thesis is to develop a set of systematic methods for assessing and optimizing environmental metrics from a sustainable perspective at both, the macroeconomic and engineering scales. To this end, we first conduct a multivariate statistical analysis using environmental data in order to assess relationships between environmental metrics and to identify environmental impact patterns of countries. This allows us to identify proxy environmental metrics which will reduce the amount of data required for the implementation of environmental studies. Moreover, we develop a multi-objective optimization model to identify which economic sectors must be regulated first in order to reduce the environmental impact at a global scale with minimum changes in an economy. The combined use of these tools sheds light on how the environmental impacts are generated and how to design environmental policies in a simple and effective way at engineering and global scales.
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Forsberg, Göran. "Assessment of bioenergy systems : an integrating study of two methods /." Uppsala : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 1999. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/1999/91-576-5857-9.pdf.
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Unruh, Richard Cornelius 1974. "The use of nondestructive testing methods for the condition assessment of concrete bridge girders." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29420.
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Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-72).
There are over 594,000 publicly controlled bridges in the United States. Concrete and pre-stressed concrete bridges account for nearly 50% of the bridges in the US inventory. This proportion is increasing each year, as new bridges tend to be constructed of concrete. This trend makes it vital for engineers to be able to accurately assess the condition of concrete for maintenance and repair decisions. The use of nondestructive testing methods can help reduce the backlog of deficient bridges in two ways. First, these techniques will allow inspectors to get a more accurate view of the condition of a bridge. The second way by which NDT can help is by allowing inspectors to locate damage earlier. This thesis is an attempt to capture the most current ideas for a very specific application of NDT: determining the condition of reinforced concrete bridges overall and bridge girders, in particular. To this end, attention is given to why NDT is needed and what aspects of concrete condition can be addressed with NDT. Some NDT methodologies that are, or may soon be, promising for concrete applications are discussed. Case studies are presented to demonstrate how NDT can be applied to concrete bridge girders and proposals are made for future areas of study and development.
by Richard Cornelius Unruh, III.
M.Eng.
17
Barringer, Ellen R. "A Mixed Methods Assessment of the Development, Use, and Educational Effectiveness of University Campus Sustainability Tours." TopSCHOLAR®, 2015. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1532.
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Campus sustainability tours are available at dozens of colleges and universities across the United States. These tours are considered a vital tool in interpreting the environmental and sustainable aspects of a campus to educate the campus community. Minimal quantitative data have been collected regarding their development, use, and effectiveness. In order to develop a dataset regarding the use of campus sustainability tours, surveys and interviews were sent to universities with such tours to discuss use and methods of development. A campus-wide electronic survey was sent to the Western Kentucky University (WKU) main campus community to determine their experiences with the WKU Green Tour. Pre- and post-tests were distributed to students at WKU before and after their experience with the tour to establish whether learning occurred. Professors were surveyed to determine the current use of the tours within classrooms. Best practices regarding the development of campus sustainability tours are not available. There is virtually no quantitative information available on the tours’ use and effectiveness. The WKU Green Tour, which relies upon campus signage to gain attention, sees little use since the signs tend not to capture attention. According to collected data, members of the campus community who do notice the signs find them interesting and learn new information. The guided tour, self-guided tour, and Green Tour lecture all saw significant knowledge gain in students, demonstrating educational effectiveness. Many barriers prevent professors from using the tours, but some supplemental tour items are suggested to improve classroom use. Based on data collected and analyzed as part of this study, tour developers should target the existing campus community rather than focusing solely on campus visitors. Relying on passive signage to capture attention reaches few members of the campus community. The significant knowledge gain demonstrated in classroom use of the Green Tour creates a strong argument for targeting professors as a user group. WKU faculty would likely increase their use of the Green Tour if provided with supplemental tools such as brochures, a virtual tour, and pre-made assignments. These tools should be made available to instructors with guidance in usage and incorporation.
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Kaatz, Ewelina. "Development of benchmarks and weighting systems for building environmental assessment methods : opportunities of a participatory approach." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/4767.
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Bibliography: leaves 41-44.Sustainable construction is a tenns that emerged with the introduction of the concept of sustainable development in construction. Therefore, sustainable construction embraces socio-economic, cultural, biophysical, technical and process-orientated aspects of construction practice and activities. The progress towards sustain ability in construction may be assessed by implementation of good practice in building developments. Therefore, building environmental assessment methods are valuable tools of indicating such a progress as well as promoting sustainable approaches in construction. An effective building environmental assessment method requires definition of explicit benchmarks and weightings. These should take into account environmental, social and economic contexts of building developments. As the existing building environmental assessment methods largely ignore socioeconomic impacts of building developments, the implementation of a participatory approach in the development of benchmarks and weighting systems could greatly contribute to a more meaningful incorporation of social and economic aspects into the assessment process. Furthennore, the participation of stakeholders in establishing qualitative benchmarks and weights should increase the credibility of such a process. The participatory approach could allow for education of all stakeholders about the potential environmental, social and economic consequences of their decisions and actions, which is so vital for achieving their commitment to strive towards sustainable construction.
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Gorrochategui, Matas Eva. "Assessment of the lipidomic effects of environmental pollutants on exposed organisms using chemometric and analytical methods." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/544130.
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Lipidomics is a subset of metabolomics, which in turn, is one of the categorical platforms that constitute omics. Omic sciences aim at the study of the abundance and (or) structural characterization of a broad range of molecules (e.g., lipids in the case of lipidomics) in organisms under distinct scenarios. In the environmental field, omic studies aim at the evaluation of the alterations that organisms might suffer after exposure to environmental stressors such as chemical pollutants, leading to exposomics. Thus, lipidomic data can be used to acquire fundamental understanding of the interaction between organisms and external environmental stimuli. Distinct analytical techniques can be used to obtain lipidomic data. Among them, liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is one of the most powerful technologies due to its ability in the analysis of low molecular weight compounds in biological systems. However, LC-MS data sets are challenging to analyse because of their very large size and complexity and for this reason chemometric methods are proposed to reveal the information contained in LC-MS lipidomic (and metabolomic) data sets as much as possible.
This Thesis has dealt, on the one hand, with the development of an untargeted LC-MS data analysis strategy based on the use of powerful chemometric tools, with the ultimate goal of facilitating lipidomic studies and demonstrating the usefulness of Chemometrics in this field. The developed strategy covers most of the steps involved in the data analysis process: data storage and conversion, import, compression, normalization, scaling and transformation, peak resolution and biomarker detection. However, the main contributions of the present Thesis are related with the steps of data compression and resolution. Distinct data compression strategies have been compared such as the classical binning procedure or the time/mass windowing and a more recent strategy based on the search of the regions of interest or ROI, being the latter, the one that has provided better results. Concerning data resolution, the performance of Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) has been evaluated showing excellent results with LC-MS lipidomic data sets. Also, different methods for variable selection (biomarker screening) have been compared i ncluding the classical ANOVA statistical test followed by a multiple comparisons test and a chemometric method: Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS- DA), using the variables importance in projection (VIP). Moreover, the study of the contribution of the factors underlying multifactorial experimental designs and the evaluation of the sources of variance has been performed by ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis (ASCA). A step-by-step protocol of the developed LC-MS data analysis strategy and a description of the corresponding methodology have been
provided so that researchers in lipidomics (and metabolomics) can use them to analyse their own data without the requirement of external data analysis software.
On the other hand, this Thesis has aimed to generate lipidomic data from LC-MS techniques and from attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) combined with chemometric methods. The obtained lipidomic data have been used to provide knowledge of the effects of some widespread environmental pollutants on human and environmental modelbiosystems. The selected environmental pollutants in this Thesis include some perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs), tributyltin (TBT), different forms of carbon-based nanoparticles (CBNs) and some proautophagic drugs. Moreover, the biological systems that have been exposed to these environmental stressors comprise three cell lines (a human placental chroriocarcinoma cell line (JEG-3), a human glioblastoma cell line (T98G) and a Xenopus laevis kidney epithelial cell line (A6)) and a model organism (zebrafish, Danio rerio). In order to extract more information of the effects of the chemicals on the exposed biological systems, some toxicological assays have also been performed. Overall, this Thesis pretends to provide a useful contribution to the untargeted lipidomic research.La lipidòmica és una subdisciplina de la metabolòmica; aquesta última considerada una de les branques fonamentals de l’òmica. Les ciències òmiques tenen com a objectiu principal l’estudi de l’abundància i (o) de la caracterització estructural d’un gran grup de molècules (entre elles els lípids en el cas de la lipidòmica) en organismes que es troben sota diversos escenaris. En el camp mediambiental, els estudis òmics tenen la finalitat d’avaluar les alteracions que els organismes poden patir com a conseqüència de l’exposició a factors presents en el medi ambient, com poden ser els productes químics, donant lloc a l’exposòmica. Per tant, les dades obtingudes en estudis lipidòmics poden ser utilitzades per a obtenir un coneixement bàsic sobre els fenòmens que tenen lloc en la interacció entre els organismes i el seu entorn. Existeixen diverses tècniques analítiques per a l’obtenció d’aquestes dades. Entre totes elles, la cromatografia de líquids acoblada a l’espectrometria de masses (LC-MS) s’ha convertit en una de les tècniques estrella en estudis lipidòmics gràcies a la seva capacitat d’anàlisi de compostos de baix pes molecular en sistemes biològics. No obstant, les dades obtingudes amb aquesta tècnica son molt difícils d’analitzar degut a les seves grans dimensions i a la seva complexa naturalesa. Per aquest motiu, l’ús de mètodes quimiomètrics que permetin extraure i interpretar aquestes dades lipidòmiques (i metabolòmiques) resulta necessari. Aquesta Tesi ha perseguit, per una banda, el desenvolupament d’una metodología d’anàlisi no dirigida de dades LC-MS fent ús d’eines quimiomètriques, per tal de facilitar els estudis lipidòmics i demostrar la utilitat de la Quimiometria en el camp de l’òmica. L’estratègia d’anàlisi de dades que s’ha desenvolupat cobreix la major part de les etapes del procés: emmagatzematge i conversió de les dades, import, compressió, normalització, correcció per escalars, resolució del perfil cromatogràfic i detecció de possibles biomarcadors. Ara bé, la major contribució d’aquesta Tesi està relacionada amb les etapes de compressió i resolución de les dades. Diverses estratègies de compressió de dades s’han comparat en aquesta Tesi, incloent la clàssica estratègia del binning o la divisió del cromatograma en petites finestres de temps i/o de massa (windowing) i una aproximació més recent basada en la recerca deregions d’interès (ROI), éssent la última d’aquestes la que ha generat millors resultats. Pel que fa a la resolució del perfil cromatogràfic, en aquesta Tesi s’ha emprat el mètode de resolució multivariant de corbes per mínims quadrats alternats (MCR-ALS) i se n’ha avaluat la seva eficàcia amb aquest tipus de dades, que ha resultat ésser molt bona. A part, diferents mètodes per a la selecció de variables (screening de biomarcadors) s’han examinat comparativament, incloent el clàssic test ANOVA seguit d’un test de comparacions múltiples i un mètode quimiomètric: l’anàlisi discriminant per mínims quadrats parcials (PLS-DA), fent ús de les variables importants en la projecció (VIP). Per altra banda, la contribució dels diferents factors lligats al disseny experimental multifactorial així com la contribució de les diverses fonts de variància s’han estudiat mitjançant el mètode d’ANOVA amb l’anàlisi simultani de components (ASCA). En aquesta part de la Tesi s’ha elaborat un protocol on s’inclou una descripció detallada del procés de tractament de dades així com una explicació de les bases d’aquesta metodologia, per tal que altres científics que treballin en el camp de la lipidòmica (i/o de la metabolòmica) puguin tractar les seves dades sense necessitat d’utilitzar un programa extern si així ho desitgen. D’altra banda, el segon propòsit d’aquesta Tesi ha estat la generació de dades lipidòmiques, a partir de tècniques LC-MS i de l’espectroscòpia IR (ATR-FTIR) i Raman (SERS) i l’ús de mètodes quimiomètrics. Les dades lipidòmiques obtingudes han estat utilitzades per a generar nou coneixement sobre els efectes d’alguns dels contaminants ambientals més presents en el mediambient en sistemes model humans i mediambientals. Els contaminants ambientals escollits en aquesta Tesi inclouen alguns compostos perfluorats (PFASs), el tributilestany (TBT), diverses formes de nanopartícules de carboni (CBNs) i alguns compostos proautofàgics. Els sistemes biològics que s’han exposat a aquests contaminants inclouen tres línies cel·lulars (línia de cèl·lules de carcinoma de placenta humana (JEG-3), línia de cèl·lules humanes de tumor cerebral glioblastoma (T98G) i línia de cèl·lules epitelials de ronyó de granota Xenopus laevis (A6)) i un organisme model (zebrafish, Danio rerio). Aquests estudis s’han acompanyat d’assaigs toxicològics per a obtenir més informació dels efectes dels contaminants en aquests sistemes biològics model. En conjunt, aquesta Tesi pretén aportar un valor afegit a la recerca no- dirigida en lipidòmica.
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Roure, Robin. "Environmental assessment of combined heat and cold production plants for district thermal networks, through optimization methods." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-263177.
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With the international commitment behind the Paris Agreement, district thermal networks’ contribution to final energy demand are bound to increase as they allow significant emission savings. In addition to that, the cooling demand is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. This is why network operators show a growing interest in systems exploiting synergies between heating and cooling networks. The present report focuses on the use of a simultaneous heating and cooling heat pump to produce thermal energy for a combined heating and cooling system. The performances of this system are assessed using Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization methods. The carbon intensity of such production system is also assessed for European countries with various energy mix. A first model is formulated to include monthly to yearly time-scales like the ones involved in yearly emission limits or inter-seasonal storage. It shows that electricity price is the main driver for the choice of coupled network. Inter-seasonal cold storage and daily heat storage are also cost-efficient. A second model including operational constraints with an innovative methodology, more representative of actual network operation, is also tested with promising results.Fjärrvärme tillåter betydande utsläppsminskningar så att de kommer att expandera i Europa. Kylbehovet kommer också att öka kraftigt under det kommande året. Det är därför nätoperatörer är intresserade av synergier mellan fjärrvärme och fjärrkyla. Denna studie fokuserar på användning av värmepump för att producera samtidigt uppvärmning och kylning. Systemets prestanda bedöms med MILP (blandad heltal linjär programmering) optimeringsmetoder. Systemets miljöpåverkan bedöms också för europeiska länder med olika energimix. En första modell byggs inklusive årliga fenomen som utsläppslock eller säsongsförvaring av termisk energi. Det visar att elpriset är den viktigaste drivkraften för valet av kopplade nät. Säsongens kylförvaring och daglig värmelagring är också kostnadseffektiva. En andra modell inklusive operativa begränsningar med en innovativ metod, mer representativ för faktiskt nätverksdrift, testas också med lovande resultat.
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Lindahl, Mattias, and Henrik Larsson. "Life cycle assessment of floor care : a comparative study of the Twister™ method and floor care methods using polish and wax." Linköpings universitet, Industriell miljöteknik, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-21986.
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This study was initiated by the authors in order to evaluate the Twister™ method’s environmental pros and cons in relation to other traditional floor care methods using polish and wax. This has been ascertained through a Life Cycle Assessment which was conducted within the study. The study has been in co-operation with HTC Sweden AB, the developer of the Twister™ method. The results show that the elements of the Twister™ method with the greatest environmental impact are the scrubbing machine that is used and the low energy consumption that the Twister™ method requires. The results also show that the Twister™ method has a significantly lower environmental impact than floor care methods using polish or wax. The parts of the Twister™ pad that have the greatest environmental impact are the industrial diamonds and the material that makes up the pad.
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Strid, Eriksson Ingrid. "Environmental systems analysis of pig production : development and application of tools for evaluation of the environmental impact of feed choice /." Uppsala : Dept. of Biometry and Engineering, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, 2004. http://epsilon.slu.se/a491.pdf.
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Kim, Jongwoon [Verfasser]. "Prediction of mixture toxicity using computational toxicology methods - towards integrated model for environmental risk assessment / Jongwoon Kim." Landau : Universitätsbibliothek Landau, 2013. http://d-nb.info/1038653967/34.
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Parsons, Robert Lee. "Assessment and optimization of site characterization and monitoring activities using geostatistical methods within a geographic information systems environment." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/32847.
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Lee, Chai Siah. "Extraction of bio-flocculant from okra using hydrothermal and microwave extraction methods combined with a techno-economic assessment." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2017. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43270/.
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Since the usage of chemical flocculants especially polyacrylamides is closely related with environmental pollution and health hazards, synthesis of environmental friendly and economic viable bio-flocculants that exhibit high flocculating efficiency is highly desirable. The production of natural bio-flocculants extracted from plant is urgently needed as an alternative to chemical flocculants due to their inherent low toxicity, biodegradability and low environmental footprint. In this study, a plant-based bio-flocculant was extracted from Hibiscus/Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) with conventional hydrothermal extraction (CHE) and microwave assisted extraction (MAE) processes by using water as solvent. The aims of this work were to produce the bio-flocculant through environmentally friendly and economically feasible process, optimise its extraction yield, optimise its flocculating and sludge dewatering properties, and also minimise its production cost in order to be comparable to chemical flocculants (polyacrylamides) from perspectives of quality and cost. The extraction efficiencies of bio-flocculants were justified by the optimised yields, the flocculating abilities were evaluated by the removal of suspended solids (SS) and turbidity after flocculation process and sludge volume index (SVI) whereas the sludge dewatering abilities were assessed by SS removal after filtration and water recovery. Single factor experimental design was employed to study the effects of extraction temperature, time, solvent loading, and agitation speed and particle size on yield, flocculating and dewatering properties of bio-flocculants. The influence of extraction parameters to yield and the reliability of the experimental data were verified by analysing the single factor experimental results with response surface methodology. Results showed that extraction yields were significantly affected by extraction temperature and time and solvent loading. Prolonged extraction (few hours) at high temperature (60-90 ˚C) decreased the yields of bio-flocculants extracted with CHE method. Conversely, extraction at high temperature was favourable for MAE method to raise the yield due to short extraction time in minutes. Flocculating abilities of bio-flocculants were not significantly affected by the extraction conditions whilst the sludge dewatering abilities were mainly influenced by the temperature and particle size. High extraction temperature at ≥ 70 ˚C and the smallest okra particle size at 1mm were the crucial conditions for extraction of bio-flocculants with high dewatering abilities which showed > 95% of SS removal after filtration and ≥75% of water recovery. The optimised yield of CHE at 25.9% was obtained at 50 ˚C, 2 hours, solvent loading of 2.5 w/w and agitation at 200 rpm. On the other hand, microwave-extracted bio-flocculants were best extracted at 90 ˚C, 10 minutes, and solvent loading of 3.5 w/w and okra particle size at 1mm to get the optimised yield at 48.7%. These results revealed that the extraction yield has been enhanced by 87.8% by using MAE method and the extraction time was markedly reduced from hours to minutes. This study uses a combination of empirical observations and an analysis of mass transfer behaviour to yield new insights into the mechanism of MAE. Enhancements in extraction rate and yield achieved by microwave extraction were observed experimentally compared with hydrothermal extraction at temperatures in excess of 50 ˚C, however at lower temperatures there was no observable difference between the two processes. A step-change in extraction yield between microwave and hydrothermal processes was shown to be caused by selective heating. A temperature gradient of the order of 1 ˚C is sufficient to reduce the water chemical potential within the plant cell structure, which causes diffusion of water solvent into plant cell such that internal plant cell pressures can increase to the point where disruption occurs. These findings demonstrate the need to operate microwave extraction processes at a temperature that enables selective heating, and a newly-proposed mass transfer phenomenon that could have wider positive implications for extraction and leaching processes. The bio-flocculants extracted with both methods were applied in flocculation and sludge dewatering without pH alteration and addition of coagulant. Efficient flocculating abilities were attained with >99% of SS and turbidity removal and < 10 mg/L of SVI. However, microwave extracted bio-flocculants were shown to exhibit higher dewatering abilities than hydrothermal extracted bio-flocculants. The bio-flocculants displayed the results of >95% SS removal after filtration and 75% water recovery during sludge dewatering at dosage of 30 mg/L, and was shown to be comparable to or even better than polyacrylamides due to achievement of higher water recovery at the same dosage. Dried bio-flocculants were found to have higher dewatering abilities than aqueous bio-flocculants, probably because drying at low temperature (40 ˚C) has minimised the moisture content and extended the shelf life of bio-flocculants. Biopolymer bridging was preliminary predicted as the plausible bio-flocculation mechanism. The economic feasibility of production of industrial scale bio-flocculant was investigated and the production process was modelled by using SuperPro Designer v9.0 simulation software. The MAE process in continuous mode was verified to be more economically viable than CHE process either in batch or continuous mode if the production scale was beyond 15 tonne/year. Sensitivity analysis for continuous microwave process was conducted and the results indicated the strong influences of annual production and extraction yield followed by raw material okra price on the unit production cost. Continuous microwave process with extraction conditions at 90 ˚C, 10 minutes and solvent loading of 3.5 w/w was identified as the optimised scheme for production of industrial scale bio-flocculant at the lowest production cost. The estimated selling price of aqueous and dried bio-flocculants for an annual production of 220 tonne/year were 41 and 52 $/kg respectively, and was shown to be lower than food grade bio-flocculants but higher than polyacrylamides. This work has clearly showed that okra bio-flocculant could offer a feasible and sustainable alternative to synthetic flocculants for water treatment and sludge dewatering applications due to its high efficiency in flocculating and dewatering, and can be extracted using only water as a solvent, minimising the environmental footprint of the extraction process.
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Plevrakis, Viktor. "Comparison of risk assessment methods for polluted soils in Sweden, Norway and Denmark." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för naturgeografi och kvartärgeologi (INK), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-109376.
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Land contamination is an acknowledged problem around the world due to its potentially adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Specifically in Europe there are estimated to be 2,500,000 potentially contaminated sites. The risk that contaminated sites pose is investigated by risk assessments. The methods and the models though used in risk assessments, vary both on a national and an international level. In this study, the risk assessment methods and models for polluted soils used in Scandinavia and issued by the Environmental Protection Agencies were compared. The comparison aimed to (i) identify similarities and differences in the risk assessment methodology and risk assessment methods and to (ii) investigate to which extend these differences can impact the results of the models and the implications regarding mitigation measures. The method and model comparison showed that Sweden and Norway have great similarities in assessing risks for contaminated soil. However, there are differences with Denmark on a conceptual level. When a common hypothetical petrol station with 20 soil samples was assessed, the results and the conclusions of the three risk assessments were quite different; the site was seen as posing risk to human health with the Danish model when complied with the quality criteria issued by the Norwegian model. The Swedish risk assessment concluded that the contaminant concentration in 3 out of 20 samples was potentially harmful for the environment but not for human health. The demonstrated divergence of the conclusions of risk assessments has major implications and shows great interest for mainly four groups: Land-owners who may be called to cover the expenses for remedial action. Consultants and companies who perform risk assessments and land remediation. The countries that have to meet national and international environmental goals and can also share/ or cover the cost for remedial action. The people exposed to such environments that could be deemed as potentially harmful by a neighboring country. The study was conducted in collaboration with URS Nordic.
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Thomas, Blake H. "Benefits, Barriers, and Opportunities for Renewable Energy Outreach in Extension: A Mixed-Methods Needs Assessment." DigitalCommons@USU, 2016. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4750.
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A large-scale transition to renewable energy sources will become increasingly appealing as the issues of federal regulation, climate change, and decreased fossil fuel energy return on energy investment become more prevalent. Although renewable resources remain a small portion of the nation’s and Utah’s energy portfolio mix, current power purchase agreements indicate an impending boom. Cooperative Extension should play an integral role in the transition to renewable resources on the national, state, and local levels. The purpose of Extension is to provide objective, research-based, and credible information to improve local communities. There is a great opportunity for Extension agents to be trusted experts in educating and assisting farmers, ranchers, and homeowners in transitioning to renewable energy systems. This thesis identified the benefits, barriers, and opportunities for renewable energy outreach in Extension. Data were collected through a nationwide online survey and focus group interviews, in addition to a Utah-based online survey. The nationwide survey and interviews revealed a need and demand for increased renewable energy programming in Extension. This need became further evident after a nationwide inventory discovered that only twenty-two of fifty states have distinct renewable energy departments, programs, or discipline areas. A Utah-based needs assessment revealed that fifty-nine percent of Utah State University (USU) Extension employees agreed that there was a need for a statewide renewable energy specialist. Additionally, more than fifty-five percent of employees agreed that there was an internal and public demand for USU Extension to provide and receive renewable energy information, programs, education, and outreach. The Utah-based survey also revealed differing perceptions of the environmental harmfulness of common energy sources. Different attitudes toward conventional and renewable energy sources demonstrated the need for unbiased, properly messaged delivery of desired renewable energy programs.
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Blaviesciunaite, Aiste. "Cultural values embedded in building environmental performance assessment methods : a comparison of LEED-Canada and Japan`s CASBEE." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/42862.
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This thesis examines cultural values embedded in the LEED-Canada and CASBEE building environmental performance assessment methods, with particular emphasis on those that relate to collective attitudes toward nature in two different contexts: Canada and Japan. The structure and content of LEED-Canada and CASBEE are compared through the lenses of biophilia, technology, and information to expose how the implicit factors that shape society’s composition, structure, industries and understanding influence the priorities and emphases in the two assessment methods. The consequences of the study are fourfold. Firstly, it provides a critically important lens through which to view side-by-side comparisons of building environmental assessment systems. Secondly, by contrasting the differences and identifying similarities in the two countries, the work provides a more informed basis for understanding the transferability of green building design ideas from one culture to another and what problems/opportunities could potentially arise. Thirdly, the study adds weight to the argument that it is critically important to look at buildings as an integral part of natural, cultural, social and economic systems rather than isolated entities. Finally, it seriously questions whether the lack of culture-specific considerations has potentially adverse effects when promoting built environment sustainability in the long term.
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Shipigina, Ekaterina. "Remote sensing methods for environmental monitoring of human impact on sub-Arctic ecosystems in Europe." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/268066.
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The role and scale of human impact on the global environment is a question of special importance to the scientific community and the world as a whole. This impact has dramatically increased since the beginning of industrialisation, yet its understanding remains patchy. The sub-Arctic plays a central role in forming the global environment due to the vast territory of boreal forest and tundra. Severe climatic conditions make its ecosystems highly sensitive to any natural and human disturbances. In this context, the dynamics of boreal vegetation, and of the forest/tundra interface (the treeline), is the most representative indicator of environmental changes in the sub-Arctic. For some time now, monitoring land cover and vegetation changes using remote sensing techniques have been a powerful method for studying human impact on environment from landscape to global scales. It is particularly efficient when applied to the sub-Arctic ecosystems. Remote sensing gives access to accurate and specific information about distant and hard-to-reach areas across forest and tundra. Despite all the e orts, there is a lack of uniformity in studying human impact, a shortage of mapping of impact over large territories and a lack of understanding of the relation between human activity and environmental response. This dissertation develops a systematic approach to monitoring land cover and vegetation changes under human impact over northern Fennoscandia. The study area extends north and south of the treeline and covers around 400,000km2 reaching from Finnmark in Norway, through Norrbotten in Sweden, Lapland in Finland up to the Murmansk region in Russia. This is the most populated and industrially developed region of the whole sub-Arctic and, therefore, suffering most from human impact. This dissertation identifies industrial atmospheric pollution, reindeer herding, forest logging, forest fires and infrastructure development as the primary types of human impact close to the treeline. For each type characteristic hotspots are identified and human impact is analysed in the context of physical environment as well as cultural, economical and political development of the area. This dissertation presents an automated workflow enabling large-scale land cover mapping in northern Fennoscandia with high throughput. It starts with automated image pre-processing using image metadata and ends with automated mapping of classification results. A single classifier for multispectral Landsat data is trained on extensive field data collected across the whole region. Open source tools are used extensively to set up the processing scripts enabling rapid and reproducible analysis. Using the developed advanced remote sensing methodology land cover maps are constructed for all identified hotspots and types of human impact. Changes in vegetation are analysed using three or four historical land cover maps for each hotspot. More than 35 Landsat TM and ETM+ images covering the period from the 1980s until 2011 are processed in an automated manner. A strong correlation between the level of impact and the scale of vegetation change is confirmed and analysed. The structure and dynamics of the local treeline and the quality of environment are analysed and assessed in the context of changing levels of impact at each hotspot and regionally.
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Sandoval, Maitê de Souza. "Proposta de padronização em avaliação de impactos ambientais /." Rio Claro : [s.n.], 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/92754.
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Orientador: Leandro Eugenio da Silva CerriBanca: Fábio Augusto Gomes de Vieira Reis
Banca: Flávio Henrique Mingante Schlittler
Resumo: A avaliação da significância dos impactos ambientais continua a ser um importante componente crítico ainda mal compreendido da prática da avaliação de impactos ambientais. Este trabalho é um estudo sobre as conclusões de uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a avaliação e comunicação de avaliação do impacto ambiental praticada no Brasil. É dada especial atenção para a importância da utilização de critérios, padrões e métodos de avaliação de impactos ambientais que pretendendo incorporar mais eficiência nos estudos de impacto ambiental. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi a realização de uma proposta, incluindo o desenvolvimento de procedimentos e aplicar na avaliação de impactos ambientais situações relativas à sua formulação, aplicação e interpretação da significância dos critérios, conclusões e recomendações pertinentes para respeitar o objetivo da avaliação de impacto ambiental que é garantir a viabilidade ambiental das atividades humanas.
Abstract: The evaluation of the significance of environmental impacts remains an important critical yet poorly understood component of environmental impact assessment practice. This work is a study upon the findings of a bibliographic review about the evaluation and communication of environmental impact assessment in Brazil practice. Particular attention is given to the use of significance criteria, thresholds and EIA methodologies intending to incorporate more efficiency of environmental impact statement. Thus, the aim of this research was the accomplishment of a proposal including the development of procedures to apply in EIA issues surrounding the formulation, application and interpretation of significance criteria, conclusions and recommendations relevant to respect the aim of EIA that in provide environmental viability of men activities.
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Pandey, August Kumar. "Identification and assessment of cleaner production technologies and appropriate technology management strategies and methods in the South African vehicle industry." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2007. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-12202007-155142/.
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Mohammed, Warda. "Optimizing Sample Dissolution Methods of Low Water Soluble Intermediate Organic Compounds to Support Environmental Risk Assessment during Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för naturvetenskap och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-93416.
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This project focus on investigating the dissolution of low water-soluble intermediate organic compounds called active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and organic substances that are manufactured by a pharmaceutical company, Cambrex Karlskoga in Sweden. Several dissolution methods were used and evaluated using methods including total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and Microtox toxicity test. The selection of solvents were based on previous studies and specifications from the Swedish Institute of Standards, SIS.The performance of eight solvents for different organic substances were evaluated using the above mentioned methods. Solvents that are highly volatile and have low solubility in water were excluded. Therefore, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide (DMF) and Pluronic F-68, that had highest water solubility, low acute toxicity and not degradable by microorganisms, were further used to dissolve four organic substances. Furthermore, DMSO and DMF were then also used to dissolve four censored chemicals with addition of physical treatment and solvent mixtures (DMF:DMSO with ratio 1:2).Results from each method were discussed and statistical tests were also performed in order to compare different dissolution methods. In addition, quality control and quality assurance were made in order to ensure the quality of measured values from analytical methods. Four organic substances were dissolve in DMSO, DMF and Pluronic F-68 with dissolution ≥79% using six ratios of DMSO and DMF and five ratios of Pluronic F-68 which were analyzed using TOC. Physical treatment increased dissolution of two APIs with 40%. Using BOD, para-aminobenzonic acid (PABA) and 5-nitroisophthalic acid (5-NIPA) had values higher than the guideline values, which indicate high biodegradability of these organic substances. PABA, 5-NIPA and bupivacaine base were acute toxic where PABA showed EC50 values of 27.9 mg/L using DMSO and 36.0 mg/L using DMF, and EC50 values of 5-NIPA were 102 mg/L using DMSO and 84.0 mg/L using DMF, and bupivacaine base had EC50 value of 174 mg/L using solvent mixture (DMF:DMSO with ratio 1:2). With increasing amount of Pluronic F-68, 5-NIPA had increased values of EC50, thereby Pluronic F-68 was not appropriate to use.In conclusion, DMSO and DMF were most appropriate solvents to use in order to dissolve APIs and organic substances with analyte: DMSO ratio of 1:0.5 and analyte: DMF ratio of 1:0.25. In addition, physical treatment could be used in order to increase dissolution of the APIs.
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Mkhabela, Antonia T. "An Investigation of the usage of teaching methods and assessment practices in environmental learning processes and emergent curriculum and sustainability competencies." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7812.
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This study explores the teaching and assessment practices used by teachers in environmental learning processes and emergent curriculum and sustainability competencies. The focus is the school subject Life Sciences in the Further Education and Training Phase. The study is based on four cases of teachers in schools in the Midlands area, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Lenses used to review the data included curriculum defined cognitive skills and cognitive levels to review the curriculum competencies and a systems approach to teaching and learning (Wiek, Withycombe, Redman & Mills, 2011) to review emergent sustainability competencies. This study employed qualitative methods, namely a questionnaire, stimulated recall interviews, observations (of lesson plan implementation in classrooms) and document analysis (detailing lesson plans, assessment tasks and learners’ work) to generate data. Analysis took place in four phases and included: a descriptive contextual analysis of factors influencing teaching and assessment practices; a descriptive analysis of teacher intentionality, topics, assessment planned and resources used; an analysis of emergent curriculum competencies in informal and formal assessment tasks; and, finally, a second layer of analysis describing emergent sustainability competencies in the environmental learning processes. Ethical considerations included permission for access, anonymity, participant rights and awareness of my role as cluster leader for the group of teachers involved. The study found that the nature of Life Sciences environmental topics and implementation influences the development of curriculum and sustainability competencies. Also, the choice of teaching methods influenced the emergence of particular curriculum and sustainability competencies. The findings also suggested that switching between isiZulu and English, unfamiliarity with action verbs, and the inconsistent use of higher order questions in classroom discussion, informal and formal assessment tasks might have affected success in the development of higher order thinking skills. Finally, the study revealed that environmental learning has the potential to support the development of integrated sustainability competencies. This study was driven by an interest in environmental content knowledge, teaching and assessment within the South African Fundisa for Change network of environmental educators. It is hoped that the study’s illustration of how consideration of curriculum and sustainability competencies can contribute to quality education practices in environmental learning, will be of use in this network.
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Tarbet, Karl L. "Evaluation of Two-Dimensional Hydraulic Modeling in a Natural River and Implications in Instream Flow Assessment Methods." DigitalCommons@USU, 1997. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4423.
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The Logan River was used as a study site to assess the capabilities of two-dimensional depth-averaged hydraulic modeling in the x-y plane of a natural river for use with instream flow studies. Data were collected to spatially represent the study reach with depth, velocity, northing, easting, elevation, and substrate values using a total station and electronic velocity meter. Computational finite element meshes were generated using four different density levels of geometry data to examine the relationship between field data density and computational mesh on geometry errors. Geometry errors were found to be related to smoothing effects, which removed complex channel geometries while overall mesh geometry errors were related to data density in homogeneous versus heterogeneous channel conditions.
Results indicate that required field data can be optimized with lower data densities in homogenous sections of the river channel. Of the two hydraulic models examined, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers RMA2 model could not be adequately calibrated given the high slope within the study reach and therefore all subsequent evaluations were made utilizing the CDG2D model. CDG2D model performance was best in the lower gradient sections of the test section at both calibrated and simulated flows with increasing errors for water surface and associated depth and velocity errors as channel gradient increased. These results suggest that additional research is needed to define limiting gradients under which application of this class of hydrodynamic model can be expected for practical instream flow assessments.
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Pujol, Abajo Marta. "Development of molecular monitoring methods and assessment of the environmental fate of the biological control agent of fire blight Pseudomonas fluorescens EPS62e." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Girona, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/7928.
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Pseudomonas fluorescens EPS62e es va seleccionar com a agent de biocontrol del foc bacterià per la seva eficàcia en el control de Erwinia amylovora. En aquest treball es van desenvolupar mètodes de traçabilitat que van permetre la seva detecció específica i quantificació. Mitjançant les tècniques RAPD i U-PCR es van obtenir fragments d'amplificació diferencial per EPS62e que es van seqüenciar i caracteritzar com marcadors SCAR per dissenyar una PCR en temps real. La PCR a temps real es va utilitzar simultàniament amb mètodes microbiològics per estudiar l'adaptabilitat epifítica de EPS62e en pomera i perera. L'ús combinat de mètodes microbiològics i moleculars va permetre la identificació de tres estats fisiològics de EPS62e: la colonització activa, l'entrada en un estat de viable però no cultivable, i la mort cel·lular. Aquest treball mostra que EPS62e està ben adaptada a la colonització de flors a camp, encoratjant la seva utilització dins d'una estratègia de control biològic contra el foc bacterià.Pseudomonas fluorescens EPS62e was selected as a reliable biological control agent of fire blight for its high efficacy controlling Erwinia amylovora infections. In the present work, monitoring methods which allowed EPS62e specific detection and quantification were developed. RAPD and U-PCR fingerprints were used to obtain differential amplified fragments from EPS62e that were sequence characterized as SCAR markers. A real-time PCR was developed on the basis of the strain-specific SCAR markers, and was used simultaneously with microbiological methods to study the environmental fate of EPS62e in apple and pear orchards. The combined use of both microbiological and molecular methods permitted the identification of three physiological states for EPS62e, which consisted of active colonization, survival and entry into a viable but nonculturable state, and cell death. The present work shows that EPS62e is well adapted for blossom colonisation in the field, and encourages its utilisation in a fire blight.
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Fairbanks, Ronald. "Assessing the environmental impact of polystyrene, paperboard and polypropylene food packaging articles used in retail for fast food applications using product life cycle assessment methods." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/5731.
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Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the last few years consumers have become more environmentally focused and have transferred this pressure upwards through the supply chain to retailers and manufacturers in turn. One of the areas under scrutiny is food packaging, as this does not form part of the product being consumed or used. Packaging's primary function is to protect the contents from the time of manufacture until it is used and the environmental footprint of packaging is only a small portion of the overall food chains'. In a study conducted by Oki and Sasaki (2000) they concluded that, a shortage of packaging materials in nations with inadequate social infrastructures causes extremely heavy losses of foodstuffs. In developed countries foodstuff waste is close to 1 %, whereas in less developed countries the waste can be as high as 50% to 75%. Functional packaging contributes to minimising this waste. Packaging media are often chosen for their ability to satisfy the product's requirements, but different materials are perceived by the public to be more or Jess environmentally friendly, independent of the functional requirements. The products with the better environmental reputation are generally those that are recycled and where companies have promoted the recycling efforts. However the perception does not necessarily reflect the actual environmental impact of the product type. In many instances, when one considers all of the energy costs and pollution effects associated with a particular product's manufacture and recycling, it can have a harsher impact than a single-use product that is disposed of after use. The long term business success of companies in the packaging industry will be linked to consumer preferences for functionally suitable, environmentally friendly packaging. To determine a product's environmental effect, a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is often used. LCA is a quantitative procedure to assess the environmental burdens associated with the life cycle of a product, process or service. The complete life cycle of a product includes the extraction of raw materials (including water), processing, transportation, manufacturing, distribution, the use and reuse of materials, maintenance, recycling and waste disposal. (Brent, A.C.: 2003, 115). In this report LCI's were compiled for three South African product categories, selected on the basis of volume used in the consumer market and suitable comparison products being available. Having completed the LCI based on realistic packaging products and production methods, the results per category can be presented. For a functional unit comparison of two cup types, a volume of 1000 litres was used. The results show that per functional unit, expanded polystyrene cups use 27% less energy, but produce 32% more C02 emissions than paper cups. The paper cups however use 51% more water. Neither product shows a significant overall environmental benefit over the other. For a functional unit comparison of two burger boxes, a functional number of 10 000 boxes was used. The results show that per functional unit the carton board boxes use 89% more energy, produce 268% more CO2 emissions and use 239% more water. Overall, the polystyrene burger box has a lower environmental impact. For a functional unit comparison of two protein packaging trays, a functional number of 10 000 trays was used. The results show that per unit, polypropylene trays use 94% more energy, produce 197% more C02 emissions, but only use 76% of the water compared to a foamed polystyrene tray. The LCI study has produced suitable data to provide a summary where aspects of the environmental impacts of the products can be compared. This information can be used to understand and improve the environmental footprint of the products or to educate the stakeholders who are involved in the packaging decisions. The LCI results differ from similar international studies due to the importation of most raw materials and high air emissions from local electricity production.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verbruikers het die afgelope paar jaar baie meer omgewingsbewus geword en plaas dus al hoe meer opwaardse druk via die verskaffingsketting op kleinhandelaars en vervaardigers. Een van die areas onder verdenking is voedselverpakking, want dit vorm nie deel van die produk wat verbruik word nie. Verpakking se primere funksie is die beskerming van die inhoud daarvan vanaf vervaardiging tot dit verbruik word. Die omgewingsimpak van verpakking is slegs 'n klein gedeelte van die algehele voedselketting. Navorsing deur Oki en Sasaki (2000) toon dat 'n tekort aan verpakkingsmateriaal in nasies met skaars sosiale infrastrukture veroorsaak geweldige verliese in voedsel. In ontwikkelde lande is voedselvermorsing ongeveer 1% terwyl minder ontwikkelde lande se voedselvermorsing so hoog as 50% tot 75% is. Funksionele verpakking help om die vermorsing te verminder. Verpakkingsmedia word dikwels gekies vir hul vermoee om aan die produk se vereistes te voldoen, maar verskillende materiale word onafhanklik van hul funksionele vereistes deur die publiek as meer of minder omgewingsvriendelik beskou. Die produkte met die beter omgewingsvriendelike reputasie is gewoonlik die wat herwin word en ook waar die herwinningspogins deur die maatskappye bemark word. Die persepsie weerspieel egter nie noodwendig die eintlike omgewingsimpak van die produktipe nie. Dit gebeur dikwels dat wanneer al die energiekostes en besoedelingsgevolge wat met die vervaardiging en herwinning van 'n spesifieke produk in ag geneem word, dit 'n erger impak as 'n produk wat slegs eenmalig gebruik en dan weggegooi word, het. Die langtermyn sukses van maatskappye in die verpakkingsindustrie sal gekoppel word aan verbruikersvoorkeure vir funksionele gepaste, omgewingsvriendelike verpakking. 'n Lewensiklus Analise word dikwels gebruik om 'n produk se omgewingsimpak te bepaal. Dit is 'n kwantitatiewe prosedure wat die omgewingslaste wat met die lewensiklus van ' n produk, proses of diens verband hou assesseer. Die volledige lewensiklus van 'n produk sluit die ekstraksie van rou materiaal (water ingesluit), prossesering, vervoer, vervaardiging, verspreiding, die gebruik en hergebruik van materiaal, instandhouding, herwinning en afval verwydering in (Brent. A.C.: 2003. 115). In hierdie verslag word die Lewensiklus Analise van drie Suid-Afrikaanse produkkategoriee saamgestel. Die kategoriee is geselekteer op grond van die volume gebruik in die verbruikersmark en ook die gepaste vergelykbare produkte wat beskikbaar is. Nadat die Lewensiklus Analise afgehandel is, gebaseer op realistiese verpakkingsprodukte en produksiemetodes, is dit moontlik om die resultate per kategorie voor te stel. 'n Volume van 1000 liter was gebruik vir die funksionele eenheidsvergelyking van twee houertipes. Die resultate toon dat, per funksionele eendheid, die polistireen houers 27% minder energie verbruik, maar dit produseer 32% meer C02 uitlatings as papierhouers. Die papierhouers gebruik egter 51 % meer water. Nie een van die produkte toon egter 'n beduidende algehele omgewingsvoordeel oor die ander nie. 'n Funksionele nommer van 10000 houers was gebruik vir 'n funksionele eenheidssvergelyking van burgerhouers. Die resultate wys dat die kartonhouers, per funksionele eeheid, 89% meer energie verbruik, 268% meer C02 uitlatings produseer en 239% meer water gebruik. Die polistireen bugerhouer het oor die algemeen 'n laer omgewingsimpak. 'n Funksionele nommer van 10 000 houers is gebruik vir die funksionele eenheidsvergelyking van twee protiene verpakkinghouers. Die resultate toon dat, per eenheid, polypropylene houers 94% meer energie verbruik, 197% meer C02 uitlatings produseer, maar net 76% water gebruik in vergelyking met die polistireen houer. Die Lewensiklus eenheidsvergelyking het gepaste data voorsien wat 'n opsomming verskaf waar die aspekte van die omgewingsimpak van die produkte vergelyk kan word. Hierdie inligting kan gebruik word om die omgewingsinvloed van die produkte te verstaan en te verbeter en ook om die deelnemers betrokke by die verpakkingsbesluite op te voed. Die Lewensiklus Analise resultate verskil van soortgelyke internasionale studies as gevolg van die invoer van die meeste rou materiale en groter lug besoedeling van plaaslike elektrisiteitsproduksie.
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Salley, Devon Mr. "Advancing Methods to Measure the Atmospheric CO2 Sink from Carbonate Rock Weathering." TopSCHOLAR®, 2016. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1603.
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With rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, a detailed understanding of processes that impact atmospheric CO2 fluxes is required. While a sink of atmospheric carbon from the continents to the ocean from carbonate mineral weathering is, to some degree, offset by carbonate mineral precipitation in the oceans, efforts are underway to make direct measurements of these fluxes. Measurement of the continental sink has two parts: 1) measurement of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) flux leaving a river basin, and 2) partitioning the inorganic carbon flux between the amount removed from the atmosphere and the portion from the bedrock. This study attempted to improve methods to measure the DIC flux using existing data to estimate the DIC flux from carbonate weathering within the limestone karst region of south central Kentucky. The DIC flux from the Barren River drainage basin upstream from Bowling Green in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee, and the upper Green River drainage basin, upstream from Greensburg, Kentucky, was measured, each for a year, using U.S.G.S. discharge data and water-chemistry data from municipal water plants. A value of the (DIC) flux, normalized by time and area of carbonate rock, of 4.29 g km-3 day-1 was obtained for the Barren River, and 4.95 kg km-3 for the Green. These compared favorably with data obtained by Osterhoudt (2014) from two nested basins in the upper Green River with values of 5.66 kg km-3 day-1 and 5.82 kg km-3 day-1 upstream from Greensburg and Munfordville, respectively. Additional normalization of the values obtained in this study
by average precipitation minus evapotranspiration over the area of carbonate rock, or water available for carbonate dissolution, resulted in values of 5.61x107 g C (km3 H20)- 1 day-1 (grams of carbon per cubic kilometer of water, per day) for the Barren, and 7.43x107g C (km3 H20)-1 day-1 for the Green River. Furthermore, a statistical relationship between the total DIC flux and time-volume of water available for dissolution has been observed, yielding an r2 value of 0.9478. This relationship indicates that the primary variables affecting DIC flux for these drainage basins are time and the volume of water available for dissolution.
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Sandin, Gustav. "Life cycle assessment in the development of forest products : Contributions to improved methods and practices." Doctoral thesis, Bioraffinaderi och energi, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-30234.
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The prospect of reducing environmental impacts is a key driver for the research and development (R&D) of new forest products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is often used for assessing the environmental impact of such products, e.g. for the purpose of guiding R&D. The aim of this thesis is to improve the methods and practices of LCA work carried out in the R&D of forest products. Six research questions were formulated from research needs identified in LCA work in five technical inter-organisational R&D projects. These projects also provided contexts for the case studies that were used to address the research questions. The main contributions of the research are as follows: Regarding the planning of LCA work in inter-organisational R&D projects, the research identified four characteristics that appear to be important to consider when selecting the roles of LCAs in such projects: (i) the project’s potential influence on environmental impacts, (ii) the degrees of freedom available for the technical direction of the project, (iii) the project’s potential to provide required input to the LCA, and (iv) access to relevant audiences for the LCA results. Regarding the modelling of future forest product systems, it was found that (i) it is important to capture uncertainties related to the technologies of end-of-life processes, the location of processes and the occurrence of land use change; and (ii) the choice of method for handling multi-functionality can strongly influence results in LCAs of forest products, particularly in consequential studies and in studies of relatively small co-product flows. Regarding the assessment of environmental impacts of particular relevance for forest products, it was found that using established climate impact assessment practices can cause LCA practitioners to miss environmental hot-spots and make erroneous conclusions about the performance of forest products vis-à-vis non-forest alternatives, particularly in studies aimed at short-term impact mitigation. Also, a new approach for inventorying water cycle alterations was developed, which made it possible to capture catchment-scale effects of forestry never captured before. To connect the LCA results to global challenges, a procedure was proposed for translating the planetary boundaries into absolute product-scale targets for impact reduction, e.g. to be used for evaluating interventions for product improvements or for managing trade-offs between impact categories.
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Ousipov, Roni. "MILJÖCERTIFIERINGSSYSTEMET MILJÖBYGGNAD I PRODUKTIONEN : En fördjupning inom området ”Material”." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Byggteknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-216118.
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The environmental assessment system Miljöbyggnad is a Swedish system initiated by Bygga-Bo-Dialogen to assess buildings with regards to three main areas; “Energy”, “Indoor climate” and “Materials”. A building can obtain three different classifications depending on how well it manages to meet the demands. GOLD is the highest classification and is followed by SILVER and BRONZE. The majority of the measures needed to comply with the demands are done during the design phase. During the production phase a considerable amount of work is required to make sure to document the built in products and make sure they do not contain any dangerous substances. The thesis is based on the experiences retrieved by working with Miljöbyggnad in Skanska’s project Sickla Udde skola which is aiming for the highest classification GOLD. Interviews have been conducted with employees of Skanska working with the system in order to take part of their experiences. The thesis identifies difficulties linked to working with the main area “Materials” during the production phase. It also describes the available product data bases used to simplify the work with the system. Furthermore the thesis gives suggestions on how to work with Miljöbyggnad during the production phase.
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Qin, Yueyue. "Climate Change Assessment in Columbia River Basin (CRB) Using Copula Based on Coupling of Temperature and Precipitation." PDXScholar, 2015. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2312.
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The multi downscaled-scenario products allow us to better assess the uncertainty of the variations of precipitation and temperature in the current and future periods. Joint Probability distribution functions (PDFs), of both the climatic variables, might help better understand the interdependence of the two, and thus in-turn help in accessing the future with confidence. In the present study, we have used multi-modelled statistically downscaled ensemble of precipitation and temperature variables. The dataset used is multi-model ensemble of 10 Global Climate Models (GCMs) downscaled product from CMIP5 daily dataset, using the Bias Correction and Spatial Downscaling (BCSD) technique, generated at Portland State University. The multi-model ensemble PDFs of both precipitation and temperature is evaluated for summer (dry) and winter (wet) periods for 10 sub-basins across Columbia River Basin (CRB). Eventually, Copula is applied to establish the joint distribution of two variables on multi-model ensemble data. Results have indicated that the probabilistic distribution helps remove the limitations on marginal distributions of variables in question and helps in better prediction. The joint distribution is then used to estimate the change in trends of said variables in future, along with estimation of the probabilities of the given change. The joint distribution trends are varied, but certainly positive, for summer and winter time scales based on sub-basins. Dry season, generally, is indicating towards higher positive changes in precipitation than temperature (as compared to historical) across sub-basins with wet season inferring otherwise. Probabilities of changes in future, as estimated by the joint precipitation and temperature, also indicates varied degree and forms during dry season whereas the wet season is rather constant across all the sub-basins.
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Dahl, Joakim. "Detection of human-induced stress in streams : comparison of bioassessment approaches using macroinvertebrates /." Uppsala : Dept. of Environmental Assessment, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, 2004. http://epsilon.slu.se/s332.pdf.
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Palm, Peter. "Methods to assess physical load at work : With a focus on the neck and upper extremities." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Arbets- och miljömedicin, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-329801.
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To prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), useful, reliable and valid methods for assessing physical workload and risks for MSDs are needed. Ergonomists often assess work by short visual observations without a specific tool. A branch-specific tool was developed for assessing working technique during cash register work (BAsiK observation protocol). Inclinometers are an alternative for assessing upper arm postures - over several days. Ergonomists need guidelines explaining how to analyze and interpret such data. The aim was to examine and investigate methods for assessing physical load at work, with focus on the neck and upper extremities. In Paper: I, the reliability and criterion validity of the BAsIK observation protocol were assessed. II, the reliability of risk assessments of repetitive work, based on visual observations performed by 21 ergonomists without a specific tool, was assessed. III, whole-day inclinometer measurements of upper arm elevation were compared between work and leisure, across 13 different occupations – before and after arm elevations during sitting time was excluded. IV, the association between inclinometer-based upper arm elevation and neck/shoulder pain was assessed among 654 blue-collar workers. The intra-observer reliability of the BAsIK protocol was deemed acceptable, but only 3 of 10 questions in the protocol showed acceptable inter-observer reliability, and 3 showed acceptable criterion validity. Neither the inter- or intra-observer reliability of risk assessment without any specific method was acceptable for any upper body regions. None of the occupation groups, in paper III, had higher proportion of time with arm elevation during work than leisure. However, when arm elevation during sitting was excluded, 8 occupation groups had higher proportion of time with elevated arms during work than leisure. Whole-workday inclinometer-based upper arm elevation was not associated with neck/shoulder pain within the assessed population. The results indicate that, in most cases, a single visual observation of a work sequence is not a reliable means of assessing repetitive work. A large proportion of arm elevation may derive from sitting time. At low exposure levels, arm elevation per se may not be a risk factor for neck/shoulder pain. This must be taken into account when evaluating the risk for MSDs.
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van, der Kamp Jonathan [Verfasser]. "Social cost-benefit analysis of air pollution control measures - Advancing environmental-economic assessment methods to evaluate industrial point emission sources / Jonathan van der Kamp." Karlsruhe : KIT Scientific Publishing, 2017. http://www.ksp.kit.edu.
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Orre, Adam, and Axel Pers. "The Environmental Effects of Water Damages : Assessing the CO2e footprint of water damage resolution methods from a life cycle perspective." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-264102.
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This study assesses the primary drivers of CO2e footprint for three types of water damage resolution methods and identifies relevant focus areas to support a reduced environmental footprint from water damage restoration. To face the global challenge of climate change, mitigation actions need to be taken on a broad level, with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings being a key part. Although the number of environmental assessments of buildings is increasing, there is a lack of scientific literature quantifying the CO2e footprint of water damages, which makes it difficult for stakeholders in the industry to make sound decisions in order to combat climate change. In particular, this relates to the various methods that can be applied to resolve water damages. Therefore, this study conducts an attributional life cycle assessment of the CO2e footprint of three actual water damages, resolved using different methods requiring various degrees of material replacement. The study finds that both the total CO2e footprint and its main drivers vary significantly depending on the selected method. It further finds that the choice of method is crucial in order to reduce the CO2e footprint from water damage restoration, more specifically that a higher degree of material reuse, enabled by drying of damaged materials, appears to be preferred where applicable.Denna studie undersöker de huvudsakliga faktorerna som påverkar det koldioxidavtryck som kan kopplas till tre typer av hanteringsmetoder av vattenskador, samt identifierar relevanta områden att fokusera på för att minska den miljömässiga effekten från vattenskadehantering. Flertalet åtgärder behöver genomföras för att möta utmaningen med klimatförändringar, och att minska växthusgaser kopplade till byggnader är att anse som en viktig del av detta. Trots att antalet miljöstudier relaterade till byggnader ökar är antalet vetenskapliga studier kopplade till CO2e från vattenskador begränsat, vilket gör det svårt för intressenter i industrin att fatta välgrundade beslut. I synnerhet är detta relaterat till de olika metoder som kan användas för att hantera skadorna. Av den anledningen genomför denna studie en livscykelanalys med bokföringsmetodik för att undersöka koldioxidavtrycket från tre faktiska vattenskador. Dessa har åtgärdats med olika hanteringssmetoder vilket medför en variation i den mängd material som behöver bytas ut. Studien konstaterar att både det totala avtrycket samt de huvudsakliga drivarna varierar betydligt beroende på vilken metod som använts. Vidare konstateras att valet av metod är avgörande för att kunna minska mängden CO2e från vattenskadehantering, mer specifikt att en högre grad av materialåteranvädning, möjliggjort av torkning av skadade delar, förefaller vara att föredra när det är tillämpbart.
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Sandoval, Maitê de Souza [UNESP]. "Proposta de padronização em avaliação de impactos ambientais." Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/92754.
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A avaliação da significância dos impactos ambientais continua a ser um importante componente crítico ainda mal compreendido da prática da avaliação de impactos ambientais. Este trabalho é um estudo sobre as conclusões de uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a avaliação e comunicação de avaliação do impacto ambiental praticada no Brasil. É dada especial atenção para a importância da utilização de critérios, padrões e métodos de avaliação de impactos ambientais que pretendendo incorporar mais eficiência nos estudos de impacto ambiental. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi a realização de uma proposta, incluindo o desenvolvimento de procedimentos e aplicar na avaliação de impactos ambientais situações relativas à sua formulação, aplicação e interpretação da significância dos critérios, conclusões e recomendações pertinentes para respeitar o objetivo da avaliação de impacto ambiental que é garantir a viabilidade ambiental das atividades humanas.
The evaluation of the significance of environmental impacts remains an important critical yet poorly understood component of environmental impact assessment practice. This work is a study upon the findings of a bibliographic review about the evaluation and communication of environmental impact assessment in Brazil practice. Particular attention is given to the use of significance criteria, thresholds and EIA methodologies intending to incorporate more efficiency of environmental impact statement. Thus, the aim of this research was the accomplishment of a proposal including the development of procedures to apply in EIA issues surrounding the formulation, application and interpretation of significance criteria, conclusions and recommendations relevant to respect the aim of EIA that in provide environmental viability of men activities.
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Brassill, Natalie A. "The Assessment of Escherichia coli as an Indicator of Microbial Quality of Irrigation Waters used for Produce." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/293596.
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Escherichia coli is a bacterial species that lives in the gut of all warm-blooded animals, fish, birds as well as reptiles and is commonly used as an indicator of fecal contamination in water. This project assessed currently used culture based media for the detection of E. coli in irrigation waters used in Arizona and California, and will present recommendations towards the most reliable media for the evaluation of irrigation waters used for produce. Currently, no microbial indicator standards exist for irrigation waters used for produce production in the United States. The produce industry suggests that the recreational water standard guideline (126 E. coli/100 ml) established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) be used. There is concern that the false positive rate of E. coli detection may be high in these waters giving false indications of the level of risk from enteric pathogens. This project evaluated three commercially available media for E. coli detection to test irrigation waters from three agricultural areas (Yuma and Maricopa, AZ and Imperial Valley, CA) and then assessed false positive rates by utilizing Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing of the bacterial isolates. The media that were chosen for evaluation were (1) MI Agar, (2) IDEXX Colilert Quanti-Tray® and (3) m-ColiBlue24® broth, all evaluation media accepted by the USEPA and widely used in the monitoring of irrigation water quality by the produce industry. Four hundred and fifty 1-L irrigation water grab samples were collected between March 2012 and November 2012. The samples were analyzed for both cultural counts and water quality parameters including temperature, salinity and pH. Isolates positive and negative for E. coli were then selected and assessed utilizing PCR and DNA sequencing. The false positive rate of each method was found to be high, with MI Agar, m-ColiBlue24® broth and the IDEXX Colilert Quanti-Tray® at an accuracy of 67%, 72%, and 51% respectively. A false positive result is reported when presumptive E. coli sub cultured from the media is found to be non-E. coli through molecular analysis. Overall the IDEXX Colilert Quanti-Tray® performed at a greater rate of accuracy than the other two media evaluated, however, high false positive rates may lead to inaccurate assessment of water quality.
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Lennermark, Desirée, Victoria Bjellerup, Lisa Bäckström, and Lisen Wedman. "Demolish or Refurbish an Existing Building? : A bachelor thesis on the climate impact of different methods of renewing a building." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och industriell teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-412278.
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The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to evaluate different alternatives of renewal regarding an already existing building. The case study building is located in the Ulleråker area in Uppsala, Sweden and is an old mental hospital building from the 1950’s which Uppsala Municipality wishes to restore as part of a bigger investment in the neighborhood. The different alternatives that will be investigated are refurbishment, with different insulation thickness, and a complete demolition and reconstruction of a new building with either wood or concrete. Carbon dioxide emissions connected to buildings will be calculated and analyzed as two elements, one being embodied carbon dioxide, and one being energy usage. Other aspects of interest, the economy and cultural values of the area, will be discussed. To estimate the amount of CO2 emissions, several life cycle assessments will be executed through the software One Click LCA (2015). Calculations will be done by hand in order to estimate the energy usage. Information and data are partly obtained from Uppsala Municipality, partly from literature and available resources. The results show that each option has a different advantage, the refurbishment resulting in considerably lower embodied carbon (114 kg CO2e/m2) but higher energy usage (95 kWh/m2 per year) as compared to the new concrete construction with larger amount of embodied carbon (279 kg CO2e/m2) but lower energy usage (44 kWh/m2 per year). This leads to a conclusion showing that a deep refurbishment is the best option regarding both embodied carbon and energy usage.
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Sanna, Fausto. "Timber modern methods of construction : a comparative study." Thesis, Edinburgh Napier University, 2018. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1256099.
Full textAbstract:
The doctoral research revolves around a comparative study of timber modern methods of construction for low-rise, residential buildings in Scotland. The building techniques studied involve both timber-frame panel construction (open-panel and closed-panel systems and structural insulated panels) and massive-timber construction (cross-laminated and nail-laminated timber panels). A non-timber technique is also included in the study: more traditional, load-bearing masonry (blockwork). These different building techniques have been analysed from two complementary aspects: environmental impacts and thermal performance. The environmental study is based on the life-cycle assessment methodology and embraces various aspects: environmental impacts (e.g., climate change, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, etc.), consumption of energy (renewable and non-renewable resources) and production of waste (from non-hazardous to radioactive). The assessment takes a cradle-to-gate approach and, in its structure and method, is informed by the current recommendations of the international standards in the field (i.e., ISO 14040 series). Various environmental trade-offs between construction methods have been identified. In terms of global-warming potential (excluding biogenic carbon sequestration), results suggest that timber-frame buildings show a better performance than masonry buildings; this is particularly true for the open-panel system, which emits about 10% less carbon than the masonry counterpart. Massive-timber buildings tend to cause more carbon emissions than masonry ones. In terms of consumption of non-renewable primary energy, timber buildings do not generally show significant advantages with respect to blockwork-based masonry. In particular, structural-insulated panel systems tend to show very high energy requirements. Timber-based buildings show a tendency to cause increased acidification, eutrophication and creation of low ozone than their masonry counterpart. The level of offsite fabrication that is employed for the erection of the buildings plays an important role in the magnitude of most environmental impacts, which show an average decrease between 5% and 10% when some of the operations are shifted from the construction site to the factory. v The thermal study investigates the performance of the building envelope, and, in particular, of external walls, by means of tests whereby the thermal behaviour of a sample of walls (of full-size section) has been observed and measured over time. On the outside, the walls were exposed to real, natural weather variations throughout the summer. The study especially focuses on the time-dependent response of three different walling systems (which results from their individual cross-sectional arrangements of building components and the associated combination of heat-storage capacity and thermal resistance): a timber-framed wall, a cross-laminated-timber wall and a masonry wall. Thus, the main goal of the study was to characterise the thermal-inertia parameters of these walls. This type of thermal behaviour is related to the repercussions of global climate change at UK level, especially in terms of increase in solar irradiance and temperature, which requires an adaptation of the building-envelope such that it can perform well both during wintertime and summertime, by providing maximum indoor comfort with minimum economic and environmental costs from the construction and operation of buildings. The timber-framed wall possesses the greatest capacity to slow down the propagation of temperature waves from the outer surface to the inner surface (time lag), whereas the masonry wall performs best with respect to reducing the amplitude of temperature oscillation on the inner surface (decrement factor). The cross-laminated-timber wall exhibits intermediate values of both time lag and decrement factor, relative to the other two walls. Both the thermal and life-cycle assessment of the construction alternatives aim at assisting the design and decision-making process in the residential field and at suggesting areas that need to be addressed and improved, towards a coherent evolution of the building techniques included in this study and a step forward in the realisation of sustainable, low-rise dwellings.
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Lindholm, Anna, and Carin Hayer. "Implementation of Swedish Risk Assessment Guidelines in Kodaikanal, India : A Study of Mercury Contamination in an Area Near a Former Thermometer Factory." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-415855.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of the project was to make a detailed risk assessment using Swedish guidelines for a factory site in Kodaikanal, South India, and a nearby village called Vellagavi. The study areas were chosen due to previous records of mercury contamination on the factory site and a possible spread to Vellagavi. A comparison between Indian and Swedish guidelines for risk assessment of contaminated areas was performed. The purposes of comparing the two systems were to locate if there were any differences in the legislation, or guidelines, and to find ways of improving the processes. The project also included an evaluation of possible remedial actions that could reverse or prevent environmental damage that might be caused by the former factory. Methods used for the project were literature studies, semi-structured interviews and surveys. The results from the risk assessment were that the Swedish Computer Program for Calculation of Guideline Values (CPCGV), with some adjustments, could be used in order to calculate site specific guideline values for mercury concentrations on sites similar to Swedish conditions, such as climate. The site specific guideline values in soil rangedfrom 0.1-2.4 mg/kg. An Indian court decision had stated that a guideline value of 20 mg/kg should be used for remediation at the factory site. The result from the forward dose calculation showed that when a soil contains 20 mg/kg,the tolerable daily intake of mercury would be exceeded, and therefore pose a risk to human health. The comparison of legislation systems between India and Sweden showed several differences. India did not have any legislation relating directly to polluted soil. Risk assessments in India commonly relied on several different international standards even though the standards were not regulated by law. The results from the remedial evaluation showed that there were several possible remediation methods that could beused on the factory site. Limited remedial actions were suggested for Vellagavi since there were no measurements taken on site. Preferably, remediation should take place at the source of the contamination, i.e. the factory site.Det övergripande målet med projektet var att genomföra en detaljerad riskbedömning för en fabriksplats i Kodaikanal, södra Indien, samt för en närliggande by, Vellagavi. Tidigare genomförda mätningar uppvisade förhöjda halter av kvicksilver i området, varför det ansågs vara ett lämpligt område för studien. Studien innehöll en jämförelse av riktlinjer för riskbedömningar för förorenad mark mellan Indien och Sverige där syftet var att identifiera skillnader i lagstiftning och riktlinjer samt lokalisera eventuella förbättringsmöjligheter. Studien innefattades även av en åtgärdsutredning för fabriksplatsen och Vellagavi, vars syfte var att utreda vilka åtgärder som skulle kunna minska risken för fortsatt miljöförstöring eller återställa området. Metoderna som användes i studien var litteraturstudier, semi-strukturerade intervjuer och en enkätundersökning. Resultatet från riskbedömningen visade att beräkningsverktyget för platsspecifika riktvärden från Naturvårdsverket kunde användas på platser som liknar Sverige klimatmässigt, efter att diverse justeringar hade gjorts. Beräkningsverktyget användes för att ta fram ett platsspecifikt gränsvärde för kvicksilverkoncentrationen i marken. Det framtagna platsspecifika gränsvärdet för koncentrationen kvicksilver i jord varierade mellan 0,1-2,4 mg/kg. Ett beslut utfärdat av indisk domstol angav att fabriksplatsen skulle saneras så att kvicksilverkoncentationen i marken inte skulle överskrida 20 mg/kg. Resultatet från den här studien visade att den nivån av förorening i marken skulle innebära att det tolerabla dagliga intaget av kvicksilver skulle överskridas. En jämförelse av de juridiska systemen som anknöt till förorenad jord i Indien respektive Sverige visade på flertalet skillnader mellan länderna. Indien hade ingen lagstiftning som speficikt reglerade förorenad jord medan det i Sverige reglerades av Miljöbalken. Riskbedömningar i Indien baserades ofta på internationella standarder, med det fanns ingen lagstifting som reglerade vilka standarder som skulle användas. Resultatet från åtgärdsutredningen var att det fanns flera olika åtgärdsmetoder som skulle kunna användas för att sanera fabriksplatsen. Åtgärdsutredningen för Vellagavi var begränsad eftersom det inte fanns tillräckligt mycket mätdata för området. Företrädesvis bör saneringsåtgärderna vidtas vid föroreningskällan, vilket i detta fall är fabriksplatsen.
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Samuelsson, Erik. "Investigation of the Use of Ecodesign Methods and Tools in the Electrical and Electronics Industries of Thailand." Thesis, Department of Management and Engineering, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-19611.
Full textAbstract:
This investigation strives to determine the level of ecodesign awareness as well as to map the use of methods and tools for this concept in the electrical and electronics industries of Thailand.
The foundation of the thesis is eight semi-structured qualitative research interviews performed with various people at Thai organisations, an electronics manufacturer in Thailand, and experts from Swedish, Danish and Thai universities. The research method has yielded the following results:
The level of ecodesign awareness within the country is low, and so is the general level of environmental knowledge. The concept of Life Cycle thinking is mostly unknown, and at best used only to parts of its full potential. The ecodesign education is limited to basic courses at university level and much of the problems with the use of methods and tools for ecodesign can be traced to the lack of ecodesign knowledge amongst its presumptive users. Respondents of this research suggests that the ecodesign knowledge and awareness is significantly higher amongst larger companies with foreign connections than it is amongst Small and Medium sized Enterprises of Thailand, which often have no such contacts.
At present, efforts are being made to educate Thai companies in ecodesign through networking, seminars, workshops and student/expert internships. These endeavours have been arranged by various organizations with the aid from foreign experts and have resulted in successful ecodesign/redesign of products within Thailand.
Stakeholder demands such as cost-down or legislation compliance demands are the main driving forces for ecodesign in Thailand, and very few attempts at ecodesign for the pure benefit of the environment are being made.
Present trends suggest that the future of ecodesign in Thailand will include the finalisation of a Thai-RoHS directive and possibly further work on a Thai-WEEE directive as well.
As for Life Cycle thinking, practices of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are still basic, but some uses of such LCA tools as SimaPro and GaBi have been proven. Commercial LCA software licenses are considered expensive by most Thai companies and it has become common practice to utilize licenses bought by organisations instead of buying licenses for one’s own company. This results in high costs having to be carried by the organisations and diminishes investment possibilities in other ecodesign fields. At current, LCI data is being requested by companies and might lead to more work being made in this area in the future.
In conclusion, more effort needs to be put into education on all levels and the application of educational methods and tools is advised.