Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environmental management not elsewhere classified'

Demonstrates the procedure and flexibility of using the information theory approach to evaluate the performance of water quality monitoring networks. Specific application of these are used in the evaluation of the Isaac River water quality monitoring network in Central Queensland.. Continued population growth, improved standards of living, and an increasing concern for the environment require careful management strategies to ensure the ecologically sustainable development and future availability of water resources. Water quality monitoring is an integral component of this management process. A water quality monitoring network is a monitoring system which provides management with the status of water quality conditions at a variety of locations and instances of time. While a range of significant challenges exist within the effective and efficient design of the monitoring system, one of the most critical of these challenges is the need for the selection of representative temporal and spatial sampling frequencies which neither replicate nor compromise the 'informativeness' and effectiveness of the monitoring. Recent research has employed information entropy concepts of transferred information and loss of information content to measure the representativeness and 'informativeness' of water quality monitoring networks. On the basis of a review of the principles and theory which underpin the concepts in their application to evaluation of performance, an improved methodology based on entropy theory was developed and applied to a typical Central Queensland water quality monitoring network. Success was particularly achieved in identifying the optimal selections of water quality variables and monitoring station locations. Other significant results from the analysis include the recognition of relationships between the transfer function and the criteria of transferred information, evidence of a 'priority order' for the removal of variables from a monitoring programme and a relationship between the co-variance matrix determinant and the class interval size which may alleviate the problem of calculating unstable joint entropies.

Mining for gold and copper was undertaken for nearly 100 years from 1882 at Mount Morgan in Central Queensland. Re -processing of. tailings ceased in the early 1990s and no

mining has been conducted since. The legacy of the historical mining practices is an open cut (threatening to overflow) and acid mine drainage (AMD) extending for a considerable distance along the -Dee River.

The first -18 km- of the river downstream- of- the mine, to its junction with Fletcher Creek, is severely impacted with pH consistently below 3.5. Water metal concentrations are many times higher than the water quality standards for freshwater biota. For example, the filtered mean concentrations of Al and Cu at 4 sites in this section of the river were 87.3 and 6.45 mg/L, respectively. Fish, molluscs and shrimp were absent and macroinvertebrate species richness was limited to only insects in this severely impacted region. Water quality of the river improves at the junction with Fletcher Creek and downstream the water quality is only severely impacted during periods of flow following rain events.

This study examined the biological impacts downstream of the mine including the response of biota to flows in the river. Whilst previous studies had investigated spatial variations in macroinvertebrate communities this study also examined temporal variation and response to flow. The metal content of fish and mussels from the river were determined for the first time.

One way to reduce the lifecycle cost and environmental impact of a product in a circular economy is to extend its lifespan by either creating longer-lasting products or managing the product properly during its use stage. Life extension of a product is envisioned to help better utilize raw materials efficiently and slow the rate of resource depletion. In the case of manufacturing equipment (e.g., an electric motor on a machine tool), securing reliable service life as well as the life extension are important for consistent production and operational excellence in a factory. However, manufacturing equipment is often utilized without a planned maintenance approach. Such a strategy frequently results in unplanned downtime, owing to unexpected failures. Scheduled maintenance replaces components frequently to avoid unexpected equipment stoppages, but increases the time associated with machine non-operation and maintenance cost.

Recently, the emergence of Industry 4.0 and smart systems is leading to increasing attention to predictive maintenance (PdM) strategies that can decrease the cost of downtime and increase the availability (utilization rate) of manufacturing equipment. PdM also has the potential to foster sustainable practices in manufacturing by maximizing the useful lives of components. In addition, advances in sensor technology (e.g., lower fabrication cost) enable greater use of sensors in a factory, which in turn is producing greater and more diverse sets of data. Widespread use of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and plug-and-play interfaces for the data collection on product/equipment states are allowing predictive maintenance on a much greater scale. Through advances in computing, big data analysis is faster/improved and has allowed maintenance to transition from run-to-failure to statistical inference-based or machine learning prediction methods.

Moreover, maintenance practice in a factory is evolving from equipment “health management” to equipment “wellness” by establishing an integrated and collaborative manufacturing system that responds in real-time to changing conditions in a factory. The equipment wellness is an active process of becoming aware of the health condition and of making choices that achieve the full potential of the equipment. In order to enable this, a large amount of machine condition data obtained from sensors needs to be analyzed to diagnose the current health condition and predict future behavior (e.g., remaining useful life). If a fault is detected during this diagnosis, a root cause of a fault must be identified to extend equipment life and prevent problem reoccurrence.

However, it is challenging to build a model capturing a relationship between multi-sensor signals and mechanical failures, considering the dynamic manufacturing environment and the complex mechanical system in equipment. Another key challenge is to obtain usable machine condition data to validate a method.

A goal of the proposed work is to develop a systematic tool for maintenance in manufacturing plants using emerging technologies (e.g., AI, Smart Sensor, and IoT). The proposed method will facilitate decision-making that supports equipment maintenance by rapidly detecting a worn component and estimating remaining useful life. In order to diagnose and prognose a health condition of equipment, several data-driven models that describe the relationships between proxy measures (i.e., sensor signals) and machine health conditions are developed and validated through the experiment for several different manufacturing-oriented cases (e.g., cutting tool, gear, and bearing). To enhance the robustness and the prediction capability of the data-driven models, signal processing is conducted to preprocess the raw signals using domain knowledge. Through this process, useful features from the large dataset are extracted and selected, thus increasing computational efficiency in model training. To make a decision using the processed signals, a customized deep learning architecture for each case is designed to effectively and efficiently learn the relationship between the processed signals and the model’s outputs (e.g., health indicators). Ultimately, the method developed through this research helps to avoid catastrophic mechanical failures, products with unacceptable quality, defective products in the manufacturing process as well as to extend equipment service life.

To summarize, in this dissertation, the assessment of technical, environmental and economic performance of the AI-driven method for the wellness of mechanical systems is conducted. The proposed methods are applied to (1) quantify the level of tool wear in a machining process, (2) detect different faults from a power transmission mini-motor testbed (CNN), (3) detect a fault in a motor operated under various rotation speeds, and (4) to predict the time to failure of rotating machinery. Also, the effectiveness of maintenance in the use stage is examined from an environmental and economic perspective using a power efficiency loss as a metric for decision making between repair and replacement.

This thesis presents a conceptual analysis of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) from a change management perspective. The conceptual analysis identifies three principal change management models that have implicitly underpinned the operation of the BCA: logical incrementalism, emergent strategy and co-participative change management. It notes a shift of emphasis in the BCA as it has sought to change from an essentially reactive prescriptive code to one that embraces greater flexibility and proactivity. In order to identify the operational strengths and weaknesses of each of the change management frameworks that underpin the BCA in coping with the more rapid social and technological change that is characteristic of 21st century Australia, each framework was compared in terms of its ability to enable a proactive response to the prevailing BCA hazard identification and risk management requirements. Whilst this analysis showed that the BCA is continuing to provide a generally acceptable built environment it nonetheless identified that the management of change and risk by the BCA is not sufficiently flexible to proactively identify and respond to emerging demographic needs and demands. These weaknesses are particularly evident in situations where building occupants lack the capacity or capability to adapt their behaviour to overcome the restrictions of a BCA compliant built environment in order to satisfy their needs and goals. This condition is known as environmental docility (Lawton, 1974). The limited ability of the BCA highlighted by this analysis pointed to a need to add to the BCA’s underlying conceptual frameworks. Drawing together McLain and Lee’s Adaptive Management Theory (McLain & Lee, 1996), Tolbert & Zucker’s Radical Innovation Management Theory (Tolbert & Zucker, 1966) and Cohen and his colleagues’ work on assessing building performance (Cohen et. al., 2001) a conceptual framework better suited to contemporary needs was proposed. It seeks to provide a conceptual framework for the BCA that enables proactive response to change that draws on past evidence based knowledge and build new knowledge into this evidence base to inform the continuous improvement of the BCA and its application. The thesis proposes practical addition to improve the ability of the BCA to manage more rapid change. This framework is described as an Adaptive and Reflexive Governance Pathway (ARGP). The ARGP seeks to provide a practical theory based approach that supports experimentation and learning as well as active citizen and stakeholder engagement in policy making and implementation whilst maintaining the strengths of building regulation secured by building codes such as the BCA. To test the utility of the AGRP ARGP as an additional methodology to improve the operation of the BCA the thesis reports two proof of concept case studies. The first study considered sleep quality in irregular hour sleepers as an example of a group subject to a type of environmental docility that to date is not recognised by the BCA. The discovery stage of the AGRPARGP identified a large body of research reporting bedroom air temperature, noise and air quality as environmental variables that impact on sleep quality. A mixed method study was undertaken in which shift workers used self-report diaries to record their sleep supported by electronic data loggers to continuously monitor room temperature, noise and air quality. The second case study considered whether the ARGP change management methodology was sufficiently flexible to test the efficacy of historic DtS content that to date had been assumed to meet occupant needs. Using CO2 part per million (ppm) concentrations as a proxy for satisfactory air quality, it tested whether a BCA compliant Class 9b gymnasium building actually provided the ventilation conditions necessary to support active physical exercise by its users. Both of the proof of concept studies illustrated the practical utility of the ARGP to support the data collection and experimentation necessary for proactive change management that enables stakeholder engagement. They provided a first step in the transfer of the ARGP proposed by this thesis into practice. The conceptual analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the BCA from a change and risk management perspective along with the development of an additional framework and the initial testing of its practical utility provides strong support for the AGRP ARGP as a useful and worthwhile addition to enable the BCA to better address the 21st century demands for building regulation that can proactively support change and active stakeholder engagement.

An account of the nature of courage and how it figures in management decisions is developed on the basis of classical and contemporary literature in philosophy and management. The account contains seven elements, including obstacles and tools and a requirement for acting for good. The account is subject to a reality check using content analysis of articles in the business press in Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Hong Kong.

Following a grounded theory research model, the research uncovered and presented the state of debris recycling to a national association of demolition contractors to measure their willingness and attitudes towards the growing trend in the circular economy and adapting their business models to incorporate it into their own contracts. The first part was finding the deficiencies in the current model based on government reports and through interviews with county-level emergency managers. Second, successful businesses that already use the circular economy design in their operations were used as exemplars to emulate and their opinions and suggestions were discussed. The outputs of the emergency managers and the successful businesses was folded into the third phase of the research with surveys to the membership of the National Demolition Association (NDA) with multiple-choice, scalar questions and open-ended, opinion-heavy questions throughout. The findings were reported back to the head of the partnering organization, the NDA, to focus outreach, training, and policy advocacy concentration for the national organization as a whole, but to related and tangentially-connected industries to their own.

Research techniques of integrated sustainable primary production and wastewater management.. "The issue of sustainability has greatest significance in the midst of unilateral bio-socioeconomic degradation resulting from intense and increasing societal pressures placed on the unified global ecology. In such an environment, sustainable development seeks to manage natural resources within a free market economy, aiming to meet the needs of today's population, and to protect and enhance current resource quality and abundance. In this light, techniques of integrated sustainable primary production and wastewater management are the subject matters of this Applied research There are many researchable issues which could be addressed within the subject matter. The first focus in the research scope was driven by the most severe sustainability issue facing Central Queensland (Australia) in 2000: the depletion and degradation of freshwater supplies. Central Queensland (CQ) is an arid sub-tropical region that has suffered from a marked reduction in rainfall and increase in temperature over the last 100 years, (Miles, 2004), and by the year 2000, conditions had been exacerbated by eight years of severe drought and warmer than average temperatures and resulted in widespread animal and crop failures due to freshwater shortages. Such a problem required a multi-faceted ecological, social, and economic approach. Hence, research centred on investigating the science of integrating regional water-related industries and agribusiness, and biodiverse ecosystems to achieve water and wastewater reuse applications, and associated eco-socioeconomic benefits. Specifically, this research investigates the integration of (a) electrical power station wastewater (b) barramundi culture, (c) red claw culture, (d) constructed wetlands (for water quality management and habitat creation), and (e) hydroponic flower culture. This research produced outcomes of integrated water and wastewater reuse and recycling, marketable agriproducts production (fish, crayfish, and flowers), water and wastewater reuse and conservation, wetland primary production, carbon dioxide sequestration, aquatic pollution control, and biodiversity creation and support. Successful design and management, experimental trialing and evaluation of system components and subjects, and the development of a knowledge base including static and dynamic system models, represent advances in respective research areas, and underpin the emerging discipline of integrated systems approaches to eco-socioeconomic development. Additionally, several gaps in the current body of knowledge regarding integrated systems were filled, and interactive management tools were developed. Apart from this study, the integration of technologies (as described above) has not, to this author's knowledge, been accomplished. -- abstract

This exploratory study investigates the combined effects on firm performance of Chinese SMEs in Sarawak due to the managerial characteristics of owners / managers and business strategy as moderated by business environment. A review of the existing literature reveals that each of these constructs has been examined either alone or in some combinations and has contributed to the firm performance. Prior studies have raised concern on underspecified models or methodological problems that may have prevented a fuller understanding of potential multivariate relationships among these constructs as relate to one another and to performance.

The necessity of cost effective, environmentally friendly technology has become increasingly important to remediate persistent organic pollutants in the environment. The emerging greener ultrasound technology has the potential to serve the remediation industry. In this study, the use of low power, high frequency (HF) ultrasound (1.6 MHz, 145 W/L) has been shown to effectively remediate DDT (90% of 8 mg/L) in water and sand slurries. Addition of iron powder accelerated DDT degradation in the sand slurry under ultrasonication. The potential of HF ultrasound (1.6 MHz, 160 W/L) in degradation of the non-volatile, polar model compound methylene blue (MB) was studied in MB spiked demineralised water and wastewater. A 70 % of 0.4 mg/L of MB was degraded in demineralised water whereas only 54% of MB degraded in MB spiked wastewater. There was a decrease in MB degradation rate with an increase in MB concentration. High power, low frequency (LF) ultrasound (20 kHz, 932 W/L) was used to desorb 400 mg/L of DDT added to three different natural soil slurries at 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt. % each. Each soil slurry was prepared in 0.1% v/v SDS surfactant solution, soaked for 30 min. and heated for another 30 min. at 40 oC before sonication. For the neutral pH soil slurry with higher dissolved organic carbon, the desorption efficiency achieved was over 80% in 30 s sonication. Alkaline soil with higher surface area than neutral soil indicated 60% desorption efficiency while the acidic soil, with the highest surface area and a higher amount of non-soluble organic matter, yielded 30% desorption efficiency under similar desorption conditions. Coconut fibre, used to biosorb the desorbed DDT in the decanted solution, was found to have over 25 g/kg of biosorption capacity for DDT. The surfactant SDS and associated DDT were completely separated from decanted liquid of the desorbed slurry with alum using adsorptive micellar flocculation in 60 min. settling. Acidic pH and molar concentration ratio of Al3+/SDS = 0.5 was used to completely remove the DDT. Using 20 kHz, 1125 W/L of sonication in an 80 mL reactor with air saturated 50 mg/L DDT at 20oC, the DDT removal efficiency achieved was 80% in 20 min. With zero valent iron addition, DDT removal efficiency in 15 min. is 100% with 15 and 22 mg/L of initial DDT concentrations. The settled DDT slurrywas remediated using 20 kHz at 240 W/L achieving DDT removal efficiency of 87% in 15 min. Also LF ultrasound was found to be effective in remediating chloroform (8 mg/L in 60 min) from spiked demineralised water and contaminated groundwater in both batch (120 W/L) and flow cell (6000 W/L) modes. Modeling and simulation of the ultrasonic reactor under 20 kHz ultrasonication was performed for various shape reactors using commercially available software. For almost all reactors, the highest ultrasonic intensity was observed near the transducer???s vibrating area. It was found that the highest acoustic pressure distribution, which is critical to the performance of the reactor, occurred in the conical reactor and flow cell configuration.
Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2010

STEM education has been a topic of reform in education for many years and it has recently focused primarily on the education methodology called STEM integration. Universities and state departments of education have defined teacher education programs and STEM initiatives that explore the necessary ingredients for a curriculum using this methodology, but they do not provide explicit instructions for the design of the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the question "What are the characteristics of high school learning environments that support integrated STEM instruction?"

This qualitative study used a postpositive lens and multiple-case study framework to distill the experiences and evidence gathered from four STEM certified high schools in the state of Indiana. This distillation resulted in three universal themes common to each school which were: the allocation of universally accessible free space for STEM integration, the importance for mobility of resources and students, and the need for supportive technological resources.

This study is applicable to both those who are educators working in STEM education and those researchers looking to understand the STEM integration paradigm or learning environment design. Educators can use this study to plan their own learning environments and researchers can use this study as a pilot to many other outlets in the topic of STEM integration.

This thesis focuses on how, since the 1960s, farm viability in Australia has been constituted as a formal political problem by various authorities. It argues, in particular, that the 'problem' of farm viability has come to be based increasingly on the individual managerial capacities of farmers themselves. In the past thirty years, the issue of viability has been characterised by agricultural economists and governments alike as one of 'smoothing the process of change' whereby resources are re-distributed from farmers who are deemed to have little future in the industry, to the more economically 'viable' producers. This approach rests on the assumption that it is possible to define accurately viability - as the basis for eventual state action.

In contrast to this approach, the Foucauldian-inspired literature on governmentality points to the desirability of examining the contingent foundations upon which attempts to define, and govern, viable/unviable farmers are based. The thesis investigates the different ways in which farm viability has historically been governed as a knowable object, and the forms of conduct that this authorises. To do this, I reconstruct genealogically - commencing in the 1990s and working back to 1967 - the specific rationalities, technologies, and forms of expertise that have enabled farm viability to emerge as a governable problem, and to be assembled into a programmatic form. Policy documents, Acts of Parliament, parliamentary debates, agricultural economics literature, National Farmers' Federation publications, secondary data from a recent study on drought, and interviews with Federal and State public servants and farm organisation representatives are used as the basis for reconstructing how farm viability has been governed.

My thesis suggests that since the late 1980s, an 'advanced liberal' regime of governing has underpinned the governing of farm viability, with the adoption of formal business skills constituted as a means of providing farmers with the appropriate capacities to manage their properties. However, the governing of producers in this way has not always been seen as appropriate. The thesis examines how the constitution of viability has shifted since the late 1960s as part of attempts to define and redefine both 'normal' farms, and the capacities of farmers. This study concludes that the governing of farm viability is more complex than simply smoothing the process of change. Such change, and responses to it, are constituted and rendered knowable through a variety of rationalities and technologies of governing that attempt to shape the conduct of both authorities and farmers.

The thesis proposes and defends a maxim which can serve as a foundation and guideline for professional ethics in nursing, the maxim that nurses should act so far as possible to promote patient's self-determination. The thesis is informed by philosophical ethics and by knowledge of professional nursing practice.

Heat stress (HS) induced changes in energy metabolism, proteolysis, lipogenesis, and oxidative balance have meat quality ramifications for livestock. However, several knowledge gaps exist in understanding heat stressed finishing pig physiology and pork quality characteristics and how dietary zinc may ameliorate undesirable outcomes. Research was completed to determine zinc supplementation effects on carcass composition, meat quality, and oxidative stability of fresh and processed pork from pigs subjected to a chronic, cyclic heat stress using a 2×2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments with main effects of environment (HS vs. thermoneutral; TN), added zinc level (50 vs. 130 mg kg^-1 available zinc), and zinc source (inorganic vs. organic). Commercial crossbred mixed-sex pigs (initially 72.0 kg) were group-housed under either TN (18.9-16.7°C) or cycling HS conditions with chronic diurnal heat (30-29°C/26-27°C for 12h:12h) on days 24-71 with acute heat waves (32-33°C/29-30°C for 12h:12h) on days 21-24, 42-45, and 63-65. One representative pig (n=80) per pen was slaughtered on day 64. The HS pigs were lighter bodyweight (P=0.039), yielded lighter carcasses (P=0.011), less last rib backfat (P=0.032), tended to have smaller loin eye area (P=0.062) but similar percent lean in belly center slices (P>0.10). Compared to TN, HS carcasses had higher 24-h pH (P=0.001) and decreased drip loss (P=0.034). Shifts in individual fatty acid profile of sausage product derived from HS carcasses were observed but were of insufficient magnitude to affect iodine value. Initially, sausage from HS carcasses tended (day 0, P=0.071) to have less thiobarbituric acid reactive substances than TN but over a 10-day simulated retail display, no treatment induced lipid oxidation differences (P>0.05) were observed in either sausage or displayed loin chops. Consistent treatment differences in CIE L*a*b* of products throughout the 10-day display were not observed. The relationships between physiological changes in pigs receiving supplemental zinc and their body and ambient temperatures were also investigated. A representative gilt (n=96) was selected for thermal monitoring from each pen of the 2×2×2 treatments plus 4 additional treatments representing 2 intermediate levels of Zn in both environments. Core body temperatures (T_core) during the day 42-45 acute heat wave were continuously recorded via indwelling vaginal thermometers and infrared thermal imaging was used to measure skin temperatures at 12-hour intervals. From a 64-gilt subset of the 2×2×2 treatments, jejunum and ileum samples were collected on day 64 for analysis of villus height, crypt depth, and jejunal gene expression of heat shock proteins (27, 70, 90), occludin, and mucin (MUC2). The HS model induced thermoregulatory changes and increases in T_core (P<0.05). Day 42-45 ambient temperature was negatively correlated with expression of HSP-27 (r=-0.42, P=0.047), HSP-90 (r=-0.49, P=0.014), and occludin (r=-0.69, P<0.001) in HS pigs. For the organic Zn supplemented pigs, ambient temperature was positively correlated with expression of HSP-27 (r=0.42, P=0.034) and MUC2 (r=0.45, P=0.017) and negatively correlated with villus height in jejunum (r=-0.42, P=0.027) and ileum (r=-0.38, P=0.048). Thermal Circulation Index (measure of heat dissipation) of HS pigs was negatively correlated with their ileum villus height (r=-0.51, P=0.015) and positively correlated with HSP-70 expression (r=0.46, P=0.041). The T_core lacked correlation with most variables. This research demonstrates cyclic HS affects carcass composition and quality but does not appear to reduce display shelf-life of pork as indicated by lack of differences in lipid oxidation and color stability. In this HS model, zinc level or source imparted negligible benefits and thermal correlations with gut integrity characteristics existed for organic zinc supplemented and HS pigs. The degree of heat dissipation by heat stressed pigs appeared to be associated with classic HS damage and intestinal responses which may be useful indicators of HS in the grow-finish pig. Another agricultural challenge is maintaining higher education programming which establishes a successful career trajectory for agricultural students amid generational shifts in attitudes and background experiences. Undergraduates studying Animal Science and/or Agricultural Economics were surveyed to understand their perception of how collegiate curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular experiences (coursework, club participation, relevant work experience, international experience, advising/mentoring, college life, and professional networking) contribute to their anticipated career success. A best-worst scaling experiment was used to force respondents (n=487) to make unbiased tradeoffs between the collegiate experience attributes. Responses were then related back to additional demographical and experience/perception characteristics of respondents. Students indicated relevant work experience was overwhelmingly the most critical of the 7 factors (57% preference share), followed by professional networking (19%), and coursework (14%). Students solely in a pre-veterinary Animal Science curriculum represented a distinct category of students regarding their beliefs and experiences. Further research is needed to investigate possible disconnects between student perceptions and reality in higher education and agricultural careers.

Solid waste can be considered either as a burden or as a valuable resource for energy generation. Therefore, identifying an environmentally sound and technoeconomically feasible solid waste treatment is a global and local challenge. This study focuses on identifying an Alternative Waste Technology (AWT) for meeting this global and local demand. AWT recovers more resources from the waste flow and reduces the impact on the environment. There are three main pathways for converting solid waste into energy: thermo-chemical, biochemical and physicochemical. This study deals with thermochemical conversion processes. Mainly four thermo-chemical conversion processes of AWTs are commonly used in Australia: anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, gasification and incineration. The main aim of this study is to identify and test the most suitable AWT for use in Australia. A decision-making tool, Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), was used to identify the most suitable AWT. MCA of the available AWTs was performed using five criteria, that is, capital cost, complexity, public acceptability, diversion from landfill and energy produced, from which Gasification technology has been identified as the most suitable AWT for energy recovery from solid waste. This study then mainly focused on assessing the performance of gasification technology for converting solid waste into energy both experimentally and numerically. Experimental investigation of solid waste gasification was performed using a pilotscale gasification plant of Corky’s Carbon and Combustion P/L plant in Mayfield, Australia. In this experiment, wood chips were used as feedstock (solid waste) under specified gasifier operating conditions. Syngas composition was measured at different stages of gasification, such as raw, scrubbed and dewatered syngas. Mass and energy balance was analysed using the experimental measured data. It was found that 65 per cent of the original energy of solid waste was converted to syngas, 23 per cent converted to char and 6 per cent converted to hot oil. The remaining 6 per cent was lost to the atmosphere. Firstly, a numerical investigation was performed by developing a computational process model using Advanced System for Process ENgineering (ASPEN) Plus software. Computational models were developed for both fixed bed gasification and fluidised bed gasification processes. A simplified, small scale fixed bed gasification model was initially developed in order to observe the performance of the solid waste gasification process. The model is validated with experimental data of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and food waste from the literature. Using this validated model, the effects of gasifier operating conditions, such as gasifier temperature, air-fuel ratio and steam-fuel ratio were examined and performance analyses were conducted for four different feedstocks, namely wood, coffee bean husks, green wastes and MSWs. Secondly, a computational model was developed for the fluidised bed gasification process. The model was validated with experimental data for wood chips (solid waste) measured at Corky’s Carbon and Combustion plant. A very good agreement was found between simulation and experimental results, with a maximum variation of 3 per cent. The validated model was used to analyse the effects of gasifier operating conditions. Using the fluidised bed gasification model, a detailed analysis was done for both energy and exergy in order to achieve a complete picture of the system outcome. Energy efficiency of 78 per cent and exergetic efficiency of 23 per cent were achieved for the system. The developed fixed bed and fluidised bed gasification models were useful to predict the various operating parameters of a solid waste gasification plant, such as temperature, pressure, air-fuel ratio and steam-fuel ratio. This research outcome contributes to a better understanding by stakeholders and policy makers at national and international levels who are responsible for developing different waste management technologies. In future, this research can be extended for other feedstocks, such as green waste, sugarcane bagasse and mixed MSW.

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is a shrub endemic to East Asia which has become invasive and nearly ubiquitous to the forest ecosystems of eastern North America. Through its extended growing season, competitive ability, and potential allelopathy, Amur honeysuckle alters native herbaceous-layer plant communities and inhibits the regeneration of native tree species. As such, it is representative of a range of invasive shrub species imported from East Asia. My thesis contributes to questions fundamental to the understanding this and other invasive shrubs: 1) How do species become invasive? 2) How can the invasions of the species be effectively controlled? 3) How does the ecosystem respond to treatment of the invasive species?

First, I examined the role of self-compatibility within Amur honeysuckle. I compared the berry production, seed production, and germination rates between closed-pollinated and open-pollinated flowering branches of Amur honeysuckle individuals across multiple types of invasions (heavy, light, and sprouting). I found that Amur honeysuckle not only possesses the ability to self-pollinate, but that it can produce viable self-pollinated seed sets. This ability may help explain how Amur honeysuckle able to invade isolated forest patches far removed from the main invasion.

Second, I evaluated the effectiveness of a novel herbicide adjuvant in reducing the amount of herbicide needed in the ‘cut-stump’ method of controlling Amur honeysuckle. Combining various concentrations of the most common herbicide in the world, glyphosate, with concentrations of cellulases derived from fungi, 2XL, I examined whether the cellulases improved the effectiveness of glyphosate, potentially by increasing glyphosate movement into the vascular tissue of Amur honeysuckle through the degradation of cell walls. While 2XL was not an effective adjuvant, glyphosate concentrations of less than half the recommended dosages were equally effective as higher concentrations in preventing sprouting of treated stumps. The ineffectiveness of 2XL may imply a need for protein-mitigated diffusion of glyphosate across cell walls and into the vascular tissue of the plant, which would be inhibited by the breakdown of cell walls.

Finally, I tested how deeper intensities of mulching-head treatments affected the sprouting response of Amur honeysuckle and the response of the herbaceous-layer plant community after treatment. I found a negative relationship between the volume of sprouting Amur honeysuckle and increasing depth of mulching-head treatment. Additionally, increasing mulching-head intensities were correlated with increased herbaceous layer diversity and conservation value as represented by Floristic Quality Index. Mulching-head treatments are a promising tool in controlling heavy invasions of non-native shrubs.