Soils of the Jurassic formations in the central Algarve; their occurrence, distribution, genesis and site qualities

In the central Algarve different soils have developed dependent on petrography of the parent material, slope position and recent erosion. The general patterns of occurence and distribution of different soils are described. The age of an eutric Nitosol is estimated and the relation between the soil and the parent material is investigated. Some different soils are described as examples with their chemical and physical properties. The water budget of soils is described in general with considerations concerning ground water recharge and run-off as well as in dependence of climate and of different site conditions.

Assessment of climate change statistical downscaling methods: Application and comparison of two statistical methods to a single site in Lisbon

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente

A high level e-maintenance architecture to support on-site teams

Emergent architectures and paradigms targeting reconfigurable manufacturing systems increasingly rely on intelligent modules to maximize the robustness and responsiveness of modern installations. Although intelligent behaviour significantly minimizes the occurrence of faults and breakdowns it does not exclude them nor can prevent equipment’s normal wear. Adequate maintenance is fundamental to extend equipments’ life cycle. It is of major importance the ability of each intelligent device to take an active role in maintenance support. Further this paradigm shift towards “embedded intelligence”, supported by cross platform technologies, induces relevant organizational and functional changes on local maintenance teams. On the one hand, the possibility of outsourcing maintenance activities, with the warranty of a timely response, through the use of pervasive networking technologies and, on the other hand, the optimization of local maintenance staff are some examples of how IT is changing the scenario in maintenance. The concept of e-maintenance is, in this context, emerging as a new discipline with defined socio-economic challenges. This paper proposes a high level maintenance architecture supporting maintenance teams’ management and offering contextualized operational support. All the functionalities hosted by the architecture are offered to the remaining system as network services. Any intelligent module, implementing the services’ interface, can report diagnostic, prognostic and maintenance recommendations that enable the core of the platform to decide on the best course of action.

Biomarkers in Solea Senegalensis Kaup, 1858 exposed to contaminated estuarine sediments: a multi-level approach

Thesis submitted to the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Sciences

Concepção e implementação do site do Colectivo Fantasma

rabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários  à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Práicas Web

Literatura mundial: concepção e planeamento de um site

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Novos Media e Práticas Web

A importância da construção do site na comunicação de marcas de luxo

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Comunicação Estratégica.

O paradoxo da intimidade publicizada. A visibilidade contemporânea no site de rede social Facebook

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Comunicação

The tetranuclear copper active site of nitrous oxide reductase: the CuZ center

J Biol Inorg Chem (2011) 16:183–194 DOI 10.1007/s00775-011-0753-3

A copper protein and a cytochrome bind at the same site on bacterial cytochrome c peroxidase

Biochemistry, 2004, 43 (46), pp 14566–14576 DOI: 10.1021/bi0485833

Comparative effects of sediments contaminated by carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic PAHs in Dicentrarchus labrax: a semi-quantitative histopathological approach

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente

Coupling electrokinetics and iron nanoparticles for the remediation of contaminated soils

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - PTDC/AGR-­AAM/101643/2008 NanoDC ; SFRH/BD/76070/2011 ; FP7-­PEOPLE-­IRSES-­2010-­269289-­ ELECTROACROSS

Compaction quality control on site of earthworks - A comparative study

The capacity to use geologic materials (soil and rock) that are available in the surrounding environment is inherent to the human civilization and has contributed to the evolution of societies throughout the course of history. The use of these materials in the construction of structures such as houses, roads, railways or dams, stirred the improvement of socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Several reports of structural problems on embankments can be found throughout history. A considerable number of those registers can be linked to inadequate compaction, demonstrating the importance of guaranteeing a suitable quality of soil compaction. Various methodologies and specifications of compaction quality control on site of earthworks, based on the fill moisture content and dry unit weight, were developed during the 20th century. Two widely known methodologies are the conventional and nuclear techniques. The conventional methods are based on the use of the field sand cone test (or similar) and sampling of material for laboratory-based testing to evaluate the fill dry unit weight and water content. The nuclear techniques measure both parameters in the field using a nuclear density gauge. A topic under discussion in the geotechnical community, namely in Portugal, is the comparison between the accuracy of the nuclear gauge and sand cone test results for assessing the compaction and density ratio of earth fills, particularly for dams. The main purpose of this dissertation is to compare both of them. The data used were acquired during the compaction quality control operations at the Coutada/Tamujais dam trial embankment and core construction. This is a 25 m high earth dam located in Vila Velha de Rodão, Portugal. To analyse the spatial distribution of the compaction parameters (water content and compaction ratio), a 3D model was also developed. The main results achieved are discussed and finally some considerations are put forward on the suitability of both techniques to ensure fill compaction quality and on additional research to complement the conclusions obtained.

Optimization of wastewater quality in the Sines refinery

In order to address and resolve the wastewater contamination problem of the Sines refinery with the main objective of optimizing the quality of this stream and reducing the costs charged to the refinery, a dynamic mass balance was developed nd implemented for ammonia and polar oil and grease (O&G) contamination in the wastewater circuit. The inadequate routing of sour gas from the sour water stripping unit and the kerosene caustic washing unit, were identified respectively as the major source of ammonia and polar substances present in the industrial wastewater effluent. For the O&G content, a predictive model was developed for the kerosene caustic washing unit, following the Projection to Latent Structures (PLS) approach. Comparison between analytical data for ammonia and polar O&G concentrations in refinery wastewater originating from the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) effluent and the model predictions of the dynamic mass balance calculations are in a very good agreement and highlights the dominant impact of the identified streams for the wastewater contamination levels. The ammonia contamination problem was solved by rerouting the sour gas through an existing clogged line with ammonia salts due to a non-insulated line section, while for the O&G a dynamic mass balance was implemented as an online tool, which allows for prevision of possible contamination situations and taking the required preventive actions, and can also serve as a basis for establishing relationships between the O&G contamination in the refinery wastewater with the properties of the refined crude oils and the process operating conditions. The PLS model developed could be of great asset in both optimizing the existing and designing new refinery wastewater treatment units or reuse schemes. In order to find a possible treatment solution for the spent caustic problem, an on-site pilot plant experiments for NaOH recovery from the refinery kerosene caustic washing unit effluent using an alkaline-resistant nanofiltration (NF) polymeric membrane were performed in order to evaluate its applicability for treating these highly alkaline and contaminated streams. For a constant operating pressure and temperature and adequate operating conditions, 99.9% of oil and grease rejection and 97.7% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) rejection were observed. No noticeable membrane fouling or flux decrease were registered until a volume concentration factor of 3. These results allow for NF permeate reuse instead of fresh caustic and for significant reduction of the wastewater contamination, which can result in savings of 1.5 M€ per year at the current prices for the largest Portuguese oil refinery. The capital investments needed for implementation of the required NF membrane system are less than 10% of those associated with the traditional wet air oxidation solution of the spent caustic problem. The operating costs are very similar, but can be less than half if reusing the NF concentrate in refinery pH control applications. The payback period was estimated to be 1.1 years. Overall, the pilot plant experimental results obtained and the process economic evaluation data indicate a very competitive solution through the proposed NF treatment process, which represents a highly promising alternative to conventional and existing spent caustic treatment units.

Electrokinetic treatment of environmental matrices. Contaminants removal and phosphorus recovery

There is a need to develop viable techniques for removal and recovery organic and inorganic compounds from environmental matrices, due to their ecotoxicity, regulatory obligations or potential supplies as secondary materials. In this dissertation, electro –removal and –recovery techniques were applied to five different contaminated environmental matrices aiming phosphorus (P) recovery and/or contaminants removal. In a first phase, the electrokinetic process (EK) was carried out in soils for (i) metalloids and (ii) organic contaminants (OCs) removal. In the case of As and Sb mine contaminated soil, the EK process was additionally coupled with phytotechnologies. In a second phase, the electrodialytic process (ED) was applied to wastes aiming P recovery and simultaneous removal of (iii) toxins from membrane concentrate, (iv) heavy metals from sewage sludge ash (SSA), and (v) OCs from sewage sludge (SS). EK enhanced phytoremediation showed to be viable for the remediation of soils contaminated with metalloids, as although remediation was low, it combines advantages of both technologies while allowing site management. EK also proved to be an effective remediation technology for the removal and degradation of emerging OCs from two types of soil. Aiming P recovery and contaminants removal, different ED cell set-ups were tested. For the membrane concentrates, the best P recovery was achieved in a three compartment (3c) cell, but the highest toxin removal was obtained in a two compartment (2c) cell, placing the matrix in the cathode end. In the case of SSA the best approach for simultaneous P recovery and heavy metals removal was to use a 2c-cell placing the matrix in the anode end. However, for simultaneous P recovery and OCs removal, SS should be placed in the cathode end, in a 2c-cell. Overall, the data support that the selection of the cell design should be done case-by-case.