Municipal solid waste management system: decision support through systems analysis

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

New quasi-orthogonal BCH-derived sequences for CDMA applications

European Transactions on Telecommunications, vol. 18

Evolution and biogenesis of microtubule-derived structures

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Biologia Celular pelo Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Impacts of climate change scenarios on terrestrial productivity and biomass for energy in the Iberian Peninsula: assessment through the JSBACH model

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, Perfil de Gestão e Sistemas Ambientais

Evaluation of neuroprotective potential of plyphenols derived from Portuguese native plants: Juniperus sp. and Rubus sp.

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry

Fossil fuel dependence and interfuel substitution in the electricity sector of Western European countries between 1990-2011

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

The implications of mandatory low-cost fuel provision

This work studies fuel retail firms’ strategic behavior in a two-dimensional product differentiation framework. Following the mandatory provision of “low-cost” fuel we consider that capacity constraints force firms to eliminate of one the previously offered qualities. Firms play a two-stage game choosing fuel qualities from three possibilities (low-cost, medium quality and high quality fuel) and then prices having exogenous opposite locations. In the highest level of consumers’ heterogeneity, a subgame perfect Nash equilibrium exists in which firms both choose minimum quality differentiation. Consumers’ are worse off if no differentiation occurs in medium and high qualities. The effect over prices from the mandatory “low-cost” fuel law is ambiguous.

Synthesis and characterization of C3-symmetric 1,3,5 - Benzenetricarboxamide derived supramolecular systems

The aim of this work was to study the self-assembly process of C3-symmetric molecules. To accomplish this objective 1,3,5 – benzentricarboxamides (BTA) derivatives were obtained. Five C3-symmetric molecules were synthesized in moderate to good yields (39-72%) using azo-benzene, aniline, benzylamine, tryptophan and tyrosine. The aggregation behavior of the BTA derivatives was probed with 1H-NMR spectroscopy, 1H-1H 2D Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy (NOESY) and Diffusion Ordered Spectroscopy (DOSY). These experiments allowed to study the influence of H-bonding groups, aromatic rings, unsaturated bonds and the overall geometry in the molecular self-assembly associated with the different structural patterns present on these molecules. The stacking and large molecule behavior where observed in BTA 1, aniline derivative, BTA 4, tyrosine derivative or BTA 5, tryptophan derivative, with several of those discussed functional groups such as unsaturated bonds and H-bonding groups. BTA 5 was used in a few preliminary interaction studies with glucose and ammonium chloride showing interaction with the ammonium ion.

Fuel switching

The present Master dissertation is a project whose main objective is to identify value creation opportunities through fuel switching in the Portuguese industry, services, agriculture and fishing sectors. Fuel switching opportunities are characterized by type of fuel transition, type of technology transition, economy subsectors prone to have fuel switching and value created through fuel shift. Results suggest tomato concentrate, dairy, beer manufacturing and sugar refining subsectors is where prevalence of fuel oil steam boilers is high, for such cases conversion to natural gas steam boilers should result in operations having a ratio of NPV over CAPEX larger than ten and a payback period just under one year. Results further suggest food, beverages, textile, chemicals and wood subsectors currently operate between ten and twenty cogeneration Diesel engines that can be either modified to operate with natural gas or replaced by new natural gas cogeneration systems. Financial modeling indicates that both options have great value creation potential. The current analysis aims to be used by natural gas suppliers and energy project promoters to identify new potential deals as well as by heavy energy consumers to mitigate their energy related costs.