Economic valuation of the Emas waterfall, Mogi-Guaçu River, SP, Brazil

A Cachoeira de Emas, no Rio Mogi-Guaçu, é reconhecida regionalmente como um importante local para a pesca e o turismo. Os primeiros registros da pesca profissional e esportiva no local datam da década de 30, que é o mesmo período em que a atividade do turismo teve seu início. O presente artigo fornece uma valoração ambiental deste local e identifica as diferenças entre os principais grupos de pessoas que o frequentam. Durante o ano de 2006 nós entrevistamos 33 pescadores profissionais, 107 pescadores esportivos, 45 turistas e 103 excursionistas para estimar a Disposição a Pagar ( P) de cada categoria e para analisar a influência de fatores socioeconômicos através de regressões logísticas e ANCOVAs. A DAP dos pescadores profissionais foi significativamente influenciada pela idade e escolaridade e a DAP dos pescadores esportivos foi significativamente influenciada pela renda familiar. As variáveis que influenciaram a DAP dos turistas e excursionistas fora o sexo e a escolaridade. valor anual total agregado para manter a Cachoeira nas condições atuais foi estimado em US$ 81.080,00, e US$ 44.055.911,46 para recuperá-la.

Atropelamento de vertebrados nas rodovias MG-428 e SP-334 com análise dos fatores condicionantes e valoração econômica da fauna

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Características e valoração da pesca esportiva, profissional e do turismo da Cachoeira de Emas, no rio Mogi-Guaçu - SP

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Proposta para mensuração de custos em cadeia de suprimentos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Product development process: Using real options for assessments and to support the decision-making at decision gates

Enterprises need continuous product development activities to remain competitive in the marketplace. Their product development process (PDP) must manage stakeholders' needs - technical, financial, legal, and environmental aspects, customer requirements, Corporate strategy, etc. -, being a multidisciplinary and strategic issue. An approach to use real option to support the decision-making process at PDP phases in taken. The real option valuation method is often presented as an alternative to the conventional net present value (NPV) approach. It is based on the same principals of financial options: the right to buy or sell financial values (mostly stocks) at a predetermined price, with no obligation to do so. In PDP, a multi-period approach that takes into account the flexibility of, for instance, being able to postpone prototyping and design decisions, waiting for more information about technologies, customer acceptance, funding, etc. In the present article, the state of the art of real options theory is prospected and a model to use the real options in PDP is proposed, so that financial aspects can be properly considered at each project phase of the product development. Conclusion is that such model can provide more robustness to the decisions processes within PDP.

Geoprocessing applied to the assessment of environmental noise: a case study in the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

Noise mapping has been used as an instrument for assessment of environmental noise, helping to support decision making on urban planning. In Brazil, urban noise is not yet recognized as a major environmental problem by the government. Besides, cities that have databases to drive acoustic simulations, making use of advanced noise mapping systems, are rare. This study sought an alternative method of noise mapping through the use of geoprocessing, which is feasible for the Brazilian reality and for other developing countries. The area chosen for the study was the central zone of the city of Sorocaba, located in So Paulo State, Brazil. The proposed method was effective in the spatial evaluation of equivalent sound pressure level. The results showed an urban area with high noise levels that exceed the legal standard, posing a threat to the welfare of the population.

A simple approach to integrate the ecotoxicological and chemical data for the establishment of environmental risk levels

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental samples from public schools

The number of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts that can be found in random environmental samples is probably low; in addition, these cysts may be confused with Hammondia spp. and Neospora spp. oocysts. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the presence of T. gondii oocysts in the soil of public elementary schools in the northwest area of the state of São Paulo, Brazil using mouse bioassays. A comparison was made between the different available bioassay techniques, such as squash, histopathology, immunohistochemistry and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). T. gondii was isolated by bioassay in mice (squash brain samples) from 22.58%(7/31) of the school playgrounds. Immunohistochemistry and IFAT showed positive results in 32.26% (10/31) and 25.80% (8/31) of samples, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the immunohistochemistry method were 85.71% and 83.33%, respectively. The IFAT results showed 100% sensitivity and 95.83% specificity. The presence of T. gondii was not detected in histopathological examinations. The results of the present study strongly suggest that T. gondii oocysts are widely distributed in elementary public schools in the region that was evaluated, likely constituting the main contamination source for these children. Educational programs directed at reducing environmental contamination with T. gondii would eventually lower the cost of treating humans for clinical toxoplasmosis. It is also possible to conclude that the use of IFAT in mouse bioassays can be recommended without the need for brain cysts research, which is extremely difficult and laborious. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The ventilatory response to environmental hypercarbia in the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus

To study the effects of environmental hypercarbia on ventilation in snakes, particularly the anomalous hyperpnea that is seen when CO(2) is removed from inspired gas mixtures (post-hypercapnic hyperpnea), gas mixtures of varying concentrations of CO(2) were administered to South American rattlesnakes, Crotalus durissus, breathing through an intact respiratory system or via a tracheal cannula by-passing the upper airways. Exposure to environmental hypercarbia at increasing levels, up to 7% CO(2), produced a progressive decrease in breathing frequency and increase in tidal volume. The net result was that total ventilation increased modestly, up to 5% CO(2) and then declined slightly on 7% CO(2). on return to breathing air there was an immediate but transient increase in breathing frequency and a further increase in tidal volume that produced a marked overshoot in ventilation. The magnitude of this post-hypercapnic hyperpnea was proportional to the level of previously inspired CO(2). Administration of CO(2) to the lungs alone produced effects that were identical to administration to both lungs and upper airways and this effect was removed by vagotomy. Administration of CO(2) to the upper airways alone was without effect. Systemic injection of boluses of CO(2)-rich blood produced an immediate increase in both breathing frequency and tidal volume. These data indicate that the post-hypercapnic hyperpnea resulted from the removal of inhibitory inputs from pulmonary receptors and suggest that while the ventilatory response to environmental hypercarbia in this species is a result of conflicting inputs from different receptor groups, this does not include input from upper airway receptors.

Hemocitical responses to environmental stress in invertebrates: a review

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A preliminary physicochemical, exergetic and economic study of hydrogen production utilizing glycerol

This work has as objective to demonstrate technical and economic viability of hydrogen production utilizing glycerol. The volume of this substance, which was initially produced by synthetic ways (from oil-derived products), has increased dramatically due mainly to biodiesel production through transesterification process which has glycerol as main residue. The surplus amount of glycerol has been generally utilized to feed poultry or as fuel in boilers, beyond other applications such as production of soaps, chemical products for food industry, explosives, and others. The difficulty to allocate this additional amount of glycerol has become it in an enormous environment problem, in contrary to the objective of biodiesel chain, which is to diminish environmental impact substituting oil and its derivatives, which release more emissions than biofuels, do not contribute to CO2-cycle and are not renewable sources. Beyond to utilize glycerol in combustion processes, this material could be utilized for hydrogen production. However, a small quantity of works (theoretical and experimental) and reports concerning this theme could be encountered. Firstly, the produced glycerol must be purified since non-reacted amounts of materials, inclusively catalysts, contribute to deactivate catalysts utilized in hydrogen production processes. The volume of non-reacted reactants and non-utilized catalysts during transesterification process could be reutilized. Various technologies of thermochemical generation of hydrogen that utilizes glycerol (and other fuels) were evaluated and the greatest performances and their conditions are encountered as soon as the most efficient technology of hydrogen production. Firstly, a physicochemical analysis must be performed. This step has as objective to evaluate the necessary amount of reactants to produce a determined volume of hydrogen and determine thermodynamic conditions (such as temperature and pressure) where the major performances of hydrogen production could be encountered. The calculations are based on the process where advance degrees are found and hence, fractions of products (especially hydrogen, however, CO2, CO, CH4 and solid carbon could be also encountered) are calculated. To produce 1 Nm3/h of gaseous hydrogen (necessary for a PEMFC - Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell - containing an electric efficiency of about 40%, to generate 1 kWh), 0,558 kg/h of glycerol is necessary in global steam reforming, 0,978 kg/h of glycerol in partial oxidation and cracking processes, and 0,782 kg/h of glycerol in autothermal reforming process. The dry reforming process could not be performed to produce hydrogen utilizing glycerol, in contrary to the utilization of methane, ethanol, and other hydrocarbons. In this study, steam reforming process was preferred due mainly to higher efficiencies of production and the need of minor amount of glycerol as cited above. In the global steam reforming of glycerine, for one mole of glycerol, three moles of water are necessary to produce three moles of CO2 and seven moles of H2. The response reactions process was utilized to predict steam reforming process more accurately. In this mean, the production of solid carbon, CO, and CH4, beyond CO2 and hydrogen was predicted. However, traces of acetaldehyde (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), ethylene glycol, acetone, and others were encountered in some experimental studies. The rates of determined products obviously depend on the adopted catalysts (and its physical and chemical properties) and thermodynamic conditions of hydrogen production. Eight reactions of steam reforming and cracking were predicted considering only the determined products. In the case of steam reforming at 600°C, the advance degree of this reactor could attain its maximum value, i.e., overall volume of reactants could be obtained whether this reaction is maintained at 1 atm. As soon as temperature of this reaction increases the advance degree also increase, in contrary to the pressure, where advance degree decrease as soon as pressure increase. The fact of temperature of reforming is relatively small, lower costs of installation could be attained, especially cheaper thermocouples and smaller amount of thermo insulators and materials for its assembling. Utilizing the response reactions process in steam reforming, the predicted volumes of products, for the production of 1 Nm3/h of H2 and thermodynamic conditions as cited previously, were 0,264 kg/h of CO (13% of molar fraction of reaction products), 0,038 kg/h of CH4 (3% of molar fraction), 0,028 kg/h of C (3% of molar fraction), and 0,623 kg/h of CO2 (20% of molar fraction). Through process of water-gas shift reactions (WGSR) an additional amount of hydrogen could be produced utilizing mainly the volumes of produced CO and CH4. The overall results (steam reforming plus WGSR) could be similar to global steam reforming. An attention must to be taking into account due to the possibility to produce an additional amount of CH4 (through methanation process) and solid carbon (through Boudouard process). The production of solid carbon must to be avoided because this reactant diminishes (filling the pores) and even deactivate active area of catalysts. To avoid solid carbon production, an additional amount of water is suggested. This method could be also utilized to diminish the volume of CO (through WGSR process) since this product is prejudicial for the activity of low temperature fuel cells (such as PEMFC). In some works, more three or even six moles of water are suggested. A net energy balance of studied hydrogen production processes (at 1 atm only) was developed. In this balance, low heat value of reactant and products and utilized energy for the process (heat supply) were cited. In the case of steam reforming utilizing response reactions, global steam reforming, and cracking processes, the maximum net energy was detected at 700°C. Partial oxidation and autothermal reforming obtained negative net energy in all cited temperatures despite to be exothermic reactions. For global steam reforming, the major value was 114 kJ/h. In the case of steam reforming, the highest value of net energy was detected in this temperature (-170 kJ/h). The major values were detected in the cracking process (up to 2586 kJ/h). The exergetic analysis has as objective, associated with physicochemical analysis, to determine conditions where reactions could be performed at higher efficiencies with lower losses. This study was performed through calculations of exergetic and rational efficiencies, and irreversibilities. In this analysis, as in the previously performed physicochemical analysis, conditions such as temperature of 600°C and pressure of 1 atm for global steam reforming process were suggested due to lower irreversibility and higher efficiencies. Subsequently, higher irreversibilities and lower efficiencies were detected in autothermal reforming, partial oxidation and cracking process. Comparing global reaction of steam reforming with more-accurate steam reforming, it was verified that efficiencies were diminished and irreversibilities were increased. These results could be altered with introduction of WGSR process. An economic analysis could be performed to evaluate the cost of generated hydrogen and determine means to diminish the costs. This analysis suggests an annual period of operation between 5000-7000 hours, interest rates of up to 20% per annum (considering Brazilian conditions), and pay-back of up to 20 years. Another considerations must to be take into account such as tariffs of utilized glycerol and electricity (to be utilized as heat source and (or) for own process as pumps, lamps, valves, and other devices), installation (estimated as US$ 15.000 for a plant of 1 Nm3/h) and maintenance cost. The adoption of emission trading schemes such as carbon credits could be performed since this is a process with potential of mitigates environment impact. Not considering credit carbons, the minor cost of calculated H2 was 0,16288 US$/kWh if glycerol is also utilized as heat sources and 0,17677 US$/kWh if electricity is utilized as heat sources. The range of considered tariff of glycerol was 0-0,1 US$/kWh (taking as basis LHV of H2) and the tariff of electricity is US$ 0,0867 US$/kWh, with demand cost of 12,49 US$/kW. The costs of electricity were obtained by Companhia Bandeirante, localized in São Paulo State. The differences among costs of hydrogen production utilizing glycerol and electricity as heat source was in a range between 0,3-5,8%. This technology in this moment is not mature. However, it allows the employment generation with the additional utilization of glycerol, especially with plants associated with biodiesel plants. The produced hydrogen and electricity could be utilized in own process, increasing its final performance.

Social and environmental indexes to determine the impacts of closed neighbourhoods in Brazil

São Paulo State, in Brazil, is getting increasingly crowded, like in other third world countries around the world, so should give great importance to city development. This work considered the phenomenon of closed neighbourhoods (CN) as an important factor to city planning, papers report many impacts of this model of neighbourhoods in other countries, but in Brazil its impacts are not yet well listed in the literature. The aim of this work was to determine indicators to achieve the social and environmental performances and verify their applicability on three different closed neighbourhoods in São Paulo state, Brazil. The indicators were condensed on indexes: water management, waste management, energy and emissions, legal compliance, environment and buildings, risk management, health and education and governance. The preliminary results indicated several social and environmental problems in all indexes. © 2013 WIT Press.

Análise da valoração climática na perspectiva da Economia Ambiental: possibilidades e limitações

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Bioma cerrado: um estudo de valoração e conservação da biodiversidade e dos recursos naturais

The region of the biome Cerrado is under threat due to the replacement of their native areas for expansion of agriculture and livestock. This occupation is responsible for the loss of about 50% of two million square kilometers of original native savannah. The land use, without control or zoning, has caused serious damage to natural resources of this biome, considered as an international hotspot area. As a result, some problems caused by ecological imbalances already topping the urban and rural environments, such as species extinction, water scarcity and desertification. Any occupation in this biome should be evaluated with caution, because this region, besides being considered one of the most productive of Brazil, is also rich in biodiversity and water resources. The understanding of the importance of the Cerrado biome and its remaining areas, allows the preparation of detailed studies of environmental valuation, which is essential for the development of conservation policies, avoiding even greater environmental impacts. To meet the growing demand for food, you can increase productivity through agroforestry, for example, and to preserve the remaining areas, you can create new protected areas and tailor existing units

Valoração ambiental: síntese dos principais métodos

This study aims to show some methods of environmental assets valuation. These methods are intended to assist in the economic value estimation to environmental resources by the simulation of a hypothetical market, even if there are no market prices related to them. It is about an individual preference measure against the environmental changes. Thus, the environmental valuation methods do not convert a natural resource into a market product. The present report evaluates the applicability of the valuation methods to determine the economic value for assets or resources. The challenge for all is to understand the current economic and ecologic thinking and their limitations, so as to seek improvements in the perception of natural phenomena and in the economic-oriented goal, which is the sustainable development.