Avaliação do ciclo de vida no Brasil: uma investigação nas principais bases científicas nacionais

A avaliação do ciclo de vida (ACV) é uma metodologia de avaliação de impacto ambiental de produtos e sistemas de produção considerando todo o ciclo de vida, desde a aquisição de matérias-primas até a disposição final. Este trabalho consistiu na investigação do progresso dos estudos sobre ACV no Brasil, por meio de uma pesquisa bibliográfica em eventos e periódicos oficiais ou reconhecidos pela Associação Brasileira de Engenharia de Produção e na base de dados SciELO Brasil. Foram identificados 80 artigos, a maioria de instituições das regiões Sul e Sudeste. A Universidade de São Paulo (USP) e Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) apresentaram o maior número de publicações dentre as 50 instituições identificadas. Verificou-se que 17 artigos aplicaram efetivamente a metodologia ACV em um estudo de caso, sendo que 11 utilizaram a metodologia para avaliar processo produtivo e 6 para comparar materiais ou processos

Diferenças regionais do cultivo de café no Brasil

Brazil is one of the major coffee producers in the world, because of this, the goal of this study was to assess the regional differences of coffee cultivation for the reference crops 2001/2002 and 2002/03 by means of a life cycle assessment (LCA) in order to generate detailed production inventory data as well as quantify the potential environmental impacts of this crop. All information considered in this study (use of water, fossil based energy, fertilizers, pesticides and correctives) was taken from data collected from the producing farms. Four Brazilian coffee producer regions located at the Southeastern region were evaluated: Sul de Minas Gerais and Cerrado Mineiro in Minas Gerais State, and Mogiana and Alta Paulista regions in São Paulo State. The data refer to a production of 25.2 million kg of green coffee. Depending on the considered region, the production of 1,000 kg of green coffee requires, on average, approx. 9,300 to 13,000 kg of total energy, 70 to 130 kg of diesel, 6,500 to 12,700 kg of process water, 270 to 340 kg of fertilizers (NPK), 2.0 to 13.0 kg of pesticides, 230 to 600 kg of correctives, and yield around 1,600 to 1,900 kg/ha. Despite 20% of the coffee growers showing a good environmental performance, i.e. consumption of pesticides, fertilizers and correctives lower than the regional averages, this study has also identified some farms that can probably reduce the amount of some inputs and enhance their environmental performance.

Validation of the portuguese simple measure of impact of lupus erythematosus in youngsters (SMILEY) in Brazil

Background and Objective: Simple Measure of the Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngsters (SMILEY) is a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessment tool for pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which has been translated into Portuguese for Brazil. We are reporting preliminary data on cross-cultural validation and reliability of SMILEY in Portuguese (Brazil). Methods: In this multi-center cross-sectional study, Brazilian children and adolescents 5-18 years of age with SLE and parents participated. Children and parents completed child and parent reports of Portuguese SMILEY and Portuguese Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQLTM) Generic and Rheumatology modules. Parents also completed the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ). Physicians completed the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), Physician's Global Assessment of disease activity (PGA) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics ACR Damage Index (SDI). Results: 99 subjects (84 girls) were enrolled; 93 children and 97 parents filled out the SMILEY scale. Subjects found SMILEY relevant and easy to understand and completed SMILEY in 5-15 minutes. Brazilian SMILEY was found to have good psychometric properties (validity and reliability), and the child-parent agreement was moderate. Conclusion: SMILEY may eventually be used routinely as a research/clinical tool in Brazil. It may be also adapted for other Portuguese-speaking nations offering critical information regarding the effect of SLE on HRQOL for children with SLE. © The Author(s), 2012.

Green teams: Understanding their roles in the environmental management of companies located in Brazil

Green teams are frequently considered in the state-of-the-art literature as an essential factor for companies aiming to implement and improve environmental management approaches and practices. However, most of the available literature on green teams is conceptual and theoretical by nature. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to evaluate the main characteristics of green teams in Brazilian companies and to analyse the relationships between green teams and the maturity level of environmental management in those companies. Based on a conceptual background on corporate environmental management and green teams, a research was done in two complementary phases: a survey of 94 companies with ISO 14001 certification; and a multiple case study of four industrial companies. Survey results suggest that 82% of the studied companies have cross-functional green teams, i.e. involving various companies' departments; and 65% have functional green teams, i.e. individual department teams. The results of the case study suggest that the use of green teams is an instrument to the greening of companies with ISO 14001 in Brazil. The company with the most proactive and advanced environmental management is the same company which uses green teams more intensely. Green teams are especially necessary for implementing more technical environmental management practices, e.g. Life Cycle Assessment. Since this is one of the first studies analysing green teams, the results presented can be useful for companies and public policies aiming to implementation of environmental initiatives. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable production of biologically active molecules of marine based origin

The marine environment offers both economic and scientific potential which are relatively untapped from a biotechnological point of view. These environments whilst harsh are ironically fragile and dependent on a harmonious life form balance. Exploitation of natural resources by exhaustive wild harvesting has obvious negative environmental consequences. From a European industry perspective marine organisms are a largely underutilised resource. This is not due to lack of interest but due to a lack of choice the industry faces for cost competitive, sustainable and environmentally conscientious product alternatives. Knowledge of the biotechnological potential of marine organisms together with the development of sustainable systems for their cultivation, processing and utilisation are essential. In 2010, the European Commission recognised this need and funded a collaborative RTD/SME project under the Framework 7-Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) Theme 2 Programme 'Sustainable culture of marine microorganisms, algae and/or invertebrates for high value added products'. The scope of that project entitled 'Sustainable Production of Biologically Active Molecules of Marine Based Origin' (BAMMBO) is outlined. Although the Union is a global leader in many technologies, it faces increasing competition from traditional rivals and emerging economies alike and must therefore improve its innovation performance. For this reason innovation is placed at the heart of a European Horizon 2020 Strategy wherein the challenge is to connect economic performance to eco performance. This article provides a synopsis of the research activities of the BAMMBO project as they fit within the wider scope of sustainable environmentally conscientious marine resource exploitation for high-value biomolecules. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Análise dos impactos na construção civil: avaliação do ciclo de vida em chapas de partículas para forros

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo da aplicabilidade dos conceitos da manufatura sustentável no rerrefino de óleos lubrificantes usados

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Subsídios para avaliação do ciclo de vida de modo simplificada da produção agrícola de milho por meio de um estudo de caso

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Inventário do ciclo de vida do sistema de gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos urbanos do município de Piedade/SP e projeções de cenários para avaliação de impactos ambientais

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Civil e Ambiental - FEB

Sustentabilidade ambiental da criação de camarões de água doce e uso do aguapé no tratamento dos efluentes

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

Policultivos de peixes integrados à produção vegetal: avaliação econômica e sócio ambiental (Peixe-verde)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Lugar de mulher é em casa?: cotidiano, espaço e tempo entre mulheres de famílias de pescadores

Trata da compreensão da participação de homens e mulheres na manutenção doméstica de famílias de pescadores no Distrito de Icoaraci, município de Belém/PA. Para isso, observei, analisei e interpretei como organizam as atividades em casa e na pesca, partindo das expectativas que influenciam suas práticas cotidianas por gênero e dando atenção, especialmente, para os espaços freqüentados e organização do tempo pelas mulheres. Como procedimento metodológico, utilizei dados do Anuário Estatístico do Município de Belém e do diagnóstico sobre a pesca artesanal no Estado do Pará, elaborado pelo Sistema Nacional de Emprego, para caracterização da área de estudo e para o entendimento sobre tendências ocupacionais e demográficas em que estas famílias estão inseridas. Além disso, realizei trabalho de campo, com entrevistas a sete mulheres de famílias de pescadores, abordando questões sobre a organização, classificação e distribuição das atividades domésticas e da pesca entre os moradores do domicílio nos dias atuais e na infância. As relações sociais são organizadas a partir de sua importância para a reprodução do grupo doméstico, em que homens, mulheres e crianças recebem atribuições diferentes e complementares. No desenrolar das atividades diárias, as mulheres assumem responsabilidades na manutenção do grupo, conciliando e, muitas vezes, acumulando tarefas domésticas e extra-domésticas, e usufruindo de um status específico para escolhas, acordos e tomadas de decisão, dados que permitem questionar e refletir sobre o lugar da mulher em casa.

Análise de propostas de sequestro mineral de carbono para usinas termoelétricas no Brasil

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Avaliação de ciclo de vida comparativa dos processos de anodização e oxidação eletrolítica com plasma de liga de alumínio

Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia de Materiais - FC

Oral impacts on the daily performance of Brazilians assessed using a sociodental approach: analyses of national data

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between oral diseases and their impact on the daily performance of adult and elderly Brazilians, verify the association of oral diseases with socioeconomic and demographic features, and compare the standard estimate of need with the sociodental assessment of these same needs. The authors evaluated data from 17,398 Brazilians aged between 35-44 years and 65-74 years, taken from the cross-sectional Brazilian Oral Health Survey (Saúde Bucal Brasil - SBBrasil). Regression models were applied to assess associations among impacts on daily performance and income, schooling, gender, region, use of dental services, health perception and dental disease status. McNemar’s test was applied to compare standard versus impact-related estimates of need. The prevalence ratio of these impacts was associated with the sociodemographic versus health perceptions (p < 0.001) of adults and the elderly. Adults also had impacts associated with loss of periodontal attachment (p < 0.001). The prevalence of normative needs was 95.39% for adults and 99.76% for the elderly, whereas the impact-related estimate of need was 50.92% and 43.71%, respectively. The impacted-related approach had a statistically significant association with the normative estimate of need (p < 0.001). This study showed a relationship between oral impact on daily performance of adults and educational level. Sociodemographic features were also related to the impacts on both adults and the elderly, and to health perception. The impacts among the adults were related to the loss of periodontal attachment. In addition, the authors found a sizable difference between the standard versus the sociodental approach, in that the sociodental assessment needs were lower than the needs identified by the standard estimate of need.