Análise de Sustentabilidade em Projetos de Instalações de Produção de Petróleo

A proposal for a global analysis of sustainability in projects related in oil facilities is presented. By considering economic, environmental and social aspects in the early stages of design, the suggested method is more comprehensive and can be used to complement the analysis commonly applied in the petroleum industry, such as: Study of Technical and Economic Feasibility; Environmental Impact Assessment and Risk Analysis. Several authors, associations, certification bodies and oil companies suggest different approaches to study sustainability in some specific activities (or industries). In this study, a checklist of significant sustainability aspects for the oil industry (surface facilities) was assembled. In addition, a matrix was developed to assess the sustainability items relevant to these projects. In this work, the checklist interacts with the matrix to perform a "Preliminary Analysis of Sustainability of the Enterprise" (APSE). This method allows the identification of aspects that contribute significantly to global sustainability. From this analysis, which includes economic, social and environmental aspects, is built a report that is used to analyze qualitatively and quantitatively the impact of the sustainability aspects of the project. In this analysis are identified items that strongly influence the economic, social or environmental aspects and evaluated alternatives that can increase the overall sustainability of the project. Finally, the alternatives that can be used to indicate the most sustainable option are identified. This method was applied in a project (design) of a small offshore platform. This case study shows how the APSE can contribute to the identification of sustainability initiatives for the enterprise. The results showed that relevant aspects can contribute decisively to global sustainability. Finally, it was observed that the proposed method can contribute to increased rates of sustainability, even after application of analysis commonly used in these projects

Avaliação dos principais programas de boas práticas agropecuárias implantados no Brasil para promover a sustentabilidade da cadeia leiteira

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Agronomia e Medicina Veterinária, 2016.

Sustainable Energy Production in the United States: Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuels and Bioenergy

The United States of America is making great efforts to transform the renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost-competitive, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. This is the key to increase domestic production of transportation fuels and renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions. This dissertation focuses specifically on assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of biofuels and bioenergy produced from renewable feedstocks, such as lignocellulosic biomass, renewable oils and fats. The first part of the dissertation presents the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy demands of renewable diesel (RD) and hydroprocessed jet fuels (HRJ). The feedstocks include soybean, camelina, field pennycress, jatropha, algae, tallow and etc. Results show that RD and HRJ produced from these feedstocks reduce GHG emissions by over 50% compared to comparably performing petroleum fuels. Fossil energy requirements are also significantly reduced. The second part of this dissertation discusses the life cycle GHG emissions, energy demands and other environmental aspects of pyrolysis oil as well as pyrolysis oil derived biofuels and bioenergy. The feedstocks include waste materials such as sawmill residues, logging residues, sugarcane bagasse and corn stover, and short rotation forestry feedstocks such as hybrid poplar and willow. These LCA results show that as much as 98% GHG emission savings is possible relative to a petroleum heavy fuel oil. Life cycle GHG savings of 77 to 99% were estimated for power generation from pyrolysis oil combustion relative to fossil fuels combustion for electricity, depending on the biomass feedstock and combustion technologies used. Transportation fuels hydroprocessed from pyrolysis oil show over 60% of GHG reductions compared to petroleum gasoline and diesel. The energy required to produce pyrolysis oil and pyrolysis oil derived biofuels and bioelectricity are mainly from renewable biomass, as opposed to fossil energy. Other environmental benefits include human health, ecosystem quality and fossil resources. The third part of the dissertation addresses the direct land use change (dLUC) impact of forest based biofuels and bioenergy. An intensive harvest of aspen in Michigan is investigated to understand the GHG mitigation with biofuels and bioenergy production. The study shows that the intensive harvest of aspen in MI compared to business as usual (BAU) harvesting can produce 18.5 billion gallons of ethanol to blend with gasoline for the transport sector over the next 250 years, or 32.2 billion gallons of bio-oil by the fast pyrolysis process, which can be combusted to generate electricity or upgraded to gasoline and diesel. Intensive harvesting of these forests can result in carbon loss initially in the aspen forest, but eventually accumulates more carbon in the ecosystem, which translates to a CO2 credit from the dLUC impact. Time required for the forest-based biofuels to reach carbon neutrality is approximately 60 years. The last part of the dissertation describes the use of depolymerization model as a tool to understand the kinetic behavior of hemicellulose hydrolysis under dilute acid conditions. Experiments are carried out to measure the concentrations of xylose and xylooligomers during dilute acid hydrolysis of aspen. The experiment data are used to fine tune the parameters of the depolymerization model. The results show that the depolymerization model successfully predicts the xylose monomer profile in the reaction, however, it overestimates the concentrations of xylooligomers.

A Bayesian approach to study the risk variables for tuberculosis occurrence in domestic and wild ungulates in South Central Spain

BACKGROUND Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic infectious disease mainly caused by Mycobacterium bovis. Although eradication is a priority for the European authorities, bTB remains active or even increasing in many countries, causing significant economic losses. The integral consideration of epidemiological factors is crucial to more cost-effectively allocate control measures. The aim of this study was to identify the nature and extent of the association between TB distribution and a list of potential risk factors regarding cattle, wild ungulates and environmental aspects in Ciudad Real, a Spanish province with one of the highest TB herd prevalences. RESULTS We used a Bayesian mixed effects multivariable logistic regression model to predict TB occurrence in either domestic or wild mammals per municipality in 2007 by using information from the previous year. The municipal TB distribution and endemicity was clustered in the western part of the region and clearly overlapped with the explanatory variables identified in the final model: (1) incident cattle farms, (2) number of years of veterinary inspection of big game hunting events, (3) prevalence in wild boar, (4) number of sampled cattle, (5) persistent bTB-infected cattle farms, (6) prevalence in red deer, (7) proportion of beef farms, and (8) farms devoted to bullfighting cattle. CONCLUSIONS The combination of these eight variables in the final model highlights the importance of the persistence of the infection in the hosts, surveillance efforts and some cattle management choices in the circulation of M. bovis in the region. The spatial distribution of these variables, together with particular Mediterranean features that favour the wildlife-livestock interface may explain the M. bovis persistence in this region. Sanitary authorities should allocate efforts towards specific areas and epidemiological situations where the wildlife-livestock interface seems to critically hamper the definitive bTB eradication success.

Quality of Pond Sediments

This powerpoint presentation discusses sediments in 18 sample ponds in Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head. It attempts to answer the questions: How contaminated are bottom sediments in typical coastal stormwater ponds? and Do these contaminant levels have the potential to pose ecological and human health risks? Charts of findings are included.

Fiscal Year 2015-16 Accountability Report

Each year the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism reports to the Office of State Budget that includes the agency's mission, goals and objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures regarding the goals and objectives.

Protecting yourself from wildfire smoke

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has declared an air quality alert day for fine particulates, caused by smoke from widespread forest fires. This sheet gives seven tips for protecting yourself from wildfire smoke.

Going Coastal in South Carolina

Get all the information you need to enhance your coastal experience from one dynamic web page. Coastal environment: rip currents and beach advisories, weather and ozone forecast, tide tables and boating safety, fishing and shellfish harvesting, preservation and conservation and much more.

What You Need To Know About Radon And Your Health

This brochure discusses these topics concerning radon: What Is Radon?, Health Effects Of Radon, Radon Action Level, How Much Radon In A Home Is Safe?, What Do I Do If I Have A Radon Problem?, Major Radon Entry Routes, How Do I Know If I Have A Radon Problem?, Where Should I Test?, Retesting For Radon and Radon in Water.

EPA Radon Risk Assessment Table for Smokers and Non-Smokers

This chart gives the long term effects of radon on smokers and non-smokers.

Diseño, implementación y seguimiento de estrategias de sensibilización en valores corporativos orientados a la sostenibilidad para el personal administrativo de OMA

Nacional e internacionalmente, la sostenibilidad se ha convertido en el punto clave de las grandes organizaciones, sus actividades y los participantes que se encuentran involucrados. Una empresa es sostenible cuando ha encontrado el equilibrio entre el aspecto económico, social y ambiental, logrando sin lugar a dudas éxito y perdurabilidad en el entorno al que pertenece. Es por esto que el principal objetivo de este proyecto es el diseño e implementación de estrategias de sensibilización en valores corporativos para el personal administrativo de OMA, el cual se enfoca en la creación y desarrollo de actividades que permitan la concientización y cambios en el comportamiento ambiental de los colaboradores de la compañía. A partir de múltiples herramientas como conceptos básicos, normatividad y actividades dinámicas se logró informar y capacitar a los colaboradores de la compañía en temas como la importancia del desarrollo sostenible, política ambiental y prácticas ambientales adecuadas dentro del entorno laboral y sus hogares.

Methods of earth building in the Huila Province, Angola

In Angola, the construction made of raw earth is a cultural heritage widely used by low income households, representing over 80% of the population [1, 3]. In Huila province is evident construction in raw earth in a large scale, either in urban or in periurban and rural areas. The construction methods follow the ancestral standards, distributed throughout the region of Huila, being built by the several ethnic groups. Among the construction techniques in earth, stand out: the adobe, wattle-and-daub and more recently on CEB (Compressed Earth Block). The type of soil used to make the adobes is mainly silty-clayed sand [1]. The most applied materials are: rods, reeds, wood, grass, straw, soil and stone, almost with the same characteristics [2]. The manufacture of adobe, consists essentially in mixing clay and grass (plant fibers), then put the mixture inside a wooden mold, having a size of 42 cm long and 18 cm high and taking three to four days to dry and be applied in housing construction. The application of these materials makes the construction less expensive because they are collected, transformed and applied by the owner himself of housing without any project, based only on the result of the practice and experience acquired from their ancestors. They are simple constructions, presenting a typology of grouped and isolated single-family housing, ranging between 2 and 3 bedrooms [2]. The construction techniques used in such small housings have positive environmental aspects, both as regards the materials employed, such as the manner in which the constructions are raised, showing special concerns for the quality improvement of them, as regards the resistance, durability and comfort [4].

Cambio de paradigma energético y las nuevas tecnologías

Considering the wide implications of global warming it is evident the need, not only of diminishing the energy consumption patterns, but of diversifying to “sustainable” energy resources. Moreover, within the frame of national security, this requires tore-think the managing and use of available resources, because any change of the energy paradigm will depend, at least at the beginning, on fossil energy.Considering the above, the following paper opens a discussion about energy, entropy and the limits of economic growth, following the premises of the school of ecological economics. It offers several empirical data about the situation of the current energy pattern, mostly about its socio-environmental aspects. The paper ends discussing the characteristics and limitations of the main available alternative energies; meanwhile it highlights the relevance of contemporary patterns of territorial organization. It concludes pointing out the inherent need of diminishing the type and rhythm of current energy consumption.

Microbiological, environmental and proteolytic aspects in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis

Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common chronic respiratory tract diseases affecting up to 15% of the adult population in the Western world. It may be perpetuated by factors predisposing to sinus ostial obstruction together with inflammatory changes in the sinus mucosa. Chronic rhinosinusitis is associated with asthma, and it may represent the same disease process. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and asthma share also the characteristic inflammatory features and histopathologic feature of airway remodelling. Remodelling is considered as a key event in the pathogenesis of asthma. It is controlled by a delicate balance between the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their regulators. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the microbiological findings, inflammatory features and MMP and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) expression in CRSwNP. The results were related to the patient history, exposure to moisture and clinical outcome in order to find out possible explanations for the etiology and chronicity of CRSwNP. Bacterial culture results were similar in patients and in controls and do not explain the chronic course of CRSwNP. The presence of fungi seems to be more common in CRSwNP than chronic rhinosinusitis in general, and they should be actively searched for using microbiological as well as histological methods. Typical outdoor fungal species were found in nasal lavage samples taken from controls in the autumn but not in the winter, reflecting environmental exposure. Exposure to moisture was reported by 46% of the CRSwNP patients, which is in accordance to the Finnish general population. Exposed patients did not differ significantly from non-exposed subjects with regards to microbiological findings, tissue eosinophilia and clinical outcome. Significantly elevated levels of collagenase-2 (MMP-8) and interleukin (IL)-8 but not tumour necrosis factor-α were found in CRSwNP patients. In particular, the activation of mesenchymal-type MMP-8 but not polymorphonuclear-type MMP-8 was associated with elevated IL-8 levels. IL-8 and MMP-8 may form an inductive cytokine-proteinase cascade in CRSwNP pathogenesis and provide a target for novel therapies and a diagnostic tool for monitoring CRSwNP treatment. The proteolytic spectrum is different in eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic CRSwNP with the up-regulation of MMP-8 and MMP-9 in non-eosinophilic CRSwNP, suggesting different pathophysiology in these subgroups. The lack of MMP up-regulation was associated with a poor prognostic factor and worse clinical outcome, representing a possible synergic anti-inflammatory function of MMP-8 and MMP-9 in CRSwNP. This study provides new information about possible immunologic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of CRSwNP. The recently discovered anti-inflammatory/ defensive properties of MMP-8 and MMP-9 in animal models are reported for the first time in a clinical setting in human inflammatory diseases.

Indoor and outdoor particle concentrations and elemental and organic carbon at 17 primary schools

The focus of this paper is on the measured particle number concentrations (PNC) as well as elemental and organic carbon in 17 primary schools. This study is part of the “Ultrafine Particles from Traffic Emissions and Children’s Health (UPTECH)”, which aims to determine the relationship between exposure to traffic related ultrafine (UF) particles and children’s health (http://www.ilaqh.qut.edu.au/Misc/UPTECH%20Home.htm). To achieve this, air quality and health data are being collected at 25 schools within Brisbane Metropolitan Area in Australia over two years. This paper presents the general aspects of UF particles data and preliminary results from the first 17 schools (S01 to S17), tested from Oct 2010 to Dec 2011.