The socio-cultural impact of the introduction of motorbike taxis in the rural community of Tombel, South West region, Cameroon

“The socio-cultural impact of the introduction of motorbike taxis in the rural community of Tombel, South West region, Cameroon” seeks to bring out the impact of commercial motorbike taxis on the lifestyle of the Bakossi. The principal objective of this research is to show how the introduction of motorbike taxis has modified the lifestyle of the Tombel population. This anthropological research defines the profile of a motorbike taxi rider, his role in society, the perception of the population towards this activity and the impact of this activity on the lifestyle of the rural population of Tombel. This study reveals that motorbike taxi riders are essentially made up of youths from all works of life who earn a living by riding a motorbike taxi on a daily bases for commercial purposes. The revenue earn here goes a long way to sustain the livelihood of the rider and his entourage, becoming an ascension tool into the social ladder. The activity is very dangerous not only for the riders buts also for the passengers because of the risks involved in riding for most of the riders do not have the basic knowledge of the road code. This research also reveals that motorbike taxi has become the preferred means of public transport of most inhabitants of Tombel to the point of monopolising certain destinations. The population of Tombel perceives this activity as an instrument of change that has brought development and progress. But this activity also constitutes a social ill because of the prevalent sexual promiscuity encouraged by the riders. This activity has also gotten a cultural impact on the society, changing perceptions and being involve in rituals. Motorbike taxis have become a force to reckon with in the organisation of the community. They are a “response from below” to the transport crises in Cameroon.

THE POTENTIAL OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE AND AGRICULTURAL FEEDSTOCK TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS PRODUCTION: TECHNO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PERSPECTIVES

This Ph.D. research is comprised of three major components; (i) Characterization study to analyze the composition of defatted corn syrup (DCS) from a dry corn mill facility (ii) Hydrolysis experiments to optimize the production of fermentable sugars and amino acid platform using DCS and (iii) Sustainability analyses. Analyses of DCS included total solids, ash content, total protein, amino acids, inorganic elements, starch, total carbohydrates, lignin, organic acids, glycerol, and presence of functional groups. Total solids content was 37.4% (± 0.4%) by weight, and the mass balance closure was 101%. Total carbohydrates [27% (± 5%) wt.] comprised of starch (5.6%), soluble monomer carbohydrates (12%) and non-starch carbohydrates (10%). Hemicellulose components (structural and non-structural) were; xylan (6%), xylose (1%), mannan (1%), mannose (0.4%), arabinan (1%), arabinose (0.4%), galatactan (3%) and galactose (0.4%). Based on the measured physical and chemical components, bio-chemical conversion route and subsequent fermentation to value added products was identified as promising. DCS has potential to serve as an important fermentation feedstock for bio-based chemicals production. In the sugar hydrolysis experiments, reaction parameters such as acid concentration and retention time were analyzed to determine the optimal conditions to maximize monomer sugar yields while keeping the inhibitors at minimum. Total fermentable sugars produced can reach approximately 86% of theoretical yield when subjected to dilute acid pretreatment (DAP). DAP followed by subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis was most effective for 0 wt% acid hydrolysate samples and least efficient towards 1 and 2 wt% acid hydrolysate samples. The best hydrolysis scheme DCS from an industry's point of view is standalone 60 minutes dilute acid hydrolysis at 2 wt% acid concentration. The combined effect of hydrolysis reaction time, temperature and ratio of enzyme to substrate ratio to develop hydrolysis process that optimizes the production of amino acids in DCS were studied. Four key hydrolysis pathways were investigated for the production of amino acids using DCS. The first hydrolysis pathway is the amino acid analysis using DAP. The second pathway is DAP of DCS followed by protein hydrolysis using proteases [Trypsin, Pronase E (Streptomyces griseus) and Protex 6L]. The third hydrolysis pathway investigated a standalone experiment using proteases (Trypsin, Pronase E, Protex 6L, and Alcalase) on the DCS without any pretreatment. The final pathway investigated the use of Accellerase 1500® and Protex 6L to simultaneously produce fermentable sugars and amino acids over a 24 hour hydrolysis reaction time. The 3 key objectives of the techno-economic analysis component of this PhD research included; (i) Development of a process design for the production of both the sugar and amino acid platforms with DAP using DCS (ii) A preliminary cost analysis to estimate the initial capital cost and operating cost of this facility (iii) A greenhouse gas analysis to understand the environmental impact of this facility. Using Aspen Plus®, a conceptual process design has been constructed. Finally, both Aspen Plus Economic Analyzer® and Simapro® sofware were employed to conduct the cost analysis as well as the carbon footprint emissions of this process facility respectively. Another section of my PhD research work focused on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of commonly used dairy feeds in the U.S. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis was conducted for cultivation, harvesting, and production of common dairy feeds used for the production of dairy milk in the U.S. The goal was to determine the carbon footprint [grams CO2 equivalents (gCO2e)/kg of dry feed] in the U.S. on a regional basis, identify key inputs, and make recommendations for emissions reduction. The final section of my Ph.D. research work was an LCA of a single dairy feed mill located in Michigan, USA. The primary goal was to conduct a preliminary assessment of dairy feed mill operations and ultimately determine the GHG emissions for 1 kilogram of milled dairy feed.

THE USE OF LIFE-CYCLE ANALYSIS TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MATERIALS IN MANUFACTURING

This thesis is composed of three life-cycle analysis (LCA) studies of manufacturing to determine cumulative energy demand (CED) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The methods proposed could reduce the environmental impact by reducing the CED in three manufacturing processes. First, industrial symbiosis is proposed and a LCA is performed on both conventional 1 GW-scaled hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)-based single junction and a-Si:H/microcrystalline-Si:H tandem cell solar PV manufacturing plants and such plants coupled to silane recycling plants. Using a recycling process that results in a silane loss of only 17 versus 85 percent, this results in a CED savings of 81,700 GJ and 290,000 GJ per year for single and tandem junction plants, respectively. This recycling process reduces the cost of raw silane by 68 percent, or approximately $22.6 and $79 million per year for a single and tandem 1 GW PV production facility, respectively. The results show environmental benefits of silane recycling centered around a-Si:H-based PV manufacturing plants. Second, an open-source self-replicating rapid prototype or 3-D printer, the RepRap, has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing of polymer-based products, using distributed manufacturing paradigm, which is further minimized by the use of PV and improvements in PV manufacturing. Using 3-D printers for manufacturing provides the ability to ultra-customize products and to change fill composition, which increases material efficiency. An LCA was performed on three polymer-based products to determine the CED and GHG from conventional large-scale production and are compared to experimental measurements on a RepRap producing identical products with ABS and PLA. The results of this LCA study indicate that the CED of manufacturing polymer products can possibly be reduced using distributed manufacturing with existing 3-D printers under 89% fill and reduced even further with a solar photovoltaic system. The results indicate that the ability of RepRaps to vary fill has the potential to diminish environmental impact on many products. Third, one additional way to improve the environmental performance of this distributed manufacturing system is to create the polymer filament feedstock for 3-D printers using post-consumer plastic bottles. An LCA was performed on the recycling of high density polyethylene (HDPE) using the RecycleBot. The results of the LCA showed that distributed recycling has a lower CED than the best-case scenario used for centralized recycling. If this process is applied to the HDPE currently recycled in the U.S., more than 100 million MJ of energy could be conserved per annum along with significant reductions in GHG. This presents a novel path to a future of distributed manufacturing suited for both the developed and developing world with reduced environmental impact. From improving manufacturing in the photovoltaic industry with the use of recycling to recycling and manufacturing plastic products within our own homes, each step reduces the impact on the environment. The three coupled projects presented here show a clear potential to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing and other processes by implementing complimenting systems, which have environmental benefits of their own in order to achieve a compounding effect of reduced CED and GHG.

El análisis del paisaje como herramienta y puente teórico-metodológico para la gestión socio-ambiental del territorio

El presente artículo busca comprender cómo el concepto de paisaje se transforma desde su producción y discusión académica hasta su adaptación por parte del Estado; y seguidamente, cómo este concepto termina siendo aplicado en el territorio, a través de la práctica de diversos profesionales interesados en el mismo. Para ello, se parte de algunas definiciones desarrolladas por diversas disciplinas: geografía, antropología, arqueología, ecología, agronomía y arquitectura, especificando sus puntos de interés; y se hace una comparación entre sus propuestas y la forma en la que estos conceptos son adoptados por el Estado, específicamente por medio de los denominados "términos de referencia". Posteriormente, se analiza cómo estos conceptos y metodologías son llevados a la práctica por profesionales que se desempeñan en diferentes empresas de consultoría, muchas veces sin considerar la forma en la que los habitantes locales entienden y viven el paisaje desde sus territorios. Concluyo que existe una evidente necesidad de construir puentes entre la academia, el Estado, la población y la empresa, a través de la práctica profesional y sobre la necesidad de reconocer la forma como los habitantes locales viven el concepto desde sus territorios. Solo así se logrará generar verdaderos impactos que se reflejen en una mejor calidad de vida de los habitantes

El análisis del paisaje como herramienta y puente teórico-metodológico para la gestión socio-ambiental del territorio

El presente artículo busca comprender cómo el concepto de paisaje se transforma desde su producción y discusión académica hasta su adaptación por parte del Estado; y seguidamente, cómo este concepto termina siendo aplicado en el territorio, a través de la práctica de diversos profesionales interesados en el mismo. Para ello, se parte de algunas definiciones desarrolladas por diversas disciplinas: geografía, antropología, arqueología, ecología, agronomía y arquitectura, especificando sus puntos de interés; y se hace una comparación entre sus propuestas y la forma en la que estos conceptos son adoptados por el Estado, específicamente por medio de los denominados "términos de referencia". Posteriormente, se analiza cómo estos conceptos y metodologías son llevados a la práctica por profesionales que se desempeñan en diferentes empresas de consultoría, muchas veces sin considerar la forma en la que los habitantes locales entienden y viven el paisaje desde sus territorios. Concluyo que existe una evidente necesidad de construir puentes entre la academia, el Estado, la población y la empresa, a través de la práctica profesional y sobre la necesidad de reconocer la forma como los habitantes locales viven el concepto desde sus territorios. Solo así se logrará generar verdaderos impactos que se reflejen en una mejor calidad de vida de los habitantes

El análisis del paisaje como herramienta y puente teórico-metodológico para la gestión socio-ambiental del territorio

El presente artículo busca comprender cómo el concepto de paisaje se transforma desde su producción y discusión académica hasta su adaptación por parte del Estado; y seguidamente, cómo este concepto termina siendo aplicado en el territorio, a través de la práctica de diversos profesionales interesados en el mismo. Para ello, se parte de algunas definiciones desarrolladas por diversas disciplinas: geografía, antropología, arqueología, ecología, agronomía y arquitectura, especificando sus puntos de interés; y se hace una comparación entre sus propuestas y la forma en la que estos conceptos son adoptados por el Estado, específicamente por medio de los denominados "términos de referencia". Posteriormente, se analiza cómo estos conceptos y metodologías son llevados a la práctica por profesionales que se desempeñan en diferentes empresas de consultoría, muchas veces sin considerar la forma en la que los habitantes locales entienden y viven el paisaje desde sus territorios. Concluyo que existe una evidente necesidad de construir puentes entre la academia, el Estado, la población y la empresa, a través de la práctica profesional y sobre la necesidad de reconocer la forma como los habitantes locales viven el concepto desde sus territorios. Solo así se logrará generar verdaderos impactos que se reflejen en una mejor calidad de vida de los habitantes

Q method factor analysis of stakeholder social perspectives of the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment public participation in the Western Cape, South Africa

Public participation is an integral part of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and as such, has been incorporated into regulatory norms. Assessment of the effectiveness of public participation has remained elusive however. This is partly due to the difficulty in identifying appropriate effectiveness criteria. This research uses Q methodology to discover and analyze stakeholder's social perspectives of the effectiveness of EIAs in the Western Cape, South Africa. It considers two case studies (Main Road and Saldanha Bay EIAs) for contextual participant perspectives of the effectiveness based on their experience. It further considers the more general opinion of provincial consent regulator staff at the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Planning (DEA&DP). Two main themes of investigation are drawn from the South African National Environmental Management Act imperative for effectiveness: firstly, the participation procedure, and secondly, the stakeholder capabilities necessary for effective participation. Four theoretical frameworks drawn from planning, politics and EIA theory are adapted to public participation and used to triangulate the analysis and discussion of the revealed social perspectives. They consider citizen power in deliberation, Habermas' preconditions for the Ideal Speech Situation (ISS), a Foucauldian perspective of knowledge, power and politics, and a Capabilities Approach to public participation effectiveness. The empirical evidence from this research shows that the capacity and contextual constraints faced by participants demand the legislative imperatives for effective participation set out in the NEMA. The implementation of effective public participation has been shown to be a complex, dynamic and sometimes nebulous practice. The functional level of participant understanding of the process was found to be significantly wide-ranging with consequences of unequal and dissatisfied stakeholder engagements. Furthermore, the considerable variance of stakeholder capabilities in the South African social context, resulted in inequalities in deliberation. The social perspectives revealed significant differences in participant experience in terms of citizen power in deliberation. The ISS preconditions are highly contested in both the Saldanha EIA case study and the DEA&DP social perspectives. Only one Main Road EIA case study social perspective considered Foucault's notion of governmentality as a reality in EIA public participation. The freedom of control of ones environment, based on a Capabilities approach, is a highly contested notion. Although agreed with in principle, all of the social perspectives indicate that contextual and capacity realities constrain its realisation. This research has shown that Q method can be applied to EIA public participation in South Africa and, with the appropriate research or monitoring applications it could serve as a useful feedback tool to inform best practice public participation.

Consequences of different meteorological scenarios in the environmental impact assessment of tritium in air

The environmental impact of systems managing large (kg) tritium amount represents a public scrutiny issue for the next coming fusion facilities as ITER and DEMO. Furthermore, potentially new dose limits imposed by international regulations (ICRP) shall impact next coming devices designs and the overall costs of fusion technology deployment. Refined environmental tritium dose impact assessment schemes are then overwhelming. Detailed assessments can be procured from the knowledge of the real boundary conditions of the primary tritium discharge phase into atmosphere (low levels) and into soils. Lagrangian dispersion models using real-time meteorological and topographic data provide a strong refinement. Advance simulation tools are being developed in this sense. The tool integrates a numerical model output records from European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) with a lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model (FLEXPART). The composite model ECMWF/FLEXTRA results can be coupled with tritium dose secondary phase pathway assessment tools. Nominal tritium discharge operational reference and selected incidental ITER-like plant systems tritium form source terms have been assumed. The realtime daily data and mesh-refined records together with lagrangian dispersion model approach provide accurate results for doses to population by inhalation or ingestion in the secondary phase