Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-27T14:52:11Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese_Danniel_Araujo_Versão_Final_CORRIGIDA_19_12.pdf: 7286311 bytes, checksum: 340b8aee0cbc2095c53a285cd4de9012 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-27T14:52:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese_Danniel_Araujo_Versão_Final_CORRIGIDA_19_12.pdf: 7286311 bytes, checksum: 340b8aee0cbc2095c53a285cd4de9012 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-19 / CAPES / CNPQ / A urbanização altera significativamente os processos de escoamento natural da bacia hidrográfica, com aumento do volume das águas pluviais escoadas superficialmente, incremento das vazões de pico dos corpos hídricos, degradação da qualidade da água e geração de sedimentos. Neste contexto, a gestão das águas pluviais surge como uma alternativa para resolução de conflitos relativos a quantidade/qualidade destes recursos (conflitos de primeira ordem). No entanto, devido essa gestão exigir a participação de vários setores da sociedade, pode vir a gerar conflitos devido à falta/inadequação do arranjo institucional responsável por essa gestão (conflitos de segunda ordem). Diante desta problemática, é possível observar a importância exercida pelo contexto legal, institucional e socioeconômico e da visão global do sistema envolvido para a tomada de decisão. Esta tese, portanto, concebe uma metodologia para apoio à decisão na gestão das águas pluviais urbanas combinando métodos multicriterial e multidecisor, a qual se constitui em quatro etapas: (i) investigação dos parâmetros iniciais; (ii) avaliação dos métodos multicriteriais AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) e o PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations) (iv) avaliação do método multidecisor COPELAND simulando a gestão participativa com a implantação do comitê de rio urbano; (iv) obtenção do subconjunto de alternativas potenciais como resultado final da aplicação do modelo. A metodologia foi aplicada na sub-bacia do canal da Sanbra, que é um dos contribuintes do rio Jiquiá situado em Recife-PE. Nesse sentido, foi avaliado a seleção da melhor técnica compensatória para este riacho considerando aspectos ambientais, sociais, econômicos e hidráulicos. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que a metodologia desenvolvida pode apoiar a tomada de decisão na gestão das águas pluviais, de modo a consubstanciar resultados mais satisfatórios dessa realidade, seja através do entendimento e ampliação da gestão participativa, quanto no aperfeiçoamento técnico dos tomadores de decisão. / Urbanization significantly alters the processes of natural drainage of the river basin, increasing the volume of rainwater drained superficially, increasing peak flows of water bodies, degradation of water quality and sediment generation. In this context, rainwater management appears as an alternative for resolving conflicts regarding the quantity / quality of these resources (first order conflicts). However, because this management requires the participation of several sectors of society, it can generate conflicts due to the lack / inadequacy of the institutional arrangement responsible for this management (second order conflicts). Faced with this problem, it is possible to observe the importance exerted by the legal, institutional and socioeconomic context and the global vision of the system involved for the decision making.This thesis, therefore, devises a methodology for decision support in urban stormwater management combining multicriterial and multidecisor methods, which consists of four steps: (i) investigation of the initial parameters; (Ii) evaluation of the multi-criteria methods AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations) (iv) evaluation of the COPELAND multidecisor method simulating participatory management with the implementation of the urban river committee; (Iv) obtaining the subset of potential alternatives as a final result of the application of the model. The methodology was applied in the sub-basin of the Sanbra channel, which is one of the contributors of the Jiquiá river situated in Recife-PE. In this sense, it was evaluated the selection of the best compensatory technique for this stream considering environmental, social, economic and hydraulic aspects. The obtained results demonstrated that the developed methodology can support the decision making in rainwater management, in order to substantiate more satisfactory results of this reality, be it through the understanding and expansion of the participatory management, as well as in the technical improvement of the decision makers.

In power utilities the subject reliability is a permanent worry. In this new context, some solutions have been developed and researched to an alternative to improve the performance on service restoration when there are consumers without power supply. Among possible solutions the installation of remotely-controlled switches represents a solution that has been adopted by many companies due its cost benefit. The allocation of these devices is essential to assess the different criterions and characteristics, so the use of multi-criteria decision making to evaluate these characteristics and especially to allow the measurement of expert s opinion in power distribution systems is essential. Therefore, the objective of this work is to propose a new methodology for the allocation of these devices in electric distribution systems based on AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process decision making for validation of the best locations to install theses device. The contribution and innovation of this work consist in adding to the allocation methodology a validation of expert opinion, discarding those that present a very low consistency and thus making the final answer more exact and in accordance with the proposal, through a variation of the AHP methodology. / Em empresas de sistemas de potência a confiabilidade é uma preocupação constante. Nesse novo contexto, algumas soluções têm sido desenvolvidas e pesquisadas como alternativa para melhorar sua performance em propiciar um retorno do fornecimento de energia elétrica aos seus consumidores quando estes estão desenergizados. Dentre as soluções possíveis, a instalação de chaves telecomandadas tem representado uma solução cada vez mais adotada por várias empresas de energia devido ao seu custo benefício. Na alocação desses equipamentos é essencial considerar diferentes critérios e características, desta maneira o uso de uma metodologia de decisão multicriterial é necessário e especialmente para permitir a mensuração da opinião de especialistas do setor de sistemas de distribuição. Então, o objetivo desse trabalho é propor uma nova metodologia de alocação desses dispositivos em sistemas de distribuição de energia baseado na metodologia de tomada de decisão AHP - Analytic Hierarchy Process para validação das melhores localizações para instalar esses equipamentos. A grande contribuição e inovação desse trabalho consiste apresentar uma metodologia de alocação desses equipamentos, uma validação da opinião dos especialistas, descartando aquelas que apresentam uma baixa consistência e desta forma tornando a resposta final mais exata e de acordo com o proposto, através de uma variação da metodologia AHP.

This final project provides a parole analysis of vrais amis (true counterparts) in current French and English. To this end a specialized English-French translation corpus was assembled, composed of three subcorpora equal in length, namely Religious, Political and Fiction discourse, amounting altogether to approximately 60,000 words. With the help of the AntConc instrument, true friends employed in the corpus were generated, here conceived of as a register-specific phenomenon exclusively. Using the frequency criteria, a central set of 64 most frequent counterparts was delineated. These central counterparts, marked by (almost) identical frequencies, identical contexts and the same registers, were subjected to a multiaspectual analysis, scrutinizing the pronunciation, spelling, word classes, share of derivation, and frequency of types and tokens. Since English proved to be the borrowing language in all instances, the research also indirectly addressed the degree of their integration in the English words stock by reference to frequency bands. For most of the researched aspects, three zones of counterparts were identified, namely those exhibiting identity, close similarity and relative difference. As a result, employing the Theory of Centre and Periphery (Daneš 1966), we may arrange true counterparts...

Förtätning av stadsmiljöer bidrar till hårdläggning och borttagande av gröna ytor i naturliga och redan exploaterade områden. Detta minskar möjlighet till infiltration och evapotranspiration av vatten, vilket ökar ytavrinning av regn- och smältvatten. Regn- och smältvatten i urbana miljöer, även kallat dagvatten, har traditionellt hanterats genom snabb avledning till VA-verk eller närmaste recipient. Idag går utvecklingen mot att hantera dagvattnet lokalt och nära källan till vattnet genom att efterlikna den naturliga vattencykeln. Den största utmaningen iatt hantera dagvatten lokalt anses inte bero på avsaknad av rätt teknik utan ett kommunikativt problem mellan berörda parter. För att främja en långsiktig och hållbar dagvattenhantering krävs en gemensam vision vid upphandlingen, vilket kräver nya forum att diskutera hur hanteringen bör gå till. En förvaltningsövergripande planering mot gemensammamål kan minimera risken att valet av system vid upphandlingfrämst styrs av ekonomi och tidigare erfarenheter. Istället kan fokus läggas på vilka lösningar som är mest hållbara i det specifika området. Att belysa detta tidigt i upphandlingsskedet skapar goda förutsättningar för genomförande. Syftet med detta examensarbete varatt ta fram ett beslutsstöd som dels underlättar den förvaltningsövergripande planeringen vid upphandling av dagvattensystem och dels främjar en hållbar hantering av dagvatten. Beslutsstödet möjliggör att hänsyn tas till det specifika områdets samhälleliga och naturgivna förutsättningar. Metoden bygger på multikriterieanalys ochstödet har designats så att det enkelt går att ta fram grundförutsättningar för jämförelsen tidigt i planeringsskedet, vilket sedan analyseras och justeras tillsammans med de parter som berörs av dagvattenhanteringen för det specifika området. Till exempel kommunala förvaltningar inom stadsplanering, miljöoch VA. Designen bygger på etablerade metoder gällande fördröjningskrav, föroreningsbelastning och dimensionering av system för dagvattenhantering. För att testa beslutsstödets relevans har en fallstudie av ett område under upphandling för exploatering i Uppsala kommun genomförts. Det framtagna beslutsstödet utgörs av fyra delar; systemalternativ, multikriterieanalys, fördröjningskrav och föroreningsbelastning. Systemalternativ ger förslag till tekniker som kan utgöra system för dagvattenhantering. Multikriterieanalys innefattar en systemanalytisk jämförelse där systemför dagvattenhanteringutvärderas och viktas enligt 21 kriterium relaterade till hållbar dagvattenhantering. Fördröjningskrav och föroreningsbelastning beräknar mängdvatten som bör fördröjas efter exploatering respektive reningseffekt på förorenat dagvatten beroende på systemalternativ. I fallstudien jämförs fyra systemalternativ frånvälgrundade utvärderingar av varje kriterium, vilket ger en hög trovärdigheti studiens utfall. Utfallet från fallstudien visar attsystem som innefattar öppenhantering av dagvatten är lämpligt i det undersökta området.Utvärderingavbeslutsstödetpekar på att stödet kanbidra till en förbättradkommunikation mellan berörda parter inom en upphandlingoch att utvalda kriterierna har potential attbidra till en hållbar dagvattenhantering under planeringsprocessen. / The ongoing urbanization contributes to decreaseinfiltration and evaporation of water, compared to natural environments. This affect the natural water cycle, leading to an increased surface runoff of rain and melt water, also known as stormwater. Stormwater has by tradition been managed by diverting it to wastewater treatment plants or to the closest receiving waters. Today, it isconsidered to be more sustainable and modern managing the stormwater locally, close to the source by imitating a natural water cycle. The problem of realizing this modern management is not caused by inadequate modern techniques, but a communicative problem between the concerned parties. To promote a long term and sustainable management, a commonvision is required. This demands new forums for discussion. All concerned partiesshould pursue a common goal to minimize the risk of the system being chosen based on economy and previous experience. Focus should be pointed to solutions that are sustainable in the specific area. This should be elucidated in the procurement stage to create good conditions for implementation. The objective with this thesis wasto elaborate a decision supportmethod, facilitating communication between the concerned parties at the procurement stage of stormwater management. The decision support will promotea long term and sustainable solution, and consider the specific area with regard to social conditions and nature. By using multiple-criteria decision analysis, systems of stormwater management will be compared based on problems and advantages of stormwater in an urban environment and an optimal solution can be identified. The decision support has been designedto easily retrieve basic conditions for the comparison early in the procurement stage, which then can be analyzed in view of opinions from the different concerned parties. The design is based on established methods concerning delay demands, pollution load and dimensioning of systems of stormwater management. To test the relevance of the decision support, a case study of an area currently under procurement for exploitation in Uppsala was performed. The developed decision support consists of four sections; “Multiple-criteria decision analysis”, “Alternatives of systems”, “Delay demands” and “Pollution load”. “Multiple-criteria decision analysis” includes analytical comparison where different systems of stormwater management are evaluated and weighted according to 21 criteria related to sustainable stormwater management. “Alternatives of systems”, suggests stormwater techniques which can form a system ofstormwater management. “Delay demands” calculates how much water that should be delayed after exploitation and “Pollution load” calculates the purification effect on polluted stormwater depending on choice of systems. The case study reveals that the support can contribute to better communication between concerned parties within procurement and that the best suited system of stormwater management for the case study area are systems that manage stormwater locally near the source of water.

De senaste årens krav på hållbarhet, har tillsammans med en önskan att göra städerna renare, tystare och mer tillgängliga, resulterat i att cykeln kommit att prioriteras inom samhällsplaneringen. I syfte att främja en hållbar stadsutveckling och uppmuntra fler människor att cykla har allt fler städer valt att upprätta hyrcykelsystem. En av dessa städer är Gävle som under våren 2016 genomför en pilotstudie för att undersöka möjligheten att införa ett regionalt hyrcykelsystem riktat till pendlare. Syftet med denna studie är därför att applicera en metod för att optimera lokaliseringen av cykelstationer i ett hyrcykelsystem i Gävle. För att uppnå detta har en GIS-baserad multikriterieanalys (MKA) upprättats. Multikriterieanalysen resulterade i att ett antal platser pekades ut som lämpliga för etablering av hyrcykelsstationer. Genom vidare analys och diskussion av resultatet prioriterades antalet platser ned ytterligare. Detta mynnade ut i en rekommendation över de två lämpligaste platserna i Gävle för etablering av hyrcykelstationer. Dessa platser är Södermalm och Rådhustorget. / The desire to make our cities cleaner, quieter and more accessible has given the bicycle a higher priority in urban planning in recent years. In order to promote sustainable urban development and encourage people to cycle an increasing number of cities have chosen to set up bike-share systems. During the spring of 2016 the city of Gävle is conducting a pilot study to examine the possibility of introducing a bike-share system. The purpose of this study is therefore to apply a method to optimize the location of bike stations in a bike-share system in Gävle. To achieve this, a GIS-based multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was established. The MCA resulted in a number of sites identified as suitable for the establishment of bike-share stations. Through further analysis and discussion the number of stations was prioritized even further. This resulted in a recommendation of the two most suitable locations for establishment of bike-share stations in Gävle. These places are Södermalm and Rådhustorget.

The cornerstone of our production system is based on the concept “take, make, waste”. Moreover, the manufacture of a product requires the input of energy and raw materials which produce waste and products. The latter ultimately end up becoming wastes. In other words, the root problem of this production system is that is designed on a linear, one-way cradle-to grave model (McDonough, W. and Braungart, M., 2002). This approach coupled with the population explosion and our thirst for growth has led to an unprecedented pressure to the environment. The consequences are multiple; climate change, dwindling energy resources and waste generation. This study lies in two pillars: the concept of sustainable development and the waste management hierarchy. The idea was how these two fundamental concerns (energy generation and waste production) could be tackled. This study assesses the availability of biomass residues and wastes in the off-grid island of Crete with the aim to ‘close the loop’ by converting waste to an energy resource. In addition, the exploration of the most sustainable energy generation solutions was attempted in order to drive forward the synergies between biomass waste production and energy generation. The collected information was extracted from the literature about agricultural, livestock, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Industrial & Commercial (I&C) waste. It is also based on numerous interviews to waste management associations, the Greek Ministry of Rural Development & Food and all the Waste Water Treatment Plants in the island were analysed in order to shed light on the potential energy generation from all the aforementioned biomass sources and its contribution to the electric energy production system of Crete. It is considered that the biomass potential in Crete is a sleeping giant. There is considerable potential for biomass-to-energy technologies in Crete providing improved rural energy services based on agricultural residues. From the findings of this study it appears that the biomass potential is more than estimated in previous papers. Based on the findings it is concluded that the largest portion of Crete’s biomass potential is agricultural residues and animal wastes. The utilisation of low-cost biomass power in Crete could help provide cleaner, more efficient energy services and to reduce the island’s economic and environmental vulnerability. Biomass can provide both base load power and turn into liquid transportation fuels and contributes to reducing energy dependence due to import fuel from the mainland. In terms of the study’s goal to select the most sustainably viable biomass-to-energy technologies, that was based on the multi-criteria methodology. A number of integrated biomass-to-energy alternatives were assessed against technical, environmental, financial and social criteria with the aim to assist the regional authority’s decision making process of energy generation planning. From the final screening of the integrated biomass-to-energy alternatives it was concluded that the best in a descending order technologies from the regional authority’s standpoint are: F - Anaerobic digestion & Fuel cell; E – Anaerobic digestion & Gas engine; C - Gasification & Gas engine; A – Combustion & Steam turbine; and B – Gasification & Steam turbine.

No description available.

I samband med Gävle kommuns omvandling av den havsnära stadsdelen Näringen identifieras många naturgeografiska och geotekniska utmaningar. Dessa utmaningar förväntas förvärras av klimatförändringar, men också betyda en större påverkan på låglänta och havsnära områden. Däremot identifieras en ekonomisk vinst av exploatering av centrumnära mark. Den kommande omvandlingen av stadsdelen innefattar att 6 000 nya bostäder och 450 000 kvadratmeter nya verksamheter ska tillkomma, enligt avtal med svenska staten. Ökad ekonomisk belastning för försäkringsbolagen i samband med klimatförändringar och naturfenomen tvingar dock försäkringsbolagen att se över vad som i framtiden bör kunna försäkras. En konflikt kunde identifieras mellan kommunen och statens definition av hållbarhet, i jämförelse med försäkringsbolagens syn på vad som är hållbart och dessutom hållbart på lång sikt. Syftet med studien var att besvara forskningsfrågan Hur kan omvandlingen av Näringen utformas genom riskreducering för att minska exponering och sårbarhet och samtidigt öka stadsdelens resiliens? För att besvara frågan har studien använt metoderna spatial multikriterieanalys med farokartor, och gestaltning utifrån multikriterieanalysens resultat, för att skapa ett gestaltningsförslag som redovisar en ny utformning av stadsdelen som uppfyller avtalets krav kring antal bostäder och kvadratmeter verksamhetsytor, och detta på ett sätt som bidrar till att bebyggelsen i största möjliga mån placeras i områden där exponeringen för diverse risker är lägre.  Studiens resultat syftar att påvisa skillnader i ställningstaganden. Som en del av riskreduceringsstrategin klassificerades högriskområden som blågrön infrastruktur för de områden där konventionell markanvändning, som exploatering för bostäder och verksamheter, inte bedömdes vara lämplig till följd av de höga riskvärdena i dessa områden. Utifrån resultatet av dessa kartor skapades en 3D-modell med syfte att skapa ett pedagogiskt verktyg. 3D- modelleringen bidrar även till en högre förståelse för hur enligt studien olämplig mark, eller strandskydd kan omvandlas till attraktiva gröna områden som erbjuder rekreationsmöjligheter, infiltrering av dagvatten och som ökar den biologiska mångfalden. Studiens resultat erbjuder lättförståeliga tolkningar av de bakomliggande naturgeografiska och geotekniska riskerna, som även gemene man kan ta del av och tolka.  Ett återkommande inslag i studiens resultat är att stora skyddsområden som omfattas av strandskydd, även täcker de områden som har högst riskvärden. / The context of this study came from Gävle municipality's planned transformation of the coastal district of Näringen, where many natural geographical and geotechnical challenges are identified. These challenges are expected to be exacerbated by climate change, but also to have a greater impact on low-lying areas and areas close to the sea. On the other hand, an economic gain is identified from the exploitation of land close to the center. The upcoming transformation of the district includes that 6,000 new homes and 450,000 square meters of new businesses will be added according to an agreement with the Swedish state. Increased financial burden for the insurance companies in connection with climate change and natural phenomena forces the insurance companies to review what can be insured in the future. A conflict was identified between the municipality's and the state's definition of sustainability, in comparison with the insurance companies' view of what is sustainable and sustainable in the long term. The purpose of the study was to answer the research question How can the transformation of Näringen be designed through risk reduction to reduce exposure and vulnerability and at the same time increase the district's resilience? To answer the question, methods have used spatial multi-criteria analysis with hazard maps, and design based on the results of the multi-criteria analysis to create a modelled proposal that presents a new layout of the district, which meets the agreement's requirements for housing and square meters, in addition to that the placement of the settlement is made to the highest degree possible, in areas where the exposure to various risks is lower.  The results of the study aim to show differences in standpoints. As part of the risk reduction strategy, high-risk areas were classified as blue-green infrastructure for those areas where conventional land use, such as development for housing and businesses, was not deemed appropriate due to the high-risk values in these areas. Based on the results of these maps, a 3D- model was created with the aim of creating an educational tool. The 3D- modeling also contributes to a higher understanding of how, according to the study, unsuitable land or beach protection can be transformed into attractive green areas that offer recreation, infiltration of stormwater and that increase biodiversity. The results of the study offer easy-to-understand interpretations of the underlying natural geographical and geotechnical risks, which even the general public can take part in and interpret. A recurring element in the results of the study is that large, protected areas that are covered by beach protection (strandskydd), also cover the areas that have the highest risk values.

The current decision-making processes involved in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in South Africa suffer from a lack of coherence and do not include evaluation of trade-offs between qualitative and quantitative impacts, as well as environmental, economic, and social dimensions. In addition, insufficient capacity and knowledge among authorities, a lack of objectivity among Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs), and mediocre reports add to the problems associated with effective decision-making. This work presents a framework aimed at improving the effectiveness and objectivity of the decision-making process applied in South Africa’s EIAs in the energy sector. A number of decision-making models and tools are available to researchers and practitioners throughout the world that could potentially be applied in EIAs. Among these are Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM), and Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA). Each of the tools has its own advantages and disadvantages. With respect to the CBA, its biggest disadvantage is the fact that it requires conversion into monetary terms of all impacts, which is sometimes difficult to achieve. The RIAM, on the other hand, fails to provide a systematic approach to the ranking of alternatives. Both of these issues are addressed by the MCA tools. The MCA framework, furthermore, is universal, transparent, easy to replicate, and does not require a particularly large amount of labour and financial resources to complete. It is, however, subjective, but this shortcoming can be overcome by making the decision process more transparent. The framework proposed in this research paper is based on the Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) technique that allows the identification of the proposed development's cumulative impact versus the current status of the environment. It then compares possible alternatives, where available, in order to identify the most optimal solution. The proposed solution takes into account the trade-offs between the different impact metrics. The research methodology followed in this paper comprised four steps, namely:<ul><li> Selection of case studies, </li><li> Information collection, </li><li> Framework application and testing and </li><li> Feedback. </li></ul> The development of the framework followed an eight-step approach that is generic for MCA and was tested on two case studies that have already gone through the Environmental Impact Assessment process, i.e. the Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plant in the Western Cape and the Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant in the Northern Cape. The former was evaluated against the "no-go option", but included a decision tree comprised of impact areas, categories of impacts and dimensions (environmental, social, and economic). The latter included alternatives for four components of the project, but the decision tree comprised only of categories and dimensions. The effectiveness of the framework was verified by testing the results of the case studies against the recommendations proposed in the respective Environmental Impact Reports. In all cases, but one, the results of the framework correlated with the recommendations made by the Environmental Assessment Practitioners in the respective studies. In addition, a workshop with the decision-makers was held to obtain their viewpoints regarding the usefulness of the framework in their decision-making environment. These decision-makers supported the use of the framework in their environment as it offered an integrated and transparent approach to the evaluation of projects and alternatives. They emphasised, however, that the decision-making process was complex and the application of the framework alone would not be able to address all the challenges. The case studies demonstrated that the proposed framework could be successfully applied in the process of undertaking impact assessments in the energy sector. It can be used to determine the trade-offs between impacts and dimensions, while taking into consideration the opinions of specialists and decision-makers when assigning weights. The framework has the ability to clearly illustrate the benefit of introducing mitigation measures and it also indicates an alternative that produces the optimal cumulative impact. In conclusion, the work presented contributes to the new body of knowledge in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment in the energy sector as it will assist authorities in making objective and informed decisions, while ensuring greater transparency in the process. It also opens opportunities for conducting follow-on investigations, such the application of the framework in other sectors of the economy, undertaking a sensitivity analysis to compare the range of scores used in the evaluation of impacts, and investigating the possibility of acquiring input from Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) and integrating those into the framework. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / unrestricted

The mining, processing, and use of finite natural resources is associated with significant interventions in the natural environment. Thus, these and other negative consequences make it necessary to reduce resource consumption. An important field of action is the more efficient use of biogenic residues as secondary raw materials. However, high water containing biomasses are still a problem since they need an energy- and cost-intensive pre-treatment for many conversion processes, which can make their use uneconomical. Hydrothermal processes (HTP) seem to be promising, since they require an aqueous environment for optimal processing anyway. Although technological progress within the industry is recognisable, however, to date HTP have not been established in industrial continuous operation in Germany. The core of this work is identifying reasons for this sluggish development and deriving appropriate recommendations for action. Based on the hypothesis that HTP can contribute to the efficient utilisation of biogenic residues in the future, potentials and obstacles for the development of HTP in Germany are identified using a literature review, expert survey, expert workshop, and SWOT analysis. To estimate the future potential of HTP in a systematic and structured way, a multi-criteria technology assessment approach is developed based on the results. To this end, assessment criteria for HTP are derived, weighted by expert judgment, and integrated into a transparent and structured procedure. In addition, mainly based on a Delphi-survey key factors of HTP development by 2030 in Germany are identified and three development alternatives for HTP in Germany by 2030 are derived. Using a system analysis and a comparative multi-criteria analysis at plant level, these scenarios are analysed for their possible future impact. Based on this methodology, the work shows that the production costs for the end products, the energy efficiency of the process, and the proportion of recycled phosphorus are of high relevance to the techno-economic success of HTP compared to reference systems, and they are therefore of high importance for its future development on the plant level. In addition, further key factors for the future development of HTP in Germany on the system level are found to be mainly in the political-legal (e.g. legal waste status of products from HTP) and techno-economic (e.g. cost-effective process water treatment) areas. According to this, important fields of action are the identification and use of cost reduction potentials (e.g. heat waste use), the development of system integrated decentralised plant concepts with integrated nutrient recycling (e.g. phosphorus), and the development of cost-effective ways to treat process water. System integration, cost-effective process water treatment, and nutrient recycling are all closely linked to production costs, investment costs, and potential revenues, and can contribute to improved process economics. For these areas, there is promising future potential to achieve higher competitiveness with reference technologies that are currently more economical.:Bibliographic description Curriculum Vitae Selbstständigkeitserklärung Danksagung List of Publications Contribution to the Publications Contents List of Acronyms List of Tables List of Figures Part I Introductory Chapters 1 Introduction and Background Hydrothermal processes: Introduction and status quo State of the art in the research field and knowledge gaps Objective and research framework Expected value added of this work 2 Materials and methods Derivation of HTP evaluation metrics and technology assessment tool Derivation of key HTP development factors and scenarios Performing the system-level scenario analysis Plant-level scenario analysis and test application of the assessment tool Derivation of core recommendations 3 Results and discussion Key development factors for HTP in Germany and scenarios System-level scenario analysis Test application of the assessment tool on plant level scenarios Recommendations Discussion 4 Conclusion and outlook Future research Further fields for the application of the developed methods 5 References Part II Appended Articles Paper I Paper II Paper III Paper IV Paper V Paper VI / Der Abbau, die Verarbeitung und die Nutzung endlicher natürlicher Ressourcen sind mit erheblichen Eingriffen in die natürliche Umwelt verbunden. Diese und andere negative Folgen machen es daher erforderlich, den Ressourcenverbrauch zu senken. Ein wichtiges Handlungsfeld ist die effizientere Nutzung biogener Reststoffe als Sekundärrohstoffe. Stark wasserhaltige Biomassen sind jedoch ein Problem, da sie für viele Umwandlungsprozesse eine energie- und kostenintensive Vorbehandlung benötigen, was ihre Verwendung unwirtschaftlich machen kann. Hydrothermale Prozesse (HTP) scheinen für diese Reststoffe allerdings vielversprechend zu sein, da sie ohnehin eine wässrige Umgebung für eine optimale Verarbeitung benötigen. Obwohl der technologische Fortschritt innerhalb der Branche erkennbar ist, wurde HTP in Deutschland bisher nicht im industriellen Dauerbetrieb etabliert. Der Kern dieser Arbeit besteht darin, Gründe für diese schleppende Entwicklung zu ermitteln und geeignete Handlungsempfehlungen abzuleiten. Basierend auf der Hypothese, dass HTP in Zukunft zur effizienten Nutzung biogener Reststoffe beitragen können, werden Potenziale und Hindernisse für deren Entwicklung in Deutschland anhand einer Literaturrecherche, einer Expertenumfrage, eines Expertenworkshops und einer SWOT-Analyse ermittelt. Um das zukünftige Potenzial von HTP systematisch und strukturiert abzuschätzen, wird basierend auf den Ergebnissen ein multi-kriterieller Technologiebewertungsansatz entwickelt. Zu diesem Zweck werden Bewertungskriterien für HTP abgeleitet, nach Expertenmeinung gewichtet und in ein transparentes und strukturiertes Verfahren integriert. Darüber hinaus werden hauptsächlich auf der Grundlage einer Delphi-Umfrage Schlüsselfaktoren für die HTP-Entwicklung bis 2030 in Deutschland identifiziert und drei Entwicklungsalternativen für HTP in Deutschland bis 2030 abgeleitet. Mithilfe einer Systemanalyse und einer vergleichenden multi-kriteriellen Analyse auf Anlagenebene werden diese Szenarien auf ihre möglichen zukünftigen Auswirkungen hin analysiert. Basierend auf dieser Methodik zeigen sich als Ergebnisse, dass die Produktionskosten für die Endprodukte, die Energieeffizienz der Prozesse und der Anteil an recyceltem Phosphor für den techno-ökonomischen Erfolg von HTP im Vergleich zu Referenzsystemen von hoher Relevanz und daher auch von hoher Bedeutung für die zukünftige Entwicklung auf Anlagenebene sind. Darüber hinaus liegen weitere Schlüsselfaktoren für die künftige Entwicklung von HTP in Deutschland auf Systemebene hauptsächlich im politisch-rechtlichen (z. B. legalen Abfallstatus von Produkten aus HTP) und techno-ökonomischen (z. B. kostengünstige Prozesswasseraufbereitung)) Bereichen. Wichtige Handlungsfelder sind demnach die Ermittlung und Nutzung von Kostensenkungspotentialen (zB Abwärmenutzung), die Entwicklung systemintegrierter dezentraler Anlagenkonzepte mit integriertem Nährstoffrecycling (z.B. Phosphor) und die Entwicklung kostengünstiger Wege zur Prozesswasserbehandlung. Systemintegration, kostengünstige Prozesswasseraufbereitung und Nährstoffrecycling hängen eng mit Produktionskosten, Investitionskosten und potenziellen Einnahmen zusammen und können zu einer verbesserten Wirtschaftlichkeit der Prozesse beitragen. Für diese Bereiche besteht ein vielversprechendes Zukunftspotenzial für eine höhere Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu Referenztechnologien, die derzeit noch wirtschaftlicher sind.:Bibliographic description Curriculum Vitae Selbstständigkeitserklärung Danksagung List of Publications Contribution to the Publications Contents List of Acronyms List of Tables List of Figures Part I Introductory Chapters 1 Introduction and Background Hydrothermal processes: Introduction and status quo State of the art in the research field and knowledge gaps Objective and research framework Expected value added of this work 2 Materials and methods Derivation of HTP evaluation metrics and technology assessment tool Derivation of key HTP development factors and scenarios Performing the system-level scenario analysis Plant-level scenario analysis and test application of the assessment tool Derivation of core recommendations 3 Results and discussion Key development factors for HTP in Germany and scenarios System-level scenario analysis Test application of the assessment tool on plant level scenarios Recommendations Discussion 4 Conclusion and outlook Future research Further fields for the application of the developed methods 5 References Part II Appended Articles Paper I Paper II Paper III Paper IV Paper V Paper VI