<p>This thesis presents a general description of approaches to energy efficient building development under Chinese contexts. The purpose of the work is to discuss how Chinese building development can be approved from an energy saving perspective.</p><p>Building development is a complicated process that relates to many stakeholders’ interests. The developed countries have studied in this field extensively for several decades. Generally, the approaches to energy saving can be set at three levels: administration, construction industry and architectural design. More new strict codes for energy efficient buildings are being issued for enforcement. At the same time, many research institutes have developed Building Environmental Assessment (BEA) methods, where energy efficiency is an important factor in the models. Various technical solutions for energy efficiency are developed as well.</p><p>The administrative approaches are not the main objective discussed in the thesis, though the importance of them is undeniable. BEA systems are not only assessment methods, but also market-based stimulating approaches for sustainability of construction market. Technical methods have been developed for a long period. Passive House and Low Exergy (LowEx) Systems are two representative examples in European countries.</p><p>All of these approaches are relatively unfamiliar to Chinese architects and developers, let alone their effect and applicability. The thesis tries to analyse this situation and their applicability within Chinese context.</p><p>In China to a certain project, the importance of technical issues is relatively recognized. However, a few successful individual cases in technique can not change the reality that most of new building development has failed in energy efficiency in China. This is a serious situation when China is in an enormous expansion phase in building new houses. The thesis tries to discuss the reasons for this phenomenon. One reason could be that the stakeholders in the developing process are not aware of the importance of collaboration which is the only method to get “Both Win” according to Game theory. The thesis discusses a paradigm to replace two traditional linear paradigms in building developing process. Architects should act as coordinators of different stakeholders rather than technical supporters.</p><p>The thesis tries to discuss the propositional route of developing energy efficient buildings. Technical approaches are basic research, which presents the concepts that have been proved realizable; BEA encourages developers to develop more energy efficient buildings for economic benefit, which will make good demonstrations for whole market; national laws and policies are final approaches, which ensure that every project will have good performance of energy efficiency. When the old standardization and legislation are finished, a new cycle will begin with more advanced techniques.</p><p>China government has started the progress to enhance energy efficiency. However, this process will be tough and slow. The thesis discusses Chinese special conditions and the problems that cry out for solution in the future.</p>

Abstract Sanitation coverage in the Republic of Panama is 5 to 10 percent below the Millennium Development Goals targets set for the country. Population growth, urbanization, unplanned development and waste mismanagement have resulted in improvised trash sites and waste discharges into river systems that are important components of the biologically diverse natural environment of Panama. The study sought to investigate and estimate the burden of waste from domestic and agricultural sources in three regions of the Chilibre corrigimiento (district). It was hypothesized that the water quality and land cover data would reflect that the most populated region in the study sample (Region 2) would have more water quality violations than the adjacent background and attenuation regions (Region 1 and Region 3) in the study sample. The results supported that Region 2 had the most water quality violations -- particularly at the CHIL 3 monitoring station. Based on the results the most appropriate best management practices (BMPs) were recommended for the household, community, watershed, and regional level waste management in the study region. Future research will look determine the effectiveness of microfinance programs in bolstering sanitation-based entrepreneurship in Chilibre and across Panama.

隨著環保運動的推展，環境影響評估制度也應運而生。然而長期以來，環評制度的發展多著重在開發行為的環境影響評估，其進行的時間點太晚、無法整體考量社經環境、缺乏累積性影響評估，也使環評制度難以發揮保護環境的效果。近年來受到重視的政策環評，則是將環評層次提升到政府的政策、計畫與方案，其評估的重點，在於整合的角度、多面向的關心並評估策略對整體國家發展的影響，過程中廣納各種意見，與公共政策緊密相關，以達到環境、經濟及社會永續發展的目標。相較於開發環評，政策環評過程中的民眾參與更加重要。然而，過去國內在政策環評的相關研究中，鮮少針對民眾參與進行研究。 本文以民眾參與為基礎，從規劃理論及審議式民主觀點中所重視的「溝通」為出發，探討各理論的理念，期望能以其為借鏡，爲我國政策環評民眾參與途徑尋得新的啟發。同時，全面檢視我國政策環評制度及實施個案，檢討制度缺失及民眾參與情形，以對我國制度提出建言。 經過檢討後發現，我國政策環評發展已超過十年，相關法令規則雖經過多次檢討修正並與世界先進國家發展趨勢相近，但實務執行案例有限，在民眾參與及社會反應情形上的評估，亦未落實，尚難見民眾參與在政策環評過程中的效果；而政策環評不論在評估時點、範疇、適用範圍或細節程度等，均與開發環評有所差異，兩者適用之民眾參與程序亦不應等同視之。本文借鏡審議式民主的落實方式，及行政程序法所賦予民眾表示意見的權利，嘗試將公民會議及聽證制度與政策環評流程結合，透過制度設計，讓一般民眾也能參與環評程序並實質對環評結果產生影響。實際作法為： 一、在政策、計畫或方案構想提出之際，即舉辦公民會議，提供公眾議題的相關資訊及討論場域。 二、結合行政程序法中「計畫確定程序之聽證」的舉行，使民眾意見透過政策環評程序納於決策之中。 最後，本文建議，未來在制度修正方面，應要能突破政策環評適用的侷限性，擴大其適用範圍，提早其進行的時間點；並且強化民眾參與機制，使其意見能在各階段發聲，納入決策，同時加強重視價值思考及追蹤管理，以使政策環評機制能更加完備。 / With the promotion of the environmental movement, environmental impact assessment (EIA) system also began to develop. However, the EIA system primarily emphasized the development process, and because the EIA was often conducted too late in the project cycle for the socio-economic environment to be considered on a larger scale, the lack of cumulative impact assessment makes it difficult for the EIA system to be effective for environmental protection. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA), which has received much attention in recent years, applies the EIA process to government policies, plans and programs. The focus of its evaluation is integrated perspectives, multi-oriented care, and the impacts of SEA on the overall national development. Integrated consideration of opinions and close association with public policies in the SEA process contribute to continuing environmental, economic, and social sustainable development. Therefore, public participation in SEA is more important than which in EIA. However, few domestic researches on public participation in SEA have been done in the past. This paper is based on public participation and written from the perspective of communication which is valued by planning theories and deliberative democracy. Through exploring the various theories, this paper intends to find a new way for which the public in Taiwan can opt to participate in the SEA. At the same time, the paper does a comprehensive review of the domestic SEA system and the implemented cases and evaluates the shortcomings of the system and the public participation in the cases to offer suggestions for the improvement of the system. Following the review, this paper finds that while the domestic SEA system has been developed for more than a decade and the related laws and regulations have been reviewed and revised numerous times to catch up with the world trend, cases of implementation of the SEA are few, and public participation and assessment of social responses have not yet been fully carried out. Moreover, since the EIA and SEA are different in terms of assessment timing, scope, or detail level, the EIA and the SEA should adopt different procedures of public participation. Referring to the practice of deliberative democracy and the Administrative Procedure Act which gives people the right to express their views, this paper attempts to combine a consensus conference, the hearing policy, and the SEA process to allow the general public to participate in the SEA process and influence decision-making. The implementations are described as the following: First, when a concept of a policy, plan or program is proposed, a consensus conference should be held promptly to provide the public with information and a forum. Second, combine the SEA and hearing with planned procedures to include the public’s feedback in decision-making. Finally, this paper suggests that when the government amends the system in the future, it should break the limitations of the SEA, expand its scope of application, conduct the SEA early in project planning, and strengthen the public participation mechanisms to include the public’s opinions at each stage of the process and in decision-making. Meanwhile, consideration of values and monitoring are strengthened to make the mechanisms more complete.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves [268]-285) / xiv, 285, [85] leaves : ill. (some folded), maps (col., folded) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2002

Diss. Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2005.

L’étude d’impact des projets d’ouvrages et de travaux a fait ses preuves en tant qu’outil de prévention des atteintes à l’environnement et qu’instrument d’information du public et de démocratie participative. Toutefois, l’expérience acquise dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre de la directive européenne EIE du 27 juin 1985 et de la Convention d’Espoo du 25 février 1991, a très tôt mis en évidence que, bien souvent, l’évaluation environnementale intervenait trop tardivement dans le processus décisionnel, à un stade où les possibilités de changements significatifs sont limitées, alors qu’il est possible de mettre en doute l'existence d'une autorisation administrative impartiale tenant pleinement compte d'une évaluation des incidences sur l'environnement et des observations du public dès lors que les instances politiques responsables se sont déjà clairement prononcées en faveur d’un projet. Il fallait aller plus loin, car c’est en fait au niveau des options stratégiques que les choix structurants, souvent irréversibles, sont effectués, autrement dit, au niveau de documents tels que les plans locaux d’urbanisme pour n’évoquer que les plus courants. C’est la raison pour laquelle ont été adoptés la directive ESE du 27 juin 2001 relative à l’évaluation de certains plans et programmes sur l’environnement, ainsi que le Protocole de Kiev de mai 2003 sur l’« évaluation stratégique environnementale », deux textes très ambitieux qui concernent un vaste pan de la prise de décision dans le secteur public. Aussi, ce n’est qu’après avoir pris soin de déterminer le champ de la procédure et les nombreuses difficultés que ce dernier soulève, qu’il sera ensuite possible d’apprécier de façon plus circonspecte les apports « stratégiques » de l’exigence, les dix années d’expérience française, et une transposition à tâtons, révélant à cet égard que le chemin pourrait encore être long à parcourir avant de satisfaire pleinement aux nouvelles sujétions européennes et onusiennes. / The Environmental Impact Assessment has proven itself as a tool for prevention of environmental damage and as a tool for public information and participatory democracy. However, experience gained in the implementation of the Directive EIA of 27 June 1985 and of the Espoo Convention of 25 February 1991, has quickly highlighted that in many cases, environmental assessment intervened too late in the decision making process, at a stage where the possibilities for significant changes are limited, so that it is possible to doubt the existence of an impartial administrative authorization taking full account of any impact assessment on the environment and public comments since the responsible political authorities have already decided clearly in favor of a project. You had to go further, because it is in fact at the level of strategic options that structural choices, often irreversible, are carried out, in other words at the level of documents such as town and country planning, to mention only the most current. That's why were adopted Directive SEA of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of certain plans and programs on the environment, as well as the Kiev Protocol of May 2003 on "Strategic Environmental Assessment", two very ambitious texts concerning a large pan of decision making in the public sector. It is also, only after having carefully determined the scope of the procedure and many difficulties it raises, it will then be possible to appreciate, in a more circumspect way, the "strategic" contributions or legal perspectives of the new requirement, the French ten years experience and a groping transposition, revealing in this regard that the path could still be long to go before full compliance with European and UN constraints.

Identifier les « hotspots » environnementaux de l’agriculture est crucial dans un contexte où l’humanité doit produire plus et polluer moins. L’Analyse du Cycle de Vie (ACV) est un outil puissant pour évaluer les impacts environnementaux des systèmes agricoles, mais souffre encore de lacunes, notamment pour l’évaluation des impacts lies à la consommation d’eau douce et la salinisation des eaux et des sols. La complexité fondamentale réside dans le double statut de l’eau et du sol en ACV qui sont à la fois des ressources et des compartiments. Les trois questions auxquelles la thèse répond sont: Comment mieux évaluer les impacts associés aux flux d’eau et de sels? Quel modèle devrait être développé pour un inventaire pertinent des flux d’eau et de sels au champ? Le modèle développé est-il opérationnel pour une étude ACV d’une culture pérenne? La première question a été traitée grâce à une revue de la littérature sur les impacts salinisations en ACV. Cette revue détaille les principaux mécanismes environnementaux de la salinisation, les facteurs impliqués, et discute du statut du sol et de l’eau, notamment en définissant une frontière cohérente entre technosphère et écosphere. Pour répondre à la seconde question, une analyse critique des bases de données d’inventaire eau et ACV de produits agroalimentaires a montré leur inaptitude pour l’ecodesign basé sur l’ACV: elles fournissent des estimations d’eau consommée théorique, se basent sur des données et méthodes qui présentent des limites, et ne permettent pas le calcul des impacts liés à l’usage consommateur et dégradant de l’eau. Pour l’ecodesign des systèmes agricoles basé sur l’ACV, l’inventaire des flux d’eau et de sels devrait se fonder sur un modèle simulant l’évapotranspiration, la percolation profonde et le ruissèlement, prenant en compte les spécificités de la culture, les conditions pédoclimatiques et les pratiques agricoles. Le modèle Aquacrop de la FAO est un modèle pertinent et opérationnel pour les cultures herbacées, mais il n’existe pas de modèle dédié aux cultures pérennes pour le moment. Pour pallier à ce manque, un modèle simple et « sur mesure », appelé E.T., a été élaboré pour l’inventaire des flux d’eau et de sels au champ, pour les cultures annuelles et pérennes. Le modèle combine un bilan journalier de l’eau et des sels, prenant en compte le sol, le climat, les pratiques agricoles et d’éventuels stress salin ou hydrique. Un premier test du modèle a démontré son pouvoir discriminant des pratiques agricoles et sa robustesse. Son domaine de validité peut être étendu et sa précision augmentée grâce aux recommandations fournies. E.T. a aussi été appliquée dans une ACV de Mandarine cultivée au Maroc. Pour la plupart des catégories d’impacts, l’usage d’électricité pour l’irrigation était un contributeur majeur, révélant une forte connexion entre l’eau et l’énergie. L’usage d’eau avait une contribution majeure aux dommages sur les trois aires de protection. Dans l’ensemble, pour améliorer davantage la prise en compte des impacts liés à l’usage de l’eau (dont la salinisation) nous recommandons d’adopter une approche plus mécaniste et hydrologique. / Identifying the environmental hot spots of agriculture is crucial in a context where humanity has to produce more food and pollute less. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool to evaluate the environmental impacts of agricultural systems, but is still fraught with shortcomings, notably for the evaluation of impacts of freshwater use and of salinisation of water and soil. The core complexity lies in the double status of water and soil resources in LCA which are both a resource and a compartment. The three questions answered by the thesis were: How to better assess the impacts associated with water and salts fluxes? What model should be developed for a relevant inventory of field water and salts fluxes? Is the developed model operational for an LCA study on a perennial crop? The first question was answered through a literature review on salinisation impacts in LCA. It revealed the main environmental mechanisms of salinisation, the factors involved, and discussed the soil and water status, notably through a consistent definition of the technosphere and ecosphere boundary. To answer the second question, a critical analysis of water inventory and agri-food LCA databases showed their inadequacy for the LCA-based ecodesign of cropping systems: they provide estimates of theoretical water consumed, rely on data and methods presenting limitations, and do not support the calculation of both consumptive and degradative water use impacts. For the LCA-based ecodesign of cropping systems, the inventory of water flows should be based on a model simulating evapotranspiration, deep percolation and runoff accounting for crop specificities, pedo-climatic conditions and agricultural managements. For herbaceous crops, the FAO Aquacrop model constitutes a relevant and operational model, but no dedicated model is available to-date for perennials. To fill this gap, a tailored and simple model, so called E.T., was elaborated for the inventory of field water and salt flows for annual and perennial crops. The model combines daily water and salts balances, accounting for soil, climate, agricultural practices and possible crop water and salinity stresses. A first testing of the E.T. model demonstrated its discriminating power for agricultural practices and its robustness. Its validity domain can be extended and its accuracy increased thanks to the recommendations provided. E.T. was also tested in the LCA of a Mandarin grown in Morocco. For most impact categories, electricity use for irrigation was the main contributor revealing a water-energy nexus. Water use had a major contribution to damages for all areas of protection. Overall, to further improve the assessment of impacts due to water use (including salinization impacts) we recommend using a more mechanistic and hydrological approach.

O crescimento da consciência ecológica ocasionado por problemas ambientais evidenciados nas últimas décadas tem direcionado esforços no sentido de repensar práticas e posturas a fim de minimizar os impactos das atividades humanas no planeta. Termos como sustentabilidade, têm sido recorrentes nas definições de rumos e possibilidades que orientam a adoção de práticas produtivas em diferentes níveis da sociedade. A importância de setor primário potencializa as cobranças quanto aos impactos ambientais das suas diferentes produções, particularmente no que tange à criação de ruminantes na realidade atual das mudanças climáticas. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho buscou colaborar de diferentes formas para um maior conhecimento dos impactos dos sistemas pastoris de produção bovina característicos do Sul do Brasil sobre o meio ambiente. (1) Inicialmente foram descritas as principais ferramentas utilizadas em estudos de sustentabilidade, com vistas à determinação de sua aplicabilidade na avaliação dos ditos sistemas pecuários. São apontados conceitos e peculiaridades a serem considerados e propostas sugestões no que se refere ao uso das mesmas em avaliações de sistemas de criação em pastagens. (2) No primeiro estudo foram avaliados os impactos ambientais de dois sistemas de produção bovina típicos da Região Sul do Brasil (sistema extensivo ou cenário base e sistema melhorado), através da Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida. Mais precisamente, buscou-se: caracterizar seus impactos em termos de: aquecimento global, uso da terra, depleção das águas, de minerais e de combustíveis fósseis, acidificação terrestre e eutrofização das águas. Valores de emissões de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) e de uso da terra, de 22,5 kg de CO2 eq. e 234,78 m2a por kg de ganho de peso vivo, caracterizam o cenário-base. (3) No segundo estudo foram avaliados os impactos da aplicação de diferentes práticas melhoradoras no cenário-base sobre o balanço de GEE e demais aspectos ambientais relacionados à problemática do aquecimento global. Essas alterações incluíram no curto prazo: a introdução de gramíneas hibernais e estivais; introdução de leguminosas em substituição ao uso de fertilizantes nitrogenados; incrementos da taxa de desmame; intensificação do uso das pastagens e; aumento da taxa de descarte anual. Também foram considerados os efeitos do pastejo sobre os estoques de carbono do solo e a estabilização dos mesmos, numa perspectiva de médio e longo prazo. A diversidade dos resultados obtidos fornece subsídios para um maior entendimento das singularidades regionais, necessário para a proposição de alternativas de mitigação. Os diferentes cenários propostos demonstram diferentes possibilidades de mitigação dos efeitos destes sistemas produtivos sobre o ambiente, observando-se reduções de mais de 20 vezes das emissões de GEE e valores sete vezes menores de uso da terra. Os resultados obtidos são discutidos em função: de características climáticas e culturais da região que facilitam a obtenção de performances ambientais favoráveis e; da importância da dinâmica do carbono na biomassa aérea e radicular das plantas como elemento definidor da contribuição de sistemas pastoris de produção para a problemática do clima, bem como, para a questão ambiental em seu sentido amplo. / The growth of ecological consciousness caused by environmental problems highlighted in recent decades has directed efforts to rethink attitudes and practices to minimize the impacts of human activities on the planet. Terms such as sustainability have been recurrent in definitions of directions and possibilities that drive the adoption of production practices at different levels of society. The importance of the primary sector potentiates the charges regarding the environmental impacts of its various productions, particularly in relation to ruminant breeding in the current reality of climate changes. In this context, the present study sought to collaborate in different ways to a better understanding of the impacts on the environment of grazing systems for cattle production, characteristic of southern Brazil. (1) Initially, the main tools used in sustainability studies were described, with a view to determining their applicability in evaluating livestock grazing systems. Concepts and peculiarities are pointed, and suggestions regarding the use of these tools in evaluation of breeding pasture systems are proposed. (2) In the first study, the environmental impacts of two cattle production systems typical of Southern Brazil were assessment. (extensified system or baseline scenario and improved system), through the Life Cycle Assessment. More precisely, it was sought to characterize their impacts in terms of: global warming, land use, depletion of waters, minerals and fossil fuels, terrestrial acidification and eutrophication. The values of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and land use, of 22.5 kg CO2 eq. and 234.78 m2a per live weight kg, characterize the baseline scenario. (3) In the second study, the impacts of the application of different improved practices in baseline scenario on the GHG balance and other environmental aspects related to the issue of global warming were assessment. In the short-term, these changes included: the introduction of winter and summer grasses, the introduction of leguminous to replace the use of nitrogen fertilizers; the increasing of weaning rates, the intensification of pasture uses and, the increasing of the annual disposal rate. Furthermore, the effects of grazing on soil carbon stocks were also considered, in a medium and long term. The diversity of the obtained results provides subsidies to a greater understanding about regional singularities, which is necessary for proposing alternatives to mitigate their effects. The different baseline scenarios present different possibilities of mitigation the effects of these production systems on the environment, observing reductions of more than 20 times the GHG emissions and seven times lower values of land use. The results are discussed with reference to: climatic and cultural characteristics of the region that facilitate the achievement of favorable environmental performances and, the importance of the dynamics of carbon in root and aerial biomass of plants as a defining element of the contribution of pastoral production systems for climate issues, as well as for environmental issues in a broader sense.

L'essor des services et des technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) est généralement considéré comme le marqueur d'une dématérialisation de l'économie – phénomène grandement attendu dans le cadre des discussions sur le développement durable. Nous nous plaçons dans le débat autour de cette hypothèse en questionnant la matérialité des TIC et des services à travers le cas des services informationnels – activités de génération d'information répondant à un besoin décisionnel. Nous examinons plus en détail les services d'optimisation basés sur les réseaux de capteurs – services offerts à l'aide d'informations collectées par des capteurs intégrés dans un réseau sans fil, permettant de surveiller un processus dans le but de l'optimiser, et par là-même de diminuer ses impacts. Nous proposons ainsi une méthode intégrée d'analyse environnementale et d'éco-conception des services d'optimisation basés sur les réseaux de capteurs. Celle-ci permet de déterminer la pertinence environnementale d'un service, c'est-à-dire sa capacité à générer moins d'impacts qu'il n'en évite, mais également de le concevoir avec cette pertinence en vue. Notre apport scientifique réside dans la proposition d'un modèle d'impact pour les services informationnels et d'un modèle de cycle de vie des réseaux de capteurs, ainsi que dans le développement d'un outil d'analyse basé sur la simulation réseau. L'application de la méthode proposée au cas d'un service d'optimisation de la collecte de déchets nous permet de conclure que, si des marges de manœuvres importantes sont identifiables, la pertinence environnementale de ces services ne doit pas être considérée comme acquise, tout comme le potentiel de dématérialisation des TIC et des services. / The increasing share of economic value created by information and communication technology (ICT) and by services is generally seen as a sign of dematerialization of the economy – a step towards sustainability. This thesis is a contribution to the ongoing debate about this hypothesis. It examines the impacts of ICT and services, particularly those of information services – activities which consist of generating information required in decision-making processes. It focuses specifically on optimization services that use wireless sensor networks (WSN): services aiming at optimizing a process (thus diminishing its environmental impact) and based on information generated by a WSN. We present an integrated method that helps to analyze the impacts and ecodesigning optimization services that use WSN. This method allows for determining the environmental relevance of a service, i.e. whether it generates a smaller impact than it is helps to avoid, and for designing the service with this relevance in mind. Our scientific contribution is to formalize an environmental impact model for information services and a life cycle model for WSN, so as to develop an assessment tool based on network simulation. An integral part of this method is the development of an environmental impact model for information services as well as a life cycle model for WSN, which constitute our main scientific contribution. We implemented these by means of an assessment tool based on network simulation. The application of the proposed method to a case of an optimization service for waste collection allowed us to conclude that there is significant room for ecodesign. However, the environmental relevance of those services should not been taken for granted, nor should the dematerialization potential of ICT and services.

Orientador: Jorge de Lucas Júnior / Banca: Ademercio Antonio Paccola / Banca: Antenor Pasqual / Banca: Mario Benincasa / Banca: João Antonio Galbiatti / Resumo: O estudo foi realizado no Município de São Lourenço da Serra - SP, localizado à 55km da capital do Estado de São Paulo, pertencendo a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo - RMSP. O experimento foi desenvolvido em duas fases, primeiro realizou-se a caracterização física do lixo municipal, para em um segundo momento coletar o material que seria a matéria -prima para a compostagem, ou seja, a fração orgânica do lixo urbano. Foram constituídas leiras de compostagem com a fração orgânica do lixo urbano do município, considerando-se duas leiras por estação do ano, sendo uma com cobertura, e outra sem cobertura com o objetivo de avaliar, também, a interferência da chuva sobre o volume e características do chorume produzido durante o processo de compostagem e qualidade do composto. Para as determinações de qualidade do lixo, dos compostos e dos chorumes produzidos nos diferentes ensaios, utilizou-se o Laboratório de Biodigestão Anaeróbia do Departamento de Engenharia Rural da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Câmpus de Jaboticabal, da Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP. No que se refere a compostagem foram coletados dados de composição química do lixo e do composto obtido, variações de temperaturas nas leiras descobertas e cobertas, redução de volume das leiras durante o processo de compostagem. As análises do chorume basearam-se na coleta de dados referentes à quantidade produzida durante a compostagem e suas características químicas, bem como a interferência da chuva no seu volume. Quanto a qualidade do composto, os resultados indicam que o composto produzido em leiras descobertas não apresenta diferenças em suas características químicas (concentração de nutrientes) em relação ao que foi produzido em...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The study was carried out in the Municipal District of São Lourenço da Serra - SP, located at 55km from São Paulo state capital. The region belongs to the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo - RMSP. The experiment was developed in two phases. The first stage consisted of municipal waste characterization. On the second stage, the feedstoch for composting, composed by the urban waste organic fraction, was collected. The composting windrows were bilt by the urban waste organic fraction. Two windrows were adapted for each season of the year, one covered and other uncovered, to evaluate the rain interference over the volume and characteristic of the compost and leachate produced during the composting process. For the waste, compost and leachate quality evoluation, it was used the Laboratory of Anaerobic Digestion of the Department of Rural Engineering of the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Câmpus of Jaboticabal, at the State University of São Paulo - UNESP. Data related to compost and waste chemical characterization, covered and uncovered windrows temperature range, and windrows volume reduction during the composting process were collected. The leachate analysis were based on the volume produced during the composting process, its chemical characteristics, and rain interference on the end volume. Comparing the compost produced on the covered and uncovered windrows, no differences have been show the product chemical characteristics ( nutrients concentration). However the windrows yields according to the incidence over the composting area and the volume produced. Experiment data indicated that to cover the compost area is o fact to be considered. It's cost must be analised taking into account the leachate treatment cost. / Doutor