Environmental issues and the housing shortage is an ongoing debate among politicians. Wood is a building material that Sweden has plenty of and it is a material that, according to research, does not contribute to as much carbon dioxide emissions during production, compared to other construction materials such as concrete and steel. Therefore the demand for timber, in both facade claddings and external wall constructions, is increasing. In light of this, the purpose with this degree project is to study different fire protection methods for wood and compare it to untreated wood. Collecting the facts and information for this degree project at Mälardalens University, is done through literature studies, surveys, and two experiments conducted on two selected fire retardants. The experiments were conducted to test untreated, fire protection impregnated and wood with fire proof paint. One of the experiments tested the load-carrying capacity of the beams after being charred with a gas burner. The other experiment investigated the surface layer and measured the fire spread rate and both experiments tested the fire resistance. The experiments that were conducted concluded that out of the three different methods for facades and beams, fire protection impregnation was the best choice in all five chosen categories: load-carrying capacity, fire resistance, surfaces, environmental impact and health safety for workers. / Miljöfrågan och bostadsbristen är två pågående debatter bland politikerna. Ett byggmaterial som både är miljövänligt och lätt att bygga med är trä. Det är ett byggmaterial som Sverige har gott om och enligt forskning bidrar det inte med lika mycket koldioxidutsläpp vid produktionen jämfört med andra konstruktionsmaterial som betong och stål. Enligt äldre bygglagstiftningar var det enbart tillåtet att bygga hus med två våningar i trä. Det var godkänt att bygga hus med tre våningar om den nedersta våningen bestod utav sten och de två översta i trä. Den nya bygglagstiftningen har inga begränsningar på att använda trä i ytterväggar, oberoende av byggnadsklass så länge de uppfyller funktionskraven. Byggsektorn har varit medveten om att de fick bygga flervåningshus i trä men inte hur det skulle utföras och samtidigt uppfylla bygglagstiftningens krav. Resultatet av ändringarna i bygglagstiftningen, Boverkets byggregler, ökade efterfrågan och utbudet på brandskyddsmedel till trä. De vanligaste produkterna som finns ute för konsumenten är brandskyddsfärg och brandskyddsimpregnering. Trä kan genom brandskyddsimpregnering eller brandskyddsfärg få en brandteknisk klass enligt det europeiska systemet, EN 13501-1, upp mot B-s1,d0 som är högre än för obehandlat trä, Ds1, d0. Tekniskt sett går det att bygga Br1-byggnader med obehandlat trä, dock så krävs det ett antal åtgärder för att uppfylla Boverkets byggreglers funktionskrav, till exempel att installera automatiska släcksystem eller enbart ha trä på en begränsad del av fasaden. Med brandskyddsbehandling går det idag endast att uppnå brandteknisk ytskiktsklass B-s1,d0, vilket inte är tillräckligt enligt Boverkets byggregler som kräver lägst obrännbara fasadbeklädnader i ytskiktsklass A2-s1,d0 för att uppfylla allmänna råden. Fasadbeklädnader av trä, oavsett brandteknisk klass, kan testas med provmetoden SP FIRE 105 och därmed uppfylla föreskriftens krav på ytterväggskonstruktioner med avseende på brandspridning längs fasadytan. Syftet med arbetet är att jämföra olika brandskyddsmetoder av trä och undersöka vilken eller vilka som är bäst lämpad att använda i flervåningshus ur bland annat miljö-, arbetsmiljö- och brandsynpunkt. Detta uppnås genom en litteraturstudie som fokuserar på ämnet brandskyddsmetoder av trä och genom två försök genomfördes för att testa obehandlat, brandskyddsimpregnerat och brandskyddsmålat trä. Ett försök testade bärförmågan efter brandpåverkan, andra undersökte ytskikt, och båda försöken testade brandmotstånd. Bärförmågan testades genom att brandpåverkade reglar blev utsatta för en central punktlast i en Instron- maskin. Ytskikten prövades genom ett enklare försök baserad på testmetoden SP FIRE 105 på tre fasader. En obehandlad, en brandskyddsimpregnerad och en brandskyddsmålad. Mätningar och dokumentation gjordes med bland annat mätinstrument som plattermoelement och filmkamera. Båda typerna av brandskyddsmetoder kräver en kemisk framställning som varken är bra för naturen eller människan. Produktionen är automatiserad och därmed inte någon risk för någon människa. Den färdiga produkten är varken skadlig för miljön, människor eller djur, sålänge inte produkterna förtärs i större omfattning. Resultatet från undersökningen av de tre olika fasaderna visade att det brandskyddsimpregnerade virket klarade sig bäst i alla fem kategorier: bärförmåga, brandmotstånd, ytskikt, miljöpåverkan och arbetsmiljö. Slutsatsen är av det två typer av brandsskyddsmedel för trä som testades, är brandskyddsimpregnering den mest lönsammaste alla fem kategorier. Produkten är lätthanterad, avger inga farliga gaser och är i snitt inte dyrare än det obehandlade materialet. Dock är det viktigt att tänka på brandskyddsarbete och inte släppa på säkerheten för att konstruktionen byggs med brandskyddsimpregnerat trä.

The huge natural energy resources available in the world’s oceans are attracting increasing commercial and political interest. In order to evaluate the status and the degree of acceptability of future Ocean Energy (OE) schemes, it was considered important to develop an Integrated Assessment Methodology (IAM) for ascertaining the relative merits of the competing OE devices being proposed. Initial studies included the gathering of information on the present status of development of the ocean energy systems on wave, OTEC and tidal schemes with the challenges faced for their commercial application. In order to develop the IAM, studies were undertaken for the development and standardization of the assessment tools focussing on: • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on emission characteristics. • Energy Accounting (EA) studies. • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) over different environmental issues. • Resource captures aspects. • Defining economy evaluation indices. The IAM developed from such studies comprised of four interrelated well defined tasks and six assessment tools. The tasks included the identification of the modus operandi on data collection to be followed (from industry) for assessing respective OE devices, and also advancing relevant guidelines as to the safety standards to be followed, for their deployment at suitable sites. The IAM as developed and validated from case studies in ascertaining relative merits of competing OE devices included: suitable site selection aspects with scope for resource utilisation capability, safety factors for survivability, scope for addressing global warming & energy accounting, the environmental impact assessment both qualitatively and quantitatively on different environmental issues, and the economic benefits achievable. Some of the new ideas and concepts which were also discovered during the development of the IAM, and considered useful to both industry and researchers are given below: • Relative Product Cost (RPC) ratio concept- introduced in making an economic evaluation. This is considered helpful in sensitivity analysis and making design improvements (hybridising etc) for the cost reduction of OE devices. This index thus helps in making feasibility studies on R&D efforts, where the capital cost requirement data and life span of the device is not well defined in the primary stages of development. • Determination of the threshold limit value of the barrage constant - considered useful in determining the efficacy of the planning process. The concept ascertained the relative efficiency achieved for various barrage proposals globally. It could also be applied to suggest the revisions required for certain barrage proposals and also found useful in predicting the basin area of undefined barrage proposal for achieving economic viability. • Estimations made on the future possibility of revenue earnings from the by-products of various OTEC types, including the scope of chemical hubs from grazing type OTEC plants. • Determination of breakeven point- on cost versus life span of wave and OTEC devices studied, which is useful in designing optimum life of the concerned devices. The above stated multi-criterion assessment methodology, IAM, was extended leading to the development of a single criterion model for ascertaining sustainability percent achievable from an OE device and termed IAMs. The IAMs was developed identifying 7 Sustainability Development Indices (SDI) using some the tools of the IAM. A sustainability scale of 0-100 was also developed, attributing a Sustainability Development Load Score (SDLS) percentage distribution pattern over each SDIs, depending on their relative importance in achieving sustainability. The total sum of sustainability development (SD) gained from each SDI gave the IAMs (for the concerned device), indicating the total sustainable percentage achieved. The above IAMs developed, could be applied in ranking OE devices alongside the unsustainable coal power station. A mathematical model of estimating the IAMs was formulated, in order to ascertain the viability to the sustainable development of any energy device. The instruments of IAM and IAMs which have been developed would be helpful to the OE industry in ascertaining the degree of acceptability of their product. In addition it would also provide guidelines for their safe deployment by assessing the relative merits of competing devices. Furthermore, IAM and IAMs would be helpful to researchers undertaking feasibility studies on R&D efforts for material development research, ‘hybridization studies’ (as also new innovations), cost reduction, the performance improvement of respective devices, and any economic gains. With future advancements in OE systems and the availability of field data from large scale commercial applications, the specific values/data of the IAM & IAMs may be refined, but the logic of the models developed in this research would remain the same.

Background: One of the biggest threat of our time is the environmental impact caused by humans, for example thru emissions of greenhouse gases. The manufacturing industry, of which the automotive industry is a part, stands for a big part of these emissions, and today companies have to face big challenges regarding measuring and reducing of their carbon footprint. To work in a successful way with the environmental impact of a manufacturing industry, process mapping and identification of environmental parameters need to be done. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to do a situation analysis by identify what parameters in a logistic flew between the activities unloading goods and assembly at Scania Oskarshamn. Furthermore, the report supposed to create and develop a model for calculation of the environmental impact of a logistic flew based on environmental parameters. Methodology: This report is a case study that have been performed at the Scania site in Oskarshamn. The report aim to create and develop a calculation model for calculation of the environmental impact of a logistic flew. Empirical material has been collected thru both interviews and by searching in Scania ́s own database. In order to create the model, a situation analysis was made by performing a process map and then environmental parameters was identified. Employers at Scania tested the calculation model, which is the result of this study, in order to secure the function of the model. Conclusions: A specific flew of goods between the activities unloading goods and assembly was identified and several environmental parameters was detected and grouped in the three categories; energy use, resource consumptions and waste. Calculations are performed in CO2 equivalents according to the global warming potential named by UN in the Kyoto protocol. This in order to enable comparisons between the different environmental parameters. The model is performed as an Excel model because this is the program that the company use for this types of calculations, and according to the author Excel is a program suitable for the kind of model making performed in this study. / Bakgrund: Ett av vår tids största hot är den miljöpåverkan som människan ger upphov till, bland annat genom utsläpp av växthusgaser i form av koldioxid. Den industriella industrin, av vilken fordonsindustrin är en del, står för en stor andel av dessa och enorma utmaningar ställs idag på företag att kunna mäta och reducera de klimatavtryck som verksamhet gör. För att på ett framgångsrikt sätt kunna arbeta med en verksamhets klimatavtryck behöver en kartläggning av dess processer och identifierande av miljöpåverkande parametrar göras. Syfte: Rapportens syfte är att utifrån en nulägesbeskrivning identifiera miljöpåverkande parametrar i logistikflödet mellan lossning och monteringslinorna i monteringsverkstaden hos Scania i Oskarshamn. Vidare ämnar rapporten att presentera en beräkningsmodell för miljöpåverkan i det utvalda logistikflödet hos Scania i Oskarshamn, med relevanta nyckeltal som baserats på identifierade miljöpåverkande parametrar. Genomförande: Denna rapport är en fallstudie som genomförts på Scanias avdelning för hyttillverkning i Oskarshamn. Målet med arbetet har varit att konstruera en modell för beräkning av den miljöpåverkan som ett logistikflöde ger upphov till. Empiriskt material har inhämtats både genom intervjuer och data sökning i Scanias egna databaser avseende emballage. För att kunna konstruera en modell har en processkartläggning genomförts, sedan miljöpåverkande parametrar identifierats för att till sist möjliggjort utvecklandet av en modell för miljöberäkning. Denna modell har sedan testats på en pilotgrupp bestående av anställda på fallföretaget samt andra examensarbetare som genomfört andra fallstudier på företaget. Slutsats: Ett specifikt flöde mellan lossning av gods och montering har identifierats och avgränsats i studien där ett flertal miljöpåverkande parametrar identifierats i studerat logistikflöde och dessa har delats in i tre grundtyper: Energiutnyttjande, resursförbrukning och avfall. Miljöberäkningar genomförs i CO2-ekvivalenter i enlighet med FN:s global warming potential för att möjliggöra jämförelser mellan de olika miljöpåverkande parametrarna. Modellen presenteras i Excell-format då detta dels är det verktyg som fallföretaget anser är det mest använda men också för att programmet i sig lämpar sig utmärkt för den typ av modellbyggande som förekommit i detta arbete.

The outcome of this practicum is the design of an "engineered landscape" that can anticipate, reveal and compensate for disturbances brought on by the Energy East Pipeline on local ecologies and communities.This practicum makes an argument for the increased consideration of qualitative values in contemporary landscape mitigation practice. The increased focus on qualitative values in landscape mitigation combined with the provision of facilities and landscapes necessary to build knowledge, skills and resources will result in landscapes and spaces that facilitate the empowerment of communities as stewards of the environment in the face of globalized industrialization and decreased federal/provincial funding. / February 2016

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study undertakes a broad exploration of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in South Africa through a case study analysis of the N2 Gateway Project, a low cost housing project of the new housing policy, Breaking New Ground (BNG). This study of the housing situation in South Africa is done to provide some context on informal settlements and shows why this is a significant social issue in post-apartheid South Africa. The main housing policies are discussed in order to indicate how the South African government attempts to address the housing challenges in the country, and more specifically, in the Western Cape. The overview is useful in gaining perspective about the nature of this process, including reasons why EIAs take such a long time to complete and how the effectiveness of these are determined. The key challenges and benefits of EIAs are discussed together with an analysis of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) tool. The case study analysis reveals how the EIA was not conducted in a proper way during the planning and implementation phases of the project. Together with this, various other significant matters of the project are highlighted because of the controversial nature of this project. The study reveals that it is not necessarily EIAs that are the cause of delays in the implementation of low cost housing projects, but that poor planning, fast tracking of the EIA process and completing the EIA too late in the planning procedure of the project are the main contributing factors causing the delays. The recommendations given are based on these findings, which indicate that the environmental authorization processes ought to be incorporated at a much earlier stage in the pipeline of the planning procedure, as well as transparent and more clearly defined roles should be established from the start. Better project management is also required and participation and communication between all the stakeholders involved should be given due attention. The study argues that the use of SEA can be very helpful and should be used to ensure that the proper planning mechanisms are in place. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsing stel deur ʼn gevallestudie ondersoek in na die Omgewingsimpakassessering (OIA) van „n lae-koste behuising projek bekend as die N2 Gateway Projek in die Wes-Kaap provinsie, as deel van die regering se behuisingsbeleid bekend as Breaking New Ground. (BNG). Hierdie studie oor die omstandighede van die behuisingsituasie in Suid-Afrika is gdoen om konteks te gee oor informe nedersettings en te wys waarom dit ʼn belangrike onderwerp in post-apartheid Suid-Afrika is. Die belangrikste beleidstukke oor behuising word bespreek om te wys hoedat die Suid-Afrikaans regering die behuisingsuitdagings in die land aanspreek, mer spesifiek in die Wes-Kaap. Hierdie oorsig is waardevol om perspektief oor die aard van die proses te gee, wat onder andere die redes insluit waarom OIAs so ʼn lang tyd neem om te voltooi en om ook te wys hoe die effektiwiteit van laasgenoemde bepaal word. Die kern uitdagings en voordele van OIAs word bespreek sowel as ʼn analise van die wat bekend staan as strategiese omgewings assessering (SOA) instrument. Die analise van die gevallestudie wys hoedat die OIAs nie op die gepasde wyse gedurende die beplannings- en implementerings fases van die projek gedoen is nie. Hiermee saam is verskeie ander betekenisvolle faktore van die projek uitgelig as gevolg van die kontroversiële aard van die projek. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat dit nie noodwendig die OIAs is wat die vertraging in die implementering van dié lae koste behuisingsprojek tot gevolg gehad het nie. Die belangrikste faktore wat tot daartoe bygedra het, kan eerder aan swak beplanning, die versnelling van die OIA proses en die voltooiing van die OIA eers teen die einde van die projek toegeskryf word. Die aanbevelings wat gemaak word geskied teen dié agtergrond. Dit behels onder andere dat die OIA-proses vir die goedkeuring van die projek veel vroeër in die beplannings proses gedoen moes word. Te same hiermee moes daar baie duideliker aanwysings gewees het oor wie verantwoordelikheid vir uitvoering van spesifieke take moes ontvang. Beter kommunikasie en deelname van die verskillende partye wat by die projek betrokke was, is verder ʼn voorvereiste wanneer soortgelyke projekte aangepak gaan word. Die gebruik van die SOA instrument is ook belangrik en behoort in projekte soos die N2 Gateway gebruik te word sodat daar beter beplanning gedoen kan word.

The present study investigated the fish populations of the lower Forth Estuary, east Scotland. Cooling water extraction by the 2400 MW Longannet Power Station (LPS) inevitably removes a certain quantity of fish from the estuary, all of which experience mortality. The present study employed a sampling regime of greater intensity than previous studies to investigate the extent of mortalities from January 1999 - December 2000. Collections of fish impinged on intake screens were made eight times monthly, at LW or HW of spring or neap tides during the day or by night. Marine species dominated the assemblage of fish collected, with sprat, herring, and whiting contributing > 80% of total abundance. Sprat was twice as abundant as herring in 1999, while the proportions were very similar in 2000. Total abundance of all species collected in 1999 was estimated at 1. 09 x 107, while the value of 3.29 x 107 in 2000 was three times larger. These figures were the largest recorded among British estuarine and marine power stations, but were precisely the correct order based on an exponential relationship between total impingement and water abstraction rate established from data from other locations. Validation of the estimated total biomass of fish removed was given by comparison with the known total mass of all materials disposed to landfill. Statistical analysis of impingement data showed that tidal range and season were the most important environmental variables influencing the rate of removal of fish from the estuary. That light was not significant for most species is attributed to high levels of turbidity and the resulting low visibility by day and night. Demersal and benthic fish abundances collected from 1982 - 2000 in 30 annual trawls at three sites in the mid-lower Forth Estuary were analysed. Species tended to be present in greatest abundance at the most seaward of the sites. Patterns of seasonal abundance reflected those observed in the impingement study at LPS, and catches tended to be greatest at L W. Total species richness showed no significant trend over time, whilst total annual abundance of fish captured in trawls showed a significant negative trend. This was largely due to significant declines in the two most abundant species, namely whiting and eel pout, attributable in the latter case to increasing temperatures. Changes in the ichthyofaunal composition were largely driven by whiting, eel pout, cod and plaice. Eight of ten common species showed no significant trend in abundance over the length of the time series, suggesting them to perhaps be at equilibrium densities. Quantities of commercially fished species above minimum landing size limits that were removed by LPS were very low, and restricted to herring and occasional whiting. The quantity of juveniles that could have recruited into the fished populations was expressed as equivalent adults. The values were larger than any previously reported in the UK, primarily due to the quantities of juvenile fish impinged being greater than at any other British power station, and the importance of the Forth as a nursery area for marine species. It was concluded that LPS is the dominant UK power station in terms of magnitude of impingement losses. It may be prudent to consider a precautionary approach to mitigate losses, and to this end options for reduction of the magnitude of impingement are discussed.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning