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

Every fire on the forest environment that escapes man's control is called forest fire. Despite the fire being a natural agent within ecosystems, when badly managed, can cause damage that involve environmental sphere as well as the economic and social. From the knowledge of the power of fire destruction emerges the sense of establishing prevention and fighting forest fires. In order to improve prevention activities in eucalyptus plantations of the city of Inhambupe was performed the estimate probability of fire occurrence and modeling forest fire risk. For this, initially, through the use of climatic variables, indexes of Angstron, Logarithmic of Telicyn, Rodríguez and Moretti, Nesterov, and the formulas of Monte Alegre and Monte Alegre Altered were compared, based on the evaluation of the Heidke Skill Score. Subsequently, the modeling of forest fire risk map was performed by developing and integrating preliminary risk maps of natural and social variables: slope, urban area, road system, network watershed, appearance and soil use and occupancy. Finally, both approaches was compared to historical occurrences of forest fires and registry of burned areas in plantations of eucalyptus, for the purpose of determined the applicability of them. By the obtained data it was determined for the city of Inhambupe that the Logarithmic of Telicyn Index and the adjusted Formula of Monte Alegre was appropriate to determine the probability of forest fires. Furthermore, it was shown that more than 75% of the area is at risk of "high" to "extreme" of the emergence and development of the same / Todo fogo no ambiente florestal que foge do controle do homem é denominado de incêndio florestal. O fogo, apesar de ser um agente natural presente nos ecossistemas, quando mal manejado, pode causar danos que englobam tanto a esfera ambiental quanto a econômica e a social. É a partir do conhecimento desse poder de destruição que se desperta o sentimento de se estabelecer ações de prevenção e combate aos incêndios florestais. Visando aprimorar ações de prevenção, em povoamentos de eucalipto presentes no município de Inhambupe, foram realizadas a estimativa da probabilidade de ocorrência e a modelagem do risco de incêndio florestal. Para isso, inicialmente, por meio da utilização de variáveis climáticas, foram comparados os índices de Angstron, Logarítmico de Telicyn, Rodríguez e Moretti, Nesterov, e as fórmulas de Monte Alegre e Monte Alegre Alterada, baseados na avaliação do Skill Score de Heidke. Posteriormente, foi realizada a modelagem do mapa de risco de incêndio florestal, mediante a elaboração e integração de mapas preliminares de risco de variáveis naturais e sociais: inclinação, área urbana, sistema viário, malha hidrográfica, aspecto e uso e ocupação do solo. Por fim, ambas as metodologias foram comparadas ao histórico de ocorrências de incêndios florestais e ao registro de áreas queimadas, oriundos de plantios de eucalipto, a fim de determinar a aplicabilidade das mesmas. Mediante os dados obtidos, determinou-se para o município de Inhambupe o Índice Logarítmico de Telicyn e a Fórmula de Monte Alegre ajustada como adequadas para estimar a probabilidade de ocorrência de incêndios florestais. Além disso, foi evidenciado que mais de 75% da área encontra-se em risco alto a extremo de surgimento e desenvolvimento dos mesmos

Ao consolidar o conceito de impacto ambiental evidenciou-se que uma avaliação de impacto ambiental poderia ser desenvolvida com objetividade, sendo assim, tal avaliação passou a ter mais relevância social e aceitação, com isso tornou-se, além de obrigatório, um importante documento no processo de tomada de decisão do licenciamento ambiental. O impacto ambiental está relacionado à alteração realizada no meio ambiente, seja ela negativa ou positiva, portanto, ao estudar impactos ambientais tem-se o objetivo de avaliar as consequências de ações, para que possa ser preservada a qualidade do ambiente em todas as fases de desenvolvimento do empreendimento. Desta forma, levando-se em consideração o constante aumento populacional, o crescimento desenfreado em relação ao consumismo e a grande expansão da tecnologia tem-se como uma de suas consequências a urbanização cada vez mais acelerada das cidades, e assim a demanda por energia elétrica também é cada vez maior, se propõe nesta pesquisa a analisar os impactos ambientais ocasionados pela implantação das Pequenas Centrais Hidrelétricas Canhadão e Tigre através do método da matriz de avaliação de impacto rápido. Para realizar tal análise procurou-se delimitar e caracterizar as hidrelétricas, através de geotecnologias com os mapeamentos; levantamento de campo com os registros fotográficos e documentos relacionados com as PCHs, como o relatório ambiental simplificado - RAS, o plano ambiental de conservação e uso do entorno do reservatório – PACUERA, e o programa ambiental de geração de mão de obra local. Também realizou-se a coleta de opiniões de moradores residentes na área de influência direta (lindeiros) e indireta (neste caso, município de Mangueirinha, distrito de Covó e zona rural) das PCHs. Com isso pode-se efetuar o diagnóstico dos impactos ambientais ocasionados pela implantação das PCHs, para elaborar e analisar a matriz de avaliação de impacto rápido de cada PCH em estudo. Os resultados destas matrizes permitiram identificar que os impactos significativamente negativos identificados entre as duas PCHs foram: a alteração da descarga a jusante em função do período de enchimento do reservatório e/ou de desvio permanente do rio, a inundação da vegetação com perda de patrimônio vegetal, o desmatamento dos locais das obras com prejuízo da produção florestal, o assoreamento do reservatório, os processos erosivos, a degradação das áreas utilizadas pela exploração de material de construção e pelas obras temporárias de construção civil (corte e movimentação de solo e rocha). E o impacto significativamente positivo foi: a rede viária, seja pelas benfeitorias ou pela abertura de novas vias. Neste sentido, destaca-se a importância de as medidas mitigadoras serem executadas de forma responsável e eficaz, auxiliando o meio a se equilibrar/regenerar. Como conclusão, analisando o contexto em que se vive, as PCHs, quando de forma responsável desde a escolha do local de implantação até sua manutenção na fase de operação ou se for o caso em uma desativação, apresentam-se como uma das formas mais sustentáveis que pode-se utilizar na região estudada. / In consolidating the concept of environmental impact, it was evident that an environmental impact assessment could be carried out with objectivity, so that this evaluation became more socially relevant and accepted, making it, besides being mandatory, an important document in the process of environmental licensing. The environmental impact is related to the change in the environment, whether negative or positive, therefore, when studying environmental impacts, the objective is to evaluate the consequences of actions, so that the quality of the environment can be preserved in all phases of development. Thus, taking into account the constant increase in population, unbridled growth in relation to consumerism and the great expansion of technology has as one of its consequences the increasingly urbanization of cities, and thus the demand for electricity is also increasing, it is proposed in this research to analyze the environmental impacts caused by the implantation of the Small Hydroelectric Power Plants Canhadão and Tigre through the rapid impact assessment matrix method. In order to perform such analysis, we sought to delimit and characterize the hydroelectric dams, through geotechnologies with the mappings; field survey with photographic records and documents related to SHPs, such as the simplified environmental report (RAS), the environmental conservation and use of the reservoir environment (PACUERA), and the environmental program for the generation of local labor. It was also carried out the collection of opinions of residents living in the area of direct influence (lindeiros) and indirect (in this case, municipality of Mangueirinha, district of Covó and rural zone) of SHPs. With this, it is possible to make a diagnosis of the environmental impacts caused by the implementation of the SHPs, in order to elaborate and analyze the quick impact assessment matrix of each SHP under study. The results of these matrices allowed to identify that the significantly negative impacts ones identified between the two SHPs were: the alteration of downstream discharge as a function of reservoir filling period and / or permanent river diversion, flooding of vegetation with loss of plant patrimony, deforestation of construction sites, forest erosion, erosion, degradation of areas used for the exploitation of construction material and temporary construction works (cutting and moving of soil and rock). And the significant positive impact was: the road network, be it for improvements or the opening of new roads. In this sense, it is important to emphasize the importance of mitigating measures being executed in a responsible and effective way, helping the environment to balance / regenerate. As a conclusion, analyzing the context in which SHPs live, when in a responsible manner from the choice of the place of implantation to its maintenance in the phase of operation or if it is the case in a deactivation, they are presented as one of the most sustainable forms that can be used in the studied region.

O presente trabalho objetivou propor ações de melhoria de desempenho ambiental através da Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida na fabricação do Porta Pallets, para tanto tal pesquisa seguiu as diretrizes normativas das normas NBR ISO 14040 e 14044. Foi utilizado o Umberto® NXT Universal v. 7.1 como software para modelagem e procedimentos de cálculos. A base de dados de ICV utilizada foi a Ecoinvent v.3.2. Foram avaliados os impactos do ciclo de vida da produção do Porta Pallets através do método ReCiPe (2008). As categorias de impacto de midpoint abordadas foram: mudança climática, depleção do ozônio, depleção do metal, acidificação terrestre, eutrofização aquática (água doce), eutrofização aquática (marinha), toxicidade humana, formação de oxidantes fotoquímicos, formação de matéria particulada, ecotoxicidade terrestre. Os resultados apontaram 3 pontos potenciais de impactos ambientais (hotspots): produção da bobina de aço, transporte da bobina de aço e óleo vegetal refinado para lubrificação do aço. Os hotspots foram analisados sensitivamente e em diferentes cenários a fim de verificar a eficiência na redução dos impactos potenciais observados. As propostas de melhorias do desempenho ambiental compreenderam as seguintes ações: redução do consumo de bobinas de aço, minimização da distância dos fornecedores e da quantidade de fretes e redução no consumo do óleo vegetal. Desta forma este estudo fornece subsídios em pesquisas, e auxilia na formulação de propostas de melhorias no desempenho ambiental de produtos e processos em geral. / This study aimed to propose actions to improve environmental performance through the Life Cycle Assessment in manufacturing steel racks, therefore this research followed the regulatory guidelines of ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. Was used Umberto® NXT Universal v. 7.1 as software for modeling and calculation procedures. ICV database used was Ecoinvent v.3.2. We evaluated the impact of the life cycle of production through Racks recipe method (2008). The midpoint impact categories covered were: climate change, ozone depletion, metal depletion, terrestrial acidification, aquatic eutrophication (freshwater), aquatic eutrophication (marine), human toxicity, photochemical oxidant formation, formation of particulate matter, terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results showed three potential sources of environmental impacts (hotspots): Production of steel coil, steel coil transport and refined vegetable oil for steel lubrication. Hotspots were analyzed sensitively and in different scenarios in order to verify the effectiveness in reducing the potential impacts observed. Proposals for environmental performance improvements realized the following actions: reducing consumption of steel coils, minimizing the distance from suppliers and the amount of freight and reduction in vegetable oil consumption. Thus, this study provides grants for research, and assists in the formulation of proposals for improvements in the environmental performance of products and processes in general.

O presente trabalho objetivou propor ações de melhoria de desempenho ambiental através da Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida na fabricação do Porta Pallets, para tanto tal pesquisa seguiu as diretrizes normativas das normas NBR ISO 14040 e 14044. Foi utilizado o Umberto® NXT Universal v. 7.1 como software para modelagem e procedimentos de cálculos. A base de dados de ICV utilizada foi a Ecoinvent v.3.2. Foram avaliados os impactos do ciclo de vida da produção do Porta Pallets através do método ReCiPe (2008). As categorias de impacto de midpoint abordadas foram: mudança climática, depleção do ozônio, depleção do metal, acidificação terrestre, eutrofização aquática (água doce), eutrofização aquática (marinha), toxicidade humana, formação de oxidantes fotoquímicos, formação de matéria particulada, ecotoxicidade terrestre. Os resultados apontaram 3 pontos potenciais de impactos ambientais (hotspots): produção da bobina de aço, transporte da bobina de aço e óleo vegetal refinado para lubrificação do aço. Os hotspots foram analisados sensitivamente e em diferentes cenários a fim de verificar a eficiência na redução dos impactos potenciais observados. As propostas de melhorias do desempenho ambiental compreenderam as seguintes ações: redução do consumo de bobinas de aço, minimização da distância dos fornecedores e da quantidade de fretes e redução no consumo do óleo vegetal. Desta forma este estudo fornece subsídios em pesquisas, e auxilia na formulação de propostas de melhorias no desempenho ambiental de produtos e processos em geral. / This study aimed to propose actions to improve environmental performance through the Life Cycle Assessment in manufacturing steel racks, therefore this research followed the regulatory guidelines of ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. Was used Umberto® NXT Universal v. 7.1 as software for modeling and calculation procedures. ICV database used was Ecoinvent v.3.2. We evaluated the impact of the life cycle of production through Racks recipe method (2008). The midpoint impact categories covered were: climate change, ozone depletion, metal depletion, terrestrial acidification, aquatic eutrophication (freshwater), aquatic eutrophication (marine), human toxicity, photochemical oxidant formation, formation of particulate matter, terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results showed three potential sources of environmental impacts (hotspots): Production of steel coil, steel coil transport and refined vegetable oil for steel lubrication. Hotspots were analyzed sensitively and in different scenarios in order to verify the effectiveness in reducing the potential impacts observed. Proposals for environmental performance improvements realized the following actions: reducing consumption of steel coils, minimizing the distance from suppliers and the amount of freight and reduction in vegetable oil consumption. Thus, this study provides grants for research, and assists in the formulation of proposals for improvements in the environmental performance of products and processes in general.

Every fire on the forest environment that escapes man's control is called forest fire. Despite the fire being a natural agent within ecosystems, when badly managed, can cause damage that involve environmental sphere as well as the economic and social. From the knowledge of the power of fire destruction emerges the sense of establishing prevention and fighting forest fires. In order to improve prevention activities in eucalyptus plantations of the city of Inhambupe was performed the estimate probability of fire occurrence and modeling forest fire risk. For this, initially, through the use of climatic variables, indexes of Angstron, Logarithmic of Telicyn, Rodríguez and Moretti, Nesterov, and the formulas of Monte Alegre and Monte Alegre Altered were compared, based on the evaluation of the Heidke Skill Score. Subsequently, the modeling of forest fire risk map was performed by developing and integrating preliminary risk maps of natural and social variables: slope, urban area, road system, network watershed, appearance and soil use and occupancy. Finally, both approaches was compared to historical occurrences of forest fires and registry of burned areas in plantations of eucalyptus, for the purpose of determined the applicability of them. By the obtained data it was determined for the city of Inhambupe that the Logarithmic of Telicyn Index and the adjusted Formula of Monte Alegre was appropriate to determine the probability of forest fires. Furthermore, it was shown that more than 75% of the area is at risk of "high" to "extreme" of the emergence and development of the same / Todo fogo no ambiente florestal que foge do controle do homem é denominado de incêndio florestal. O fogo, apesar de ser um agente natural presente nos ecossistemas, quando mal manejado, pode causar danos que englobam tanto a esfera ambiental quanto a econômica e a social. É a partir do conhecimento desse poder de destruição que se desperta o sentimento de se estabelecer ações de prevenção e combate aos incêndios florestais. Visando aprimorar ações de prevenção, em povoamentos de eucalipto presentes no município de Inhambupe, foram realizadas a estimativa da probabilidade de ocorrência e a modelagem do risco de incêndio florestal. Para isso, inicialmente, por meio da utilização de variáveis climáticas, foram comparados os índices de Angstron, Logarítmico de Telicyn, Rodríguez e Moretti, Nesterov, e as fórmulas de Monte Alegre e Monte Alegre Alterada, baseados na avaliação do Skill Score de Heidke. Posteriormente, foi realizada a modelagem do mapa de risco de incêndio florestal, mediante a elaboração e integração de mapas preliminares de risco de variáveis naturais e sociais: inclinação, área urbana, sistema viário, malha hidrográfica, aspecto e uso e ocupação do solo. Por fim, ambas as metodologias foram comparadas ao histórico de ocorrências de incêndios florestais e ao registro de áreas queimadas, oriundos de plantios de eucalipto, a fim de determinar a aplicabilidade das mesmas. Mediante os dados obtidos, determinou-se para o município de Inhambupe o Índice Logarítmico de Telicyn e a Fórmula de Monte Alegre ajustada como adequadas para estimar a probabilidade de ocorrência de incêndios florestais. Além disso, foi evidenciado que mais de 75% da área encontra-se em risco alto a extremo de surgimento e desenvolvimento dos mesmos

L’accroissement de l’urbanisation et le développement industriel modifient la composition des géosphères de la Terre, en augmentant le nombre de problèmes géoécologiques et en affectant négativement la santé humaine. Actuellement, plus d'attention est accordée à la surveillance de l'état des composants de l’environnement naturel urbain. En Russie, les méthodes biogéochimiques (par ex., l'application de feuilles des arbres comme un récepteur naturel de la pollution) sont largement utilisées pour caractériser les problèmes géoécologiques des territoires dans des conditions d’intensité d’activités industrielles. Dans les pays occidentaux, les méthodes permettant d'estimer l'impact des facteurs ambiants sur la géosphère et la santé humaine sont répandues, parmi lesquelles l'évaluation des impacts du cycle de vie (ÉICV). Cependant, ces méthodes ne sont toujours pas appliquées en combinaison. L’utilisation d’indicateurs efficaces reflétant l'intensité de l'impact anthropique sur les écosystèmes; d’une cartographie de la distribution des polluants, ainsi que l'utilisation a posteriori de ces résultats dans l'évaluation des impacts sur l'environnement et la prédiction de leurs effets négatifs des entreprises industrielles (toxicité humaine et l'écotoxicité) sont pertinents pour l'évaluation complète des écosystèmes urbains. Cette méthode intégrée a été proposée et mise en œuvre sur le territoire d’Ust-Kamenogorsk, l'une des villes ayant subie des transformations technogéniques significatives au Kazakhstan avec un ensemble spécifique d’entreprises / With widespread urbanization and industrial development, the composition of the Earth's geosphere shells has changed, increasing the number of geoecological problems of territories and negatively affecting human health. Currently, more attention is being paid to monitoring the state of the components of urban natural environments. In Russia, biogeochemical methods (e.g. applying tree leaves as a kind of natural receptor of pollution) are widely used to characterize the geoecological problems of the territories under the pressure of intensive industrial activities. In Western countries, methods allowing us to estimate the impact of ambient factors on ecosystems and human health have become widespread; life cycle impact assessment is among them. However, these methods still have not been applied in combination. Therefore, the implementation of a comprehensive assessment of urban ecosystems using indicators reflecting the intensity of anthropogenic impact on ecosystems, following mapping of pollutant distributions, as well as the subsequent use of the results in the evaluation of the industrial enterprises' impact on the environment and in the prediction of the negative effects of pollution (human toxicity and ecotoxicity) are relevant. Such integrated method combining two methodologies was suggested and implemented in the territory of Ust-Kamenogorsk city, one of the significantly technogenic transformed cities in Kazakhstan with a specific set of enterprises

MSc. (Geography) / The South African National Environmental Management Act (Act No. 107 of 1998) [NEMA] provides the 2010 EIA Regulations that describe the minimum requirements for environmental impact assessment (EIA). EIA is used as a tool to aid decisionmaking when evaluating development proposals for activities that are likely to have negative environmental impacts. Government Notice GNR. 543 of the 2010 EIA Regulations provides all the information pertaining to EIA and the specific steps required to conduct a Basic Assessment (BA). The study primarily focuses on activities conducted within or near Protected Areas (PAs) that do not require a full scoping EIA, and is comprised of two parts. Firstly, using a modified version of the South African adapted Lee and Colley (1992) Review Package, this dissertation presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of 13 Basic Assessment Reports (BARs). Secondly, the study ascertained and analysed the opinions of those involved in the EIA process, namely environmental assessment practitioners (EAPs), on whether EIA is performing as originally intended. A questionnaire targeted at discerning respondents’ views on this was sent to eight individuals, of whom seven responded. The findings show that 92% of the BARs performed satisfactorily in terms of overall quality (achieving grades A to C, C being considered just satisfactory). Only 54% of the assessed BARs achieved A-B grades, leaving a high proportion of borderline BARs, a disturbing figure given the importance of PAs in South Africa for encouraging tourism, generating foreign currency and protecting biodiversity. Fifty seven percent (57%) of respondents expressed the view that legal provision for the EIA process in South Africa is adequate, that the 2010 Regulations have improved the EIA process, and that the EIA guidelines for environmental practitioners are readily available and easy to use.

M.Sc. / The increased demand for electricity in South Africa is expected to exceed supply between 2004 and 2007. Electricity supply options in the country would be further complicated by the fact that older power stations would reach the end of their design life beyond the year 2025. In light of this and considering the long lead times required for the commissioning of new plants, new power supply options need to be proactively investigated. The environmental impacts associated with coal-fired generation of electricity have resulted in increased global concern over the past decade. To reduce these impacts, new technologies have been identified to help provide electricity from fossil fuels. The alternatives considered are gas-fired generation technologies and the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). This study attempts to document and understand the environmental aspects related to gas-fired and IGCC electricity generation and evaluate their advantages in comparison to conventional pulverised coal fired power generation. The options that could be utilised to make fossil fuel electricity generation more environmentally friendly, whilst remaining economically feasible, were also evaluated. Gas-fired electricity generation is extremely successful as electricity generation systems in the world due to inherently low levels of emissions, high efficiencies, fuel flexibility and reduced demand on finite resources. Associated benefits of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) are lower operating costs due to the reduced water consumption, smaller equipment size and a reduction in the wastewater that has to be treated before being returned to the environment. A CCGT plant requires less cooling water and can be located on a smaller area than a conventional Pulverised Fuel (PF) power station of the same capacity. All these factors reduce the burden on the environment. A CCGT also employs processes that utilises the energy of the fuel more efficiently, with the current efficiencies approaching 60%. Instead of simply being discharged into the atmosphere, the gas turbines’ exhaust gas heat is used to produce additional output in combination with a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) and a steam turbine. Furthermore, as finite resources become increasingly scarce and energy has to be used as wisely as possible, generating electricity economically and in an ecologically sound manner is of the utmost importance. The clean, reliable operation of gas-fired generation systems with significantly reduced noise levels and their compact design makes their operation feasible in heavily populated areas, where electricity is needed most. At the same time, energy can be consumed in whatever form needed, i.e. as electricity, heat or steam. The dependence of the South African economy on cheap coal ensures that it will remain a vital component of future electricity generation options in the country. This dominance of coal-fired generation in the country is responsible for South Africa’s title as the largest generator of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on the continent and the country could possibly be requested to reduce its CO2 emissions at the next international meeting of signatories to the Kyoto Protocol. Carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by utilising gas-fired generation technologies. However, the uncertainty and costs associated with natural gas in South Africa hampers the implementation of this technology. There are currently a number of initiatives surrounding the development of natural gas in the country, viz. the Pande and Temane projects in Mozambique and the Kudu project in Namibia, and this is likely to positively influence the choice of fuel utilised for electricity generation in the future. The economic viability of these projects would be further enhanced through the obtaining of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) credits for greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions reduction. Alternatively, more efficient methods of generating electricity from coal must be developed and implemented. IGCC is capable of achieving this because of the high efficiencies associated with the combined cycle component of the technology. These higher efficiencies result in reduced emissions to the atmosphere for an equivalent unit of electricity generated from a PF station. An IGCC system can be successful in South Africa in that it combines the benefits of utilising gas-fired electricity generation systems whilst utilising economically feasible fuel, i.e. coal. IGCC systems can economically meet strict air pollution emission standards, produce water effluent within environmental limits, produce an environmentally benign slag, with good potential as a saleable by-product, and recover a valuable sulphur commodity by-product. Life-cycle analyses performed on IGCC power plants have identified CO2 release and natural resource depletion as their most significant positive lifecycle impacts, which testifies to the IGCC’s low pollutant releases and benign by-products. Recent studies have also shown that these plants can be built to efficiently accommodate future CO2 capture technology that could further reduce environmental impacts. The outstanding environmental performance of IGCC makes it an excellent technology for the clean production of electricity. IGCC systems also provide flexibility in the production of a wide range of products including electricity, fuels, chemicals, hydrogen, and steam, while utilizing low-cost, widely available feedstocks. Coal-based gasification systems provide an energy production alternative that is more efficient and environmentally friendly than competing coalfuelled technologies. The obstacle to the large-scale implementation of this technology in the country is the high costs associated with the technology. CDM credits and by-products sales could possible enhance the viability of implementing these technologies in South Africa.

Geographic information systems and remote sensing software were used to analyze data to determine the area and volume of the proposed Fastrill Reservoir, and to examine seven alternatives. The controversial reservoir site is in the same location as a nascent wildlife refuge. Six general land cover types impacted by the reservoir were also quantified using Landsat imagery. The study found that water consumption in Dallas is high, but if consumption rates are reduced to that of similar Texas cities, the reservoir is likely unnecessary. The reservoir and its alternatives were modeled in a GIS by selecting sites and intersecting horizontal water surfaces with terrain data to create a series of reservoir footprints and volumetric measurements. These were then compared with a classified satellite imagery to quantify land cover types. The reservoir impacted the most ecologically sensitive land cover type the most. Only one alternative site appeared slightly less environmentally damaging.