The Swedish otter (Lutra lutra) population decreased markedly after the 1950’s and was considered to be seriously threatened for decades. Pollution from industries and other anthropogenic activities were suspected to be the major cause of the decline. The otter is a top-predator in aquatic systems and therefore particularly susceptible to bioaccumulative and toxic substances. For this reason, the species can be regarded as a valuable indicator of environmental health. Today, the Swedish otter population is increasing and has been reestablished in many areas. However, the otter is still missing in some regions of Sweden, especially in the southeast. The aim of this study was to investigate past and present levels, and temporal trends, of environmental contaminants in otters from Småland.The study is based on data of environmental contaminants in liver and muscle tissue from dead otters found in Småland during 1966-2014. I found that the perfluorinated compounds PFOS and PFOA have increased in otters since the 1970’s which is alarming and should be given special concern in future monitoring. Also, while mercury (Hg) is rather stable, selenium (Se) concentrations are decreasing, resulting in Hg exceeding Se on molar mass basis in several otters. This indicates that all of the available Se is bound to mercury, which may imply that the otters are vulnerable to additional Hg contamination. My conclusions are that the present concentrations of the studied environmental contaminants have probably not affected the otter population in general. However, otters may be exposed to toxic levels of some contaminants in certain areas that are more polluted from anthropogenic activities. This could be harmful to individual otters or their reproduction, and therefore, continued monitoring is highly relevant.

Orientador: Admilson Írio Ribeiro / Resumo: Os processos industriais e de urbanização promovidos nas últimas décadas geraram uma grande dualidade, visto que, proporcionaram o desenvolvimento econômico, em contrapartida suas atividades de implantação e operação ocasionaram diversos impactos ambientais negativos, comprometendo funções ecológicas em diferentes ecossistemas. Diante disso, ações voltadas para a recuperação das áreas degradadas consistem em medidas compensatórias para ambientes que perderam a capacidade de resiliência ou que demandem de um longo período para reestabelecimento das funcionalidades ecológicas e da biodiversidade. Dessa maneira, o monitoramento torna-se uma importante estratégia de gestão para avaliar a evolução da recuperação e verificar o quão próximo encontram-se das metas estabelecidas no Plano de Recuperação de Áreas Degradadas. Assim, além de mensurar aplicabilidade das ações e métodos de recuperação adotados o monitoramento das áreas auxilia na identificação de fatores que possam contribuir para a gestão da área, no decorrer do tempo. Durante essa fase, uma das principais necessidades está na escolha dos indicadores ambientais, pois eles são responsáveis por expressar as condições ambientais durante o processo de monitoramento. A utilização de bioindicador ambiental, relacionados com a macrofauna edáfica torna-se útil, tendo em vista sua capacidade e sensibilidade, as ações antrópicas. Dessa forma, essa pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a tendência da macrofauna edáfica em diferentes ár... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre

Orientador: Edson Tomaz / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T13:29:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Montali_ElizaFrattini_M.pdf: 2306207 bytes, checksum: 80f89aa9a4564cc731db710a794c8ed4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Dentro da gestão ambiental, os indicadores são ferramentas essenciais para a avaliação do desempenho ambiental. Por ser um tema amplo, o indicador ambiental normalmente é subdividido em três tipos: indicadores operacionais, indicadores de condição ambiental, e indicadores gerenciais. O presente trabalho enfoca as emissões atmosféricas da indústria química brasileira, propõe indicadores operacionais para este tipo de poluição e seus efeitos. O objetivo é propor indicadores que condizem com a realidade do país e possam ser aplicados em processos produtivos. Foram desenvolvidos Indicadores de Desempenho Ambiental (IDA) que quantificam o consumo de recursos naturais energéticos e os poluentes primários ou secundários emitidos, expressos em massa de poluentes em relação ao nível de atividade da fonte, e Indicadores de Impacto Ambiental (IIA), expresso em massa de poluentes por ano. Os indicadores de emissão atmosférica utilizam dados quantitativos de emissões e de produção e foram elaborados para poluentes primários: monóxido de carbono, compostos orgânicos voláteis, óxidos de nitrogênio, óxidos de enxofre. Além dos poluentes primários são contemplados indicadores para os efeitos da poluição como acidificação, potencial de formação de ozônio troposférico, potencial de destruição de ozônio estratosférico e o efeito estufa / Abstract: Within the environmental management, the indicators are essential tools for assessment of environmental performance. Because it is a broad topic, the environmental indicator is usually divided into three types: operational indicators, indicators of environmental condition, and management indicators. This paper focuses on atmospheric emissions of the chemical industry in Brazil, proposes operational indicators for this type of pollution and its effects. The goal is to propose indicators that are consistent with the reality of the country and can be applied in production processes. Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI) have been developed that measure the consumption of natural resources and energy and the primary or secondary pollutants emitted, expressed in mass of pollutants in relation to the activity level of the source, and Indicators of Environmental Impact Assessment (IIA), expressed in mass of pollutants per year. Indicators of air emission use quantitative data of emissions and production and are designed for primary pollutants: carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. In addition to the primary pollutants are covered indicators for the effects of pollution such as acidification, ozone formation potential, potential of depleting stratospheric ozone, and greenhouse effect / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Le présent travail concerne le développement d'une méthode d'éco-conception pour la création de produits impliquant des indicateurs environnementaux pour l’aide à la prise de décision au stade de la conception conceptuelle. La méthode proposée s’appuie sur la définition et la génération d’un TRIPLET, c’est-à-dire une relation cohérente entre matériaux, procédés et formes. Une taxonomie de formes caractérise les différentes formes réalisables par les procédés de fabrication. Un tableau de description du concept (DCT) regroupe certaines dimensions globales de la pièce imaginée ainsi que les procédés d’enlèvement de matière de finition venant s’additionner au procédé de base sélectionné. Un indicateur environnemental basé sur la base RECIPE et adapté à la méthode peut être alors évalué. La démarche d’aide à la conception conçue intègre deux approches, déductive et inductive basées sur l'expérience du concepteur. Le DCT comprend le choix d’un solide de base qui suggère, à partir des surfaces fonctionnelles définies dans la démarche, une réflexion vers une esquisse du concept de pièce. Les différents concepts élaborés sont hiérarchisés à partir d’une aide à la décision multicritère basée sur l’indicateur environnemental, sur un coût de fabrication, sur un indice de performance et sur un indice de combinaison obtenu par logique floue. La démarche s’appuie sur une base de données lié aux connaissances requises et sur un outil logiciel « ECOTRIAL ». Une application de reconception d’une pièce de liaison clôt la thèse et montre l’applicabilité de la méthode proposée. / The development of an eco-design method to create products involving environmental indicators to aid decision making at the stage of conceptual design, can be found in the present work. The proposed method is based on the definition and generation of a TRIPLET: a consistent relationship between materials, processes and forms. A taxonomy of shapes characterizes different shapes achievable by the manufacturing processes. A Description of Concept (DCT) includes some overall dimensions of the piece conceived and the finishing and material removal processes. An environmental indicator based on RECIPE database and adapted to the method to be able to evaluate the environmental impact. The aid integrates two approaches, deductive and inductive based on the experience of the designer. The DCT includes choosing a solid base that suggests, based on the functional surfaces defined in the process, a reflection towards a sketch of the piece concept. The different concepts developed are ranked from a multiple-criteria decision analysis based on the environmental indicator, a manufacturing cost, a performance index and a combination index obtained by fuzzy logic. The process is supported on a database linked to the required knowledge and the software tool "ECOTRIAL". A redesign application concludes the thesis and demonstrates the applicability of the proposed method.

The thesis provides an assessment of Cleaner Production (CP) implementation in Ugandan industries, using Sugar Corporation Of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) as a case study. The thesis covers the time the CP programme was implemented in 2004 to date. The study is primarily concerned with the sustainability of CP in Ugandan industries. Using the local Uganda Cleaner Production Centre (UCPC) Assessment Approach, both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to explore the trend (progress) of environmental and economic performance of CP in SCOUL. Several indicators are used to gain better understanding of the raw materials, products and waste in SCOUL. The thesis sets out to assess the environmental and economic performance of CP in Uganda, identify barriers to CP and make recommendations for Sustainable CP in Uganda. The findings show that both the environmental and economic performance of SCOUL continues to improve, in line with raw material, products and wastereduction. This improvement can be attributed to the different CP optionswhich were implemented. These options include reduction, reuse and recycling. From the findings, it can also be argued that CP is a practical way towards sustainable industrial development as demonstrated in the progress made by SCOUL and that CP has good potential for application in other industries in Uganda. This is because CP is simple to implement and yet it has both economical and environmental performance benefits. As such, it can be argued that CP will lead to sustainable industrial development in Uganda. The long term aim of this study is to contribute towards promotion of sustainable industrial development in Uganda by showing that the implementation of Cleaner Production is simple and yet it has both financial and environmental benefits. / www.ima.kth.se

L’humanité fait face aux défis urgents de réduire l’impact environnemental de l’agriculture, de changer les régimes alimentaires et d’accroître la production alimentaire. Le palmier à huile est une plante pérenne tropicale emblématique de ces défis. Alors que sa culture peut être à l’origine d’impacts environnementaux, le palmier à huile peut produire, en conditions optimales, 7 à 10 fois plus d’huile alimentaire que les cultures oléagineuses annuelles. Dans ce contexte, améliorer la durabilité de la production d’huile de palme est crucial, tant pour réduire les impacts environnementaux négatifs que pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire. L’application de fertilisants azotés (N) a été identifiée comme une source majeure d’impacts environnementaux dus à la culture du palmier. Des analyses de cycle de vie de l’huile de palme ont été réalisées pour quantifier les impacts et identifier des améliorations de pratiques agricoles. Cependant, les seuls modèles d’émissions disponibles pour estimer les pertes de N dans l’environnement sont généralement valides pour les cultures annuelles et en climat tempéré. L’utilisation de tels modèles dans l’analyse de cycle de vie peut mener à des résultats très incertains ou à une faible sensibilité aux pratiques. L’objectif global de ce travail de recherche était d’aider à l’identification de pratiques pour réduire les pertes de N dans l’environnement. Le cœur du travail était le développement d’un modèle estimant toutes les pertes de N dans les plantations, tout en étant sensible aux pratiques. L’étude s’est concentrée sur les flux de N dans les plantations de palmiers sur sols minéraux. Nous avons réalisé quatre étapes pour mener à bien cette recherche. Premièrement, nous avons mené une revue de littérature de tout le savoir existant concernant les flux et pertes de N dans les plantations. Deuxièmement, nous avons comparé 11 modèles existants, pouvant être utilisés pour prédire les pertes de N dans les plantations. Troisièmement, nous avons réalisé une analyse de sensibilité de Morris approfondie du modèle mécaniste APSIM-Oil palm. Quatrièmement, nous avons construit IN-Palm, un indicateur agri-environnemental pour les pertes de N dans les plantations. Nous avons utilisé la méthode INDIGO® et l’approche de modélisation par arbres de décisions flous pour développer IN-Palm, et nous avons validé cet indicateur en utilisant des mesures de lixiviation de N d’une plantation à Sumatra, Indonésie. Notre revue de littérature et notre comparaison de modèles ont montré que les particularités du palmier à huile peuvent affecter significativement les dynamiques et pertes de N. Nous avons identifié des manques de recherche et des incertitudes sur les pertes de N, leurs déterminants et la modélisation des particularités du palmier. Nous avons identifié les déterminants des pertes de N et du rendement dans le modèle mécaniste APSIM-Oil palm. Nous avons développé IN-Palm, qui utilise 21 variables d’entré facilement accessibles pour estimer chaque voie de perte de N. Les prédictions de lixiviation de N par IN-Palm étaient acceptables, et IN-Palm s’est montré efficace pour tester des changements de pratiques agricoles. Cette recherche constitue une synthèse exhaustive des connaissances et modèles disponibles pour les flux et pertes de N dans les plantations. L’un des principaux résultats est un nouvel indicateur agri-environnemental, IN-Palm, sensible aux pratiques et conditions locales, de même qu’utilisable en tant que modèle d’émission dans des approches holistiques. Cet indicateur peut être une base utile pour de futures recherches sur l’utilisation d’indicateurs agri-environnementaux pour réduire l’incertitude des analyses cycle de vie, et pour de futures adaptations à d’autres plantes pérennes tropicales. / Humanity faces the challenges of urgently decreasing the environmental impact of agriculture, shifting diets and increasing food production. Oil palm is a tropical perennial crop emblematic of these challenges. While its cultivation can be associated with environmental impacts, oil palm can produce 3 to 7 t of edible oil ha-1 in optimal conditions, which is 7 to 10 fold higher than in annual oil crops. In this context, improving palm oil production sustainability is crucial for both reducing negative environmental impacts and ensuring food security. Application of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilisers was identified as a major source of environmental impacts associated with the cultivation of oil palm. Life cycle assessments of palm oil have already been performed to help quantify impacts and identify potential improvements of management practices. However, the only available emission models to estimate N losses to environment are generally valid for annual crops and temperate climate conditions. The use of such general models in life cycle assessment may lead to very uncertain results or to low sensitivity of assessments to management practices. The overall objective of this research work was to help identify management practices to reduce N losses in the environment. The core of the work was hence to develop a model that estimates all N losses in oil palm plantations, while being sensitive to management practices. The study focused on N fluxes in industrial oil palm plantations on mineral soils. We performed four steps in order to complete the objectives of this research work. First, we conducted a literature review of all the existing knowledge about N fluxes and losses in plantations. Second, we compared 11 existing models that may be used to predict N losses in plantations. Third, we performed an in-depth Morris’s sensitivity analysis of one of the models, the APSIM-Oil palm process-based model. Fourth, we used all the information identified in the previous chapters, together with expert knowledge, to build IN-Palm, an agri-environmental indicator for N losses in oil palm plantations. We used the INDIGO® method and the fuzzy decision tree modelling approach to develop IN-Palm, and we validated this indicator using a field dataset of N leaching from a plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. Our literature review and model comparison showed that oil palm peculiarities may impact significantly N dynamics and losses. We identified research gaps and uncertainties about N losses, their drivers and the modelling of oil palm peculiarities. We identified the main drivers of N losses and yield in the APSIM-Oil palm processbased model. We built IN-Palm, which uses 21 readily available input variables to estimate each N loss pathway. IN-Palm predictions of N leaching were acceptable, and IN-Palm has shown efficient to help testing management changes. This research constitutes a comprehensive synthesis of the available knowledge and models for N fluxes and losses in oil palm plantations. One of the main results is a novel agri-environmental indicator, IN-Palm, operationally-oriented, sensitive to local practices and environmental conditions, as well as potentially useable as an emission model for holistic approaches such as life cycle assessment. The INDIGO® method and fuzzy decision tree modelling approach were shown to be very well adapted for building agri-environmental indicators in contexts of knowledge scarcity. This indicator can be a useful base for further research about using agrienvironmental indicators to reduce uncertainty in life cycle assessment, and for future adaptations for other tropical perennial crops.