A questão em torno do aquecimento global vem preocupando a sociedade mundial,sendo que os governantes e ambientalistas têm intensificado estudos e aplicações de medidas para tentar minimizar os efeitos das emissões de gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera. O setor de transporte é o segundo maior consumidor de energia, pois é muito dependente de combustíveis fósseis, que emitem quantidade elevada de CO2. O setor sucroenergético é um importante gerador de divisas para o país, sendo que a receita em 2010 foi de R$ 50 bilhões e as exportações alcançaram US$ 13,8 bilhões. O açúcar é um importante produto da pauta agrícola, o país exporta aproximadamente 70% da sua produção. O etanol é um importante gerador de energia, e consegue minimizar as suas emissões durante seu ciclo produtivo em até 90%, quando comparado a gasolina, seu principal concorrente. Dada a importância do transporte nas emissões de gases de efeito estufa e a possibilidade da mudança de modalidade reduzir essas emissões, o objetivo desta tese é estimar os benefícios da redução das emissões de CO2, a partir da mudança da matriz de transporte,para o setor sucroenergético. Para tanto foi utilizada a metodologia de programação linear, utilizando a otimização para a minimização das emissões e do custo de transporte. O softwar eutilizado foi o GAMS e quatro diferentes cenários para ambos os produtos foi traçado. O primeiro e o segundo foi modelado para a safra 2010/2011 e foi considerada a atual malha de transporte, sendo que a diferença entre os dois foi que no primeiro realizou-se a imposição da quantidade máxima de carga utilizando a intermodalidade com base no que foi escoado no ano 2010 e no segundo liberou-se esse volume. O objetivo é captar qual seria a configuração ideal tanto em termos econômicos como ambiental, caso não houvesse problemas estruturais e de infraestrutura para a utilização mais intensa de mais de um modal de transporte. No terceiro e quarto cenário foi utilizada uma estimativa para a safra 2020/2021, sendo que a diferença entre as duas modelagens foi que no terceiro manteve-se a mesma infraestrutura atualmente observada e no último expandiu-se as rotas intermodais passíveis de serem utilizadas considerando todas as obras de transporte apresentadas pela iniciativa privada, governo federal e as inseridas no Plano de Aceleração do Crescimento I e II. Os resultados apontaram um trade-off entre custo e emissão quando se compara os resultados da minimização das emissões e da minimização dos custos no mesmo cenário. No entanto, quando se confronta os resultados obtidos entre os cenários propostos verifica-se que é possível reduzir tanto os custos quanto as emissões para ambos os produtos. Para a safra 2020/2021, a simples possibilidade de se utilizar mais intensamente modais de transporte diferentes do rodoviário possibilitaria atingir em apenas três anos a redução de 6,6 milhões de toneladas de CO2 e R$ 3,3 bilhões no escoamento do açúcar e etanol. A mitigação através da mudança de modal poderia inserir o setor no mercado de carbono e conquistar mercados preocupados em obter produtos sustentáveis. / Global warming is a major and growing concern around the world, with governments and environmentalists intensifying studies involving measures aimed at minimizing the effects of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Among major sectors, transportation is the second largest energy user and it remains highly dependent on fossil fuels that emit high amounts of CO2. The sugarcane industry is an important source of export revenues for Brazil: while total revenues for 2010 reached US$ 25 billion, about US$ 13.8 billion of that was generated by exports. Sugar is a key agricultural product on the Brazilian export agenda, with about 70% of production shipped to other countries. Ethanol, also produced from sugarcane, is a major ingredient of the countrys energy mix, which can also minimize emissions through its lifecycle by up to 90% compared to gasoline, its main competitor at the pump. Given the importance of transportation in greenhouse gas emissions and the possibility of diversifying transportation systems to achieve emission reductions, the goal of this thesis is to estimate the benefits the sugar-energy industry of reducing CO2 emissions through a diversification of transportation methods utilized by the industry. A methodology that relies on linear programming was used, aimed at optimization in order to minimize emissions and transportation costs. GAMS, a widely used software in linear programming, was utilized to construct four different scenarios for both products. Scenarios one and two covered the 2010/2011 harvest and considered the current transportation network, the difference being that scenario one considered a fixed cargo ceiling and various transport modes while scenario two, the cargo ceiling was eliminated. The idea was to arrive at an ideal configuration in both economic and environmental terms, considering no structural or infrastructure obstacles to more intense utilization of different modes of transport. Scenarios three and four relied on a long-range estimate for the 2020/2021 sugarcane harvest, the main difference between the two models being that model three is based on the same infrastructure that currently exists while model four considers an expansion of possible routes involving various transport modes that could be used, considering all transportation-related projects launched by private contractors and the federal government, including those that are a part of the governments Accelerated Growth Plans I and II, also known as PAC. The results point to a tradeoff between costs and emissions, when the results of minimizing emissions and costs within the same scenario are compared. However, when results between the proposed scenarios are pitted against one another, it can be concluded that it is possible to cut costs as well as emissions for both sugar and ethanol. In the 2020/2021 harvest, the simple possibility of utilizing a variety of road transport modes that dont involve road transportation would allow for a 6.6 million ton reduction in CO2 emissions, with a R$3.3 billion savings in cost of shipping sugar and ethanol. Mitigation through change transportation mode changes could finally insert the industry in carbon markets, while conquering markets where a greater concern with sustainability already exists.

It is well known that methane (CH4) is emitted from soil, water and wetlands under anaerobic conditions through methanogenesis. CH4 is the final product of the anaerobic respiration of the microorganism methanogen. More recently, it has been shown that CH4 is also emitted by trees and if only the emissions from soil and water are measured the fluxes of CH4 in the ecosystem will be underestimated. Considering the emission from trees, the Amazon region greatly contributes to global emissions. To investigate if there is need for method development for measuring CH4 fluxes, the aim in this study was to statistically test the spatial and the short temporal variability of CH4 emissions from trees. This was done within and between two different seasons in three different plots in the Amazon basin during the year 2017. Samples of CH4 were collected using semi rigid chambers placed on tree stems. The samples were later analyzed in a laboratory environment using the Los Gatos Ultraportable Greenhouse Gas Analyzer (UGGA). For the statistical analysis non-parametric test were used, due to the non-parametric data. In this study, the result shows that the short temporal variability is not statistically significant in any of the three plots, but the short temporal variability is statistically significant between the two seasons. This tells us that it is of importance to collect samples during different seasons of the year when measuring CH4 emissions from trees. The spatial variability is statistically significant on all the three plots in both seasons. This tell us that it is important to collect samples from different heights of the tree stems when collecting CH4 samples regardless of the season. / The Global Methane Budget

Abstract That greenhouse gas (GHG) emission causes ¡§Global Warming¡¨ is a human common problem today in the earth. The GHG emission will gradually promote our weather temperature and change which we must pay for a lot. For example, the warming temperature will dissolve icebergs, that it will elevate the sea level. Also, our land area will decrease. If climate zones were shifted, it would be possible to initiate some animals migrate. In the worse case, our living space will be squeezed and some special diseases will be spread out¡Ketc. In view of environmental protection awareness in every country, we must face the problem and crisis which comes from ¡§Global Warming¡¨ and ¡§Heating Pollution¡¨. In June of 1992, there was a meeting in Rio of Brazil. All representatives who comes from 153 different countries sign an agreement ¡V the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They try to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate and environmental system. To achieve this goal, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted on COP3 in December 1997 to place legally binding limits on GHG emissions. This Protocol norms 38 countries and European Union. In June 2007, the Group of Eight (G8) have reached a consensus and expect in year 2050, CO2 emissions can be reduced to the half of current emissions. We can see that, every country is vigorous to look for alternative energy that eliminates the environment destroyed and saves the earth resources. For example, Solar Energy, Water Energy, Wind Energy, Biomass Energy, Ocean Energy and Geothermal Energy¡Ketc. Those are gradually developed and applied in our daily life. My research is focus on the LED applications based on the substitution of traditional lighting. Actually, LED has all advantage of the energy saving, eco-lighting and economy of scale. How to use this alternative lighting is of great urgency and the major topic in light source manufacturers. For example, if America can replace their 55% white heat bulbs and 55% fluorescent lamps by LED before 2010, they can save 35 billion US dollars every year. For Japan, if they replace 100% white heat bulbs, they can save one to two of Nuclear Power Plants. Also, they can save above 100 million of gasoline every year. As to Taiwan official estimation, we can save 11 billion electricity degrees every year when we replace 25% white heat bulbs and 100% fluorescent lamps. That electric power is approximate to save one Nuclear Power Plant and 50 million of gasoline every year. According to the data above, the population of LED will give us a lot of eco-benefits. My report leans on researching and treating LED. Then, I take one step ahead to demonstrate how important it is to apply LED on our human light source and the effects of earth environment. Keywords: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Global Warming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol Biomass Energy LED - Light Emitting Diode (display)

In recent decades there has been a growing global concern with regards to vehicle-generated green house gas (GHG) emissions and the resulting air pollution. Currently, gasoline and diesel are the most widely used automotive fuels and are refined from crude oil which is a nonrenewable resource. When they are combusted in an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) they release significant amounts of air pollutants and Green House Gasses (GHG’s), such as NOx, CO2, SOx, CO, and PM10 into the atmosphere. The results of a feasibility study indicate that intermediary automotive propulsion systems are needed in order to begin a transition from fossil fuels to a clean, renewable transportation system. The Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) has been identified as an ideal intermediate vehicle technology. In this context, the objective of this thesis is to establish the scientific and engineering fundamentals for the design and development of a Dual-Fuel (hydrogen + Gasoline) Power Generation System for the E-REV sustainable mobility architecture. The devised power generation system is comprised of hydrogen and gasoline storage reservoirs, their respective fuelling systems, a Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engine (SI ICE), an electric generator, batteries, as well as supplementary electronic systems. The batteries are used to provide power directly to the electric motors and are recharged with both the on-board electric generator and via plug-in capabilities. The developed prototype vehicle, which used a commercial Dune Buggy as a test bed, combined with the on-board rechargeable LiFePO4 battery pack, can provide the users with a daily commute range of ~ 65 [km] relying solely on the battery’s electric power, whereas for longer duration trips the use of the on-board generator would be necessary. The developed Dual-Fuel E-REV power generation system offers the following benefits when compared to the original gasoline ICE architecture: reduced emissions, improved acceleration (47% ↑), improved range (75% ↑), improved fuel economy (22% ↑) and decreased average fuel cost/km (29% ↓).

This research studies variations in biodiesel upon addition of different concentrations of antioxidant and petrodiesel additives. Oxidation onset temperature, oxidation induction time, oxidative stability, thermal stability, crystallization onset temperature and moisture retention properties of the biodiesel, with and without antioxidants have been studied. Antioxidants like BHT, BHA, PrG, Vit E and Vit C were added to the biodiesel during the study. These samples were analyzed using the PDSC, TGA, DSC and TGA-SA instrumentation. The results of this research show an improvement in the OOT, OIT and Oxidative stability of biodiesel with the addition of antioxidants and by blending the biodiesel with different amounts of Petro-diesel. A significant improvement in oxidative stability of biodiesel has been observed with the addition of antioxidants and petrodiesel. There was no significant change noticed in the thermal stability, crystallization and the moisture retention properties of biodiesel. I hope that this research would help improving the oxidative stability of the biodiesel. The results from the analysis made in this study would also be helpful in designing a better antioxidant and aid in improving the present experimental methods for the OIT and thermal analysis.

As managers of extensive vehicle fleets and transportation infrastructures, public transit agencies present unique opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. To achieve substantial and cost-effective GHG emissions reductions from their activities, public transit agencies need tools and resources that enable effective GHG emissions management. This research thesis presents the background, methodology, and results of the author's development of a public transit agency-level life cycle GHG emissions calculator. The development of the calculator involved a series of research efforts aimed at identifying and addressing the needs of transit agency GHG emissions management: a review of background information on climate change and public transit's role in mitigating climate change; a review of existing GHG emissions calculators for public transit agencies, a review of the methodologies for life cycle GHG emissions analysis; integration and adaption of existing calculation resources; development of calculator spreadsheets for estimating relevant lifecycle GHG emissions and quantifying GHG emission reduction cost-effectiveness; application of the developed calculator to a carbon footprint analysis for a typical mid-size to large-size transit agency; and application of the developed calculator to the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of various potential strategies for reducing transit agency GHG emissions. The developed calculator provides an integrative resource for quantifying GHG emissions and costs of public transit agency activities, including GHG emission reduction strategies. Further research is needed to calibrate the estimation of upstream life cycle GHG emissions, particularly for vehicle manufacture and maintenance.

The dependency on fossil fuels faces resource limitations and sustainability concerns. This situation requires new strategies for greenhouse gas emission management and the development of new sources of energy. This thesis explores fundamental concepts related to carbon geological storage, including CO2-CH4 replacement in hydrate-bearing sediments. In particular it addresses the following phenomena: - Interfacial tension and contact angle in CO2-water-mineral and CH4-water-mineral systems. These data are needed to upscale pore phenomena through the sediment porous network, to define multiphase flow characteristics in enhanced gas recovery operations, and to optimize the injection and storage CO2 in geological formations. - Coupled processes and potential geomechanical implications associated to CH4-CO2 replacement in hydrate bearing sediments. Results include physical monitoring data gathered for CH4 hydrate-bearing sediments during and after CO2 injection. - Performance of cap rocks as trapping structures for CO2 injection sites. This study focuses on clay-CO2-water systems and CO2 breakthrough through highly compacted fine-grained sediments. Long term experiments help evaluate different sediments according to their vulnerability to CO2, predict the likelihood and time-scale of breakthrough, and estimate consequent CO2 leaks.

The first part of this thesis relies on stated and revealed preference survey results across a sample of U.S. households to first ascertain vehicle acquisition, disposal, and use patterns, and then simulate these for a synthetic population over time. Results include predictions of future U.S. household-fleet composition, use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under nine different scenarios, including variations in fuel and plug-in-electric-vehicle (PHEV) prices, new-vehicle feebate policies, and land-use-density settings. The adoption and widespread use of plug-in vehicles will depend on thoughtful marketing, competitive pricing, government incentives, reliable driving-range reports, and adequate charging infrastructure. This work highlights the impacts of various directions consumers may head with such vehicles. For example, twenty-five-year simulations at gas prices at $7 per gallon resulted in the highest market share predictions (16.30%) for PHEVs, HEVs, and Smart Cars (combined) — and the greatest GHG-emissions reductions. Predictions under the two feebate policy scenarios suggest shifts toward fuel-efficient vehicles, but with vehicle miles traveled (VMT) rising slightly (by 0.96% and 1.42%), thanks to lower driving costs. The stricter of the two feebate policies – coupled with gasoline at $5 per gallon – resulted in the highest market share (16.37%) for PHEVs, HEVs, and Smart Cars, but not as much GHG emissions reduction as the $7 gas price scenario. Total VMT values under the two feebate scenarios and low-PHEV-pricing scenarios were higher than those under the trend scenario (by 0.56%, 0.96%, and 1.42%, respectively), but only the low-PHEV-pricing scenario delivered higher overall GHG emission estimates (just 0.23% more than trend) in year 2035. The high-density scenario (where job and household densities were quadrupled) resulted in the lowest total vehicle ownership levels, along with below-trend VMT and emissions rates. Finally, the scenario involving a $7,500 rebate on all PHEVs still predicted lower PHEV market share than the $7 gas price scenario (i.e., 2.85% rather than 3.78%). The second part of this thesis relies on data from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) to estimate the welfare impacts of carbon taxes and household-level capping of emissions (with carbon-credit trading allowed). A translog utility framework was calibrated and then used to anticipate household expenditures across nine consumer goods categories, including vehicle usage and vehicle expenses. An input-output model was used to estimate the impact of carbon pricing on goods prices, and a vehicle choice model determined vehicle type preferences, along with each household’s effective travel costs. Behaviors were predicted under two carbon tax scenarios ($50 per ton and $100 per ton of CO2-equivalents) and four cap-and-trade scenarios (10-ton and 15-ton cap per person per year with trading allowed at $50 per ton and $100 per ton carbon price). Results suggest that low-income households respond the most under a $100-per-ton tax but increase GHG emissions under cap-and-trade scenarios, thanks to increased income via sale of their carbon credits. High-income households respond the most across all the scenarios under a 10-ton cap (per household member, per year) and trading at $100 per ton scenario. Highest overall emission reduction (47.2%) was estimated to be under $100 per ton carbon tax. High welfare loss was predicted for all households (to the order of 20% of household income) under both the policies. Results suggest that a carbon tax will be regressive (in terms of taxes paid per dollar of expenditure), but a tax-revenue redistribution can be used to offset this regressivity. In the absence of substitution opportunities (within each of the nine expenditure categories), these results represent highly conservative (worst-case) results, but they illuminate the behavioral response trends while providing a rigorous framework for future work. / text

The results from this study show that it is possible to obtain data series on the steel scrap collection based on mass balance model on the crude steel production figures by steelmaking reactor type and additional knowledge on process metallurgy as well as information on inputs and outputs into the reactors with an area correlation coefficient of 0,91 compared to data obtained from trade statistics. Furthermore, the study shows that based on a new method it is possible to calculate the time duration of mass flows on a continuous basis. Furthermore, two complementary statistical dynamic material flow models that can be used to calculate the societal recycling rates of steel was constructed. These statistical models contribute to a standardized way of obtaining consistent results. The new models are able to segregate the non-recirculated amounts of steel into the hibernating steel stock available for future collection from the amounts of losses based on statistics. The results show that it is possible to calculate the amounts of steel scrap available for steelmaking at a given point in time. In addition, based on the new models it is possible to calculate recycling trends in society. Also, the models are able to calculate robust forecasts on the long-term availability of steel scrap, and test if forecast demand of steel scrap exceeds a full recovery. This due to that the steel scrap generation is a function of the collection rate of steel scrap. Also, a method for obtaining representative samplings on the alloy content in steel scrap called random sampling analysis (RSA) was developed. The results from the RSA show that it is possible to optimize the recovery of valuable elements in the production process of steelmaking based on the information on the composition of steel scrap. / <p>QC 20151020</p>

Magistrinio darbo pirmojoje dalyje iškeliama klimato kaitos problema, apžvelgiami pagrindiniai tarptautiniai susitarimai, kurių pagrindu formuojama šiltnamio dujų prekybos sistema Europos Sąjungoje. Šioje dalyje nagrinėjamos taršos mažinimo priemonės – lankstieji Kioto protokolo mechanizmai (bendro įgyvendinimo ir švarios plėtros) bei jų metu sukuriami šiltnamio dujų prekybos sistemos objektai. Antrojoje darbo dalyje apibrėžiama, kas yra šiltnamio dujų prekybos sistema - aptariami jos įkūrimo Europos Sąjungoje etapai ir ypatybės. Aiškinamasi, kokie šiltnamio dujų prekybos sistemą reglamentuojantys teisės aktai yra priimti Lietuvos Respublikoje bei kokie mechanizmai nėra numatyti. Šioje dalyje išsamiai nagrinėjami šiltnamio dujų prekybos sistemos objektai ir jų sukūrimą reglamentuojančios Europos Parlamento ir Tarybos direktyvos 2004/101/EB dėl Kioto protokolo projektų mechanizmų principai. Remiantis Europos Sąjungos teisės aktais, daromos apibendrintos išvados dėl dar nenumatytų šiltnamio dujų prekybos galimybių nacionaliniuose teisės aktuose. Trečiojoje magistrinio darbo dalyje pateikiama pirmųjų šiltnamio dujų prekybos sistemos metų Lietuvoje analizė, pateikiami 2005-2007 ir 2008-2012 metų laikotarpių nacionalinių paskirstymo planų pagrindiniai skirtumai. Šioje darbo dalyje analizuojamos taršos mažinimo priemonių įgyvendinimo galimybės bei apžvelgiamos Lietuvos šiltnamio dujų prekybos administravime dalyvaujančios institucijos. Remiantis atlikta analize ir šiltnamio dujų... [to full text] / The problem of climate change is raised in the first part of the thesis and the main international treaties are overviewed. These treaties lay the basis for emissions trading system in the European Union. Means for emissions reduction: Kyoto mechanisms (joint implementation and clean development) and created objects of emissions trading system while implementing mechanisms are reviewed. In the second part of the thesis greenhouse gas emissions trading system is described and stages and features of its creation in the European Union are discussed. Legal acts of emissions trading system of the Republic of Lithuania are explained and not foreseen possibilites for implementation of Kyoto mechanisms are overwied. Objects of emissions trading system are described detaily together with principles of Kyoto mechanisms and Directive 2004/101/EC of the Eurpean Parliament and of the Council for Kyoto Protocol‘s project mechanisms. Refering to legal acts of the European Union, conclusions for possibilities of implementation of Kyoto mechanisms which are not foreseen in national law system are drawn. In the third part of the thesis the analysis of the first year of emissions trading system in Lithuania are overwied, main differences of national allocation plans for 2005-2007 and 2008- 2012 periods are presented. The possibilities for emissions reduction are analysed and administrative system of institutions of emissions traning system in Lithuania is overviewed. Conclussions and... [to full text]