Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging micro-pollutant that pose a threat to the ecological integrity of freshwater rivers and wetlands. Most previous work on MPs pollution has focused on marine environments. This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution and abundance of MPs particles in the bed sediment of a freshwater coastal lake in the Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve, Cape Town, which is fed by rivers and stormwater outlets draining a heavily urbanized environment. The first objective was to characterize the spatial distribution of MPs across the lakebed environment, in relation to possible point and non-point sources of contamination.

Submitted by Maria Medeiros (maria.dilva1@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-30T13:13:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ELIS GEAN ROCHA - DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGECA) 2018.pdf: 5120765 bytes, checksum: 11074ea88b01e31806a1d0befc8974ef (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-30T13:13:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ELIS GEAN ROCHA - DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGECA) 2018.pdf: 5120765 bytes, checksum: 11074ea88b01e31806a1d0befc8974ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02 / Capes / As águas urbanas passam por diversas intervenções no processo de desenvolvimento das cidades, sofrendo, muitas vezes, impactos negativos devido à ausência de planejamento e saneamento básico. A eutrofização, causada pelo enriquecimento dos corpos hídricos por nutrientes advindos de despejos de esgotos sem tratamento é um dos grandes problemas das águas superficiais urbanas. Tendo em vista a necessidade do desenvolvimento sustentável das cidades, continuamente procura-se por alternativas para o tratamento de águas poluídas que possam atuar de forma harmônica com a paisagem urbana. Este trabalho teve como objetivo a construção de um sistema de jardins flutuantes para a remediação das águas do pequeno açude localizado no campus sede da Universidade Federal de Campina Grande – PB. O experimento foi realizado numa área experimental de 400 m² de espelho d’água, a montagem do sistema se dividiu em três etapas, atingindo no final da terceira etapa uma cobertura superficial de 10%. As estruturas modulares foram construídas com bambu e paletes, sendo utilizadas diferentes espécies de plantas aquáticas e ornamentais e substrato de fibra de coco. O monitoramento foi feito por coletas semanais, em 13 pontos distribuídos na área experimental. Os parâmetros analisados foram: temperatura, pH, turbidez, condutividade elétrica, OD, DBO, DQO, clorofila-a, fósforo total, ortofosfato solúvel. Em relação às estruturas dos jardins, aquelas que não apresentaram problemas de estabilidade e flutuação, tiveram bons resultados e proporcionaram o bom desenvolvimento das plantas. As análises estatísticas dos dados mostraram que na área em estudo, houve variações significativas em todos os parâmetros estudados, apresentando resultados positivos de remoção de matéria orgânica e nutrientes em alguns dos dias monitorados. As interferências ambientais na área em estudo, como a precipitação e as cargas de efluentes, dificultaram a análise de eficiência dos jardins na qualidade da água, mas, apesar disso, foram encontrados resultados importantes. / Urban waters go trough many intervencions during the process of development of cities. Many times suffering negative impacts due to absence of planning and basic sanitation. Eutrophication caused by enrichment of water bodies by nutrientes from sewage dumping without treatment is one of the great problems of superficial urban waters. Because of the need for sustainable development in cities and the search for alternatives for the treament of polluted waters, this study has the objective of constructing a system of floating gardens to treat the waters of the pond located on the main campus of the Federal University of Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil. The experiment was performed on área, area of 400m2 of the superficial lawyer of the the pond. The building of the system was divided into three stages; at the end of the third stage, 10% of the superficial area was covered, modular structures were built with bamboo and pallets. Different species of ornamental aquatic plants and cocunut fiber substrate were used. Monitoring was performed weekly by collections from 14 points distributed throughout the experimental área. The parameters analyzed were; temperature, pH, turbidity, electric conductivity, DO, BOD, COD, clorophyl-a, total phophorus, soluble orthoposphate, TNK, amoniacal nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, TDS, VDS, FDS. The structures of the gardeens that did not present problems with stability and flotation had good results and promoted good development. Statistical analysis of the data revealed in the study area, there were significant variations in all the studied parameters, presenting positive results of organic matter and nutrients removal in some of the monitored days. As environmental interferences in the study area, such as precipitation as effluent loads, made it difficult to analyze the efficiency of gardens in water quality, but despite this, important results were found.