Neste trabalho foram analisados sedimentos marinhos de três praias da Baía de Guanabara (praia de São Bento e praia da Bica, na Ilha do Governador, e praia de São Francisco, em Niterói), Rio de Janeiro, para avaliar a presença de microplásticos (fragmentos plásticos com tamanho ≤ 5 mm) nestes ambientes. Os detritos plásticos visíveis (macroplástico) foram separados dos sedimentos manualmente e pesados. Os detritos plásticos não visíveis foram separados por densidade com solução saturada de cloreto de sódio. Os fragmentos plásticos obtidos com a separação por densidade foram caracterizados por microscopia óptica para avaliar forma e superfície, e foram classificados e quantificados em função de seu tamanho. Os fragmentos microplásticos foram separados e caracterizados por espectrometria de absorção na região do infravermelho por reflexão atenuada (ATR FT IR). Os espectros obtidos foram comparados com espectros padrão de polímeros. As três praias se apresentam contaminadas com lixo macroplástico e com lixo microplástico. Na praia da Bica, foram coletados 173 fragmentos, dos quais 73% são microplásticos. Na praia de São Bento foram 81 fragmentos e na praia de São Francisco foram 73 fragmentos, dos quais 70% e 86%, respectivamente, são microplásticos. Nas três praias foram encontrados fragmentos microplásticos de poliestireno expandido. Nas praias da Bica e de São Bento foram encontrados fragmentos de polietileno; nas praias de São Bento e São Francisco foram encontrados fragmentos microplásticos de polipropileno. O descarte irregular de lixo e atividades industriais e comerciais no entorno da baía podem ser apontados como possíveis fontes contaminantes / In this study samples of sediment of three beaches of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, (São Bento beach and Bica beach, in Ilha do Governador and São Francisco beach, in Niterói) were analyzed to investigate the contamination with microplastics (plastic fragments ≤ 5 mm). Samples of sediment were examined by naked eye to sort items of plastic debris from other materials. After separation plastic items were weighted. Non visible plastic debris were separated from sediments by density difference applying a concentrated saline NaCℓ solution. Plastic fragments picked up from supernatant were characterized by optical microscopy to analyze morphology and classified in size fractions. From sediments of Bica beach were collected 173 plastic fragments and 73% of them were microplastic. In São Bento beach were collected 81 fragments and in São Francisco beach were collected 73 fragments, from which 70% and 86%, respectively, were microplastic. The three beaches are contaminated with both microplastic and macroplastic. Microplastic fragments were characterized by ATR FT IR. Expanded polystyrene microplastic fragments were found in sediments of the three beaches. Polyethylene microplastic fragments were found in sediments of Bica and São Bento beaches and polypropylene microplastic fragments were found in sediments of São Bento and São Francisco beaches. Littering, illegal-dumping and industrial activities are possible sources of microplastic contamination of Guanabara Bay

Neste trabalho foram analisados sedimentos marinhos de três praias da Baía de Guanabara (praia de São Bento e praia da Bica, na Ilha do Governador, e praia de São Francisco, em Niterói), Rio de Janeiro, para avaliar a presença de microplásticos (fragmentos plásticos com tamanho ≤ 5 mm) nestes ambientes. Os detritos plásticos visíveis (macroplástico) foram separados dos sedimentos manualmente e pesados. Os detritos plásticos não visíveis foram separados por densidade com solução saturada de cloreto de sódio. Os fragmentos plásticos obtidos com a separação por densidade foram caracterizados por microscopia óptica para avaliar forma e superfície, e foram classificados e quantificados em função de seu tamanho. Os fragmentos microplásticos foram separados e caracterizados por espectrometria de absorção na região do infravermelho por reflexão atenuada (ATR FT IR). Os espectros obtidos foram comparados com espectros padrão de polímeros. As três praias se apresentam contaminadas com lixo macroplástico e com lixo microplástico. Na praia da Bica, foram coletados 173 fragmentos, dos quais 73% são microplásticos. Na praia de São Bento foram 81 fragmentos e na praia de São Francisco foram 73 fragmentos, dos quais 70% e 86%, respectivamente, são microplásticos. Nas três praias foram encontrados fragmentos microplásticos de poliestireno expandido. Nas praias da Bica e de São Bento foram encontrados fragmentos de polietileno; nas praias de São Bento e São Francisco foram encontrados fragmentos microplásticos de polipropileno. O descarte irregular de lixo e atividades industriais e comerciais no entorno da baía podem ser apontados como possíveis fontes contaminantes / In this study samples of sediment of three beaches of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, (São Bento beach and Bica beach, in Ilha do Governador and São Francisco beach, in Niterói) were analyzed to investigate the contamination with microplastics (plastic fragments ≤ 5 mm). Samples of sediment were examined by naked eye to sort items of plastic debris from other materials. After separation plastic items were weighted. Non visible plastic debris were separated from sediments by density difference applying a concentrated saline NaCℓ solution. Plastic fragments picked up from supernatant were characterized by optical microscopy to analyze morphology and classified in size fractions. From sediments of Bica beach were collected 173 plastic fragments and 73% of them were microplastic. In São Bento beach were collected 81 fragments and in São Francisco beach were collected 73 fragments, from which 70% and 86%, respectively, were microplastic. The three beaches are contaminated with both microplastic and macroplastic. Microplastic fragments were characterized by ATR FT IR. Expanded polystyrene microplastic fragments were found in sediments of the three beaches. Polyethylene microplastic fragments were found in sediments of Bica and São Bento beaches and polypropylene microplastic fragments were found in sediments of São Bento and São Francisco beaches. Littering, illegal-dumping and industrial activities are possible sources of microplastic contamination of Guanabara Bay

In this thesis I discuss how divers in Rio de Janeiro and Arraial do Cabo, Brazil, are part of a process of making water (Barnes 2014). This I do by examining the relationship between the policies of the non-governmental organization Project Aware and these divers. These policies under question concerns the growing issue of marine debris, asking divers to directly act towards a solution by removing debris, and inform about the issue. I employ the concepts habitus and the entrepreneurial self as heuristic think-tools in order to illuminate the structuring aspect of this relationship, how it affects the way policies are negotiated, embodied, and practiced in regard to society and the environment (e.g. Bourdieu 1990; Rose 1998; Gershon 2016). My argument is based on observations, interviews, and media analysis. I show how my interlocutors are engaged in making water, in hands on actions of removing debris, and in discourse making where the issue is forwarded, emphasized, and discussed. Further I illustrate the impact that local power structures hold on practices of agents (Barnes 2014; Karlsson 2015).

Marine debris is an ever growing environmental and human health concern. Beach litter is a major contributor to the issue of marine debris, especially in the Global South where lack of awareness and successful policy are factors in the continuous accumulation of debris on beaches and in coastal communities. Under the community-based, participatory action framework, this study will explore beach users’ and other key stakeholders in the local government and non-governmental organization sectors’ knowledge of waste in their environment and potential solutions to the issue of plastic marine pollution. It will also examine the waste composition on a local beach in São Sebastião, Brazil by collecting, quantifying and characterizing the waste to determine the major polluters. The study will explore ways of improving awareness and environmental education of beach users, as well as investigating ways to reduce littering of waste on beaches. Results from this research will help to provide suggestions for local decision makers to improve policy that addresses marine debris and beach littering. / Graduate / 2022-04-15

Litter, whether river-based, marine, or terrestrial, is an ever-increasing environmental and economic issue. However, litter in freshwater environments is studied less than in marine environments. To better understand factors impacting stream-transported floating litter, seven watershed characteristics were assessed across a network of thirty litter collection devices. The research objective for this study was to quantify litter loading and assess watershed characteristics relative to litter loading. Of the various watershed characteristics in this study, land cover classification had the greatest impact on the amount of litter collected from the Litter Gitters followed by median household income. Results from this study can strengthen litter collection device placement and best management practices for litter prevention.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-09-22T11:26:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianafonsecadefaria.pdf: 930419 bytes, checksum: 95f7e760beeded23d0bdca1ba20b6294 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-09-26T20:28:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianafonsecadefaria.pdf: 930419 bytes, checksum: 95f7e760beeded23d0bdca1ba20b6294 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-26T20:28:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianafonsecadefaria.pdf: 930419 bytes, checksum: 95f7e760beeded23d0bdca1ba20b6294 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-17 / Um grande número de juvenis da espécie Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) utiliza o litoral norte do Estado de São Paulo como área de alimentação, com grande ocorrência no Município de Ubatuba. Existem poucos trabalhos sobre a dieta desta espécie no Brasil. Por esta razão, o presente estudo tem como objetivo determinar a dieta, além de qualificar e quantificar os itens alimentares ingeridos por esses espécimes. Para a determinação da dieta, 20 conteúdos estomacais de juvenis de C. mydas foram analisados. Estes animais foram encontrados mortos ao longo da costa de Ubatuba e encaminhados à equipe do Projeto TAMAR/ICMBio. Os dados biométricos dos animais coletados indicam que todos os indivíduos podem ser considerados juvenis, pois apresentaram comprimento curvilíneo da carapaça (CCC) entre 35 e 60 cm e peso entre 7 e 8 Kg. Dos itens presentes no conteúdo estomacal destacaram-se os vegetais (algas e gramas marinhas) com 93,64% do total, seguido de material antrópico com 4,71% e animal com 1,65%. As algas da família Rhodophyta foram as mais abundantes onde constatou-se um maior volume para Pterocladiella capillacea (44,5V%) e Chondracanthus acicularis (42,3V%). Do material antrópico ingerido o plástico mole foi o mais abundante (54,3%) e o nylon o mais freqüente (45%). Com base nestes resultados salienta-se a importância de programas de conservação para esta espécie em áreas de alimentação. / A large number of Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) young utilizes the northern coast of São Paulo state as feeding grounds. Great parts of these areas are located in Ubatuba. At this moment, there is a few data on C. mydas feeding habits in Brazil. Because of that, the objective of this study was to determine the C. mydas diet, and qualify and quantify its diet items. Twenty stomachs of C. mydas young individual were analyzed. These animals were found dead along Ubatuba coast and sent to Project TAMAR/ICMBio. All individuals were considered young because the curved carapace length was between 35 and 65, and the weight was between 7 and 8 Kg. Vegetables were the most frequent item found in the stomachs (seaweed and marine grass) representing 93,64% of the total, followed for anthropic material (4,71%) and animal material (1,65%). The seaweed family of Rhodophyta was the most abundant with Pteocldiella capillacea and Chodracanthus acicularis having the largest volumes, 44,5% and 42,3% respectively. Among the anthropic material, soft plastic was the most abundant (53%) and nylon the most frequent (45%). This results shows the importance of conservation programs for C. mydas among your feeding areas.

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In this study, increasing electricity demand requires considerable attention to increasing the diversity of power generation. Alternative energy can produce heating and power systems and thermal storage. Our objective and every organization’s objectives are to minimize its energy consumption cost under electricity demand uncertainty. In rural areas, heat and power availability and stability are also crucial. Combined heat and power have proven their effectiveness as a subsequent to Electricity. This paper identified four criteria and eleven sub-criteria to determine the most appropriate structure location for combined heat and power in the rural community. The Bayesian Network technology has been applied to analyze these criteria comprehensively. A case study including multiple sites across the Mississippi state was used to validate the proposed approach, and propagation and sensitivity analysis were used to evaluate performance. Results showed the summarized eleven criteria proposed Bayesian Network approach could aid location selection for Combined heat and power location in the rural area. Supplementary, the created model can support decision-makers to select the best alternatives under different electricity demand variability levels.

The oceans are an essential global resource for all living organisms but especially for us humans. However, year after year we continue to neglect proper recycling of our waste, resulting in litter ending up in our oceans. The majority of said litter comes from single use plastic items. Through fragmentation and erosion, the plastic dissolves  to smaller pieces, once they are no larger than 5 mm theyare classified as micro- and nanoplastics. Little is known about these small plastic particles impact on marine life and marine environment. As a step towards understanding this, the robot PlaCo was created. PlaCo stands for plastic collecting which is exactly what the robot does. With the help of three filters PlaCo gathers marine debris, such as plastic, from the water in which it operates. The filters have decreasing mesh size resulting in the microplastics being caught in the last one. Once emptied, the finds can be examined and logged for future referencing. With the help of a sensor, blockages of the filters can be monitored and if detected, notice will be given to the user through a LED. In order for PlaCo to move forward and for water to travel through the filters, the robot was provided with two DC motors. A microcontroller, Arduino Uno, was used to regulate PlaCo’s functions. The performance of two different sensors, an IR-sensorand an ultrasonic sensor, were investigated as well as the robot's water cleaning capacity. The results indicate that the latter of the two sensors would be preferable due to its high reliability. However, the robot’s water cleaning capacity could not be measured due to the chosen motors not being powerful enough. In future iterations of PlaCo, thiswould need to be rectified. / Globalt sett är världens hav en viktig resurs för alla levande organismer men inte minst för människan. Trots detta fortsätter vi att, år efter år, försumma återvinningen av vårt avfall vilket resulterar i att skräp i stället hamnar i haven. Majoriteten av de sopor som hamnar där är resultatet av förbrukade engångsprodukter i plast. Genom sönderfall och erosion skapas allt mindre och mindre bitar av plast. Detta resulterar i att så kallade mikro- och nanoplaster skapas. De är mindre än 5 mm i bredd och om deras påverkan på det marina djurlivet och den marina miljön vet vi mycket lite om. För att minska kunskapsluckorna och för att få en bättre förståelse för deras påverkan har nu därför PlaCo konstruerats. Med hjälp av tre sorters filter kan PlaCo samla upp marintskräp, så som plast, i vattnet där den arbetar. Filtrens finhet varierar, där det första är mycket grovt medan det sista är fint nog att klara av att samla upp mikroplaster. När PlaCo sedan töms kan mikroplasterna undersökas och dokumenteras. När en tömning behöver göras indikeras detta för användaren med hjälp utav en LED. Roboten är försedd med en sensor som läser av hur fulla filtren är. För att driva PlaCo framåt och för att underlätta filtreringsprocessen är den också försedd med två 6 V DC-motorer. Allt detta styrs med hjälp av mikrokontrollern Arduino Uno. För att uppnå bästa tänkbara funktion hos roboten undersöktes två olika sensortyper, en IR-sensor och en ultraljudssensor. Det visade sig att ultraljudssensorn var betydligt mer pålitlig än IR-sensorn och därför valde man att använda denna. Det var även av intresse att ta reda på hur mycket vatten PlaCo kunde rena per sekund. Tyvärr skulle det visa sig att de valda motorerna inte var kraftfulla nog att driva PlaCo i vattnet. Det är därför något som behöver åtgärdas i en framtida version av PlaCo.

Os resíduos sólidos são um dos principais poluentes do ambiente marinho, responsáveis por prejuízos ecológicos, econômicos e na saúde pública, requerendo ações e políticas públicas para seu controle. Em âmbito internacional, muitas convenções abordaram o tema, incentivando os governos a adotarem medidas para conter suas fontes. O Brasil possui um conjunto de instrumentos com diretrizes para a gestão dos resíduos sólidos, mas será que esses instrumentos - leis, programas, planos, investimentos e indicadores - são adequados para reduzir o lixo marinho? Utilizando o Brasil, o estado de São Paulo, o litoral norte paulista e seus municípios como estudos de caso, foram analisadas as políticas públicas relacionadas ao tema, por meio do levantamento da legislação e a análise dos programas governamentais (planos plurianuais) e seus indicadores. A hipótese proposta era de que os instrumentos existentes são inadequados para reduzir o lixo marinho em todos os níveis governamentais. No entanto, as conclusões indicaram que os instrumentos disponíveis são parcialmente adequados, pois embora não haja um enfoque específico no problema do lixo marinho, o combate a ele pode ser identificado indiretamente nas políticas existentes. O principal problema, entretanto, está na implementação das políticas com baixo investimento, pontuais no tempo e geograficamente, e com indicadores inadequados. / Solid wastes are one of the main marine environment pollutants, responsible for ecological, economic and public health damages. Thus, requiring specific actions and public policies to control their entrance in the environment. On the international level, many conventions deal with this issue, encouraging the governments to adopt measures to reduce its sources. Brazil has a set of legal instruments with the guidelines to solid waste management. Nevertheless, are these instruments - laws, programs, plans, investments and indicators - suitable to reducing marine debris? Using Brazil, São Paulo State, North Coast of São Paulo and their municipalities as case studies, the policies related to the issue were analyzed, through a survey of existing laws, as well as analyzing the government programs (multiannual plans) and their indicators. The initial hypothesis was that the existing instruments were inadequate to reduce marine debris in every governmental level. However, the conclusions suggested that the available instruments were partially suitable, for though there is not a specific focus on marine debris issue, the struggle against it can be identified indirectly on the existing policies. The main problem, however, relates to policies implementation with low funds, punctual in time and geographically, and with inappropriate indicators.