The purpose of this report was to identify the current waste management of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in a few Swedish construction companies, based on the different steps in the waste hierarchy with a focus on waste prevention, reuse and recycle. Additionally, the purpose was to attempt identifying opportunities, obstacles and as well as to propose possible solutions from an environmental perspective. The method used was a qualitative study using interviews conducted through emails and phone with employees occupying positions that could answer this reports questions. The results of this report indicates that waste management of construction and demolition waste has improved, and less waste goes into landfills. The concern is that the overall amount of waste being produced is not decreasing, thus calling for actions preventing the production of waste. Construction companies are relatively inexperienced dealing with waste prevention, however, they have embraced the challenge and set out ambitious goals. Further, it can be argued that a solution to raise the level of waste recycling and reuse can be achieved through a more detailed sorting process onsite, which can lead to an increased resource-efficiency. Obstacles to this solution was allocated to a lack of time and space onsite in order to ensure an efficient sorting process. The conclusion is to continue advocate for waste prevention and implementing 100 percent sorting of waste material onsite in order to prevent further negative environmental impact.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-04-05T11:32:15Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Michel de Paula Andraus - 2017.pdf: 2279698 bytes, checksum: 5ada4f1b3089b56ada700853d1b92147 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-04-05T11:32:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Michel de Paula Andraus - 2017.pdf: 2279698 bytes, checksum: 5ada4f1b3089b56ada700853d1b92147 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-05T11:32:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Michel de Paula Andraus - 2017.pdf: 2279698 bytes, checksum: 5ada4f1b3089b56ada700853d1b92147 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Nowadays there is an increasing environmental pressure, which causes industries to develop new alternatives for the destination of residues generated by industrial processes. The costs of construction and maintenance of industrial landfills and the environmental risks that are involved in this process have aroused the interest of several industries in studying the feasibility of residues application in agriculture. One of the alternatives for agroindustrial residues is the substrate for seedlings. In view of the above, it is verified that the use of containers of agroindustrial residues pressed together with the inoculation of rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi can bring numerous benefits to the production of forest seedlings and also to the environment. However, the association of these practices has not been sufficiently studied. The objective of this work was to evaluate the phytotechnical aspects of three forest species when cultivated in pressed blocks, composed of different proportions of agroindustrial residues and convenctional plastic tubes, and the effect of inoculation with rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi on these seedlings. For that, an experiment was carried out in which four compounds with different ratios of sugarcane bagasse, filter cake, coconut fiber and aviary waste were made. In the pressed blocks of the selected composted substrate were planted seeds of Acacia manigium, Sesbania virgata and Eucalyptus grandis. The first two species were inoculated with rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi specific for each species, and eucalyptus only with mycorrhizal fungi. At 70 days after sowing, mycorrhizal colonization, nodulation, phytotechnical and nutritional parameters were evaluated. And the data were submitted to analysis of variance and test of comparison of means. It was verified that the pressed blocks of agroindustrial residues do not provide better development of seedlings of Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus grandis in relation to the conventional tube. Inoculation with rhizobia, alone or associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the seedling production phase, provides better development of the Acacia mangium species. The seedlings of Sesbânia presented better development with the system of production of seedlings in pressed blocks, made with agroindustrial residues. It could be observed that the response to the use of the pressed blocks depends on the species that will be used. / Nos dias atuais existe uma pressão ambientalista cada vez maior, que faz com que as indústrias desenvolvam novas alternativas para o destino dos resíduos gerados pelos processos industriais. Os custos de construção e manutenção de aterros industriais e os riscos ambientais que estão envolvidos neste processo têm despertado o interesse de várias indústrias em estudar a viabilidade de aplicação de resíduos na agricultura. Uma das alternativas para os resíduos agroindustriais é o substrato para a produção de mudas. Diante do exposto, verifica-se que a utilização de recipientes de resíduos agroindustriais prensados, associado à inoculação de rizóbios e fungos micorrízicos, pode trazer inúmeros benefícios à produção de mudas florestais e também ao meio ambiente. Entretanto, a associação destas práticas ainda não foi suficientemente estudada. Com isso, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os aspectos fitotécnicos de mudas de três espécies florestais quando cultivadas em blocos prensados, compostos por diferentes proporções de resíduos agroindustriais, e tubetes plásticos convencionais, e o efeito da inoculação com rizóbios e fungos micorrízicos sobre estas mudas. Para tal foi realizado um experimento onde se fez quatro compostos com diferentes proporções de bagaço de cana de açúcar, torta de filtro, fibra de coco e cama de aviário. Nos blocos prensados do substrato compostado selecionado foram plantados sementes de Acacia manigium, Sesbania virgata e Eucalyptus grandis. As duas primeiras espécies foram inoculadas com rizóbios e fungos micorrízicos específicos para cada espécie, e o eucalipto somente com fungos micorrízicos. Aos 70 dias após a semeadura foram avaliados a colonização micorrízica, nodulação, parâmetros fitotécnicos e nutricionais das mudas. E os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e teste de comparação de médias. Verificou-se que os blocos prensados de resíduos agroindustriais não proporcionam melhor desenvolvimento de mudas de A. mangium e E. grandis em relação ao tubete convencional. A inoculação com rizóbio, isoladamente ou associada com fungos micorrízicos arbusculares na fase de produção de mudas, proporciona melhor desenvolvimento da espécie A. mangium. Já as mudas de Sesbânia apresentaram melhor desenvolvimento com o sistema de produção de mudas em blocos prensados, confeccionados com resíduos agroindustriais. Pôde-se observar que a resposta ao uso dos blocos prensados depende da espécie que irá ser utilizada.

Um estudo de viabilidade foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de verificar a economicidade de um sistema de produção de ciclo completo de pecuária de bovinos de corte, sob alta lotação. O sistema foi inicialmente concebido para a utilização em pesquisas na Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo, sendo que esta dissertação buscou avaliar a viabilidade econômica de tal sistema quando aplicado à pecuária comercial. Para tanto foram utilizados dez cenários, nove dos quais definidos a partir da variação de preços dos produtos vendidos, utilização de capital próprio e recursos de financiamento rural via programa do Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES). O décimo cenário utilizado foi definido a partir de um nível pré-determinado de preço dos produtos vendidos e utilização de capital próprio, decorrente de arrendamento de área liberada a partir da intensificação do sistema de produção. O método de análise econômica utilizado foi o de Fluxo de Caixa e as técnicas aplicadas foram: Payback Simples, Payback Descontado, Valor Presente Líquido (VPL) e Taxa Interna de Retorno (TIR). O sistema mostrou-se economicamente viável estritamente para os cenários que consideraram o nível máximo de projeção de preços da arroba da carne e para o cenário que considerou o arrendamento de área liberada a partir da intensificação do sistema de produção. A utilização de financiamento via Programa de Crédito Rural do BNDES proporcionou melhora expressiva nos valores monetários e índices utilizados na análise. / A study was carried out to verify the economic viability of a life-cycle production system of beef cattle under high stocking. This system was initially designed for use in research at the school of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Universidade São Paulo, but this dissertation tried to evaluate the economic viability of this system when applied to commercial livestock. Therefore, ten scenarios were studied. Nine of them were determined by the variation of prices of products, use of own capital and resources from rural finance programs from Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Ecônomico e Social (BNDES). The tenth scenario was based on a predetermined level of prices of products and use of own capital, due to leasing of the area released from the intensification of the production system. The analysis method was the Cash Flow and the applied techniques were: Simple Payback, Discounted Payback, Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The system showed to be economically viable for the scenarios that considered the maximum projection of meat prices and for the scenario that considered the leasing area related to the intensification of the production system. Funding from BNDES Rural Credit Program has provided significant improvement in the monetary values and indices used in the analysis.

Background: The matter of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has more and more become a topic of interest today. As the concept has gained attention, the emphasis on its different concepts has shifted from the focus lying on the social responsibilities, to being more about the environmental responsibilities and impact of companies. Although the attention put on CSR and the environment has increased, an increase in the amount of plastic waste is still seen in the world. In Sweden, corporations accounts for as much as 50% of the total amount of plastic waste every year.   Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the management of environmental Corporate Social Responsibility in plastic producing companies, specifically the management of CSR within the Gnosjö region in Sweden   Method: This qualitative study involves multiple case studies primarily based on semi-structured interviews with managers of plastic producing companies in the Gnosjö region of Sweden.   Findings: The study showed that plastic companies are challenged in several ways, like re-using their production waste, caring for their employees, switching to more sustainable energy sources, and adhering to sustainable standards. Thus, companies’ goals are required to satisfy environmental demands by positioning their CSR-work towards customers’ environmental needs.   Conclusion: This thesis conclude that companies’ have different views on the meaning of CSR. It was found that sales and profit were the main motivators of adopting CSR practices, followed by some ethical aspects. Companies will continue to experience an increased demand for recycled plastics and that the importance of CSR will persistently grow. New knowledge demands the development of new materials and better strategies for recycling.

This research is a case study on the wine producing region of Beaujolais, France. It investigates the potential that organic wine tourism, which promotes the benefits of responsible wine production methods, has to positively rebrand Beaujolais. Indeed, the region has suffered from a bad reputation for the past decades, even though an increasing number of small to medium domains have started producing organic wine. Mixed methods have been used to investigate the extent to which the demand of potential tourists meets the supply of organic wine tourism activities that the previously mentioned domains are able/willing to provide. A questionnaire analysis has revealed that a diverse range of people living in the nearby area are curious about organic wine tourism and would therefore enjoy tasting organic wines at small domains, even though they do not know much about the topic. However, interviews with owners/managers of small organic wine domains have revealed that they currently face too many obstacles to properly answer the demand for organic wine tourism. Furthermore, they identify wine industry professionals as their prefered visitor target, rather than regular tourists such as the ones having answered the questionnaire. As a result, the supply of alternative wine tourism initiatives by small organic domains does not currently live up to the expectations of the customer segment wishing to experience organic wine tourism.

<p> </p> <p>This paper examines the relationship between the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) participation and technology adoption patterns, using farm-level data from the</p> <p>United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). Participation in the federally subsidized crop insurance program may be correlated with technology adoption and other various risk management practices. Existing studies indicate that the subsidized FCIP may disincentivize producers from utilizing technology as a risk management tool. Empirical results indicate that producers enrolled in federal crop insurance programs may be more likely to have adopted PATs earlier than producers who were not enrolled in the FCIP. This could indicate that producers may not view the FCIP as a substitute for other risk management options, or that these producers may not view these technologies in the same risk-reducing lens as they may view the FCIP.</p>

Encore azaleas are popular ornamental plants for their full sun tolerance, coldhardiness, low maintenance requirements, and reblooming habit in spring, summer, and fall. With their varying growth rates and multiple blooms during a growing season, there is limited information on the nutrient and irrigation requirements of Encore azalea cultivars. The objectives of this study were to investigate the optimum nitrogen (N) requirement of Encore azalea ‘Chiffon’ during a growing season and determine how irrigation frequency and fertilization practices (rates, methods, and timing) affect plant growth and nutrient uptake using both a traditional plastic container and a paper biocontainer. One-year-old liners of Encore azalea ‘Chiffon’ were treated with different N fertigation rates, irrigation frequencies, and sprayed with 3% urea or water in late fall. Plants were investigated for their growth responses and flower production, and analyzed for nutrient and carbohydrate status in different studies when they were grown in both a traditional plastic container and a biodegradable container made from a mix of recycled paper. The biocontainers increased plant growth index, plant dry weight, leaf area, root growth, and uptake of both macro- and micronutrients using N rates of 10, 15, and 20 mM. During a growing season, the biocontainer-grown plants had three flushes of growth while the plastic container-grown plants had only two. The third flush of growth on the biocontainer-grown plants occurred in mid-September, resulting in greater dry weight and N uptake than with plants grown in plastic containers. One irrigation per day resulted in higher flower count and greater root length and surface area. Foliar urea application in late fall was effective in improving plant N status by increasing plant N concentration and content without affecting plant dry weight, but decreased tissue concentrations of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and starch to varying degrees.

Sustainability is one of the main concerns for businesses in order to being competitive in the market. Sustainability is one the most important and popular fields for the companies due to customer expectations and profitability. Therefore, there is a need to comprehend sustainability in production systems in order to encounter drivers, transform production systems with smart tools, and evaluate the measurements in production systems. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how to achieve sustainability goals for start-up companies and how these companies can incorporate sustainability in order to improve their production systems. Literature study was performed to build a theoretical foundation for this thesis, therefore allowing the opportunity to answer the research questions of this thesis. The literature study was covered to identified aspects, including drivers of sustainable production systems, sustainability indicators, and technological developments in the production systems. To answer the research questions a single case study was carried out. The company was a start-up company in the food and beverage industry. Data was collected through questionnaires, document review, interviews, and observations. An investigation regarding sustainability goals and measurement indicators are critical when implementing sustainability practices in the production systems. The outcome from these investigations set a knowledge for improving production systems to better meet sustainability goals. To measure sustainability indicators, there is a need to correct data collection and understand how to use the equations. The measurement indicators identified in production systems having a direction to measure environmental aspects in the production systems. The technological improvements have an impact on the motivation regarding sustainability indicators in order to decrease energy consumption, waste and water management, emissions, and production efficiency, as well as decreasing the cost. This thesis provides a knowledge for the start-up company in order to implement sustainability aspects in the production systems to better meet sustainability goals. Additionally, highlights areas of drivers factor and measurement indicators for integration of sustainability in the production systems.

No description available.

The effects of climate change have made the need to develop sustainable production practices for biofuels and other chemicals imminent. The development of the green economy has also led to many industries voluntarily improving the sustainability of the products they produce. The microbial production of fatty acid-derived chemicals allows for the opportunity to reduce petroleum-based chemicals in the marketplace. However, for microbial produced chemicals to be industrially competitive, significant work is needed to improve the production capacity of industrial strains. There are a number of bottlenecks and challenges related to the production of various fatty acid derivatives that need to be addressed. One of these key challenges relates to the source of the fermentation feedstock. While sources such as corn or sugar cane are currently common, these feedstocks compete with food supply and require nutrient-rich soils. The use of lignocellulosic feedstocks is preferred to combat this issue, however these feedstocks present their own unique challenges. Pretreatment is required to release fermentable sugars, and this process also results in various fermentation inhibitors released into the solution. A better understanding of how engineered strains utilize these fermentable sugars as well as improving resistance to the inhibitors will help to improve the chemical production capacity of these chemical products. This work will focus on describing key bottlenecks related to fatty acid-derived products, while also evaluating proposed solutions to these bottlenecks. / Master of Science