A disposição de areia de fundição em áreas não licenciadas foi uma prática até pouco tempo empregada por muitas empresas do setor. Em função dessa prática estuda-se nessa dissertação um passivo ambiental produzido em uma área no estado de São Paulo, que recebeu resíduos de fundição e pouco se sabe sobre o impacto ao meio ambiente ocasionado pela disposição inadequada desse material. O presente trabalho propõe avaliar potenciais impactos no meio ambiente pela disposição deste resíduo em um aterro não controlado de uma indústria de fundição e promover análise crítica diante das atuais normas e ferramentas de análises de impactos ambientais e classificação de resíduos sólidos, verificando eventuais conflitos entre as atuais ferramentas aplicadas. Para essa avaliação, foram empregadas algumas ferramentas de investigação científica como Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura compreendendo análise morfológica e química qualitativa do resíduo depositado, análise granulométrica e análise química das águas subterrâneas, a partir de amostragens realizadas em campo e dados fornecidos por empresa de recuperação ambiental que atua na área. Assim foram obtidos dados que permitiram caracterizar a área, monitorar a qualidade das águas subterrâneas dentro e no entorno do aterro e caracterizar o resíduo sólido em questão, onde se analisou as questões ambientais e legais com base nas atuais normas e ferramentas de gestão de áreas contaminadas e resíduos sólidos. Os dados obtidos a partir das análises das amostras de água e resíduo demonstram clara e forte concentração de metais nas águas (ferro, manganês, boro e selênio) e no resíduo (cromo, cobre, cobalto, níquel, zinco, alumínio, ferro, manganês), no caso desse último, dentro dos limites da atual normatização para classificação, identificando-o como resíduo não perigoso. Ainda que esse não seja considerado perigoso, a identificação de elementos nas águas em concentrações acima do permitido compromete a qualidade ambiental do local, colocando em risco a população do entorno, visto que em suas adjacências algumas propriedades realizam cultivo agrícola, além de extrair água do subsolo. Evidenciase, a partir desse cenário, a necessidade de estreitamento técnico entre as atuais normas e ferramentas de análises de impacto ambiental e classificação de resíduos sólidos, permitindo realizar avaliações de passivos gerados pela disposição inadequada de resíduos que levem em consideração suas possíveis interações com o ambiente ao longo de seu tempo de exposição. / The disposal of foundry sand illegal areas was a practice until recently employed by many companies. Because this practice is studied in this dissertation an environmental liability produced in a land in the state of São Paulo that received foundry waste and little is known about the environmental impact caused by inadequate disposal of this material. This issue proposes detected the real effect in the environment by the disposal of this waste in an uncontrolled landfill foundry industry and promote critical analysis before the current standards and tools of environmental impact analyses and classification of solid waste, checking possible conflicts between the current tools applied. For this evaluation, some scientific research tools were employed as Electronic Microscopy of Scan including morphological and chemical waste analyses, particle size analysis and chemical analysis of groundwater samples collected from the field and data provided by an environmental recovery company that operates in the area. Thus data were obtained which allowed to characterize the area, monitor the groundwater quality in and around the landfill and to characterize the solid waste in question, which examined the environmental and legal issues based on current standards and management tools of contaminated lands and solid waste. The data from the analyzes of samples of water and waste show a clear and strong concentration of metals in water (iron, manganese, boron and selenium) and in the waste (chromium, copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, aluminum, iron, manganese), in the last one according to current regulation for classification, identifying it as not dangerous. Although the waste is not considered dangerous, the identification of elements in water at concentrations above permitted to compromise the quality of the local environment, endangering the surround population, since in its surrounding some properties carry out agricultural, in addition extracting groundwater. It is evident from this scenario, the need for technical narrowing between the current standards and environmental impact analyzes tools and classification of solid waste, permitting carry out evaluations of liabilities generated by inadequate disposal of waste that take into account their possible interactions with the environment over time of exposure.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Nigeria is endowed with significant oil sand and heavy oil reserves. These reserves are found within the Cretaceous Afowo Formation in the Eastern Dahomey Basin. The petroleum systems and quality of these reserves are poorly understood. Harnessing these resources necessitate comprehensive deposit evaluation and characterization. / 2023

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are oil-derived mixtures of carboxylic acids and are aquatic contaminants of emerging concern. The objective of the research presented in this thesis was to investigate the toxicity of NAs in tadpoles of the frog Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis. Using electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS), I determined that the proportions of O2 (presumably carboxylic acid moiety) species were 98.8, 98.9 and 58.6% respectively, for two commercial extracts (S1 and S2), and acid extractable organics (AEOs) from oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). The rank order potency based on the lethal concentration fifty (LC50) and effect concentration fifty (EC50) with and without normalization for the quantity of O2 species was S1 > S2 > AEO. The main effects observed were reduced body size, edema, and cranial, cardiac, gut and ocular abnormalities. Oligonucleotide microarray technology was used to determine the transcriptomic responses in developing S. tropicalis embryos following exposure to S1 and S2 at a sub-lethal concentration of 2 mg/L. Some of the significantly enriched pathways (p < 0.05) included metabolism and cell membrane depolarization, and some were related to observed abnormalities including edema, gastrointestinal system, and cartilage differentiation. I established and validated a derivatization method for NAs using pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr) prior to gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS) to increase chromatographic resolution, and sensitivity, compared to boron trifluoride-methanol (BF3/MeOH) and N-tert-Butyldimethylsilyl-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA). Solid-phase microextraction of volatiles originating from S1, S2, Merichem NAs and an AEO mixture led to the identification of 54, 56, 40 and 4 compounds, respectively. The compounds identified in the mixtures included aliphatic and cyclic hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, alkyl-benzenes, phenols, naphthalene and alkyl-naphthalene, and decalin compounds. To determine the chemical nature of the toxic compounds in NA mixtures, the S2 and AEOs preparations were fractionated using open column chromatography. A non-polar and a polar fraction were obtained from S2. Overall, the toxicity of the polar fraction was not significantly different from whole S2 (p > 0.05). Six fractions of AEOs were obtained, however because of limited material, only the toxicities of F3 and F4 were assessed. The toxicity of F3 was significantly lower than AEOs (p < 0.05) and F4 was not toxic for S. tropicalis (p > 0.05). These results suggest that during fractionation, toxic compounds were lost or that the toxicity of AEOs results from the combined effects of the compounds present in the whole extract. The toxicological dose descriptors, morphometric, transcriptomic and chemical analysis herein presented may contribute to the development of environmental guidelines for NAs and AEOs.

No description available.

No description available.

[pt] Qualquer atividade humana é por natureza geradora de resíduos. As atividades industriais são um dos grandes geradores de resíduos, sejam sólidos, líquidos ou gasosos, os quais devem ser gerenciados corretamente visando à minimização de custos e redução do potencial de geração de impactos ambientais. De acordo com as Leis 6.938/81, que institui a Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente, e a 9.605/98, que trata dos crimes ambientais, a responsabilidade pela reparação de qualquer dano ambiental, independente do fato gerador, a empresa será chamada para remediar qualquer passivo gerado devida à má gestão de resíduos, onde a responsabilidade da empresa não cessa quando estes deixam suas instalações, incluindo sua destinação final. Desta forma a reciclagem de materiais da construção civil deve ser subsidiada por um programa bem mais amplo, onde envolva além do processamento dos resíduos, a recuperação de áreas degradadas com limpeza; a implantação de áreas destinadas à recepção de materiais oriundos da construção civil, reduzindo a necessidade de áreas públicas usadas como aterro. O desenvolvimento de técnicas que visem a redução dos impactos ambientais causados tanto pela geração de resíduos como pela extração de agregados naturais, são de significativa importância uma vez que a legislação vigente indica este caminho como o único a ser seguido. Desta forma desenvolveu-se um fluxograma para o beneficiamento do resíduo da construção civil visando a produção de agregado reciclado miúdo a ser utilizado na confecção de argamassas e concretos em substituição, total ou parcial, da areia sem perdas significantes na resistência a esforços mecânicos. / [en] Any human activity is by nature generating of residues. The industrial activies are one of the great generators of residues, be solid, liquids or gaseous, which should be correctly management seeking to minimize costs and reduction of the potential generation in environmental impacts. In agreement with the law 6.938/81, that establish the National Politics of the environmental, and the 9.605/81, that´s treats of the environmental crimes, the responsibility for the repair of any environmental damage, independent of the generating fact, the company will be called to remedy any passive one generated owed to the bad administration of residues, where the responsibility of the company doesn´t cease when these leave your facilities, including your final destination. This way the recycling of materials construction should be subsidized by a much wider program, where it involves besides the processing of the residues, the recovery areas degraded with cleaning; the implantation of areas destined to the reception of materials originating from constructions, reducing the need public areas used as embankment. The development of techniques that`s seek the reduction of the environmental impacts caused so much by the generation of residues as for the extraction of natural aggregate, they are of significant importance once the effective legislation indicates this only way to be proceeded. The development of the improvement waste construction seeking the production of small recycled aggregate to be used in making of mortars and concretes in substitution, total or partial, of the sand without significant losses in the resistance to mechanical efforts.

The purpose of this study was to correlate the Vegetation of the Woodbine Sands with the edaphic factors. In the laboratory an analysis of the edephic factors was made of the twenty-two soil types collected from the three formations. The results of these and other analysis are shown in tables and graphs. The results indicate that the vegetational cover of an area that is uniform in its origin and in its resident soil factors is determined by the edaphic factors present.

Analysis of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and their actions in the 1970s and 1980s offer insight into their use of just war theory in their conflict with the British government and ultra-loyalist Protestant forces in Northern Ireland. The historiography of Irish history is defined by its phases of nationalism, revisionism, and anti-revisionism that cloud the historical narrative of imperialism and insurgency in the North. Applying just war theory to this history offers a more nuanced understanding of the conflict of the Troubles and the I.R.A.’s usage of this framework in their ideology that guided their terrorism in the latter half of the twentieth century. The murders of influential members of British society and the I.R.A.’s statements on these events further posit just war theory as a guiding force of this group. In 1980-1981 the I.R.A. staged hunger strikes in the H Block of Long Kesh Prison and the writings of their leader Bobby Sands continued their use of just war theory in their efforts to be granted Special Category Status. This work concludes that the I.R.A. utilized just war theory throughout this period and that it was a guiding force of their ideology. It contributes a more nuanced analysis of just war theory and its applications to the I.R.A.’s struggles against the British. Ultimately, it demonstrates how this theory was used by this insurgent movement to claim legitimacy, defend their actions, and frame their anti-imperialist movement as a necessary means to combatting British forces.

In situ measurements of soil nitrogen dynamics is a potential method for evaluating the health of constructed wetlands following oil sands mining. The objective of this study is to measure and compare the soil nitrogen availability of a reclaimed fen (Sandhill fen) with a nutrient-rich reference fen (Poplar fen) and a nutrient-poor reference fen (Pauciflora fen) in the Athabasca oil sands region of northern Alberta. Total Nitrogen (TN), Nitrate (NO3-) and Ammonium (NH4+) supply rates were determined along wetland hillslope transects using Western Ag Innovations Plant Root Simulator (PRSTM) probes at all three sites in 2014. Net N mineralization, net nitrification and net ammonification were determined simultaneously using the buried polyethylene bag sampling method. Overall, TN supply rates were greatest at the poor fen and least at the constructed Sandhill fen. In contrast, mineralization was greatest at the rich fen but again least at the Sandhill fen. Mineralization at the Sandhill fen was controlled evenly by ammonification and nitrification, whereas the two natural sites were controlled by ammonification. Relatively low N supply rates and mineralization at the Sandhill fen were likely due to lower soil organic matter and limited soil moisture in these newly constructed substrates. Spatial differences along the hillslopes also varied among sites. The Sandhill fen had higher TN supply rates at the upslope positions but no significant differences in net N mineralization rates along the hillslopes. The rich fen also had higher TN supply rates at the upslope but greatest mineralization rates downslope. These results highlight the importance of N storage and transport processes and offer insight into the N status of a constructed fen. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Oil sands mining in Alberta completely transforms the natural boreal landscape of upland forests, wetlands and lakes into open pits, tailings and overburden piles. By law, industry is required to return the landscape to its pre-disturbance land capability. While previous reclamation efforts have mainly focused on upland forest ecosystems, rebuilding wetland systems on soft tailings has only recently become a research focus. The dry, sub-humid climate and high salinity levels of underlying mining material complicate reconstruction of wetlands within this region. In 2012, Syncrude Canada Ltd. completed construction of the Sandhill Fen Watershed (SFW), a 52-ha upland-wetland system to evaluate wetland reclamation strategies. SFW includes an active pumping system, upland hummocks, a fen wetland and underdrains. This study examined the watershed-scale water balance in the first two years after commissioning (2013 and 2014). The first paper presents a semi-distributed water balance approach examining the fluxes and stores of different landscape units. Artificial pumping controlled the water balance in 2013, with approximately double the annual precipitation pumped in and out from May-Oct 2013, causing large water table fluctuations. In 2014, pump management was more passive, and water balance controlled by vertical fluxes. In the second paper, growing season ET rates and controls were assessed using data from three eddy covariance towers in the uplands and lowlands. Average ET rates between uplands and lowlands were similar, with average rates of 2.41 – 2.52 mm d-1. ET was radiatively controlled at all sites. Energy partitioning and ET rates are similar to natural boreal peatlands within the area, however upland areas are expected to increase in ET rates as LAI increases and vegetation matures. This study provides critical quantitative data on the early years of a highly managed watershed. Long-term monitoring is necessary, as water balance dynamics will evolve with vegetation development and climate cycles. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)