Identification of the urban heat islands phenomenon in a small city: the study case of Três Rios/RJ, Brazil

The phenomenon of urban heat islands (UHI) is caused by the increase in temperatures of an urban area as a result of the development of human activities within that area, this phenomenon is usually studied in medium and large cities. This study aims to verify if the phenomenon of UHI occurs in the municipality of Três Rios – RJ, a small sized city. This study included the use of mobile transect, through pre-established data collection points/stations. Five data collection points were selected, from which one was included in a rural area, one in the Parque Natural Municipal (Urban Park, within the city), and three points within the urbanized area. The equipment used was the Brunton® / ADC PRO handheld weather station. The data collection period ranged from September 2018 until July 2019, which included the four seasons. Measurements were taken at 6:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, and 21:00h, in alternate days during the study period. Considering the temperature measurements, two different indicators of thermal variability were used. Strong magnitude heat islands were detected, taking into consideration the relevant variation of maximum temperatures observed in the urban area when compared to the rural area. The results indicate the most affected populations to be the ones located within urban areas, mostly individuals under socioeconomic vulnerability. The results obtained can be used as support for the development of strategies to minimize the thermal discomfort to populations exposed to the influence of higher magnitude urban heat islands.

WAVELET TRANSFORM FOR MEDIUM-RANGE STREAMFLOWS PROJECTIONS IN NATIONAL INTERCONNECTED SYSTEM

This work aims to analyze the variability of average annual streamflow time series of the SIN (Brazil) and create a projection model of future streamflow scenarios from 3 to 10 years using wavelet transform. The streamflow time series were used divided into two periods: 1931 to 2005 and 2006 to 2017, for calibration and verification, respectively. The annual series was standardized, and by the wavelet transform, it was decomposed into two bands plus the residue for each Base Posts (BP) for later reconstruction. Then an autoregressive model per band and residue was made. The projection was obtained by adding the autoregressive models. For performance evaluation, a qualitative analysis of the cumulative probability distribution of the projected years and the likelihood were made. The model identified the probability distribution function of the projected years and obtained likelihood greater than 1 in most of the SIN regions, indicating that this methodology can capture the medium-range variability.

AVALIAÇÃO AMBIENTAL E ENERGÉTICA DO CICLO DE VIDA DE UM SISTEMA DE ABASTECIMENTO DE ÁGUA DO NORDESTE BRASILEIRO

Nos últimos anos, as concessionárias de água estão sendo submetidas a pressões para aumentar a eficiência de seus processos, devido principalmente à diminuição da disponibilidade de água e à necessidade de aumentar a sustentabilidade ambiental de seus processos. A redução de vazamentos é claramente uma parte importante da gestão sustentável na indústria da água, devendo seus impactos serem avaliados em um objetivo mais amplo de proteção ambiental. Apresenta-se, neste trabalho, uma avaliação ambiental e energética do sistema de abastecimento de água da cidade de Caruaru, localizada no Nordeste do Brasil, a fim de determinar quais fatores são responsáveis pelos maiores impactos ambientais. Este estudo é um dos primeiros na América Latina a avaliar os impactos ambientais de um sistema de abastecimento de água. Os dados primários adotados para a elaboração do inventário foram fornecidos pela concessionária de água, sendo a modelagem e análise realizada por meio do programa SimaPro 8.0®. Foram analisados quatro cenários com diferentes níveis de perda de água, sendo que o cenário C0 foi representado com as condições reais do sistema, enquanto os demais consideraram índices hipotéticos. A análise das contribuições dos processos demonstrou que o consumo de eletricidade dos conjuntos motor-bomba das adutoras de água representou o maior impacto ambiental em todos os cenários. O cenário mais eficiente resultaria em uma redução de 52% na emissão de gases de efeito estufa, demonstrando que o aumento da eficiência hidráulica das redes de distribuição representa uma oportunidade significativa para reduzir os impactos ambientais dos processos.

Ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from areas under the direct influence of two small hydropower plants in Brazil

Current energy production has been the subject of studies on environmental impacts and the need to adequately understand that the relationship to biodiversity loss is growing. One of the ways of assessing environmental changes is the use of bioindicator species, and ants represent an alternative in this regard. This study aimed to evaluate ant assemblages occurring in different environments in areas under the direct influence of two small hydropower plants (SHPP). Sampling was carried out using pitfall traps in forest and agricultural fragments, as well as pasture areas, along the Andrada River, municipality of Cascavel, state of Paraná, in July 2016 and March 2017. The sampled ant assemblages were evaluated for richness, abundance, and composition. The rarefaction analysis was used to compare the richness sampled in the two areas under direct influence. Abundance was analyzed based on the number of occurrences. The nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was applied to test whether the abundance and composition of ant assemblages differ at the same site when sampled in both seasons. In total, 63 species belonging to 23 genera and 6 subfamilies were identified. The subfamily Myrmicinae was the most speciesrich (S = 25), followed by the subfamily Formicinae (S = 21). The most species-rich genus was Camponotus (S = 15) followed by Pheidole (S =11). A total of 41.3% richness was registered concurrently in the two assemblages. The study contributes to the expansion of knowledge of the ant fauna occurring in the state of Paraná and serves as a basis for monitoring impacts caused by the implementation of SHPP and other developments.

Expansion of photovoltaic systems in multicampi higher education institutions: evaluation and guidelines

Considering the multicampi organizational structure of higher education institutions (HEIs), the expansion of photovoltaic (PV) systems previously installed in the facilities, the great potential for PV generation in Brazil, and the 2030 Agenda, the general goal of this research study is to evaluate and promote the expansion of the aforementioned PV systems. For this purpose, the PV system installed at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Piauí comprising a future expansion is characterized by a thorough literature and documentary research. The solar resource available at the campuses of the institution was estimated using the second version of the Brazilian Atlas of Solar Energy. The technical–economic viability of the system expansion is assessed through the average parameters and minimum performance indexes required by the institution. Thus, it is possible to prove the effectiveness of the methodology to identify investment priorities and guide the construction and expansion of other PV systems, confirming that this process is technically and economically feasible as associated with strategic adherence, also bringing several environmental benefits.

Effect of a temperature rise on metal toxicity for the aquatic biota: a systematic review

Ecosystems are subject to various stress factors, such as temperature rises due to climate changes and metal disposal. Thermal stress can amplify or mask the effects of metals on aquatic organisms. This study aims to carry out a systematic review on the effects of temperature rises due to climate changes on the toxicity of metals for freshwater organisms. Searches were made in different electronic databases and article selection was based on the following inclusion criteria: concordance with the question of a systematic review; publication in English, Spanish, and Portuguese between 1960 and 2020; and the use of standard methodology. Forty-three articles were included, which were classified with respect to the year and country of publication, test-organisms and metals studied, temperatures tested, and the effects observed. In 80% of the studies analyzed, a temperature rise was responsible for increasing the toxicity of metals for the aquatic organisms. The temperatures studied contemplated the temperature rise predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change at the end of the 21st century. Brazil stood out among the countries for having the greatest number of research studies in this area, although there is still the need for an increase in studies in tropical climate regions. Based on the literature review, it was shown that the metals most studied were copper and cadmium and the test-organisms most used in the research projects were fish. The information obtained from ecotoxicological studies is essential to predict the effects and prevent the risks associated with the metal contamination of aquatic ecosystems due to climate changes.

Survey of wildlife rescued and treated from 2014 to 2016 in Joinville (SC), Brazil

Natural ecosystems are in constant conflict with the growing and disordered urban expansion, arising from the mismanagement of human developments and infrastructure, facing an accelerated rate of deforestation and defaunation. The intense pressure on natural environments impacts the local fauna through various incidents, generating high mortality, such as hit-and-run, window-crashing, attacks by domestic animals, dissemination of diseases and electrocution. The purpose of this study was to carry out a retrospective survey of the wild fauna rescued and treated at a clinic associated with the environmental police in the region of Joinville - SC. A total of 379 wild animals were treated at the clinic from 2014 to 2016. Of these, 262 (69.13%) were birds, 107 (28.23%) mammals, 9 (2.37%) reptiles and 1 (0.26%) amphibian. The main causes of referral for clinical care were due to trauma (50.66%), seizures (1.32%) and other causes (48.02%), such as home invasion and orphaned puppies. Among the reasons for traumas, pedestrian accidents were the most prevalent, representing 39.58% of the cases treated, followed by animals found to be debilitated without a defined cause (31.77%), attack by domestic animals (14.58%) and window-crashing (9.89%). The data obtained in this study show a rich diversity of species in Joinville. These species are exposed to several anthropogenic challenges and barriers derived mainly from intense displacement and human invasion, causing many animals to move in order to adapt to urban areas.

Quali-quantitative characterization of biogas with the temporal behavior of organic load on wastewater treatment plant with upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors through measurement in full‑scale systems

This study aims to present the time behavior of wastewater flow parameters, organic matter, biogas flow, biogas composition, and its relations, measured through online sensors, in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operating full-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors, installed in the south of Brazil. WWTP has online measurement devices to evaluate some physicochemical variables of the sewage and the biogas. The COD analyzer (UV– Vis probe), ultrasonic flow meter, biogas flow meter, and biogas composition analyzer were the equipment used. The monitoring occurred for two time periods each of 72 h and one time period for 48 h in the year 2018. Data were checked with descriptive statistics, data independence was checked through the autocorrelation Box– Ljung test, normality behavior was checked with several tests (Shapiro– Wilk, Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Lilliefors, Anderson–Darling, D’Agostino K2, and Chen–Shapiro), and Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlations among the parameters. The mean sewage flow was 345 ± 120 L.s-1; removed organic load was, in average, 48%; biogas quality values were 82.32% ± 3.62% v/v (CH4), 2.66% ± 1.19% v/v (CO2), and 3453 ± 1268 ppm (H2S); and the production per capita obtained was 4.51 ± 1.65 NL.hab-1.d-1. It was estimated an electric power generation of 3118.6 kWh.d-1, which is equivalent to an installed power of 130 KW. The behavior of removed organic load and biogas flow (Nm3.h-1), produced in the treatment plant, showed variable, periodic, and nonstationary time behavior.

Soil-cement blocks: a sustainable alternative for the reuse of industrial solid waste

This study aimed to analyze potential industrial solid waste that can be added to soil-cement blocks. A narrative literature review was conducted in the Scopus academic database, using as the search criteria keywords related to the topic, such as soil-cement, building materials, soil-cement blocks, soil-cement bricks, physical and mechanical properties, solid waste, life cycle analysis, and civil construction. A variety of industrial solid waste that can be incorporated into soil-cement blocks was observed, such as waste rock, sludge from water treatment plants, wood sawdust, polyethylene terephthalate fibers (PET), vegetable fibers from loofah, hemp fibers, rice husks, brachiaria grass, poultry eggshells, sugar cane bagasse, wheat and barley straw, welding slag, foundry sand, waste from quartzite mining, construction, and demolition, mechanical turning, pulp industry grains, and steel mill co-products. Among the investigated wastes, those that improved the physical and mechanical properties of the soil-cement blocks were grains from the cellulose industry, rice husks, Brachiaria grass, steel by-products with granulated soil-cement blocks and blast furnace slag. The waste that produced no satisfactory results was sludge from a water treatment plant, sugarcane bagasse, and vegetable loofah. Through this research, it was possible to verify that the behavior of soil-cement blocks is influenced by several factors in their manufacture, mainly regarding the type and percentage of incorporated waste. However, it is important to be concerned with its application in waste blocks so as not to increase the environmental impacts in the long term.

Sertanejo biodigestor: a social technology, an alternative source of energy

The use of biogas as an alternative to using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking food in the context of family farming is something recent and has ample room for growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the Sertanejo biodigester by farming families as a social technology for cooking gas production, as well as an alternative energy source. It also aimed to identify elements which contribute to disseminating this technology as an alternative to the use of firewood, charcoal and LPG. Quali-quantitative approaches were used following the exploratory method, with interviews and non-probabilistic sampling. A population with 132 units of biodigesters in the Agreste mesoregion of the State of Pernambuco was considered, with 83 interviews being collected. The results indicated that the Sertanejo biodigester social technology provides an increase in the income of farming families, avoids the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking food and produces biofertilizer for crops. They also showed that its non-continuous use or deactivation is related to a lack of raw material and the need for maintenance. Given this scenario, its implementation must consider the availability of a raw material source in the production unit and the potential for biogas production from the existing herd and consumption demand. It is recommended to strengthen arguments of economic and environmental impact for low-income families to disseminate this technology; to encourage the use of biogas associated with other activities in the production system; and to incorporate biodigestor social technology in rural credit financing lines.