Loading...
112 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 112
- Modeling and mitigation of noise on the A23 motorway using GISPublication . Carvalho, António; Cavaleiro, Victor; Albuquerque, António; Silva, FloraRendering at the European Directive 2002/49/EC, all EU members have to draw up a strategic noise map for all agglomerations with more than 250,000 inhabitants and for all major airports, roads and railways. A study of environmental impact assessment on motorway A23 in the stretch between Castelo Branco–Alcains (Portugal), based in the impact of the environmental noise, allowed the modeling the noise variation, which can be useful for establishing mitigation measures. The results show that noise model can be a useful tool for the monitoring noise impact in surrounding of motorways.
- A influência de edifícios com coberturas verdes na drenagem pluvial de um loteamento urbanoPublication . Silva, Flora; Scalize, Paulo; Albuquerque, António; Geraldes, Ana MariaEste estudo tem como objetivo analisar a influência que o uso de coberturas verdes (CV) em relação ao uso de coberturas convencionais tem no dimensionamento hidráulico de uma rede pública de drenagem de águas pluviais de um loteamento urbano, e o seu contributo para uma drenagem urbana mais sustentável.
- Identificação de áreas suscetíveis a inundações em Pato Branco, BrasilPublication . Dalanhol, Isabel; Silva, Flora; Tabalipa, Ney LyzandroAs inundações urbanas são influenciadas pelos processos de urbanização e resultam em efeitos ambientais, sociais e econômicos importantes. Desta forma, as alterações no uso e ocupação do solo podem trazer impactos positivos ou negativos na ocorrência destes eventos. A utilização de mapas tem sido uma forma de avaliar as expansões urbanas ao longo do tempo e suas influências nas inundações urbanas. No entanto, ainda é necessário explorar a interferência de cenários futuros de uso e ocupação do solo nas inundações urbanas. Esta dinâmica pode servir como amparo para quaisquer ampliações e alterações do perímetro urbano. Neste sentido, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar as áreas suscetíveis a inundações no terço superior da Bacia do Rio Ligeiro, na cidade de Pato Branco, Brasil. Para este fim, o estudo utiliza a integração dos Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG) e do Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) ao considerar um cenário atual e cenários futuros de uso e ocupação do solo. O software SIG utilizado se mostrou eficiente no mapeamento dos cenários futuros de uso e ocupação do solo. Para além disso, os resultados parciais da pesquisa apontam essencialmente para a parte norte da área de estudo como região passível da ocorrência de inundações urbanas. Após a aplicação do AHP, com critérios atribuídos por especialistas, espera-se que seja possível confirmar as zonas de risco de inundação no perímetro urbano, além de verificar a influência do potencial de urbanização sobre estes eventos e auxiliar no planejamento urbano do município.
- Promoting water efficiency in a student residence as a contribution to sustainability: hydroSAAP innovation projectPublication . Silva, Flora; Barros, João; Afonso, Maria João A.P.S.; Oliveira, Gustavo Gabriel Lima de; Fachada, Ivone; Geraldes, Ana MariaIn addition to the constraints on water availability caused by climatic factors, many urban areas face demographic and pollution phenomena that can affect the efficient supply of water to the population. Therefore, it is increasingly important to implement water efficiency measures, such as reducing consumption by installing water-efficient devices (e.g., taps, showers, and flushing cisterns), without neglecting behavioral aspects, and using alternative sources for non-potable uses. Thus, the “HydroSAAP” innovation project was designed and launched in May 2023 to improve the management of water consumption in a student residence of a Higher Education Institution in the northeast of Portugal, while promoting technical and scientific knowledge about rainwater harvesting systems, still little explored in Portugal. The project phases are: (1) installation of a rainwater harvesting system for non-potable uses, such as floor washing and irrigation of green areas, and water-efficient devices; (2) estimation of water consumption per use after installation of the system and devices (by carrying out a survey to the residents and employees), and promotion of technical and scientific knowledge about the system (e.g., evaluation of the quality of the collected rainwater considering the type of roof, local climatic conditions, and storage time in the reservoir) and (3) knowledge transfer to the academic community and other stakeholders: (i) disseminate the system and devices installed and the knowledge obtained in phase 2; (ii) raise awareness of the importance of the project in water management and (iii) organize seminars, lectures and school visits to the building, as well as activities in collaboration with civil society institutions such as the Ciência Viva Centre. The results of this project include the completion of phase 1 in July, with the installation of the system, seven showers and a kitchen tap with a class A water efficiency rating and certified by a national organization. Phases 2 and 3 are underway. In phase 2, the quality of the rainwater collected by the system has been analyzed since September. The survey about “Water consumption habits in the student residence” was approved by the Institution's Ethics Committee at the end of November and will be addressed to the residents and employees. In phase 3, the project has already been combined with educational practice, having been disseminated to the academic community through the organization of the seminar “Sustainability in the use of water: Importance, techniques and challenges”, which took place in November at the Institution, with the participation of experts in the field of sustainable water use and reuse, mostly involving students from Civil and Environmental Engineering and local stakeholders. It is important to note that the involvement of the students and stakeholders in this project will help to disseminate the obtained knowledge and could be the starting point for further promoting education for sustainable water use. It is also intended to replicate this project for other types of buildings and other non-potable uses, and to extend it to the industrial and agricultural sectors. As the activities of this project will be extended beyond the funding period (planned until December 2023), it is hoped that it will make an overall contribution to promoting sustainable water management in urban areas.
- Removal of Cr, Cu and Zn from liquid effluents using the fine component of granitic residual soilsPublication . Silva, Flora; Albuquerque, António; Cavaleiro, Victor; Scalize, PauloThe practice of reuse of treated wastewater (TWW) is seen as a strategy for water conservation in regions where water scarcity is a natural reality and in those where population growth and/or climate change foresee this scarcity. In situations of lower water scarcity, reuse is practiced by imperatives of environmental protection of the receiving media, reducing the discharge of effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The artificial recharge of aquifers (RAQ) with TWW is a very common practice at the international level, but little considered in Portugal. However, residual waste from TWW (e.g. heavy metals), when deposited in soil or water, can cause significant environmental impacts on its uses, and cause serious health problems in several animal species due to their bioaccumulation in food chains. The present study intends to show that the granitic residual soils of the Quinta de Goncalo Martins (Guarda), in the Beira Interior region of Portugal, present physical-chemical and mineralogical characteristics favorable to the infiltration of TWW into RAQ. The results of the batch sorption tests indicate that the soil has a reactive capacity to remove the Cu and Zn residual load at TWW at high efficiencies by adsorption and ion exchange mechanisms. The pseudo-first order model explained the reaction kinetics for the three heavy metals removal and when the sorption equilibrium state was reached, the removal of these metals was explained by the Freundlich isotherm.
- Towards Sustainable Water Use in Two University Student Residences: A Case StudyPublication . Geraldes, Ana Maria; Ohara, Gabriel; Afonso, Maria João A.P.S.; Albuquerque, António; Silva, FloraThis research is focused on the water usage patterns in two student residences—one for male students (Residence I) and the other for female students (Residence II). Surveys and measurements of flushing cisterns, taps, and shower flows were conducted to understand water use behaviors. Scenario 1 proposed replacing washbasin and kitchen taps and installing flow reducers in showers, while Scenario 2 combined Scenario 1 with a rainwater harvesting system for recharging flush cisterns. Showers were found to be the most water-consuming devices, accounting for 46% and 61.41% of water consumption in Residences I and II, respectively, followed by kitchen taps (31.51% in Residence I and 11.52% in Residence II). The flushing cistern consumption was 7.02% in Residence I and 13.22% in Residence II. The implementation of Scenario 1 anticipates a 13% reduction in total water consumption in Residence I and a 10% reduction in Residence II. The reduction in hot water consumption would result in a decrease in annual electricity consumption by 27.8% and 23.06% in Residence I and II, respectively. With the implementation of Scenario 2, the total potential water savings for Residence I could increase to 19.98%, and for Residence II, it could rise to 23.17%. The proposed measures aim to enhance water sustainability in these buildings and can be replicated elsewhere.
- Contributions to the learning in Linear Algebra: an experience with the MathE platformPublication . Barros, Paula Maria; Silva, Flora; Cordeiro, EditeThe current pandemic context has highlighted the importance of looking for technological alternatives that contribute to students having more autonomy in their learning. As the teaching of mathematics in higher education must also accompany this reality, we believe that the use of the MathE platform can be an asset in the teaching and learning process of this area, both in the classroom or online environment and self-study. The MathE platform (https://mathe.pixel-online.org) emerged as the product of a project, funded by the European Commission through the Portuguese National Agency for the Erasmus + Programme, whose main objective is to help students in higher education to improve your math skills and knowledge. In this sense, with the support of a community of teachers from various European institutions, it intends to make a set of resources free of charge for the academic communities, such as, videos/documents on specific topics or on solving tasks, sets of questions of multiple choice, for self-assessment by students or for teachers to take assessment tests. Currently the platform encompasses 15 domains of mathematics, some of which with subtopics. For example, the topic Linear Algebra involves, among others, the subtopics Vector Spaces and Linear Transformations. It was precisely the resource “Self Need Assessment”, available in these subthemes, that served as the basis for a study in which it was intended to listen to the students' opinion about the potential of this platform functionality for their learning. In summary, 84 students who attended the course unit of Linear Algebra and Analytical Geometry, as part of the 1st year of a bachelor in engineering or technology in Portuguese higher education, solved some tasks of self-assessment on Vector Spaces and Linear Transformations. They also answered a questionnaire in which they expressed their opinion on the platform, with emphasis on the self-assessment component. Thus, we intend to present the MathE platform and, based on the perceptions/opinions of students and teachers involved in the experiments carried out, analyse its potential for the promoting the teaching of linear algebra.
- Learning exchange: a collaborative work between course unitsPublication . Silva, Flora; Ribeiro, J.E.; Barros, Paula MariaThe joint reflection between teachers from different areas, and with different backgrounds, on the strategies to be implemented in some course units (UCs), with the aim of building a scenario that fosters learning and, in parallel, allows the development of transversal skills, led to the idealization of a teaching proposal in which, in addition to valuing learning in a real work context, it was intended to promote the exchange of knowledge acquired by the students from different course units. The proposal in question involved the UCs of Mechanical Technology I and Manufacturing Processes I, of the 2nd year of the bachelor in Mechanical Engineering and in Technology and Industrial Management, respectively, and the course unit of Safety and Environment of the 1th year of the Higher Professional Technical Course (CTeSP) in Mechanical Technology and Vehicles. The UCs for Mechanical Technology I and Manufacturing Processes I, are taught together, being the fundamental contents foundry manufacturing processes and plastic metal forming processes. The Safety and Environment UC covers the contents: legislation, prevention management, assessment and control of occupational risks, hygiene and safety at work and environmental management. Summing up, in addition to two study visits to companies in the field of metallomechanics, there was an exchange of knowledge between students. In this context, undergraduate students were given the role of conducting communication sessions that would clarify some of the mechanical processes observed in companies. Similarly, CTeSP students were tasked with sharing about the hazards and risks inherent in the real work context in the visited companies and the respective awareness of the means of protection to be used. The analysis and evaluation of the experience carried out was based on the observations of the teachers of the classes, as participating observers, in the productions developed by the students, in the intermediate questionnaires that were carried out after the visits, more directed to the expectations and learning carried out and, in a final questionnaire, in which students were asked for their opinion on various aspects related to the developed experience. In this sense, in addition to describing the project carried out, it is intended to focus on some of the opinions/perceptions of teachers and students involved about the contribution of the experience to the promotion of learning.
- Becoming acquainted with green roofs contribution towards circular and resilient citiesPublication . Geraldes, Ana Maria; Calheiros, Cristina; Silva, FloraCities, due to their high population density, are characterized by a high built-up area, extensive soil sealing, and low vegetation cover. In urban areas water is generally exploited in a linear process: "extract from adjacent freshwater ecosystems - use - dispose". Stormwater management aims to discharge rainwater quickly to avoid flooding. However, when rainfall exceeds the capacity of drainage systems, widespread flooding eventually occurs in urban spaces. On the other hand, when dry weather persists, there is a need to watering green spaces in order to maintain them. In this case, water is again used in a linear fashion: drinking water is often used since there are no other water sources that can be considered (1). The impossibility of circular water management in urban areas makes these spaces particularly vulnerable to extreme droughts and floods, which in a climate change scenario are increasingly frequent. It is therefore urgent to increase the resilience of cities by promoting measures to make cities "Water Wise Cities" (2). The implementation of green infrastructures as a complement to grey infrastructures is crucial to achieve this goal. These green infrastructures include Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) that provide various environmental services (e.g. water, soil, and biodiversity conservation, making cities more resilient to climate change) and socio-economic services (e.g. creating places to live, jobs, property valuation). Green roofs are an example of NBS that can be used in conjunction with other tools aimed at promoting the circular economy of water in urban spaces. These structures are built based on technical and scientific guidelines and result from planting vegetation on a substrate followed by several layers of other materials that sit on a built structure (3). Green roofs can be constructed at ground level or on top of buildings and are efficient solutions to mitigate flooding as they delay the peak flow of stormwater, releasing the water gradually (sponge effect) and avoiding overloading the stormwater drainage system. Part of this water infiltrates and is retained in the substrates, being released during dry periods by evapotranspiration (4). In addition to being important tools for circular urban water management, these structures also offer potential benefits in terms of aesthetic value, biodiversity conservation, noise, air pollution, and "heat island" effect reduction, ultimately promoting energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2, and other greenhouse gas emissions. However, although the widespread implementation of green infrastructure in urban spaces is foreseen in European (e.g. European Green Deal) and global (e.g. Sustainable Development Goals - United Nations Agenda 2030) policies and strategies, there are still difficulties for large-scale implementation. These difficulties are in part due to the fact that the concept of green infrastructure is relatively new and complex, nor sufficient quantitative analysis and indicators. As a result, it is very difficult for policy makers to integrate it into various policies. On the other hand, there is still a widespread lack of knowledge by the public and private sectors, as well as the general public, of the high potential contribution of this natural engineering tool for water and energy management in urban areas, which, together with the need for the intervention of professionals from different disciplines, hinders a greater implementation of these infrastructures in urban areas. Therefore, the aims of the present communication are: 1) Presenting the project "Exploring the functioning and functions of green roofs in water management: A prototype for experimental and interactive activities", winner of the 1st prize in the environment category of the ideas contest “Ideias Hidrodinâmic@s” promoted by Ciência Viva, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and Águas do Tejo Atlântico, that will be implemented in IPB; 2) Discussing the state of the art of green roofs in Portugal; 3) Introducing some approaches on green roofs that are being developed by the team, namely in Master’s degree theses.
- Interaction between course units: an experience in higher educationPublication . Silva, Flora; Barros, Paula Maria; Ribeiro, J.E.Given the specificity of the Higher Professional Technical Courses (CTeSP) of Portuguese Polytechnic Institutes, it is important that in the course units related to these courses is promoted, whenever possible, a more contextualized learning environment, less theoretical and more connected to practice. In order to respond to this approach, in the Safety and Environment course unit, integrated in the CTeSP in Mechanical Technology and Vehicles, was followed a methodology that involved the interconnection of this course unit with the one of Automotive Materials Processing I of the same course. It should be noted that, in recent years, it is common for students to carry out a practical group work in the area of Safety and hygiene at work, where they analyse, in a real context, the hazards and risks associated with working with machine tools of the Mechanical Technology laboratory of the institution where they attend the course. As in the 2nd semester, students still attend the Automotive Materials Processing I course unit, where they produce a metal piece using industrial machines, also in the same laboratory, it was considered relevant to take advantage of the work they were developing in that course unit and make a connection with the Safety work. In this sense, in the 2020/2021 school year, it was proposed that students identify hazards and risks associated with the production of the metal piece they were developing, as well as establish preventive and control measures associated with its production (engineering, collective protection and safety signs measures; personal protective equipment; work organization and administrative control; training and information). From the analysis performed, the students created a PowerPoint® presentation to show their productions and present their conclusions to the class. In general, students easily adhered to the proposed task, having committed themselves to its implementation, which was visible in the final assessment, since all those who participated in the work were approved in the course unit. In the students opinion, the connection between the two course units, motivated them more to carry out the group work, facilitated their learning and helped them to better understand the application of Safety concepts to the practice of mechanics (79.2%, 75% and 83.3% agree or totally agree, respectively). Carrying out the group work, allowed them to know their difficulties, overcome some of them and improve their arguments (79.2%, 83.3% and 95.8% agree or totally agree, respectively). It is considered that the learning resulting from this contextualized work can be useful, in order to promote a greater exchange between course units, and a greater awareness for the application of the course contents in a real context. The experience carried out can be easily replicated to other CTeSP, and can significantly contribute as a learning factor for the internship that integrates the study plan of these courses.