3ERL - Papers/ Artigos Científicos
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Browsing 3ERL - Papers/ Artigos Científicos by Author "Abreu, Isabel"
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- Comparative statistical analysis new urban road pavement versus conventional pavement of pervious concretePublication . de Oliveira, Evailton Arantes; Guerreiro, Maria João; Abreu, Isabel; Dinis, Maria Alzira PimentaThis research proposes a variation to pervious concrete pavement, in which a mixture of cement, aggregates and water includes calcium hydroxide additive (Ca(OH)2). This new approach focuses on two main environmental functions: increased permeability of urban soil favoring a decrease of total and peak runoff and resulting reduction of flood occurrence in the cities, and CO2 absorption from the atmosphere, contributing to reduction of the negative impacts caused by the observed increased greenhouse effect in the cities. A series of 40 conventional pervious concrete pavement samples and 30 specimens of the proposed urban pavement were tested in the laboratory for permeability, density, porosity and compression resistance, and monitored for CO2 absorption. Results show that there is an environmental benefit of CO2 sequestration when adding Ca(OH)2 to pervious concrete, but there is also a decrease in its compressive strength and permeability.
- Considerations on the monitoring of water quality in urban streams: a case study in PortugalPublication . Guerreiro, Maria João; Abreu, Isabel; Monteiro, Álvaro; Jesus, Teresa Maria Gonçalves Moreira de; Fonseca, AnaMonitoring water quality in urban stream is of utmost importance for water resources managers, who are pressured to optimize monitoring schemes in order to reduce costs. The present study aims to use the results of a 2-year-long water quality monitoring pro- gram of an urban stream in Portugal to identify improve- ment opportunities. The urban stream under study was subjected to wastewater treatment plants effluent dis- charges, leachates from a major sealed landfill, low- class housing effluents, and nonpoint sources of pollu- tion. Contributing watersheds are mostly artificial sur- faces and agricultural land, which irrigate directly from the river. River water quality was evaluated on 11 sam- pling locations for 24 months from October 2013 to September 2015. The present paper describes statistical analysis of the results obtained for 12 physicochemical parameters in order to optimize the monitoring scheme. Cluster analysis detected a seasonal variation in the water quality and a spatial pattern based on the major point sources of pollution. A factor analysis showed that the parameters that mostly contribute to water quality assessment in this urban river are alkalinity, ammonia, electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Results suggest that the monitoring efforts— and associated costs—may be reduced by decreasing monitoring frequency, sampling points, and monitored parameters. The statistical analysis described in this study may be replicated in other water quality monitor- ing programs, providing useful and important informa- tion for the systematic and iterative assessment of the adequacy of water quality sampling programs towards a sustainable management of water quality surveillance.
- Indoor air quality and sustainability management — case study in three portuguese healthcare unitsPublication . Fonseca, Ana; Abreu, Isabel; Guerreiro, Maria; Abreu, Cristina; Silva, Ricardo; Barros, NelsonAdequate management of indoor air quality (IAQ) in healthcare units has relevant impacts on sustainability performance due to its effects on patient safety, occupational health and safety, and energy consumptions. This study sought to identify improvement opportunities on IAQ management by collecting and analyzing experimental data of selected parameters in three healthcare units in Portugal: Two general hospitals and one primary healthcare center. Indoor air temperature, relative humidity, CO2, bacteria, and fungi concentrations were measured in summer and winter campaigns in June/July 2017 and in January/March 2018. Results show that the exclusive use of natural ventilation is not adequate when the affluence of users is high, but the analyzed parameters revealed acceptable results under low occupation intensity conditions. Results also show that keeping low indoor air relative humidity has a significant impact in reducing fungi concentration and that there is a significant correlation at the 0.05 level between indoor air CO2 concentration and bacterial loads. Therefore, as opportunities to improve sustainability, IAQ management in healthcare facilities should consider natural ventilation as a complement to mechanical ventilation systems and should focus on adequate control of indoor air relative humidity and CO2 concentration to reduce the risk of airborne infections.
- Indoor air quality in healthcare units - a systematic literature review focusing recent researchPublication . Fonseca, Ana; Abreu, Isabel; Guerreiro, Maria João; Barros, NelsonThe adequate assessment and management of indoor air quality in healthcare facilities is of utmost importance for patient safety and occupational health purposes. This study aims to identify the recent trends of research on the topic through a systematic literature review following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology. A total of 171 articles published in the period 2015–2020 were selected and analyzed. Results show that there is a worldwide growing research interest in this subject, dispersed in a wide variety of scientific journals. A textometric analysis using the IRaMuTeQ software revealed four clusters of topics in the sampled articles: physicochemical pollutants, design and management of infrastructures, environmental control measures, and microbiological contamination. The studies focus mainly on hospital facilities, but there is also research interest in primary care centers and dental clinics. The majority of the analyzed articles (85%) report experimental data, with the most frequently measured parameters being related to environmental quality (temperature and relative humidity), microbiological load, CO2 and particulate matter. Non-compliance with the WHO guidelines for indoor air quality is frequently reported. This study provides an overview of the recent literature on this topic, identifying promising lines of research to improve indoor air quality in healthcare facilities.
- Study of the effect of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP’s) discharges on the benthic macroinvertebrate communities’ structure of the River Tinto (Portugal)Publication . Jesus, Teresa Maria Gonçalves Moreira de; Monteiro, Álvaro; Abreu, Isabel; Guerreiro, Maria JoãoThe Water Framework Directive (DQA-2000/60/ EC) establishes, as one of its main objectives, the achievement of good ecological status of water bodies and introduces the concept of "ecological status", which includes the study of a broad set of parameters and factors to determining the health of an ecosystem. This work is part of a project whose main objective is the rehabilitation of a small urban river in the north of Portugal, the Tinto river, that presents a high degree of environmental degradation. This work aims to study the effect of the two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP’s) discharges in the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The study compares results (metrics and indices) obtained from the analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates samples collected in river sections upstream and downstream of the discharges of WWTP’s, between october 2015 and july 2017, and values of hydro-morphological and physico-chemical parameters. Although the benthic macroinvertebrate communities are very conditioned by the bad status of the Tinto river, in the sections downstream of the WWTP's the macroinvrtebrates communities present characteristics that indicate a higher degree of environmental disturbance.