EARTH SCIENCE AND SPACE, 4

Author: ÁLVAREZ TABOADA MARÍA FLOR.
Year: 2005.
University: VIGO.
Place of defense: ESCOLA UNIVERSITARIA DE ENXEÑERIA TÉCNICA FORESTAL.
Place of preparation: EUIT FORESTAL - UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO.

Summary: The eucalyptus trees covering an area of about 500000 ha in Spain, which represents 25% of the short wooden annual Spain. As for the extension and occupied its utility for the production of pulp, the most important species in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. The area most representative of the plantation Eucalyptus globulus is Galicia in Spain (NO Spain), in terms of area covered and production, with 178000 ha of pure masses. However, since 1991 this high productivity of plantations Eucalyptus globulus in Galicia has been threatened by the attacks have affected almost all plantations in the past 15 years. Despite the adversity of this attack, the damage caused by this defoliador not kill the tree, but cut its growth. The tracking systems employed damage so far in Galicia are based on inventories field requiring the allocation of large amounts of financial and human resources. The data collected will be characterized by the determination of the extent of defoliation is subjective and depends on the observer, and there is also a lack of accuracy in space and immediacy of their making. This investigaicón developed a prototype Monitoring System of the State Sanitary of Eucaliptales (EHMS) efficient, objective and accurate for the masses of Eucalyptus globulus Galicia where the attack Gonipeterus scutellatus affect their health status and their productivity, using techniques teledetecicón and GIS to improve forest management and planning. This goal was reached after 1-Establish a conceptual framework for a Monitoring System of the State Health masses Eucalyptus globulus in Galicia, so as to identify the results (outputs), data line (inputs) and processes required. 2-Cartografiar masses Eucalyptus globulus using satellite images to get updated information. 3-To detect and map the masses of Eucalyptus globulus damaged by employing techniques of remote sensing and GIS data available. This study has shown that the combined use of growth models of the process, remote sensing data and allows GSI monitored eucaliptales Galicia in a manner accessible from the economic point of view. For cartografíar masses Eucalyptus globulus of Galicia have been used satellite images of middle and high spatial resolution, classifiers object-oriented and based on pixel classifiers, and classifiers soft and hard. It has been shown that one can obtain mapping updated, accurate and appropriate eucalyptus plantations in Galicia from Landsat images-5 TM, a classification using object oriented (parameters scale of 1 min for the segmentation), reaching an accuracy the producer of 95.56% and an error of commission of 27.22%. The results were better than with images of tin spatial resolution (IKONOS) by taking into account criteria of cost, processing cost and profitability. The implementation of EHMS depends on the availability of weather data, soil and forest, as well as the validation of several relationships between radiometric information and parameters for eucalyptus forest in Galicia. However, despite the lack of such data on EHMS can be applied because the development of mapping the eucaliptales only requires the use of an image Landsat-5 TM and damage detection can be performed using a discriminant function whose variable predictive information spectral imaging 8 Landsat 594 -5 TM (band 2), the digital terrain model of the study area (diffuse radiation) and a variable forest (number of feet per hectare). The use of this model has identified discriminating masses damaged Eucalyptus globulus (defliación greater than 25%) with an accuracy of real positive 72.31% and an accuracy of 95.92% of the user. The success of the prototype EHMS for masses of Eucalyptus globulus depends on the combined use of GIS data and satellite imagery appropriate. All data must meet the quality requirements, and follow a standard metadata / descent, and in doing so determine their adequacy and limitations paralos analysis proposed. It also recommends the use of standards developed by the Open GeoSpatial Consortium Inc.. (OGC), so that the forestry administration, the forest industry and forest managers can benefit from those resulting from EHMS in an open environment, maximizing the value of investments in GIS and data.

Author: MANGANO STEFANIA.
Year: 2005.
University: GIRONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE LETRAS.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.

Summary: Summary thesis Docoral Stefania Mangano TOURISM IN PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS Analysis objects tourism consumption and the behavior of tourists in the parks Ligurian The objective of this paper is to analyze the phenomenon of tourism in three protected natural areas: the Natural Park Regional Aveto, the Regional Natural Park of Beigua and the Regional Natural Park of Portofino, located on the outskirts of the city of Genoa, capital of the Italian region of Liguria. The three areas are of great interest, among other reasons, for the conflict situation of a heavily populated coastline (where it is concentrated 80% of the region's population) and saturated resorts and an interior, which despite having a natural heritage and sociocultural, is characterized as being almost totally depopulated and little known and exploited tourist. That is why the takeoff of the major tourist areas protected ligures, located mostly in the interior, depends on the implementation of policies designed to redirect the flow of visitors from the coast into the interior. The thesis is divided into three sequential levels climb. Over the first part has tried to follow an argument, in an integrated manner and parallel on the concepts of tourism and protected natural areas and their evolution with the aim of developing a theory on the nature tourism and ecotourism. In the second part, the attention goes to a study of the region of Liguria in terms of the evolution and development of tourism and parallel phenomenon of the local system of protected natural areas. Finally in the third part is an analysis of the objects of tourism consumption and the behavior of the demand for parks mentioned both in quantitative and qualitative terms. This is intended to define not only the profile of the visitor normal environment and their behavior, but also the potential real and hypothetical aimed at takeoff of tourism development in protected areas of Liguria.

Author: ZAPICO MARTIN ANDRES.
Year: 2005.
University: OVIEDO.
Place of defense: ESCUELA TÉCNICA SUPERIOR DE MINAS.
Place of preparation: UNVIERSIDAD DE OVIEDO.

Summary: This work is the result of research into the impact of the shotcrete additives wet. It has been considered shotcrete support and coating. The parameters studied were: * * Simple Compressive strength Modulus of Elasticity * Energy consumption * Specific gravity * * Permeability cone Abrams

Author: GONZALEZ PIQUERAS JOSE.
Year: 2006.
University: VALENCIA.
Place of defense: FACULTAT DE FISICA.
Place of preparation: FACULTAT DE FISICA.

Summary: ON THE MONITORING OF THE NEEDS HIDRICAS OF THE COVERS ARE USED IN PLANT, PRACTICALLY, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, THE METHODOLOGY Kc-ET0 (KNOWN AS METODLOGIA IN TWO STEPS), Kc WHERE IS THE COEFFICIENT OF GROWING AND ET0 THE EVAPOTRANSPIRACION REFERENCE. PERSPECTIVE FROM THE CAPITAL, THE DETERMINATION FROM SATELLITE COEFFICIENT GROWING ALLOWED TO MAKE Kc ESTIMATES OF EVAPOTRANSPIRACION AND CONTINUES, THEREFORE, PREVISION ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS HIDRICAS OF COVER CROP. DETERMINING THE TELEDETECCION ALLOWED ON LARGE AREAS SUCH COEFFICIENT. BEARING IN MIND THESE PRECEDENTS, THIS IS A CONTINUING THESIS OF PREVIOUS WORK AT THE BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF COEFFICIENT GROWING WITH THE INDICES OF VEGETATION. ARE RAISED IN THIS CONTEXT THE ESTIMATION OF THE EVAPOTRANSPIRACION ON THE COVER (EVAPORACION SOIL AND TRANSPIRACION OF VEGETATION) FROM THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE INDICES ESPECTRALES AND GROWING COEFFICIENT. THIS LINE COMES IMPULSADA BY THE EXPRESS THE NEED FOR USERS (ADVISORY SERVICES OF RISKS, MODELS HIDROLOGICOS, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, ...) A TOOL OF CAPITAL OF THESE FEATURES. GENERAL LABOR THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THE METHODOLOGY AND ANALYZE THAT ALLOWED TO OBTAIN THE COEFFICIENT GROWING FROM THE RESPONSE FROM THE COVER ESPECTRAL PLANT USING INDICES OF VEGETATION AND ESTIMATING WELL THERE EVAPOTRANSPIRACION.

Author: ZORNOZA BELMONTE RAUL.
Year: 2006.
University: MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ DE ELCHE.
Place of defense: AGROQUMICA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE.
Place of preparation: AGROQUIMICA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE.

Summary: The main aim of the thesis is to develop methodologies for assessing the environmental quality of soil in the province of Alicante. They have sought different tools and indicators able to reflect the inherent capacity to the soil to work properly, in their natural state. Moreover, these indicators should be able to reflect the loss of soil quality. It has established an index of environmental quality for soil in the province of Alicante. This index should be established with high-quality soils act as a reference, based on various indicators of physical, chemical and biochemical that englobaran the main functions of the soil. This index has been based on establishing a model that represents the relationships between the different soil properties in natural soil undisturbed, because in undisturbed soil there must be a balance between many of its properties. The purpose of this index is to detect soil degradation and the degree of recovery of degraded soils. As a result, following the establishment of the index has made a subsequent validation with natural undisturbed soil to verify that they are in the balance represented by the model. There have also been employed soil altered by agricultural practices and forest fires to verify if the index was able to reflect changes in the balance of nature, and thus loss of environmental quality. Since biochemical indicators are used for the establishment of environmental quality index, an experiment was conducted to evaluate what was the best way to conserve samples to analyze these parameters in soils Alicante. The biochemical indicators have been identified in samples traditionally maintained 4Â ° C or -20Â ° C, due to the high sensitivity of these indicators. However, in a semi-arid environment such as exists in the province of Alicante, which hipotetizamos drying air with a possible rehumedecimiento of samples might be appropriate for these determinations. Due to the high sensitivity of the biological indicators of soil quality, a study has been made of the structure of the soil microbial communities through the technique of extraction of fatty acids fosfolipídicos of membranes. The objective of this study was to determine what changes occur in the structure of the microbial community as a result of agricultural use and subsequent abandonment within forest Alicante. Finally, it has been used a tool with great potential in the evaluation of soil quality is the near-infrared spectroscopy. Soil samples show a characteristic spectrum in the area of near infrared that provides information on the organic components of the soil and other variables are highly dependent on them. In this regard has been evaluated whether this technique can be used to estimate levels of the various indicators used in the evaluation of the soil. In addition, to determine whether the samples can be altered from the wild simply discriminated against on the basis of their spectrum in the near infrared, so that this technique may assist in the monitoring of the evolution of degraded soils. Our results support the use of soil samples drying air for the assessment of soil quality. Specifically, it could use samples of soil drying air for the determination of carbon microbial biomass and soil respiration baseline samples taken in the summer. In addition, for the enzymatic activities B-glucosidasa, acid phosphatase and urease could be utili 8 czar mues e1b behind dry soil at any time of year. However, it would be inappropriate to use soil samples dry storage at room temperature for more than 6 months, since it can produce changes in the values of some of the properties studied. Using multiple linear regression, are two models that could be used in assessing the quality of land from forest soils Alicante acting as a reference. These models show, for undisturbed forest soils, a balance between organic carbon and a group of varying physical, chemical and biochemical. By contrast, soils that have suffered any alteration / degradation show deviations in the balance defined by both models. With regard to the study of soil microbial communities, we have verified that land use affects the structure of the microbial community, which is reflected in the pattern obtained with the fatty acids fosfolipídicos. The different content in soil organic matter is responsible for the different microbial community structure in the forest soil with respect to agricultural soils and agriculture abandoned. With regard to the different groups of organisms, in forest soils, there is greater relative abundance of actinomycetes and less of Gram negative bacteria. The agricultural soils have a higher relative abundance of bacteria due to plowing and fertilizing. The cessation of plowing and fertilizing the soil, coupled with the colonization by the surrounding vegetation, have induced increases in microbial biomass and wealth and changes in the structure of the microbial community in agricultural soils abandoned. The main effect has been an increase in the ratio fungi / bacteria. Moreover, it has verified the high capacity by reflectance spectroscopy in the near-infrared to estimate a number of physical, chemical and biochemical. Variables that were models that can be used for estimation were organic carbon, nitrogen Kjeldahl, humidity, cation exchange capacity, carbon soluble, field capacity, the equivalent calcium, magnesium assimilable, carbon microbial biomass, acid phosphatase activity, activity B-glucosidasa, urease activity, the basal soil respiration, microbial and groups with biomarkers obtained from the fatty acids fosfolipídicos, bacteria, Gram positive bacteria, fungi mycorrhized vesículo-arbusculares and actinomycetes. The benefit of this technique are its accuracy, speed, as it requires minimal sample preparation, and is also clean and not destructive. The spectra in the near infrared, to integrate a lot of information, seem to be more sensitive to changes induced by land use certain soil properties.

Author: Guanter Palomar Luis.
Year: 2006.
University: VALENCIA.
Place of defense: Facultad de Física.
Place of preparation: Facultad de Fisica.

Summary: An algorithm for the derivation of atmospheric and surface biophysical products from the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer Instrument (MERIS) on board ENVIronmental SATellite (ENVISAT/MERIS) Level 1b data over land has been developed. Georectified aerosol optical thickness (AOT), columnar water vapor (CWV), spectral surface reflectance and chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) maps are generated. Emphasis has been put on implementing a robust software able to provide those products on an operational manner, making no use of ancillary parameters apart from those attached to MERIS images. For this reason, it has been named Self-Contained Atmospheric Parameters Estimation from MERIS data (SCAPE-M). The fundamentals of the algorithm and the validation of the derived products are presented in this thesis. Errors of ±0.03, ±4% and ±8% have been estimated for AOT, CWV and surface reflectance retrievals, respectively, by means of a sensitivity analysis. More than 200 MERIS images have been processed in order to assess the method performance under a range of atmospheric and geographical conditions. A good comparison is found between SCAPE-M AOT retrievals and ground-based measurements taken during the SPectra bARrax Campaigns (SPARC) 2003 and 2004, except for a date when an episode of Saharan dust intrusion was detected. Comparison of SCAPE-M retrievals with data from AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) stations showed a square Pearson's correlation coefficient R2 of about 0.7-0.8. Those values grow up to more than 0.9 in the case of CWV after comparison with the same stations. A good correlation is also found with the ESA Level 2 official CWV product, although slight different performances with varying surface elevation are detected. Retrieved surface reflectance maps have been intercompared with reflectance data derived from MERIS images by the Bremen AErosol Retrieval (BAER) method in the first place. A good correlation in the red and near-infrared bands was found, although a considerably higher proportion of processed pixels was provided by SCAPE-M. The comparison with reflectance maps derived from the Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) on board the Project for On-Board Autonomy (PROBA), in turn validated with ground-based reflectance measurements, was also achieved. The estimation of CF from MERIS data has been presented in the last place. Comparison with other vegetation products and finer spatial resolution Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) -derived CF maps suggest CF to be a promising tool in the monitoring of the vegetation status from space.

Author: CORRALIZA NIETO RAÚL.
Year: 2006.
University: COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS FÍSICAS.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS FÍSICAS.

Summary: The objective of this PhD thesis consists in the design of a methodology for modeling records geo-radar efficient in terms of computing power and time. This methodology is comprehensive, in that it includes both the diffraction effect of the presence of multiple reflections, as well as side effects in three-dimensional problems. For the development of this methodology employs a novel technique of hybrid Fourier filtering and ray tracing, implemented algorithms for solving numerical Problem Inverted in two and three dimensions, proponíendose a methodology for the proper processing of field data. For the development of these algorithms are looking to link the profile should be measured on the surface, the distribution of reflectivity in the subsurface, through the application of a filter in the frequency domain. Given the need to interpolate and Fourier transform spectra, it is exploring ways to make it appropriate, to develop the technique for the interpolation in the spectrum by widespread Theorem Shannon. This is a very technical computationally expensive, so after an exhaustive study is chosen as an alternative interpolation by cubic splines. Given the characteristics of the technique used, the deification appears in a natural way. The multiple reflections are obtained in the Problem Direct by introducing pre-filtration in the frequency domain, a collection of fictitious reflectors associated with each reflection múltipole, which are determined through a process analogous to ray tracing. These algorithms are implemented in MATLAB programming language, and are designed to be ensambados easily into a more complete modeling and analysis radiograms. In applying algorithms to synthetic data and field data shows how, but are not suitable for extraction of quantitative conclusions when it comes to amplitudes and phases, they are to perform quantitative analysis when it comes the geometry of the signs and travel times double in the Problem Direct, and in the depths Problem Inverso. In all cases the times are sufficiently short computation as to be operationally efficient methodology on a PC or laptop workstations.

Author: FONT PIQUERAS ORIOL.
Year: 2006.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA.
Place of defense: Institut Jaume Almera. CSIC.
Place of preparation: EPSEM, EDIFICI MN1 --- MN.

Summary: The integration of gasification technology in combined cycles (IGCC) allows a clean use of coal with high energy efficiency and low emissions levels of pollutants. Due to the relatively new development of the IGCC technology, the implementation at an industrial scale of IGCC power plants is still scarce and consequently, there are few studies on characterisation of coal gasification by-products, as well as on the behaviour of trace elements during gasification, when compared to that of Pulverised Coal Combustion (PCC). Furthermore, most studies to date have been carried out in gasification pilot plants or are based on thermodynamic approaches. The implementation of the IGCC technology at an industrial scale is expected to expand in forthcoming years and consequently large volumes of coal gasification by-products will be produced. Therefore it is necessary to expand the state of knowledge on a number of coal gasification aspects, such as on the behaviour and fate of elements during coal gasification, and on the characterisation of IGCC byproducts. A better understanding of these parameters will permit the valuation of coal gasification by-products in the view of their potential applications. The 335 MW (ISO) Puertollano IGCC plant is one of the largest gasification plants in the world operating at an industrial scale. In this plant a 50:50 coal/petcoke blend (rich in a number of trace elements), is gasified with 2-4 % of limestone (as a fluxing agent), in a pressurised entrained flow gasifier, at 1600 oC and 25 bars. The use of a coal rich in a number of metals in trace elemnts (a high volatile bituminous coal) and a petcoke(rich in S, V and Ni) as well as the high slag/fly ash ratio (90:10) of this plant may cause an enrichment of some valuable elements in IGCC fly ash, and consequently research on the potential application of the fly ash as a source of valuable metals is relevant in view of their potential applications. In view of this, the main objective of this thesis focused on the evaluation of Puertollano IGCC fly ash for the development of potentially feasible extraction and recovery processes for valuable elements from this fly ash. Investigations initially focused on the chemical, physical and mineralogical characterisation (including speciation of trace elements) of the fly ash from Puertollano IGCC plant, as well as on the partitioning of elements, in view to the design a potential extraction strategy for selected valuable elements. The research was then conducted towards the study of the feasibility of the extraction process for Ge, Ga, V and Si. The promising result son the extraction of Ge, Ga and Si conducted research towars the development of recovery processes (enrichment and precipitation methods) for these elements. The recovery processes for Ge and Ga allowed the production of up to 93 % purity for GeO2 end-product and concentrations of 8 % for Ga end-product. Although further purification of the Ge and Ga-end products obtained would be mandatory for obtaining the high grade of purity requested for the current industrial uses of these elements, the purity obtained for GeO2 and Ga is much higher than Ge and Ga-end products obtained by current industrial Ge and Ga recovery processes. Regarding SiO2, the feasibility of the beneficiation was investigated for the synthesis of zeolites. High purity zeolitic products (80 % of A-zeolite with high cation exchange capacity, CEC) were synthesised with the SiO2 extracts. Furthermore, relatively high purity NaP1 (54 %) and X zeolitic (70 %) products were synthesised by direct conversion and alkaline fusion methods directly from the IGCC fly ash, respectively. Despite the relatively high purity of the zeolitic products obtained the high metal content of the Puertollano IGCC fly ash results in relatively high leachable levels of some envir 8 onmental 2fd relevant elements from these zeolites. Nevertheless, the zeolitic products may be still used for other applications.

Author: LERTXUNDI MANTEROLA AITANA.
Year: 2006.
University: GIRONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS ECONÓMICAS Y EMPRESARIALES.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.

Summary: Statistical Methods space to assess the influence of environmental factors on the incidence and mortality from cancer objectives of the thesis are: 1 .- To study the relationship between the incidence and mortality from cancer and environmental factors, including air pollution control by socioeconomic factors. 2 .- Use those spatial statistical methods appropriate for each type of design. 3 .- To distinguish models in the different sources of extra-variabilidad space. 4 .- Controlling the problem of excess zeros inherent in some of neoplasms of environmental interest. The conclusions of the thesis are:-Both the incidence and mortality from cancer, had two sources of extravariación. The extravariaicón space, which neighboring units tend to present reasons incidence / mortality similar, and not spatial heterogeneity. In general the extravariabilidad space has proved to be much larger than the non-space. - To soften the RIE / EMR for a variable percentage of zeros higher al40-50% should be used a model that captures this behavior. The best model in terms of adjustment to reflect an excess of zeros in the variables of interest has proved to be the mixed model of relative risk. The RIE / EMR smoothed present a clear geographical pattern only in certain malignancies of environmental interest. - Part of the variability in the remaining RIE / EMR smoothed could be explained by the introduction of explanatory variables, including air pollution and socio-economic variables. - As air pollutants were observed in a design and geostatistical neoplasms interest mediambiental were in a rack design is modelizó surface exposure. - The effect of the contaminant in each municipality / section census approached by introducing the model in the average value for each area and variability intra-área. - The effect of the contaminant was considered random, in the sense that they could be different in each area. - The socio-economic conditions were another of the variables that reduced variability remaining in the RIE / EMR smoothed. The explanatory variables observed with a design grid, as the index of deprivation, were entered into the model as a fixed effect. - The effect of deprivation on the incidence and / or death from cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung, controlling for air pollutants, was higher in women than in men. - High concentrations of air pollutants increase the risk of malignancies of environmental interest, controlling for socioeconomic conditions.

Author: MUÑOZ FLORES JUAN CARLOS.
Year: 2006.
University: GIRONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE LETRAS.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE LETRAS.

Summary: The thesis is part of the relationship between ENP (hereinafter ENP), tourism and sustainable development. And it comes from the perspective of the planning of tourism practices, a fairly new in our country and that is full today. The primary objectives of the research are as follows: To determine, in general terms and in terms of sustainability, the role of tourism in the ENP Spaniards. Studying in detail two instruments planning of tourism in protected areas in Spain: the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in protected areas and plans for Sustainable Development Andalusian derived from the Act 2 / 1989. To assess the scope of these instruments in two specific areas: the Natural Park of the Volcanic Zone of the Garrotxa (Girona) and the Cabo de Gata Natural Park (Almeria). The document is divided into eleven chapters. The first is purely introductory (targets of the investigation, working methodology and sources used, the starting points of the thesis, a working hypothesis, abstract content and acknowledgments). Chapters second to sixth form the theoretical framework. The second presents the history of the thesis. The third is dedicated to the sustainability (definition of the concept of sustainable development, environmental description of the context in recent decades, review of key documents and international events, description of certain tools, such as calendars 21 local or sustainable development strategies). The fourth is dedicated to sustainable tourism (development of the tourism phenomenon in Spain, scene of tourism in the world, and major milestones definition of sustainable tourism). The fifth chapter looks at the ENP in Spain (legal, historical, networks and ENP figures protection), while the sixth related tourism and nature in Spain (typologies of visitors, activities and role of tourism management the ENP). The seventh chapter discusses in detail the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in protected areas, and includes a case study: the Natural Park of the Volcanic Zone of the Garrotxa (Girona). The eighth chapter examines in detail the plans for Sustainable Development Andalusian derived from the Act 2 / 1989, another success story: the Cabo de Gata Natural Park (Almeria). Both chapters include some specific conclusions for the instrument and studied the case study. The ninth chapter, in turn, includes the conclusions of the thesis. There are three levels: general (tourism and sustainability in Spanish ENP), including (vs. CETS. PDS) and final considerations. The tenth chapter is devoted to the literature, while the eleventh collected several documents of interest, in an annex.

Author: ROS SANS ANNA.
Year: 2006.
University: GIRONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.

Summary: ABSTRACT increase in the amount of sludge and the difficulties inherent in implementing agricultural and / or disposal in landfills, we need to find new alternatives for management. At the European level, today the trend toward applying heat treatment (incineration, pyrolysis and gasification) that allow an assessment of energy sludge, while generating a solid waste that is still a need to manage. The environmental problem caused by (bad) smell is hard to deal with in a generic way, taking into consideration the nature of the smell and its possible causes. Odors in WWTPs are basically caused by the degradation of organic matter in anaerobic conditions and appear in all operations unit at different levels of concentration. This thesis impact on both aspects, aims to investigate the recovery of precursor materials as sludge adsorbents / catalysts for the removal of odors in the environment for WWTPs, maximizing the reuse of sludge. For the realization of the experiments have been selected sludge from three WWTPs in the region of Girona (SC, SB, SL), which differ in their treatment of the sludge. Both samples have been characterized in order to identify significant variances in the sludge of departure. The characterization parameters include the analysis of chemical composition (elemental analysis and immediate determination ash content, pH measurement, X-ray diffraction infrared spectroscopy) analysis of surface (surface area and pore distribution). First sludge characterized have been subjected to different treatments thermal gasification and pyrolysis and adsorbents / catalysts obtained were tested as adsorbents for the removal of H2S. As a result of this study, it has been discarded the use of a sludge (SC) because the results were very similar to (SB), then the study focused on mud SL. To this end have been prepared 12 samples 6 of them pirolizadas and 6 gasificadas in the range of temperatures that includes 600-1100 ° C. Subsequently, the samples have been characterized and determined the elimination capacity (x / M) of H2S. The results show that we have been able to obtain some materials while, have a low porosity development give rise to values high and removal capabilities comparable to commercial adsorbents carbons and materials (x / M around 250 mg g-1) . The high removal efficiencies are attributed primarily to the presence of species catalíticamente active mixed oxides such as calcium and iron determined by XRD in the samples thermally treated. The second set of results focuses improving textural properties of these materials adsorbents. To this end I just took activation processes physical CO2 and chemistry with H3PO4 and alkaline hydroxide (NaOH and KOH), which until now had not been tested with this type of precursors. The results suggest that activation physical (CO2) and chemistry (H3PO4) are not good methods for obtaining highly porous adsorbents with this kind of raw material under the conditions tested, however activation with alkali hydroxides leads to material adsorbents with specific surfaces until 1600 m2g-1. In the case of activation with hydroxides, both the rise in the activating agent / precursor as the increase in temperature produced a decline in the efficiency, while increasing the value of SBET. The materials resulting from activation with alkali hydroxides were tested as adsorbents / catalysts for the removal of H2S. The results suggest that an increase in the surface area is not indicative of an increase in the capacity of elimination due to the nature of these materials acid obtained. In order to counteract the acid effect of these materials have been conducted the same tests adding NaOH to bed reaction reaching values of x / M Processor 450 mgg-1. Subsequently tamb 8 ién was conducted trials h 3f0 an elimination of NH3 with some of these samples and the results of x / M are of the order of commercial activated carbons. The materials obtained adsorbents after activation with alkali hydroxides become very attractive materials to be used as adsorbents / catalysts for multiple contaminants (VOCs ,...).

Author: VIDAL HURTADO JAVIER.
Year: 2006.
University: GIRONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.

Summary: Basin-Scale Hydrodynamics in a Mediterranean reservoir. Implications for the phytoplankton dynamics. Javier Hurtado Vidal hydrodynamic processes determine, in a high degree, the ecological response of a dam in front of outsiders, both meteorological and input from rivers or the extraction of water from the dam. Because of this, the physical limnology has developed considerably in recent years. However, reservoirs Spaniards barely have conducted studies that focus on physical processes. Faced with this prospect, in this thesis has researched the major processes that govern the hydrodynamics in the reservoirs Mediterranean; focusing on the study of the reservoir Sau, a medium-sized reservoir located in Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, although results on the reservoir Beznar are introduced for comparison. This thesis is the result of the results obtained in experimental campaigns, combined with the application of numerical techniques (especially model hydrodynamic CWR-ELCOM). Results presented in five chapters in paper format. The Sau reservoir dam is a pretty eutrophic, being also the first in a string of three reservoirs that supply water to the area of Barcelona. Sau is a reservoir encañonado, which passes through the valley of the River Ter. The morphology of Sau makes the reservoir is divided into two different areas influenced by external agents. The first area open this fall at the widest part of the reservoir, near the dam; this part of the dam is behaving like a lake, mainly influenced by the prevailing wind. The second area is the area close to meanders valley that extends up to the entrance to the river Ter. This part of this reservoir sheltered from the wind and is dominated by the entrance to the river. The action of wind newspaper (breezes of 24 h) generates internal oscillatory waves or dried (seiches), which acquired the same periodicity of the prevailing wind. The reservoir behaves as a forced oscillator; where natural modes of oscillation of dry periods close to the period of the wind are amplified resonance becoming dominant in the system. Process resonance make them excited modes high vertical oscillation rarely described in nature. The horizontal advection and vertical displacements caused by the dry directly influence the distribution of phytoplankton in the reservoir. The intrusion of the river in turn generates new inputs of nutrients, so the reservoir and more specifically the populations of phytoplankton respond directly as occurring distribution of these nutrients in the reservoir, thus generating blooms of algae and longitudinal heterogeneities.

Author: GALLEGO PIÑOL EVA.
Year: 2006.
University: AUTÓNOMA DE BARCELONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS.
Place of preparation: CID-CSIC.

Summary: Pollution can be defined as any situation in which certain substances in concentrations are sufficiently high level environmental standard on how to produce measurable effects on humans, animals, vegetation and / or other materials. Anyway, the concept of pollution associated with human activity. This is not to say, but which are not in the middle toxic compounds of natural origin. An important subset of the compounds pollutants is of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which have a number of similar characteristics, such as toxicity, persistence and stability in the middle. The ability of POPs to concentrate along the food web can induce toxic effects at the level of reproduction and immunosuppression, leading to a general weakening of the animal populations on the planet. These compounds are capable of traveling thousands of quilométros their point of emission, which may not meet their maximum concentrations near the areas where they have been cast and showing a profile invested, where higher concentrations are found in remote areas where the average temperatures of air are lower. I alpine lake environments are highly affected by the concentrations of POPs from atmospheric transport. Because of the sensitivity of these tin ecosystems, are very good indicators of global change that is taking place in many areas of the planet.

Author: BOIX MARTINEZ CARME.
Year: 2006.
University: AUTÓNOMA DE BARCELONA.
Place of defense: FACULTAT DE CIENCIES.
Place of preparation: UNIVERSITAT AUTNOMA DE BARCELONA.

Summary: The foraminifera rotaliformes, little known and difficult to identify, began its diversification from the event eutrophication overall Cenomaniense- Turoniense. These strategies developed K reproduction, giving l ugar to an increase in the size of the shells and producing increasingly complex architectures. In the sediments of the Upper Cretaceous basin Surpirenaica have been identified abundant foraminifera from the group of rotálidos. The detailed study of these has allowed the identification of six genres (three of them new) and seven species (three of them described for the first time). It has been detected in the sediments of Cenomaniense higher, the presence of Rotorbinella mesogeensis, which has been identified as the possible parent of all rotálidos. From Coniaciense higher is an explosion of shapes with the emergence of the genus Iberorotalia, orbitokathina, Pyrenerotalia, Pararotalia, Rotorbinella and Calcarinella. Some of these forms begin to disappear compression Pyrenean stage, others manage to survive until the late Cretaceous higher with slight modifications, both in size and structure. In addition to the description of these forms, it has also been defined extension biostratigráfica of these genera and species.