Vanessa Meloni Massara

Brief Synopsis of the Brazilian Freight Transport and Future Development

This article aims to present a brief profile about the array of freight transportation in Brazil with emphasis on road, rail and water transport; its current condition, use and future perspectives; relating them to the grid and more specifically, the consumption of various fuels. Done in parallel, it fits the concept of modal combination based on maintenance costs, service level and particularly, in mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In conclusion, we present medium-term projects that should contribute to that inter-modality is effectively used in the country, helping to boost the infrastructure of transport and the distribution of products on the rise in the Brazilian economic activity, such as soybeans, minerals and fuels, and at the same time, encourage the reduction targets of GHG emissions based on energy-efficient fuel use, with an emphasis on water transport, using the immense potential of navigable rivers and the coastline of Brazil.

Multi-criteria evaluation of the expansion of natural gas distribution network by the urban dynamics (doi: 10.4090/juee.2010.v4n2.055062)

As in many other developing countries, the generation of clinical waste in Malaysia has increased significantly over the last few decades. Even though the serious impact of the clinical waste on human beings and the environment is significant, only minor attention is directed to its proper handling and legal aspects. This study seeks to examine the management of clinical waste in Selangor’s government hospitals as well as problems that arise from the current practice of clinical waste management. A depth interview with the responsible concession who handles the clinical waste management in those hospitals also has been taken. In general, it was found that the consortium’s administration was reasonably aware of the importance of clinical waste management. However, significant voids were present that need to be addressed in future including efficient segregation, better handling and transfer means, as well as the need for training and awareness programs for the personnel. Other obstacles faced by consortiums who handle the clinical waste including the operational costs. Waste minimizing and recycling, as well as the alternative treatment methods for incineration are regarded to be major challenges in the future.The objective of this work is to analyze the expansion of the infrastructure of natural gas distribution, identifying priorities from large metropolis using the energy planning based on urban design tools like urban dynamics and techniques like AHP. The methodology proposed uses matrices considering the relations between the concept of urban dynamics, quality of life and the possibilities of natural gas displacing other energy forms. The matrices are made up of information about social and urban development, costs of establishing the infrastructure and projections of the consumption potential in various sectors. Relating the consumption to urban development parameters and the real estate future of the areas in study, the methodology allows to indicate the viability of a gas network for each district. As conclusion, the model presents the integration between the cities profile and the natural gas use, by means of a growing natural gas use in districts of Sao Paulo City as a specific case study.

Urban Model for the Analysis of the Brazilian Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure

This paper analyses through the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the influence of several urban parameters in the expansion of natural gas distribution in the Brazilian market. The logic based on pair combination allows the verification of relationships such as demographic density and distribution of family income, residential and industrial concentration, distance between areas that could be served and others that are effectively attended by natural gas, defining through the attribution of a priorities scale, the decisive aspects in the selection of areas that must receive the natural gas expansion. The model intends to propose the integration between the city’s profile and the natural gas use, using the advance of natural gas on São Paulo City as a specific case study. As a conclusion, the model provides the neighbourhoods expansion rankings, verifying the coherence of the proposal based on urban parameters analysis through the test with suburban districts of the São Paulo city.