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• Control latrine played a typical geochemical behavior of a contaminant source. • Alternative latrine oxidized almost completely ammonium to nitrate. • Nitrate removal efficiency promoted by sawdust layer was of 42% on average. • Isotopes analyses corroborated N-species hydrogeochemistry trends across latrines. • Relative placement of sawdust and BOF slag layers impacted denitrifiers performance. Nutrients, like nitrate and phosphate, and pathogens are the primary contaminants released into groundwater by on-site sanitation systems, which are an effluent disposal outcome for regions not covered by sanitation infrastructure, as periurban communities in developing countries. As appropriate setback distances between pit latrines and supply wells often cannot be met to avoid groundwater contamination, especially in a densely-populated situation, efficient, low-cost and accessible technologies are extremely necessary to protect water resources and surpass critical and persistent public health problems. This paper presents 1-year field-testing of an alternative latrine (AL) that incorporates two waste materials as permeable reactive barriers (PRB) in an irregular settlement at the municipality of São Paulo (Brazil). Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag in contact with wastewater effluent increases its pH level, which causes pathogens inactivation and phosphate adsorption. Sawdust under water saturation creates reducing conditions that encourage the growth of denitrifying bacteria that remove nitrate. A control latrine (CL) was constructed 90 m apart from AL with similar hydraulic characteristics and nonreactive materials for hydrochemical comparison. It was evident for AL the formation of well-defined nitrification and denitrification reaction zones, whereas CL overall presented nitrogen in its ammoniacal form, with incipient nitrate production at CL bottom, indicating that nitrification is probably boosted below that. BOF slag had attenuated microorganisms and phosphate almost completely, but nitrate removal average efficiency was 42%. The high pH effluent generated in BOF media may have also affected in the short-term the denitrifying bacteria in sawdust barrier 1 m below. The inverted position of the reactive barriers, i.e., sawdust PRB overlying BOF slag PRB, should be a more suitable design to achieve nitrate and pathogens removal. This kind of sanitation solution employing cheap and accessible waste materials have never been applied in the design proposed in this paper and also was a novelty for Brazilian context, proving to be a suitable technology to meet local needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special volume of the JCLP is mainly built upon articles presented at the 6th International Workshop Advances in Cleaner Production held in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2017. The event had provided a progressive interdisciplinary meeting for knowledge advance and information trade. Papers in this issue cover a broad range of perspectives of cleaner production strategies and practices, and a special focus was placed upon the type of contribution – practical, conceptual/practical, conceptual - and the scale of their coverage – local, regional and global. The papers provide understanding on the research intended to systematically include cleaner production in the path sustainability, and identifies the extent to which cleaner production practitioners directly and indirectly provide local, regional and global solutions. Key results of this introductory article include research on: efficient and responsive use of energy and resources; the search for reduced emissions, the role of managerial support and environmental assessments, and the implementation/analysis of closed-loop systems of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vaccination rate for COVID-19 in Brazil is one of the highest in the world. • Additional vaccination for new variants, including omicron, will be necessary. • The country ranks second in aesthetic procedures worldwide. • Hypersensitivity to hyaluronic acid after COVID-19 vaccine administration is observed. • Aesthetic professionals should be aware and advise patients of this possibility. Brazil ranked second in the world for the number of aesthetic procedures carried out in 2019. Five case reports of delayed hypersensitivity reaction to hyaluronic acid dermal filler after COVID-19 vaccination are presented in this paper. Additional vaccination for new variants, including omicron, will be necessary; therefore, aesthetic professionals should be aware of this possibility and advise patients accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have demonstrated the energy savings potential of mixed-mode ventilated office buildings. Yet, it is important to widen the knowledge about how those buildings have been designed and built in practice, and which design parameters have greater influence on its energy performance. The aim of this paper was to evaluate how building envelope design parameters influence the energy performance of cellular mixed-mode office buildings, in order to identify key design variables. The analysis presents a comparison among literature research studies and typical construction practices from a sample of buildings located in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to a base case model, established based on the real buildings sample, three sensitivity analysis techniques were performed to obtain relative parameter sensitivity to thermal loads: OFAT, Morris and Monte Carlo. Results showed the importance of the window opening effective area and the reduced impact of the window-to-wall ratio on the energy performance of mixed-mode office buildings. By applying a multivariate regression model, it showed significant in predicting 78.1% of the variance in annual thermal loads. The accurate determination of annual thermal loads into mixed-mode office buildings can be used to optimize the envelope characteristics based on a combination of input data and the building geometry. Findings from this study could also be applied to other locations, provided that similar climatic environment and urban context are taken into account. • We evaluate the energy performance of mixed-mode office buildings. • A base case and its characteristics were defined based on a sample. • Typical construction practices versus theoretical studies were compared. • Three sensitivity analysis methods were applied and compared. • Multivariate regression model predicted 78% of the variance in annual thermal loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced silicate rock weathering for long-term carbon dioxide sequestration has considerable potential, but depends on the availability of suitable rocks coupled with proximity to suitable locations for field application. In this paper, we investigate the established mining industry that extracts basaltic rocks for construction from the Paraná Basin, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Through a Life Cycle Assessment, we determine the balance of carbon dioxide emissions involved in the use of this material, the relative contribution of soil carbonation and enhanced weathering, and the potential carbon dioxide removal of Sao Paulo agricultural land through enhanced weathering of basalt rock. Our results show that enhanced weathering and carbonation respectively emit around 75 and 135 kg carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent removed (considering a quarry to field distance of 65 km). We underline transportation as the principal process negatively affecting the practice and uncover a limiting road travel distance from the quarry to the field of 540 ± 65 km for carbonation and 990 ± 116 km for enhanced weathering, above which the emissions offset the potential capture. Regarding Sao Paulo State, the application of crushed basalt at 1 t/ha to all of the State's 12 million hectares of agricultural land could capture around 1.3 to 2.4 Mt carbon dioxide equivalent through carbonation and enhanced weathering, respectively. This study suggests a lower sequestration estimate than previous studies and emphasizes the need to consider all process stages through a Life Cycle Assessment methodology, to provide more reliable estimates of the sequestration potential of greenhouse gas removal technologies. • First assessment of the burdens associated with enhanced weathering and carbonation. • Transportation of the material greatly impacts the sequestration potential. • The quarry to field offsetting distance is 550 ± 65 km for carbonation. • On Sao Paulo average, the practice emit 0.110 kg CO 2 eq per kg of CO 2 removed. • The setup burdens of the practice reduce previous sequestration estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emergent strategy to target sustainability involves an understanding of the water-energy interconnections. It takes water to produce energy, and it takes energy to source, treat, and distribute water. Sanitation and energy distribution are the world's pre-eminent development challenges. They are a magnifier of poverty, ill-health and mortality, and gender inequality. The word 'nexus' means the understanding of these interdependencies, tensions, and trade-offs. This paper investigates water-energy interconnections through critical analysis. We applied a bottom-up approach to describe Sao Paulo state's river basins, in Southeast Brazil, from the household to the regional scale. Initially, water availability, energy consumption and wastewater treatment data are inferred using per capita data. The subsequent data analysis then considered the positive and negative linkages among the basins. Local and state levels of dependency are also assessed, considering environmental and socioeconomic impacts. The significance of this paper lies in understanding these interconnections and their interdependence within the local context and individuals' behaviour. The results allow a comprehensive analysis of the water-energy Nexus across Sao Paulo state. The critical analysis also shows how the primary drivers contribute to urbanisation levels, population growth, and industrial activities. • Regional WE Nexus analysis is undertaken for the most industrialised state of Brazil. • The increase in wastewater treatment highlights the sustainability path. • Wastewater treatment growth rates are higher than population and GDP rates. • It develops a unique database for future studies using the Nexus approach. • Population growth, GDP, and industrial intensity are the main drivers in the WE Nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the performance of seven methods of retrieving the planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) from lidar measurements carried out in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP) during two MCITY - BRAZIL field campaigns of 2013. The performance is objectively assessed considering as reference the PBLH retrieved from rawinsonde carried out every 3 h during these campaigns. The role of clouds and aerosol load in the performance of the seven methods is analysed considering three case study scenarios representative of typical atmospheric conditions in the MRSP : (a) winter clean atmosphere, (b) summer low clouds and aerosol multilayers, (c) summer sea-breeze intrusion. Corroborating the case study results, the objective analysis indicated that most of the lidar methods retrieved PBLH closer to the top of the entrainment zone than the mixed layer, contradicting their definition. During daytime, the Wavelet Covariance Transform Method performs better than all the other six methods. The Inflexion Point Method performed better to estimate the Residual Layer height during night-time. In average, the diurnal evolution of the PBLH and its local rate of change based on lidar and rawinsonde measurements are in agreement. • Most analysed lidar methods estimate the Entrainment Zone height. • Sea-breeze can reduce the aerosol concentration in the Residual Layer. • The Wavelet Covariance Transform has the best result among the analysed methods. • Lidar methods require an adaptation to the local climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb production in Brazil has the state of São Paulo as its largest consumer market, but due to competition for area with other agricultural activities, sheep farming in São Paulo underwent an intensification of the production system to achieve better economic profitability. This intensification can compromise the sustainability of the system. There is no research concerning about emergy evaluation on lamb production systems applied in Brazil, so this is the first paper to discuss the sustainability of lamb production systems using this method. Therefore, this article proposes to discuss the importance of considering environmental aspects in the economic analysis of production systems, aiming at the sustainable development of the sector. This study assessed the economic and emergy performance of three different sheep farms in Brazil managed under different levels of technology: Intensive, Semi-intensive, and Feedlot. Results show that from an economic perspective, the Feedlot system is more attractive (9,800 US$/yr for net profit) than Intensive and Semi-intensive ones, while emergy synthesis show that Semi-intensive system (30% for renewability) should be prioritized. On the other hand, when emergy is analyzed from an economic perspective based on Emdollars (Em$, with an 'm'), the economic advantage regarding the production cost of Feedlot on the Semi-intensive system becomes less evident. The Intensive system obtained the worst performance for economic, and emergy indicators. More than contributing to the discussions about the importance in considering a systemic perspective when quantifying the economic performance of production systems, this study also (i) establishes the most sustainable sheep farm system that could be supported in Brazil, and (ii) make available new unit emergy values that would enrich the existing emergy databases. • The synthesis emergy together with the economic assessment are performed for three sheep production systems with different levels of technology. • Intensive systems (Intensive and Feedlot) are economically profitable, but generate greater pressure on the environment. • Semi-intensive systems present less pressure on the environment, but are not economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and soil texture play a key role in meteorological models because they determine the vegetation and soil proprieties that interfere in the exchange of energy, moisture, and momentum between the land surface and the atmosphere. Additionally, LULC and soil texture are relevant input datasets in meteorological models affecting their results and future applicability as in weather researches and air quality modeling. Brazil has a complex and heterogeneous LU, and it has faced significant LULC changes in the past years. Therefore, this paper aims to update the LULC, using the national product MapBiomas, and soil texture data, by SoilGrids, to replace the default input data in the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model for São Paulo, Brazil. Aiming to evaluate the impact of those input data on WRF simulations, five cases were simulated using WRF v4.1.3 with 1 km of grid resolution, and combinations of "Default" and "Updated" input data. Sixty-days simulations from March 15th to May 15th of 2015, covering the transition of wet to dry season, were performed and evaluated with observational data over São Paulo State. The results showed significant differences in the classifications of LULC and soil texture in the entire domain between the default and updated data. The updated data is more realistic and coherent with local characteristics, being more representative, as an example over Santos city area being correctly classified as urban and built-in updated LULC and not water, as in the default. The comparison between the modeled results with observations data has shown a similar behavior for temperature and humidity for the five cases at the monitoring stations grid cells because the LULC changes were between classes with similar land parameters, such as albedo, roughness length, and soils moisture, although the Default classes are not accurate. However, the latent and sensible heat fluxes were ways more sensitive to the LULC/soil texture changes in the WRF model. Additionally, reasonable differences were observed over the entire modeling domain for these two variables. The updated land surface data provoked low temperatures at 9h and 17h UTC, less humidity at 9h UTC, and more humidity at 17h UTC, especially in the north part of the modeling domain, the area which has faced more LULC and soil changes. The PBL height was also affected by the updated data, probably caused by the impact at heat flux over the domain, causing a variation from 30% to 70% over the modeled grid cell, which may have a higher impact on air quality modeling. Thus, it is recommended to update the land surface data for Brazil to avoid misclassification of LULC and soil texture, even if the comparison at monitoring stations has shown similar behavior between the default and updated land surface data. Additionally, updates in the land parameter inside the model are required to represent each LULC/soil class better. • Land Use/Land Cover and soil texture play a key role in meteorological models. • The updated LULC and soil texture are more accurate than the default for Brazil. • Latent and sensible heat fluxes were very sensitive to LULC/soil texture changes in WRF. • Temperature and specific humidity were less sensitive to the LULC/soil texture changes at the monitoring stations sites. • Vegetation and soil parameters inside WRF need improvements, and some physical parameterizations are not suitable for Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest systems represent an important source of biomass for biorefineries. However, very complex dynamics impose difficulties in its efficient design. The present work proposes an optimization framework for biorefineries design that considers these dynamics. Four interconnected decision layers were considered: biomass supply, conversion processes, storage, and markets. The model is formulated as a MILP for maximizing the operational Net Present Value. An illustrative case-study was presented for lignin extraction in eucalyptus Kraft Pulp mills in Brazil. Land availability, forest productivity, and interest rates were fundamental for the location and sizing of production facilities. Logistics networks prioritized the minimization of sales taxes over transportation distance. The precipitation technology has become financially attractive in a scenario with a 50% lignin price increase. The optimal technology location was Sao Paulo due to lower opportunities costs and markets' vicinity. These outcomes highlight the importance of the whole supply chain evaluation in biorefinery design. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]