Data mining and knowledge discovery in databases for urban solid waste management: A scientific literature review.

The processes related to solid waste management (SWM) are being revised as new technologies emerge and are applied in the area to achieve greater environmental, social and economic sustainability for society. To achieve our goal, two robust review protocols (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Context (PICOC) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)) were used to systematically analyze 62 documents extracted from the Web of Science database to identify the main techniques and tools for Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) and Data Mining (DM) as applied to SWM and explore the technological potential to optimize the stages of collecting and transporting waste. Moreover, it was possible to analyze the main challenges and opportunities of KDD and DM for SWM. The results show that the most used tools for SWM are MATLAB (29.7%) and GIS (13.5%), whereas the most used techniques are Artificial Neural Networks (35.8%), Linear Regression (16.0%) and Support Vector Machine (12.3%). In addition, 15.3% of the studies were conducted with data from China, 11.1% from India and 9.7% of the studies analyzed and compared data from several other countries. Furthermore, the research showed that the main challenges in the field of study are related to the collection and treatment of data, whereas the opportunities appear to be linked mainly to the impact on the pillars of sustainable development. Thus, this study portrays important issues associated with the use of KDD and DM for optimal SWM and has the potential to assist and direct researchers and field professionals in future studies.

Methodology proposed for photogrammetric monitoring of the exotic species Hovenia dulcis Thunb. in the Green Belt area surrounding the city of Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.

The spread of the exotic species Hovenia dulcis known as Japanese raisin tree, coming from Asia, detected in a protected area of 465.0 ha surrounding the city of Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil, named "Green Belt." In this context, this research aimed at developing an aerial monitoring system able to identify and quantify the extension in the Green Belt area that this species invaded, as well as describing the impacts caused on the local forest community. We collected data from an ultralight Flyer GT aircraft equipped with a vertical camera. The images were taking in June and July 2015, when H. dulcis trees have shed their leaves, displaying a gray color, and September and October 2015, when the leaves are young and with a light green color. Based on the methodology proposed trough aerial monitoring by photogrammetry, the results indicated that the total invaded area by H. dulcis in the Green Belt of Santa Cruz do Sul County, RS, was 131.8 ha, corresponding to 20.9% of the total area. To validate this method, a quantitative comparison between the result from a terrestrial fieldwork carried out and the proposed method showed no significant differences in the estimated area occupied by H. dulcis. We concluded that these results validate the proposed aerial assessment method.

Proposta de produção mais limpa voltada às práticas de ecodesign e logística reversa / Proposal for cleaner production oriented practices ecodesign and reverse logistics

A preocupação das empresas com o meio ambiente e com o futuro das novas gerações impulsiona ações voltadas para o gerenciamento dos recursos e incentiva a busca por ações preventivas em relação aos aspectos ambientais (por meio da minimização de impactos associados à redução de custo e da otimização de processos). Existe uma tendência no mercado mundial para a obtenção de produtos sustentáveis, oriundos de processos produtivos voltados para a redução de desperdícios e a não geração de resíduos poluentes. Dentro desse contexto, a produção mais limpa (P+L) surge como uma ferramenta completa em que simples ajustes no modo de gerir as empresas permitem a redução da emissão/geração de resíduos. Partindo desse princípio, analisou-se o impacto ambiental do processo de produção de uma empresa fabricante de conjuntos de chuva localizada no Rio Grande do Sul por intermédio de uma Matriz de Leopold adaptada. Como resultado, elaborou-se uma proposta de P+L voltada às práticas de ecodesign e logística reversa. Por meio de quatro etapas, o programa de P+L proposto atingiu seus objetivos de forma ágil, desburocratizada e com baixos custos.

A business concern with the environment and the future of the new generations drives actions for the management of resources and the search for preventive measures in relation to environmental aspects (by minimizing impacts associated cost reduction and process optimization). There is a trend in the world market to achieve sustainable, derived products production processes aimed at reducing waste and non-waste generation pollutants. Within this context, the cleaner production (CP) comes as a complete tool where simple adjustments in the way we manage the business allows the reduction of emission/waste generation. Based on this principle, we analyzed the environmental impact of the production of a manufacturer of sets of rain located in Rio Grande do Sul through a Leopold Matrix adapted process. As a result, we prepared a proposal for cleaner production practices geared ecodesign and reverse logistics. Through four stages, the proposed program CP reached its goals of agile, less bureaucratic and with low costs.