Portugal has a great diversity of ecoclimatic areas and Sesimbra was chosen to carry out a study on WSP efficiencies over five years (1989 to 1993). According to Pina Manique & Albuquerque (1954), the climate is classified as Atlantic Mediterranean (AM). Some environmental and climatic parameters have been studied in order to define the area. The treatment system at Sesimbra has three ponds: anaerobic, facultative and maturation. The physical and chemical parameters studied in the WSP system were: Temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Conductivity, BOD5, COD, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and total nitrogen, total and volatile suspended solids, total phosphorus and orthophosphates. Algal populations and the following microbiological parameters were studied: total and fecal coliforms, fecal Streptococci, Clostridium perfringens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and some Enterobacteriaceae. The K and K20 kinetic parameters were studied and derived for the three ponds utilizing the seasonal regional characteristics from the surrounding area. These values were then correlated with temperature and the subsequent removal efficiencies for each pond deduced. The data obtained indicate a necessity to determine the seasonal fluctuations of the K and K20 kinetic parameters for the WSP systems.

A double-chamber system was used to deposit large-area hydrogenated amorphous silicon films for photovoltaic applications. The electro-optical characterisation of films of area 400 cm2 deposited on glass substrates is described in this paper. The deposition rate of the films is dependent on the r.f. power delivered, the substrate bias and the partial pressure of the reactive gas. The film thickness was observed to have a uniformity of better than 0.5%. The best film quality was obtained for a deposition rate of about 1.5 Å s-1. The optical gap, activation energy, photosensitivity, density of gap states and hydrogen content were determined. © 1985.