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Off-grid systems, and mini-grids in particular, are expected to play a significant role in improving electricity access to one billion people until 2040. One of the major challenges for mini-grids is associated with their high costs, low financial viability and local development impact. Productive use of electricity can be an important driver of local development and impacts the total load in a mini-grid. By using a mixture of high-resolution (minutes) measurements and long-term data (years) on electricity expenditures and purchased electricity from a mini-grid in the Tanzanian highlands, we analyse the technical and economic impact from household and productive use of electricity, respectively. The high-resolution data is analysed using performance indicators and the long-term data using regression tools. We find that a mixture of household use and productive use of electricity provides both technical and economic benefits for the operator. In addition, we find that while productive use customers only represent 25% of the customers, they generate 44% of the operator's income. Furthermore, productive use of electricity customers are also likely responsible for the peak demand in the mini-grid, which occurs during day time. Lastly, we find empirical evidence suggesting that expenditures and demand are unit elastic, which has implications on economic policies for supporting rural electrification.
Elias Hartvigsson; Jimmy Ehnberg; Erik O. Ahlgren; Sverker Molander. Linking household and productive use of electricity with mini-grid dimensioning and operation. Energy for Sustainable Development 2020, 60, 82 -89.
AMA StyleElias Hartvigsson, Jimmy Ehnberg, Erik O. Ahlgren, Sverker Molander. Linking household and productive use of electricity with mini-grid dimensioning and operation. Energy for Sustainable Development. 2020; 60 ():82-89.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElias Hartvigsson; Jimmy Ehnberg; Erik O. Ahlgren; Sverker Molander. 2020. "Linking household and productive use of electricity with mini-grid dimensioning and operation." Energy for Sustainable Development 60, no. : 82-89.
Tidal current technologies have the potential to provide highly predictable energy, since tides are driven by lunar cycles. However, before implementing such technologies on a large scale, their environmental performance should be assessed. In this study, a prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed on a 12 MW tidal energy converter array of Minesto Deep Green 500 (DG500) prototypes, closely following the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standards, but including scenarios to cover various design possibilities. The global warming potential (GWP) of the prototype array was in the range of 18.4–26.3 gCO2-eq/kWhe. This is comparable with other renewable energy systems, such as wind power. Material production processes have the largest impact, but are largely offset by recycling at the end of life. Operation and maintenance processes, including the production of replacement parts, also provide major contributions to environmental impacts. Comparisons with other technologies are limited by the lack of a standardized way of performing LCA on offshore power generation technologies.
Mohamad Kaddoura; Johan Tivander; Sverker Molander. Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation from an Array of Subsea Tidal Kite Prototypes. Energies 2020, 13, 456 .
AMA StyleMohamad Kaddoura, Johan Tivander, Sverker Molander. Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation from an Array of Subsea Tidal Kite Prototypes. Energies. 2020; 13 (2):456.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMohamad Kaddoura; Johan Tivander; Sverker Molander. 2020. "Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation from an Array of Subsea Tidal Kite Prototypes." Energies 13, no. 2: 456.
Drawing on the emerging scarcity, abundance, and sufficiency (SAS) framework, this study explores how various consumer behaviors with potential environmental impacts relate to subjective evaluations of psychological resources such as economic resources, time, social networks, and emotional support. Assuming that individuals may “trade” the costs and efforts of green consumption, including the buying of eco-labeled goods, altered eating habits, and choice of transportation mode, against such psychological resources, we investigate the relationships between green consumer choices and resource evaluations using hierarchical regression analysis of data from an online panel survey. The results suggest that green consumer behaviors are positively related to subjectively evaluated resources such as feelings of economic sufficiency and other, more “relational” resources, including social networks and emotional support. Performing such behaviors may therefore lead to psychological gains. These findings do paint a rather positive picture of environmental behaviors, since they may thus be viewed as having a personal positive trade-off. Although directional effects cannot be firmly established, our study suggests that pro-environmental behavior may increase wellbeing and experienced prosperity. Future studies should further investigate these causalities and implications of these suggested relationships.
Mathias Zannakis; Sverker Molander; Lars-Olof Johansson. On the Relationship between Pro-Environmental Behavior, Experienced Monetary Costs, and Psychological Gains. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5467 .
AMA StyleMathias Zannakis, Sverker Molander, Lars-Olof Johansson. On the Relationship between Pro-Environmental Behavior, Experienced Monetary Costs, and Psychological Gains. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (19):5467.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathias Zannakis; Sverker Molander; Lars-Olof Johansson. 2019. "On the Relationship between Pro-Environmental Behavior, Experienced Monetary Costs, and Psychological Gains." Sustainability 11, no. 19: 5467.
Elias Hartvigsson; Erik Oscar Ahlgren; Sverker Molander. Tackling complexity and problem formulation in rural electrification through conceptual modelling in system dynamics. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 2019, 37, 141 -153.
AMA StyleElias Hartvigsson, Erik Oscar Ahlgren, Sverker Molander. Tackling complexity and problem formulation in rural electrification through conceptual modelling in system dynamics. Systems Research and Behavioral Science. 2019; 37 (1):141-153.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElias Hartvigsson; Erik Oscar Ahlgren; Sverker Molander. 2019. "Tackling complexity and problem formulation in rural electrification through conceptual modelling in system dynamics." Systems Research and Behavioral Science 37, no. 1: 141-153.
The purpose of this synthesis paper is to present the motivations and conceptual basis for research on socio-technical-ecological systems (STES), addressing the need for interdisciplinary studies targeting the technological mediation of human–environment relationships. The background is the very limited number of collaborations between scholars of social-ecological systems and sociotechnical systems (SES), despite repeated calls for bridging work. The synthesis builds on an in-depth review of previous literature, interdisciplinary exchanges, and empirical examples. The result is arguments for why a sociotechnical understanding of ‘technology’ is of central importance for SES studies, related to how technology: (1) mediates human–environment relationships; (2) brings ambivalence to these relationships; (3) enhances and transforms human agency and provides a source of constitutive power; (4) changes scalar relationships, enabling our interaction with and impact on the natural world across time and space. Furthermore, we present an STES analytical approach which starts from symmetrical attention to technology, society, and environment, specifically targeting interfaces and relationships of critical relevance for SES scholars, and address counterarguments that we have encountered. We conclude that a shift to STES research will enhance our knowledge of system interfaces that are often overlooked, opening further avenues for research and real-world interventions.
Helene Ahlborg; Ilse Ruiz-Mercado; Sverker Molander; Omar Masera. Bringing Technology into Social-Ecological Systems Research—Motivations for a Socio-Technical-Ecological Systems Approach. Sustainability 2019, 11, 2009 .
AMA StyleHelene Ahlborg, Ilse Ruiz-Mercado, Sverker Molander, Omar Masera. Bringing Technology into Social-Ecological Systems Research—Motivations for a Socio-Technical-Ecological Systems Approach. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (7):2009.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHelene Ahlborg; Ilse Ruiz-Mercado; Sverker Molander; Omar Masera. 2019. "Bringing Technology into Social-Ecological Systems Research—Motivations for a Socio-Technical-Ecological Systems Approach." Sustainability 11, no. 7: 2009.
Proxy measures have been proposed as a low-data option for simplified assessment of environmental threat given the high complexity of the natural environment. We here review studies of environmental release, fate, toxicity and risk to identify relevant proxy measures for manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs). In total, 18 potential proxy measures were identified and evaluated regarding their link to environmental risk, an aspect of relevance, and data availability, an aspect of practice. They include socio-technical measures (e.g. MNM release), particle-specific measures (e.g. particle size), partitioning coefficients (e.g. the octanol-water coefficient) and other fate-related measures (e.g. half-life) as well as various ecotoxicological measures (e.g. 50% effect concentration). For most identified proxy measures, the link to environmental risk was weak and data availability low. Two exceptions were global production volume and ecotoxicity, for which the links to environmental risk are strong and data availability relatively decent. As proof of concept, these were employed to assess seven MNMs: titanium dioxide, cerium dioxide, zinc oxide, silver, silicon dioxide, carbon nanotubes and graphene. The results show that none of the MNMs have both high production volumes and high ecotoxicity. Several refinements of the assessment are possible, such as higher resolution regarding the MNMs assessed (e.g. different allotropes) and different metrics (e.g. particle number and surface area). The proof of concept shows the feasibility of using proxy measures for environmental assessment of MNMs, in particular for novel MNMs in early technological development, when data is particularly scarce.
Rickard Arvidsson; Anders Baun; Anna Furberg; Steffen Foss Hansen; Sverker Molander. Proxy Measures for Simplified Environmental Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials. Environmental Science & Technology 2018, 52, 13670 -13680.
AMA StyleRickard Arvidsson, Anders Baun, Anna Furberg, Steffen Foss Hansen, Sverker Molander. Proxy Measures for Simplified Environmental Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials. Environmental Science & Technology. 2018; 52 (23):13670-13680.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRickard Arvidsson; Anders Baun; Anna Furberg; Steffen Foss Hansen; Sverker Molander. 2018. "Proxy Measures for Simplified Environmental Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials." Environmental Science & Technology 52, no. 23: 13670-13680.
Cemented carbides are of great importance for the manufacturing industry. The outstanding properties of high hardness and wear resistance of this material, consisting mainly of tungsten carbide cemented with cobalt (WC-Co), have caused its use in a wide range of applications. The aim of this study is to provide comprehensive and detailed cradle-to-gate life cycle inventory (LCI) data for the typical non-Chinese production of WC-Co, which is assumed to take place in Canada and the United States. Different scenarios are presented regarding recycling rate and a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is conducted to illustrate the applicability of the LCI data. The LCI results in this study are of similar magnitude or lower compared to previous studies and indicate that the typical non-Chinese production requires less energy compared to Chinese production. The LCIA results show that the mining, hydrometallurgy and powder metallurgy phases in general dominate the cradle-to-gate life cycle impacts. Most of the impacts are caused by a limited number of inputs and outputs (e.g. kerosene, sulfidic tailings, water use during mining and electricity use), and recycling greatly reduces the impacts. A comparison with Chinese tungsten carbide (WC) powder production showed that the LCIA results in non-Chinese WC production were lower for climate change, photochemical oxidant formation and water depletion, but higher for terrestrial acidification, ozone depletion and freshwater eutrophication. The LCI data and the LCIA results for non-Chinese production can subsequently be used in product-specific cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments involving WC-Co or any of its precursors.
Anna Furberg; Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. Environmental life cycle assessment of cemented carbide (WC-Co) production. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 209, 1126 -1138.
AMA StyleAnna Furberg, Rickard Arvidsson, Sverker Molander. Environmental life cycle assessment of cemented carbide (WC-Co) production. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 209 ():1126-1138.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnna Furberg; Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. 2018. "Environmental life cycle assessment of cemented carbide (WC-Co) production." Journal of Cleaner Production 209, no. : 1126-1138.
Tire studs, with pins made of cemented tungsten carbide with cobalt (WC-Co), are used in many countries during winter. Tungsten, the main content of the pins, is geochemically scarce and a critical raw material. In addition, analytical studies have identified WC-Co nanoparticles in the environment, which are worn off during the use of studded tires. The aims of this study are to assess (i) the dissipation rate and functional recycling related to the use of tungsten in tire studs as well as (ii) the magnitude of the WC-Co nanoparticle release in Sweden. Tungsten mass flows related to WC-Co in tire studs were estimated throughout the product chain, from mining to waste management, using material flow analysis. This study shows that 100% of the tungsten in Swedish tire studs is presently dissipated (67% as release during use) and there is no functional recycling. This can be compared with the estimated average global dissipation rate of >60% and functional recycling rate of 10–25% after use for tungsten. Recovery of tungsten during waste management and alternative solutions to WC-Co in tire studs are discussed as possible remedies. Furthermore, the estimated release of nano-sized WC-Co particles is in the same order of magnitude as the modeled release of some engineered nanomaterials in Sweden and higher than for e.g. nano-silver.
Anna Furberg; Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. Dissipation of tungsten and environmental release of nanoparticles from tire studs: A Swedish case study. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 207, 920 -928.
AMA StyleAnna Furberg, Rickard Arvidsson, Sverker Molander. Dissipation of tungsten and environmental release of nanoparticles from tire studs: A Swedish case study. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 207 ():920-928.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnna Furberg; Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. 2018. "Dissipation of tungsten and environmental release of nanoparticles from tire studs: A Swedish case study." Journal of Cleaner Production 207, no. : 920-928.
Studded tires are used in a number of countries during winter in order to prevent accidents. The use of tire studs is controversial and debated because of human health impacts from increased road particle emissions. The aims of this study are to assess whether the use of tire studs in a Scandinavian studded passenger car actually avoids or causes health impacts from a broader life cycle perspective, and to assess the distribution of these impacts over the life cycle. Life cycle assessment is applied and the disability-adjusted life years indicator is used to quantify the following five types of health impacts: (1) impacts saved in the use phase, (2) particle emissions in the use phase, (3) production system emissions, (4) occupational accidents in the production system, and (5) conflict casualties from revenues of cobalt mining. The results show that the health benefits in the use phase in general are outweighed by the negative impacts during the life cycle. The largest contribution to these negative human health impacts are from use phase particle emissions (67–77%) and occupational accidents during artisanal cobalt mining (8–18%). About 23–33% of the negative impacts occur outside Scandinavia, where the benefits occur. The results inform the current debate and highlight the need for research on alternatives to tire studs with a positive net health balance.
Anna Furberg; Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. Live and Let Die? Life Cycle Human Health Impacts from the Use of Tire Studs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2018, 15, 1774 .
AMA StyleAnna Furberg, Rickard Arvidsson, Sverker Molander. Live and Let Die? Life Cycle Human Health Impacts from the Use of Tire Studs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15 (8):1774.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnna Furberg; Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. 2018. "Live and Let Die? Life Cycle Human Health Impacts from the Use of Tire Studs." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 8: 1774.
The mathematical problem of establishing a collision probability distribution is often not trivial. The shape and motion of the animal as well as of the the device must be evaluated in a four-dimensional space (3D motion over time). Earlier work on wind and tidal turbines was limited to a simplified two-dimensional representation, which cannot be applied to many new structures. We present a numerical algorithm to obtain such probability distributions using transient, three-dimensional numerical simulations. The method is demonstrated using a sub-surface tidal kite as an example. Necessary pre- and post-processing of the data created by the model is explained, numerical details and potential issues and limitations in the application of resulting probability distributions are highlighted.
Pál Schmitt; Ross Culloch; Lilian Lieber; Sverker Molander; Linus Hammar; Louise Kregting. A tool for simulating collision probabilities of animals with marine renewable energy devices. PLOS ONE 2017, 12, e0188780 .
AMA StylePál Schmitt, Ross Culloch, Lilian Lieber, Sverker Molander, Linus Hammar, Louise Kregting. A tool for simulating collision probabilities of animals with marine renewable energy devices. PLOS ONE. 2017; 12 (11):e0188780.
Chicago/Turabian StylePál Schmitt; Ross Culloch; Lilian Lieber; Sverker Molander; Linus Hammar; Louise Kregting. 2017. "A tool for simulating collision probabilities of animals with marine renewable energy devices." PLOS ONE 12, no. 11: e0188780.
The challenge of assessing emerging technologies with life cycle assessment (LCA) has been increasingly discussed in the LCA field. In this article, we propose a definition of prospective LCA: An LCA is prospective when the (emerging) technology studied is in an early phase of development (e.g., small-scale production), but the technology is modeled at a future, more-developed phase (e.g., large-scale production). Methodological choices in prospective LCA must be adapted to reflect this goal of assessing environmental impacts of emerging technologies, which deviates from the typical goals of conventional LCA studies. The aim of the article is to provide a number of recommendations for how to conduct such prospective assessments in a relevant manner. The recommendations are based on a detailed review of selected prospective LCA case studies, mainly from the areas of nanomaterials, biomaterials, and energy technologies. We find that it is important to include technology alternatives that are relevant for the future in prospective LCA studies. Predictive scenarios and scenario ranges are two general approaches to prospective inventory modeling of both foreground and background systems. Many different data sources are available for prospective modeling of the foreground system: scientific articles; patents; expert interviews; unpublished experimental data; and process modeling. However, we caution against temporal mismatches between foreground and background systems, and recommend that foreground and background system impacts be reported separately in order to increase the usefulness of the results in other prospective studies.
Rickard Arvidsson; Anne‐Marie Tillman; Björn A. Sandén; Matty Janssen; Anders Nordelöf; Duncan Kushnir; Sverker Molander. Environmental Assessment of Emerging Technologies: Recommendations for Prospective LCA. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2017, 22, 1286 -1294.
AMA StyleRickard Arvidsson, Anne‐Marie Tillman, Björn A. Sandén, Matty Janssen, Anders Nordelöf, Duncan Kushnir, Sverker Molander. Environmental Assessment of Emerging Technologies: Recommendations for Prospective LCA. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2017; 22 (6):1286-1294.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRickard Arvidsson; Anne‐Marie Tillman; Björn A. Sandén; Matty Janssen; Anders Nordelöf; Duncan Kushnir; Sverker Molander. 2017. "Environmental Assessment of Emerging Technologies: Recommendations for Prospective LCA." Journal of Industrial Ecology 22, no. 6: 1286-1294.
Kristin Fransson; Birgit Brunklaus; Sverker Molander; Yuntao Zhang. Managing chemical risk information. Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles 2017, 82 -96.
AMA StyleKristin Fransson, Birgit Brunklaus, Sverker Molander, Yuntao Zhang. Managing chemical risk information. Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles. 2017; ():82-96.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKristin Fransson; Birgit Brunklaus; Sverker Molander; Yuntao Zhang. 2017. "Managing chemical risk information." Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles , no. : 82-96.
Linus Hammar; Martin Gullström; Thomas G. Dahlgren; Maria E. Asplund; Ines Braga Goncalves; Sverker Molander. Introducing ocean energy industries to a busy marine environment. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2017, 74, 178 -185.
AMA StyleLinus Hammar, Martin Gullström, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Maria E. Asplund, Ines Braga Goncalves, Sverker Molander. Introducing ocean energy industries to a busy marine environment. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2017; 74 ():178-185.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLinus Hammar; Martin Gullström; Thomas G. Dahlgren; Maria E. Asplund; Ines Braga Goncalves; Sverker Molander. 2017. "Introducing ocean energy industries to a busy marine environment." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 74, no. : 178-185.
In a recent paper, Sörme et al. (Environ. Impact Assess. Rev., 56, 2016), took a first step towards an indicator of a national chemical footprint, and applied it to Sweden. Using USEtox 1.01, they calculated national impact potentials for human toxicity and ecotoxicity. The results showed that zinc dominated impacts, both for human toxicity and ecotoxicity. We calculated updated indicators of the Swedish national human toxicity and ecotoxicity footprint using USEtox 2.01. We also compared impact potentials based on USEtox with the mass of chemical emissions. The two model versions produced relatively consistent results. Zinc is still a major contributor to the human toxicity and ecotoxicity impact potentials when characterized with USEtox 2.01. The mass-based indicator pinpoints somewhat different substances than the impact-based indicators.
Maria Nordborg; Rickard Arvidsson; Göran Finnveden; Christel Cederberg; Louise Sörme; Viveka Palm; Kristin Stamyr; Sverker Molander. Updated indicators of Swedish national human toxicity and ecotoxicity footprints using USEtox 2.01. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 2017, 62, 110 -114.
AMA StyleMaria Nordborg, Rickard Arvidsson, Göran Finnveden, Christel Cederberg, Louise Sörme, Viveka Palm, Kristin Stamyr, Sverker Molander. Updated indicators of Swedish national human toxicity and ecotoxicity footprints using USEtox 2.01. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 2017; 62 ():110-114.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria Nordborg; Rickard Arvidsson; Göran Finnveden; Christel Cederberg; Louise Sörme; Viveka Palm; Kristin Stamyr; Sverker Molander. 2017. "Updated indicators of Swedish national human toxicity and ecotoxicity footprints using USEtox 2.01." Environmental Impact Assessment Review 62, no. : 110-114.
Epitaxial growth is a potential production process for the new material graphene, where it is grown on silicon carbide (SiC) wafers at high temperatures. We provide first estimates of the life cycle cumulative energy demand, climate change, terrestrial acidification, and eco-toxicity of this production. For this purpose, we applied prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) for three production scenarios (lab, pilot, and an industrial scenario), which reflect different production scales and technological maturity. The functional unit was one square centimeter of graphene. Results show that the three scenarios have similar impacts, which goes against previous studies that have suggested a decrease with larger production scale and technological maturity. The reason for this result is the dominance of electricity use in the SiC wafer production for all impacts (>99% in the worst case, >76% in the best case). Only when assuming thinner SiC wafers in the industrial scenario is there a reduction in impacts by around a factor of 10. A surface-area–based comparison to the life cycle energy use of graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition showed that epitaxial graphene was considerably more energy intensive—approximately a factor of 1,000. We recommend producers of epitaxial graphene to investigate the feasibility of thinner SiC wafers and use electricity based on wind, solar, or hydropower. The main methodological recommendation from the study is to achieve a temporal robustness of LCA studies of emerging technologies, which includes the consideration of different background systems and differences in production scale and technological maturity.
Rickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Epitaxial Graphene Production at Different Manufacturing Scales and Maturity. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2016, 21, 1153 -1164.
AMA StyleRickard Arvidsson, Sverker Molander. Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Epitaxial Graphene Production at Different Manufacturing Scales and Maturity. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2016; 21 (5):1153-1164.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRickard Arvidsson; Sverker Molander. 2016. "Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Epitaxial Graphene Production at Different Manufacturing Scales and Maturity." Journal of Industrial Ecology 21, no. 5: 1153-1164.
One of the most promising applications of graphene is as material in transparent electrodes in applications such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and solar cells. In this study, we assess life cycle resource requirements of producing an electrode area of graphene by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and compare to the production of indium tin oxide (ITO). The resources considered are energy and scarce metals. The results show that graphene layers can have lower life cycle energy use than ITO layers, with 3–10 times reduction for our best case scenario. Regarding use of scarce metals, the use of indium in ITO production is more problematic than the use of copper in graphene production, although the latter may constitute a resource constraint in the very long run. The substitution of ITO by graphene thus seems favorable from a resource point of view. Higher order effects may outweigh or enhance the energy use benefit. For example, cheaper, graphene-based electrodes may spur increased production of LCDs, leading to increased absolute energy use, or spur the development of new energy technologies, such as solar cells and fuel cells. The latter could potentially lead to larger absolute reductions in resource use if these new technologies will replace fossil-based energy systems
Rickard Arvidsson; Duncan Kushnir; Sverker Molander; Björn Sandén. Energy and resource use assessment of graphene as a substitute for indium tin oxide in transparent electrodes. Journal of Cleaner Production 2016, 132, 289 -297.
AMA StyleRickard Arvidsson, Duncan Kushnir, Sverker Molander, Björn Sandén. Energy and resource use assessment of graphene as a substitute for indium tin oxide in transparent electrodes. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2016; 132 ():289-297.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRickard Arvidsson; Duncan Kushnir; Sverker Molander; Björn Sandén. 2016. "Energy and resource use assessment of graphene as a substitute for indium tin oxide in transparent electrodes." Journal of Cleaner Production 132, no. : 289-297.
Many municipalities are facing increasing pressure to adapt solid waste and wastewater management infrastructures in order to better close nutrient cycles. The focus of this study is on the estimation of the human toxicity potential associated with chemical contaminants released upon the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land. More specifically, this study investigated the effect of modelling choices regarding fate and exposure assessment. Monitoring data were collected for contaminants present in the sewage sludge from the wastewater treatment plant in Gothenburg and from other municipal wastewater treatment plants in Sweden. Based on these monitoring data, an overall burden of disease was estimated using characterisation factors taken from the USEtox models (versions 1.01 and 2.0). For the exposure through vegetables, an alternative life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) model was developed. The intake fractions thus obtained were used in combination with human health effect factors taken from the USEtox 2.0 database. The model results were compared with the USEtox models, and whether these two versions of the USEtox model provide significantly different results was also examined. The potential relevance of accidental ingestion of sludge was also considered. The different LCIA models provided burden of disease estimates that differed from one another for individual contaminants (up to five orders of magnitude). The aggregated burdens of disease (i.e. sum for all contaminants considered in this study) estimated through different model variants, however, were of the same order of magnitude. For both metals and organic contaminants, only a small set of contaminants was found to make significant contributions to the aggregate burden of disease. However, it is uncertain whether the 15 metals and 106 organic contaminants covered by this study are those of greatest health significance of all contaminants potentially present in sewage sludge. The results of this study indicate that the technical information provided by the various approaches to modelling human toxicity in life cycle assessment (LCA) in the context of land application of sewage sludge management is consistent on the whole. However, given the uncertainties associated with the assessment of human toxicity in LCA, it is important to also contemplate the extent to which LCA in general is capable of informing the sewage sludge debate when it comes to human toxicity and possibly also other indicators. Future research could focus on identifying which types of questions of interest in the context of sewage management can be answered by LCA and which cannot.
Robin Harder; Gregory Peters; Magdalena Svanström; Stuart Khan; Sverker Molander. Estimating human toxicity potential of land application of sewage sludge: the effect of modelling choices. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2016, 22, 731 -743.
AMA StyleRobin Harder, Gregory Peters, Magdalena Svanström, Stuart Khan, Sverker Molander. Estimating human toxicity potential of land application of sewage sludge: the effect of modelling choices. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2016; 22 (5):731-743.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRobin Harder; Gregory Peters; Magdalena Svanström; Stuart Khan; Sverker Molander. 2016. "Estimating human toxicity potential of land application of sewage sludge: the effect of modelling choices." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 22, no. 5: 731-743.
Surface properties of nanoparticles imposed by particle size, shape and surface chemistry are key features that largely determine their environmental fate and effects on biological systems. Consequently, development of analytical tools to characterize surface properties of nanomaterials and their relation to toxicological properties must occur in parallel with applications. As a contribution to this quest, we present a nanoplasmonic sensing strategy that enables systematic in situ characterization of molecule-nanoparticle interactions under well-controlled conditions, both in terms of nanoparticle size and surface chemistry, with particular focus on the importance of surface faceting in crystalline nanoparticles. We assess the performance of our sensing strategy by presenting two case studies: (i) Protein corona formation on facetted Au core - SiO2 shell nanoparticles of different size, and thus different surface facet-to-edge ratios. Based on 2D and 3D models of the investigated structures, we find that for small particles the curved regions between adjacent facets dominate the response of the corona formation process, whereas the facets dominate the response in the large particle regime. (ii) In situ functionalization of Au core - SiO2 shell nanoparticle surfaces, and analysis of the subsequent protein repellent behavior. Due to the versatility of the presented sensing strategy in studies of nanoparticle surface properties, including in situ surface modifications, and their interactions with (bio)molecules during corona formation, we foresee it to become a valuable tool in the areas of nanomedicine and nanotoxicology.
Rickard Frost; Carl Wadell; Anders Hellman; Sverker Molander; Sofia Svedhem; Michael Persson; Christoph Langhammer. Core–Shell Nanoplasmonic Sensing for Characterization of Biocorona Formation and Nanoparticle Surface Interactions. ACS Sensors 2016, 1, 798 -806.
AMA StyleRickard Frost, Carl Wadell, Anders Hellman, Sverker Molander, Sofia Svedhem, Michael Persson, Christoph Langhammer. Core–Shell Nanoplasmonic Sensing for Characterization of Biocorona Formation and Nanoparticle Surface Interactions. ACS Sensors. 2016; 1 (6):798-806.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRickard Frost; Carl Wadell; Anders Hellman; Sverker Molander; Sofia Svedhem; Michael Persson; Christoph Langhammer. 2016. "Core–Shell Nanoplasmonic Sensing for Characterization of Biocorona Formation and Nanoparticle Surface Interactions." ACS Sensors 1, no. 6: 798-806.
Fisheries management and sustainability assessment of fisheries more generally have recently expanded their scope from single‐species stock assessment to ecosystem‐based approaches, aiming to incorporate economic, social and local environmental impacts, while still excluding global‐scale environmental impacts. In parallel, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a widely used and recommended framework to assess environmental impacts of products, including global‐scale impacts. For over a decade, LCA has been applied to seafood supply chains, leading to new insights into the environmental impact of seafood products. We present insights from seafood LCA research with particular focus on evaluating fisheries management, which strongly influences the environmental impact of seafood products. Further, we suggest tangible ways in which LCA could be taken up in management. By identifying trade‐offs, LCA can be a useful decision support tool and avoids problem shifting from one concern (or activity) to another. The integrated, product‐based and quantitative perspective brought by LCA could complement existing tools. One example is to follow up fuel use of fishing, as the production and combustion of fuel used dominates overall results for various types of environmental impacts of seafood products, and is also often linked to biological impacts of fishing. Reducing the fuel use of fisheries is therefore effective to reduce overall impacts. Allocating fishing rights based on environmental performance could likewise facilitate the transition to low‐impact fisheries. Taking these steps in an open dialogue between fishers, managers, industry, NGOs and consumers would enable more targeted progress towards sustainable fisheries.
Friederike Ziegler; Sara Hornborg; Bridget S Green; Ole Ritzau Eigaard; Anna K Farmery; Linus Hammar; Klaas Hartmann; Sverker Molander; Robert W R Parker; Erik Skontorp Hognes; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Anthony D M Smith. Expanding the concept of sustainable seafood using Life Cycle Assessment. Fish and Fisheries 2016, 17, 1073 -1093.
AMA StyleFriederike Ziegler, Sara Hornborg, Bridget S Green, Ole Ritzau Eigaard, Anna K Farmery, Linus Hammar, Klaas Hartmann, Sverker Molander, Robert W R Parker, Erik Skontorp Hognes, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Anthony D M Smith. Expanding the concept of sustainable seafood using Life Cycle Assessment. Fish and Fisheries. 2016; 17 (4):1073-1093.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFriederike Ziegler; Sara Hornborg; Bridget S Green; Ole Ritzau Eigaard; Anna K Farmery; Linus Hammar; Klaas Hartmann; Sverker Molander; Robert W R Parker; Erik Skontorp Hognes; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Anthony D M Smith. 2016. "Expanding the concept of sustainable seafood using Life Cycle Assessment." Fish and Fisheries 17, no. 4: 1073-1093.
Recent attempts to include adverse effects of pathogens on human health in life cycle assessment (LCA) have focused on integrating results obtained through quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) as an impact category in LCA. This study aimed to investigate whether the use of QMRA can be an adequate way of integrating pathogen impact potential in LCA and to quantify how pathogen impact potential is affected by choices regarding model structure and mathematical relationships used. This study was performed for the context of sewage sludge management and is based on pathogen concentrations in treated sludge reported in the literature. Eight reference pathogens were included in order to address important microbial groups. The pathogen impact potential associated with land application of sewage sludge was quantified based on a QMRA model for eight distinct exposure pathways. The modelling choices investigated were linearisation of dose-response and severity assessment and different modelling approaches and parameter choices in fate and exposure assessment. The linearisation of effect and severity assessment had a minor impact on the results for exposure pathways where pathogen doses were low but had a major impact where pathogen doses were high. The assumptions regarding fate and exposure conditions, such as pathogen decay time, number of individuals exposed and frequency of exposure, had a significant effect on overall pathogen impact potential. If pathogen impact potential is to be integrated in LCA, a range of different parameterisations for each exposure event may be warranted rather than only the one with the highest risk per individual exposed as commonly reported for QMRAs. This is also in line with the ordinary LCA practice of focusing on average rather than extreme conditions. This study suggests that the use of QMRA can be an adequate way of integrating adverse effects of pathogens on human health in LCA. However, analysts should be careful when choosing model parameters such as the number of people exposed or the frequency of exposure, as LCA may require a different parameterisation than an ordinary risk assessment (RA). Therefore, a direct integration of the results of a QMRA study into LCA may be problematic. Also, in order to avoid potential bias, analysts should carefully consider whether or not pathogen impact potential and human toxicity potential need to be estimated based on a similar set of exposure pathways.
Robin Harder; Gregory Peters; Sverker Molander; Nicholas Ashbolt; Magdalena Svanström. Including pathogen risk in life cycle assessment: the effect of modelling choices in the context of sewage sludge management. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2015, 21, 60 -69.
AMA StyleRobin Harder, Gregory Peters, Sverker Molander, Nicholas Ashbolt, Magdalena Svanström. Including pathogen risk in life cycle assessment: the effect of modelling choices in the context of sewage sludge management. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2015; 21 (1):60-69.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRobin Harder; Gregory Peters; Sverker Molander; Nicholas Ashbolt; Magdalena Svanström. 2015. "Including pathogen risk in life cycle assessment: the effect of modelling choices in the context of sewage sludge management." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 21, no. 1: 60-69.