The Dutch drinking water sector is actively investigating methods to reduce arsenic (As) to < 1 mu g/L in drinking water supply. We investigated (1) the effectiveness of sequential permanganate (MnO4-)-ferric (Fe(III)) dosing during aeration-rapid sand filtration to achieve < 1 mu g/L As (2) the influence of MnO4--Fe(III) dosing on preestablished removal patterns of As(III), Fe(II), Mn(II) and NH4+ in rapid sand filters and (3) the influence of MnO4--Fe(III) dosing on the settling and molecular-scale structural properties of the filter backwash solids. We report that MnO4--Fe(III) dosing is an effective technique to improve arsenite [As(III)] removal at groundwater treatment plants. At a typical aeration-rapid sand filtration facility in the Netherlands effluent As concentrations of < 1 mu g/L were achieved with 1.2 mg/L MnO4--and 1.8 mg/L Fe(III). The optimized combination of MnO4-and Fe(III) doses did not affect the removal efficiency of Fe(II), Mn(II) and NH4+ in rapid sand filters, however, the removal patterns of Fe(II) and Mn(II) in rapid sand filter were altered, as well as the settling behaviour of backwash solids. The characterization of backwash solids by Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the changed settling velocity of backwash solids with MnO4-Fe(III) in place was not due to changes in the molecular-scale structure of Fe-precipitates that constitute the major portion of the backwash solids.

More than a decade after the implementation of the EU Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) into Swedish legislation, a comprehensive study has been conducted to analyze the development of SEA practice in municipal planning. The analysis was based on a nationwide mapping of SEA in Swedish municipal comprehensive plans and municipal sector plans, such as energy plans and waste plans, which were adopted in the period 2004-2014. The mapping was used for obtaining evidence of, and explanations for, the extent to which SEAs have been carried out and to enable an identification of the presence of alternatives and specified purposes of the plan. In this paper, the result of the analysis of the development of SEA practice is presented, which shows that municipal comprehensive plans had an SEA to an increasingly greater extent, up to on average 90% for the period 2010-2014. For waste plans and energy plans, corresponding figures for the same period were significantly lower. In addition, the result shows a decreasing trend between 2006 and 2014 regarding the proportion of SEAs that included more than one plan alternative. The use of a zero alternative, however, increased from 2006 to 2014. A regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants that explain the variation in the degree to which screening and SEAs were conducted. The findings of the study show that a systematic mapping of SEA practice provides empirical basis for the development of policy measures to enhance the use of SEAS in municipal planning. Furthermore, it is argued that strengthening the link between alternatives and the purposes of the plan may foster a more strategic thinking when identifying reasonable alternatives on how to promote sustainable development within the planning. Moreover, it is argued that mandatory SEA should be considered in municipal comprehensive and sector planning.

A fully calibrated and validated 3D hydrodynamic model is applied to the Baltic Sea to investigate the vortical structures in the Baltic Sea in the period 2000-2009. The novelty of the study is the detection and dynamics of large scale mesoscale vortices both in horizontal and vertical planes by using the instantaneous velocity vectors. This study provides some new insights into the type and dynamics of vortical structures in the Baltic Sea. In the horizontal plane, vortices with typical length and velocity scale of 5-12 km and 5-10 cm/s are present. They are of open type three-dimensional structures having two important features. They extend to 90% of the flow depth and have a clear periodicity of one to seven days. The vortices rotate both in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. The baroclinic Rossby deformation radii are in the same range. The maximum numbers of mesoscale vortices are within the 15-m thick surface layer that diminishes towards the bottom layer. In the vertical planes, there is a multi-layered structure with the layer numbers varying from 2 to 4. Each layer is characterized by a set of distinct vortices. Taylor-Gortler type vortices appear within the surface layers. The middle flow layers are featured by distorted large-scale vortices. Boundary trapped vortices and large local circulation patterns feature the deeper bottom flow layers. There are two underlying mechanisms of vortex generation: one is shear layer instability of the Kelvin Helmholtz type and the other Taylor-Gortler. A conceptual general vortex model is proposed that applies to all basins of the Baltic Sea in vertical planes. Three types of structures are possible in the mixed layer, pycnocline, and the deep layer. In these are Taylor-Gortler vortices, mesoscale coherent structures, and trapped boundary vortices, respectively.

The discovery of rare metal resources in international waters has raised seabed mining claims for large areas of the bottom. There is abundant scientific evidence of major negative consequences for the maritime environment, such as the destruction of natural landforms and the fauna that depend on them, as well as the production of enormous silt plumes that disrupt aquatic life. This study investigated the environmental risks of seabed mining for metal resources in the Baltic Sea using a combination of hydrodynamic, particle-tracking, and sediment-transport models. The models were applied for ten years i.e., 2000-2009 under prevailing conditions to simulate seabed mining operations. The focus was on sediment concentration near the seabed and its spread. The mean background concentrations were low with small seasonal bed-level variations throughout the Baltic Sea Basin. Late summer and early autumn periods were the most active. Seabed mining significantly alters the dynamics of sediment suspensions and bed level variations. The concentrations increase unsustainably to high levels, posing a serious threat to the ecological health of the Baltic Sea. The Gotland basins in the Baltic Sea are the most susceptible to mining. The bed level variations will be ten-fold, exposing the highly contaminated sediments at the seabed to the flow. In less than a year, 30-60% of the total particles released in each basin reached the thermocline layers. This study suggests that seabed mining in the Baltic Sea is not sustainable.

The spatial and temporal variations of Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs) in the Baltic Sea are extracted from finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) fields. A validated 3-D hydrodynamic model of the Baltic Sea coupled with a water quality model is applied for the years 2000-2009. The novelty of the work is on the variation of LCSs with the sea depth, the state of hypoxia and the possible relationship with the blooming patterns in the Baltic. The study reveals a variety of LCSs with a typical core diameter of 10-40 km and a duration of 2-7 days that are formed offshore in all the basins of the Baltic Sea. They occur throughout the year even during winter times when the sea at the northern basins is partially covered with ice. The LCSs are more abundant in the southern basins where extensive algae blooms occur. The dominant structures are large vortex dipoles and anti-rotating vortex pairs that are not limited to the surface water layer but spread to a depth of 143.5 m. Likely mechanisms for the formation and the spread of LCSs are Kelvin-Helmholtz type instabilities, Proudman-Taylor column and Ekman Spiral. In the vicinity of the shorelines, the LCSs are smaller in diameter scaling with the mean Rossby radius to around 5 km. In the southern basins of the Baltic Sea; the dissolved oxygen (DO) content is permanently below 2 mg/l at depths below 80 m. DO contents vary seasonally with high values during winter and early spring times as opposed to lower values during summer and autumn periods. During late summers, the decline in DO content appears related to the extensive algae blooming consuming oxygen through the decomposition process. The LCSs map the patterns of Algae blooms detected by satellites. The duration of Algae blooming agrees with the persisting time of LCSs as well as the spatial surface water extents. The major 2003 inflow (MBI) increased the seabed DO content only in the lower part of the Arkona Basin that lasted just for about 3 weeks. The inputs of DO from the rivers and the 2003 MBI were not sufficient to counteract the seabed hypoxia in the Baltic Proper for the years 2000-2009.

Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is widely recognised as an important carbon dioxide removal technology. Nevertheless, BECCS has mostly failed to move beyond small-scale demonstration units. One main factor is the energy penalty incurred on power plants. In previous studies, this penalty has been determined to be 37.2 %?48.6 % for the amine capture technology. The aim of this study is to quantify the energy penalty for adding the hot potassium carbonate (HPC) capture technology to a biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant, connected to a district heating system. In this context, the energy driving the capture process is partly recovered as useful district heating. Therefore, a modified energy penalty is proposed, with the inclusion of recovered heat. This inclusion is especially meaningful if the heat has a substantial monetary value. The BECCS system is examined using thermodynamic analysis, coupled with modelling of the capture process in Aspen PlusTM. Model validation is performed with data from a BECCS test facility. The results of this study show that the modified energy penalty is in the range of 2%?4%. These findings could potentially increase the attractiveness of BECCS as a climate abatement option in a district heating CHP setting.

Eutrofieringen av Östersjön är omfattande och ses i dag som ett av områdets allvarligaste föroreningsproblem. Orsaken till detta är en förhöjd näringsbelastning av kväve och fosfor. Den ökade näringsbelastningen beror på att de naturliga flödena av dessa näringsämnen har rubbats, vilket är en direkt följd av urbaniseringen. Sveriges enskilda avlopp står för 16% av den totala fosforbelastningen till Östersjön. År 2006 skärptes de svenska riktvärdena för fosforbelastning från enskilda avloppsanläggningar. Nästan en tredjedel av dagens 625 000 enskilda avloppsanläggningar klarar inte dessa skärpta krav. Som ett led i detta har forskning och utveckling inom ämnesområdet bedrivits under de senaste 20 åren. Forskningen har resulterat i nya effektivare avloppsreningstekniker där så kallade reaktiva filtermaterial används som fosforfälla.

Gemensamt för de reaktiva filtermaterial som har utvecklats är dess höga kalciumhalt och stora specifika fastläggningsytor, vilket vid höga pH-värden skapar förutsättning för en hög fosforfastläggningen. Den reaktiva filtermaterialstekniken möjliggör ett resurseffektivt användande av fosfor då recirkulation av grundämnet möjliggörs.

Syftet med detta kandidatexamensarbete har varit att undersöka om livslängden för två olika reaktiva filtermaterial kan förlängas genom en dualfilterteknik. En teknik där fosforfällan består av två olika reaktiva filtermaterial med olika egenskaper. Hypotesen har varit att en dualfilterteknik kan minska kalciumutlakningen från filtret. De två dualfilter som har undersökts är Polonite®–Sorbulite® och Argon oxygen decarburisation–Hyttsand. Arbetet har utförts som en kolonnstudie. De viktigaste analyserna som har genomförts är alkalinitet och kalciumutlakning.

Arbetes slutsatser listas nedan:

o Det dualfilter som har visat bäst förutsättningar som långvarig fosforfälla i enskilda avloppsanläggningar är Polonite®–Sorbulite®.

o Materialet Sorbulite® har visat sig kunna minska kalciumutlakningen, vilket bekräftar studiens hypotes. Arbetets resultat pekar på att Sorbulite® kan användas för att förlänga filterlivslängden för det reaktiva filtermaterialet Polonite® .

o Materialet Hyttsand uppvisar ingen förmåga till att kunna samla upp utlakade kalciumfraktioner. Detta medför att Hyttsand ej är ett lämpligt material i ett dualfilter där syftet är att förlänga filtrets livslängd.

Hydro Power is one of the most important producer of electricity and to optimize the production hydropeaking is used. Hydropeaking means regulation of the discharge to produce the amount of electricity the market demands at the time. In this study the regulation pattern has been analyzed and compared in one observation station in a regulated river and one observation station in an unregulated river, in Finland. Flow data has been analyzed with regards to three different statistic parameters. One parameter that analyzes the regulation per month, one that analyzes the regulation per day and one that analyzes per hour. The result shows that the smaller the time interval is the bigger are the differences in the regulation pattern. In the month perspective the value of the parameter is almost the same, in the day perspective the values for the regulated river is approximative 10-20 times bigger than the unregulated. And in the hour perspective it is even bigger differences where the value in the regulated river is around 40-50 times bigger than for the unregulated. The reason to the higher values on the parameters in the regulated river comes from that the discharge here is regulated to optimize the production of electricity which makes the differences in the discharger higher within the day and between two hours.When the spring flood comes something interesting happens with the regulation pattern. The regulation pattern in the two rivers becomes more similar. In the unregulated river the value of the parameters increases meanwhile the values in the regulated river decreases. The reason the short time regulation decreases in the regulated river is probably because of the higher risk of flooding, due to limitations of the capacity to store water, which comes with higher discharges. The regulation pattern got some differences between the years which depends on the amount of rain and the levels in the storing magazines by the start of the year. When the results in this thesis are compared with the results of another report which analyzes the same parameters in Switzerland, the same pattern can be seen in general but also some differences which indicates on the local conditions impact on the pattern.

As urban areas are developing and becoming increasingly important for dealing with sustainability goals and challenges, it is of the essence not to overlook the impacts created by the local, small-scale processes taking place across metropolitan regions. Based on a case study conducted in the expansive Stockholm region, this study explores the challenges associated with linking small-scale development to long-term overall strategy and development in municipal spatial planning. More specifically, it explores planning practitioners' experiences of how local planning processes are organized to deal with established cross-cutting sustainability goals and the conditions for promoting sustainability in small-scale development projects. The results show that municipal planners face several organizational, procedural, and knowledge-related challenges that also influence the interplay between public and private actors in the process. To promote suStainable trajectories at the local level, it is necessary to devote resources and build capacity to further develop the relationship and interdependency between the processes of translation and formalization, which constitute an important link between the project-specific planning process and the overall strategy and development.

A denitrification process with simultaneous suspended solids separation and denitrification was studied in pilot-scale filters. Denitrification rates for the total, upper, middle, and lower layer of the filter bed were 21.3, 79.0, 27.8, and 21.9 g (NO3+NO2)-N m−3 filter bed h−1 (g NOx-N m−3 h−1), respectively. The biofilm on the grains showed denitrification rates for not backwashed grains and grains backwashed once of 8.8 and 7.8 g NOx-N m−3 h−1, respectively, indicating a robust biofilm. Construction and operation strategies of full-scale filters were done based on the pilot-scale study results. For further optimization of the denitrification process, 1 of 60 filters in operation was chosen for a full-scale study. The denitrification rates for the total layer, upper layer, middle layers, and lower layer of the filter bed were 12.7, 15.6, 27.3, 27.9, 27.8, and 14.0 g NOx-N m−3 h−1, respectively. The rate of 27.8 g NOx-N m−3 h−1 was obtained for a middle layer in both filters. The amount of nitrogen possible to reduce in the full-scale filters was calculated to 8.8 mg N L−1 or 2403 kg N d−1. This paper presents results of denitrification rates, reaction orders, rate constants, and suspended solids separation.

In the years since COP21 in Paris, awareness of the need for carbon sinks has grown rapidly. However, policy instruments supporting a path to this target are still lacking. Bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) may provide a way to rapidly reduce global warming. In the Nordics, much of the basic infrastructure for successful BECCS implementation is already in place. So why is not more happening? This study provides insights to barriers and policy implications in relation to successful BECCS implementation. Though implementation could support economic growth and welfare development, the cost is relatively high for individual utilities. In the deregulated competitive heating market in the case of Stockholm, cost transfer to customers is prohibited, effectively impeding implementation. Moreover, while present national or EU-based support schemes could cover investments, the operating cost is high, so other economic policy approaches are required. Lastly, this paper shows that BECCS on combined heat and power plants has a potential, but requires much more research. Thus it is suggested that negative emission technologies in energy systems are brought into research agendas such as the future of combined heat and power and urban multi energy systems. 

Climate change impose a major challenge to the world. About 23% of the world’s energy-related CO₂ emissions derive from transportation. Urban freight transport has been increasing because of a growing demand for goods. Cities need to manage freight transportation to decrease its climate change impact. The purpose of this study is to investigate what the cities Gothenburg, Copenhagen, and Turku need in order to manage urban freight transport and what measures the cities have adapted to reduce the CO₂ emissions deriving from urban freight transport. The study aims to reflect upon how the elements included in the practice of municipal freight transport management relate to the sustainable mobility paradigm and identify measures to decrease climate change impact and reach sustainable mobility.

Social practice theory guided the analysis, where meanings, materials, and competences was searched for in the empirical material. Data was collected through a document analysis and interviews with employees at the cities’ administrations. The results showed that the reasons for managing freight is to reduce environmental and negative social impacts, ensure good ease of passage for freight transportation, strengthen the economy and create jobs, and avoid conflicting goals and find joint solutions. Needed materials are funding, guidelines, and personnel resources. Needed competences include taking a systems perspective, understanding the private sector, engaging in cooperation, seeking and managing funding, transport planning, and procurement and planning of the own municipal freight transportation. The need and behaviour that steers the freight transportation seem to be excluded from the freight transport management practice. This is the need for goods and its connected consumption behaviour. The cities’ adapted measures to reduce the climate change impact from freight transportation focus on technological and logistical improvements. The freight transport management practice includes features that are in line with the sustainable mobility paradigm as well as features that are not. To strengthen sustainable mobility, the inclusion of stakeholders when managing freight transport could be expanded to inhabitants and persons with competence in environmental and social aspects.

Using macroalgae as bio-feedstock for the bio-based plastic industry is a developing process that possesses inherent comparative advantages with regard to its environmental impacts compared to using other bio-feedstock sources. Thus, research effort is considered necessary to improve its competitiveness and resolve the technical challenges that it is currently facing. Within this context, this thesis aims at improving existing knowledge on ecotoxicity impacts from metals found in macroalgae tissue to microbes used within bio-reactors for their fermentation.

The basis for a novel impact pathway within LCA methodologies is provided according to a fate- exposure-effect approach. Namely: microbial biota within a bio-reactor is exposed to metal that is bioaccumulated by macroalgae tissue from background sea water, which derives into potential ecotoxicity effects. This pathway can be further studied to incorporate microbial ecotoxicity in bio- reactors within current LCA practices.

Under this approach, two data sets have been analysed to evaluate levels of pollution of metals in macroalgae feedstocks against their potential ecotoxicological effects in biochemicals producing microbes: one concerning metal uptake by macroalgae, including measurements on algae tissue and background sea water; and a second one including metal ecotoxicity measurements on relevant microbial species used in biochemicals production processes. As a result of this analysis, it is concluded that there is basis for including microbial ecotoxicity from macroalgae feedstock as a relevant criterion within decision-making in the bio-based plastic industry. Moreover, input for the industry is obtained as direct recommendations and score tables that can be used under case-specific scenarios for macroalgae and microbial species selection.

The conducted project should be regarded as a first iteration to the problem. Further work is required in order to refine the outcome of research and maximise input recommendations for the bio-based plastic industry.

Many city planners, regional authorities and transport providers are tasked with the challenging job of selecting which type of public buses are suited to their location and priorities. The challenges of which are multidimensional in nature due to different policies to adhere to as well as economic, environmental and technical tradeoffs between options. The aim of this report was to provide decision support in the choice of powertrains and energy sources for buses in public transport systems. The methodology used was a multi-criteria analysis.

The assessed transportation options include buses running on diesel, biogas, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), hydro-treated vegetable oils (HVO), bioethanol as well as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) assessed separately as opportunity and overnight charging. Suitable bus solutions were broken into six key areas to be considered when selecting fleets. These involved economic, technical, reliability, infrastructure, environmental and social issues. The economic considerations highlighted: the cost of ownership and the market share of vehicles. Vehicle performance considerations included: the range/refuel time of a vehicle. Considerations involved in delivery reliability were: national energy security, whether there was a short-term backup fuel as well as current and future policy support. Another consideration regarding infrastructure was: the required level of change required. Regarding environment and energy, considerations of merit involved: well-to-wheel greenhouse gas reductions, air pollution in relation vehicle regulations, noise levels, nutrient recyclability as well as associated resource impacts. The social considerations were determined as: public opinion and job creation.

From the compiled results assessing each criterion the grading matrix suggested it was biogas buses followed closely by HVO buses that scored the best. Weighted results were also conducted, emphasizing the most important criteria according to surveyed stakeholders which resulted in HVO and Biogas again performing the best.  

Adaptive and flexible approaches based on implementing different measures as new information emerges have been proposed as a way of enabling robustness towards uncertain future climate change. However, the success of flexible approaches in practice depends on the stability of the relevant organizational landscapes. In this paper, we draw upon key insights from the institutional theories of organizations and research on public administration and climate adaptation in Sweden. We argue that potential organizational instabilities pose a substantial challenge for the mainstreaming of flexible approaches to climate adaptation. Given the unstable character of the relevant organizational landscape in a very stable country such as Sweden, it seems reasonable to also seriously doubt the capacity of the relevant authorities in less stable countries to carry out a great number of monitoring-intensive, and hence attention-demanding, adaptive governance processes over time. Based on our results we argue that it is perilous to simply assume that flexible approaches to climate adaptation will lead to greater robustness.

Two-way interactions and feedback between hydrological and social processes in settled floodplains determine the complex human–flood system and change vulnerability over time. To focus on the dynamic role of individual and governmental decision making on flood-risk management, we developed and implemented a coupled agent-based and hydraulic modelling framework. Within this framework, household agents are located in a floodplain protected by a levee system. Individual behaviour is based on Protection Motivation Theory and includes the options to (1) not react to flood risk; (2) implement individual flood protection measures; or (3) file a complaint to the government. The government decides about reinforcing the levee system, compromising between a cost-benefit analysis and filed complaints from households. We found that individual decision making can significantly influence flood risk. In addition, the coupled agent-based and hydraulic modelling framework approach captures commonly observed socio-hydrological dynamics, namely levee and adaptation effects. It provides an explanatory tool for assessing spatial and temporal dynamics of flood risk in a socio-hydrological system.

Heavy precipitation events are expected to increase in the future, due to climate change. This predicted change will increase the risk of flooding, especially in urban areas. To mitigate these challenges and support a sustainable urban development, Nature-based solutions (NBS) can be used as a flood risk reduction measure. The NBS wetlands and constructed wetlands, composed of ponds, canals and ditches, are commonly used solutions which are multifunctional and primarily provides flood regulatory services, water quality improvements and increased biodiversity. To reach the full potential of NBS, the location and design is crucial. At present planning practise, a user friendly and time efficient tool to investigate suitable locations within a catchment is missing, where the concept of connectivity has arisen as a useful approach. In this study, the NBS concept and the potential of wetlands for flood risk mitigation have been investigated. In addition, the connectivity of two study case catchments has been analysed by using the Connectivity Index (IC index) by Cavalli et al. (2013). The aim has been to evaluate whether the IC index can be used to find suitable locations for NBS. Further, the study seeks to investigate how the IC index can be integrated into NBS planning practice in order to create useful information for the decisionmaking process. To validate the IC index result, a comparison has been performed with earlier flood events, two hydrological models, Multi criteria decision analysis and spatiotemporal soil parameters. From the obtained result and analysis, preliminary solutions have been proposed for two case studies in Sweden and Portugal. The result shows that IC index is promising as an, early stage, first assessment tool in NBS planning practice which can be used in order to allocate areas suitable for NBS. To find the most beneficial location and the site-specific design, a deeper investigation of the site-specific conditions is required. Moreover, a successful implementation is dependent on a close collaboration between different stakeholders and expertise. Finally, this study shows that realizing the potential of NBS wetlands is essential to create sustainable urban development and liveable and attractive cities.

Due to the large quantities of waste in the construction industry, a circular return packaging system is evaluated as bearers used for gypsum deliveries. The master thesis is written together with the construction company JM AB with the goal of being able to support future strategies for the development of more sustainable packaging solutions. This has been done by a comparative life cycle analysis of the current linear system of wood chips bearers, which is compared with a theoretical circular system of plastic bearers used with a return system. The two different bearers with respective processes are compared, in order to evaluate the environmental impact and further evaluate the conditions when a return system is preferable. By creating two life cycle analyses of both systems in the SimaPro computer software and comparing them with the functional unit, 50 deliveries of 42 discs of gypsum are the two different ways of delivering gypsum compared. The result shows that two returns per plastic bearer are needed to ensure that the seven selected environmental impact categories are lower than using wood chips bearers. In the sensitivity analysis, different scenarios are tested, where one conclusion of the analysis is that the type of energy used for the manufacture of the bearers is very important for the result. The discussion addresses the problem that plastic is not a renewable material, and today's conditions on construction sites result in return packaging being handled as disposables.

Spatial data management within the environmental field has a large range of application possibilities and comes with great advantages. In this study methods and technologies for spatial data management of soil contamination has been assessed in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), in order to identify in which way spatial data applications and tools can contribute with valuable information for these type of projects. The spatial assessment has been applied on a case study site in Kagghamra, Stockholm, exposed to high levels of contaminants, arsenic in particular. Subjects that have been evaluated are arsenic contamination distribution pattern, estimation of volume contaminated soil and amount of samples needed for spatial analyses. Furthermore, two versions of an exploratory soil sensitivity estimation model based on site specific ground and landscape parameters as well as literature references have been developed. The data management included large quantities of primary and secondary data of the commination levels as well as geological and ground properties. First hand collected geophysical field data obtained from Electromagnetic (EM) and Induced Polarisation (IP) measurements was also interpreted. The benefits of using geophysical measurements in soil contamination projects has been investigated. In this case the benefits were few due to difficult measuring conditions with disturbance noise. Spatial interpolations with the Natural Neighbour  (NN) technique are proven to be useful in transforming point contamination data into continuous layers. From the interpolation surfaces (arsenic distribution map) a variety of information can be extracted, such as a first hand volume estimation of contaminated soil, possibilities of reduction in amount of field sampling or to investigate statistical information and relations to different site specific ground conditions. The soil sensitivity estimation models are combined maps consisting of data layers that are relevant for the arsenic behaviour and interaction in the subsurface. Site specific Model (1) is based the data layers Soil type, Iron level, Soil depth, Slope  and illustrates mainly areas exposed to high concentrations of arsenic as high sensitivity areas. The more general, literature supported Model (2) also includes Vegetation cover and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) and is not related highly to the arsenic distribution in the site area, but could contribute with general implications of sensitive areas if applied on a another, larger site area. Efficient management of large data quantities, economic and time saving benefits from less physical sampling and good representation and visualisation possibilities of the site conditions, as a tool for stakeholder communication and decision-making are the main contributions from the spatial data management.

In today‘s society, transport between places plays an important role in people‘s everyday life resulting in unavoidable effect on the environment. Emissions from the transport sector in the Nordic Region are expected to increase the coming years because of growing urbanization and population, so it becomes apparent that transport planners today are facing a complex system that requires to change in order to reach sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the planning systems and processes to enable improvements. The aim of this study is to analyse and compare how environmental aspects are incorporated in the process of defining measures at early stages in transport planning in the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with the focus on each country‘s capital region. The focus is set on where and how collaboration between stakeholders and expert knowledge are included in the planning processes in the different countries. To meet the aim, a case study approach was chosen where semi-structured interviews with planning practitioners from all the countries were conducted to gather data, together with literature review and document analysis to set the scope of the study. The interview results showed that early-stage transport planning is practiced differently in the five countries. In Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden transport authorities or administrations are responsible for long-term strategic development of the transport system at a national and regional level, and they have defined how transport planning processes should be conducted. In these cases, collaboration between stakeholders and with experts occurs through workshops or working groups created at early stages. In Denmark, there is no longterm strategic transport planning at national or regional level. There, collaboration occurs at project level where experts and stakeholders are included when a project is being planned. Environmental assessment tools and methods were shown to be used at early stages and the interview results showed that CBA had a prominent role in Denmark and Norway, SEA and EIA had prominent roles in Iceland and an environmental assessment model in Finland. In Sweden, CBA and SEA are also used in transport planning, but in this study the focus was on Strategic Choice of Measures (SCM) which does not include those tools. In SCM, experts are included at early stages to incorporate environmental aspects and review chosen measures. Generally, the early-stage planning processes in the five countries are perceived as flexible which provides opportunities to adjust the processes to each case. Yet, planners need to motivate why a specific project or a solution is suggested and to do that they often use environmental assessment tools or expert knowledge.Integration of environmental concern in early planning stages has been identified as important in terms of reducing environmental problems in later stages. A suggestion for future studies is to investigate more in detail how different environmental assessment tools are used in the Nordic countries, as on what levels and stages they are applied.

Arsenic (As) exposure is a cause of growing global concern. Exposure to As leads to various problems and can be fatal as well. Exposure to arsenic can be due to contact with various components of the environment that are contaminated by As. To remediate the effects of As, it is important to understand how this exposure occurs, and which parameters need to be taken into account for remediation. To do this, it is important to understand the extent and nature of exposure. This can be done through exposure modelling.The aim of this Master thesis is to develop an exposure model to perform risk assessment of As exposure in agricultural lands of Europe. The exposure model was developed in collaboration with KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Kemakta Konsult AB. The research is part of the European Union project AgriAs, ‘Evaluation and Management of Arsenic Contamination in Agricultural Soil and Water’ with six participating organizations from Finland, Germany, France and Sweden. Two target sites were chosen to perform a risk assessment using the developed model. The target sites were Freiberg, Saxony, Germany and Verdun, France. This is a preliminary model to practice the methodology. The final AgriAs model will be compiled together with the AgriAs Consortium and published jointly by all partners involved.The model was developed based on the identified exposure pathways of human exposure to As in agricultural regions, the different types of site-input data, and model-specific parameters. The identified exposure pathways are inhalation of dust, intake of As contaminated food stuff, ingestion of As contaminated water, accidental ingestion of soil, and dermal contact. The exposure model was developed as an equilibrium model, and the pathway equations were based on site-concentration and equilibrium transfer factors. The model was tested and validated by comparing with the Swedish Guideline model. The model was tested for sensitivity to the input parameter values as well. The validated model was then used to perform a Risk Assessment on the two target sites of Germany and France. Recommendations on further development of the model, and data collection required to make the model produce more site-specific results were also given.Keywords: Arsenic, Exposure model, Model development, Risk assessment, Agricultural lands, EuropeNote: Some parts have been removed from the public version of this master thesis until 2019, and the full research will be published by AgriAs in 2019.

Urbanisation is increasing and more sustainable transport modes are promoted, in both the sustainable development goals and the national goals. Sweden has developed a national cycling strategy, with the purpose to improve cycling infrastructure and make more people chose the bike. While cycling is good for both environment, reduced congestion and personal health, the traffic mode comes with high risk of accidents. Insufficient operation and maintenance is one of the main causes of single accidents involving cyclists.

To improve the road quality on existing paths, this study has in collaboration with NCC, developed a concept for reporting issues on paths for cyclists directly to the road manager. The aim is to increase the efficiency of inspections on cycling paths and to cover more risk related aspects. A pilot area was chosen, due to variations in contracts for NCC’s operational areas in Sweden. The choice of pilot area was Borås, based on type of contract, local initiatives and sufficient information available.

The methodology of this project consisted of a general literature review, followed with a deeper study of contracts and seminars in Borås. The seminars provided local insight from the NCC workers and cyclists familiar in the area. A grading system for the reports was obtained through a multi-criteria analysis in which criteria was combined with weights based on risk factor to demonstrate the urgency from more sides than just the contact. An analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats was made to evaluate the concept.

The result is in the form of a reporting system where cyclists can register errands about problems on their cycling paths in a mobile application. An NCC administrator at the main local office will organise the reports into the relevant criterion and score it according to urgency. The errand is then graded based on the score combined with a weight for that criterion to represent the risk factor. Colour coded symbols will appear on a digital map, giving NCC a good overview of the cycling path that can help them prioritise and schedule maintenance more efficiently. It is expected that some of the reports will concern problems outside of NCC contract boarders, these will be handled separately in a Grey Zone. Either the errand will be forwarded to responsible road manager, or it will be used in action proposals to the contract holder.

For this system to work, it is important that the users stay engaged. This is attained with a feedback mechanism allowing the user to follow the report throughout the process. It will be possible to receive notifications when the status of an errand is updated. During a seminar with local cyclists, personalised feedback was preferred. A suggestion to meet this request is given in the form of a gamification feature, where points and achievements illustrate the importance of the cyclist’s reports. To attract users, different incentives such as discounts or service might be necessary.

A final recommendation from this project is to create a system with the intention to collaborate with local initiatives and stakeholders. The value of this concept lay in increased efficiency and quality of operation and maintenance of cycling path that will lead to a safer environment for the citizens. 

The integration of CO2 capture with biomass-fired power plants has attracted much attention due to its ability to achieve negative emissions. Waste-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plants with CO2 capture, on the other hand, has received little attention, and their potential remains unclear. This study aims to identify the possible range of the amount of captured CO2 and investigate the impact of CO2 capture on the performance of waste-fired CHP plants. Since heat is the primary product of CHP plants, it is important to maintain heat production unchanged when CO2 capture is integrated. Based on this prerequisite, two operating strategies (OS) were investigated, which correspond to the upper and lower boundaries of CO2 capture: OS1 was to maximize the amount of captured CO2 while keeping the heat supplied to the district heating (DH) network unchanged; and OS2 was to maximize CO2 capture while keeping both supplied heat and generated electricity unchanged. To obtain more accurate results regarding the CO2 capture, a dynamic model developed in Aspen Hysys™ was utilized to simulate monoethanolamine (MEA) based chemical absorption for CO2 capture. By using real dynamic data from a waste-fired CHP plant, dynamic simulation results showed that the highest amount of captured CO2, which was achieved in OS1, was 401 kton/year, corresponding to a CO2 capture ratio of 82%; while the lowest amount of captured CO2, which was achieved in OS2, was 99 kton/year, corresponding to a CO2 capture ratio of 20%. For OS1, the electricity generation was substantially decreased by 61%. When determining the negative emission, the emission resulted from the share of fossil fuel in the waste needs to be excluded. For the studied CHP plant, the fossil share was around 45%. As a result, only OS1 can achieve the negative emission, which was 181 kton/year; while OS2 still led to positive emissions. Compared to the plant without CO2 capture, the carbon intensity of heat was reduced from 0.405 ton/MWh to 0.091 ton/MWh in OS1 and 0.351 ton/MWh in OS2, while the carbon intensity of electricity was reduced from 0.409 ton/MWh to 0.072 ton/MWh in OS1 and 0.343 ton/MWh in OS2.