The purpose of the paper is to determine the environmentally safe and economically feasible technology of biofertilizer production from the digestate including dewatering process. Methodological basis is based on the systematic approach to the determination of factors effected on the distribution of nutrients and pollutants between liquidand solid fractions after digestate separation. We studied modern technologies aimed at dewatering the digestateand reduction of its volume, showed their effectiveness. These technologies allow expanding the opportunities forcommercialization of the digestate, increasing the cost of its transportation and application to the soil instead ofcomplex fertilizers, using some valuable products. The results of the study showed that the ecological quality ofthe digestate is the highest as well as co-digested thermally pre-treated feedstock is used for solid-liquid separationin centrifuge with polymer addition as post-treatment approach to the flocculation. In order to increase efficiencyof biofertilizer application the technological scheme of production process of granular fertilizers from digestatewas proposed. Special feature of this scheme is in the use of phosphogypsum binder for the production of organomineral fertilizer that contributes phosphogypsum recycling in the waste management system.

The study aims to define the potential and technological aspects of the digestate treatment for its application as a biofertilizer. Life cycle assessment methodology was used in terms of digestate quality management. The potential of nutrients, organic carbon, and useful microelements in the digestate allows for its consideration as a mineral fertilizer substitute and soil improver. The valorization of digestate as fertilizer requires quality management and quality control. Based on the research focus, the successful soil application of digestate post-treatment technologies was analyzed. Among the different commercial options for digestate treatment and nutrient recovery, the most relevant are drying, struvite precipitation, stripping, evaporation, and membranes technology. Comparing the physical and chemical properties of the whole digestate, separated liquid, and solid liquor fractions showed that in the case of soil application of granular fertilizer, nutrients from the digestate are released more slowly than digestate application without granulation. However, realizing this potential in an economically feasible way requires improving the quality of digestate products through appropriate technologies and quality control of digestate products. To support the manufacture of quality digestate across Europe, the European Compost Network developed a concept for a pan-European quality assurance scheme.

This paper focuses on determining the influence of soil, oil, and environmental factors on the process of oil filtration in a porous medium such as soil. Mathematical modeling of the oil geofiltration process based on classical and modified regularities makes it possible to solve a significant environmental problem associated with predicting the pollution zone due to accidental oil spills. The research methodology is based on the substantiation of theoretical models of oil filtration through porous media, methods for the numerical solution of equations, and computer visualization (ANSYS CFX software). Experimental data supported the verification of the adequacy of the models. Based on obtained results, it was found that all oil flowed into well-permeable sand at a speed of approximately 4-10 -4 m/h. The developed model of the stochastic process of petroleum hydrocarbons geofiltration involved obtaining the output as dependent variables, contamination level, contamination depth, and oil spot borders. Numerical solution and visualization using computer simulation showed the distribution of oil hydrocarbons in the soil in vertical and horizontal directions. The mathematical model allowed to predict the formation of the pollution front and assess the contaminated zone's size.

A baseline study was conducted of the occurrence of macroinvertebrates at 26 sites in the Nyando River catchment in 2005-2006. A total of 13 orders and 16 families of Arthropoda, Mollusca, Platyhelminthes and Annelida were collected, with the order Ephemeroptera being most abundant in the up- and mid-stream reaches, followed by Hemiptera and Plecoptera respectively. The downstream sections of the river were dominated by Hirudinea and tubificids, as the water quality deteriorated mainly due to local land use, raw sewage effluent discharge and annual floods. Insects and annelids were the main invertebrates found and the extent of pollution increased from mid-section (Site 15) downwards as the river flowed into the Winam Gulf. Stringent management measures are required to safeguard the environment and ecosystems of Lake Victoria.

Soil samples were collected from six locations representative of the Nyando River catchment area of the Lake Victoria over a period of two years. Sampling was done four times in the year in February, May, September and December 2005 and 2006 in farms where maize, tea, sugar cane, coffee, rice and vegetables have been grown over the years. This coincided with the effects of different seasons and farming activities on residue levels of the pesticides in use. The objective was to investigate levels and distribution of organochlorine pesticides that have either been banned or are restricted for use in Kenya. Organochlorine pesticides investigated were DDT, lindane, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, endrin, endosulfan (both α- and β- isomers and endosulfan sulphate), the sum is called “total” or Σendosulfan and methoxychlor. Prior to the ban or restriction in use, these pesticides had found wide applications in public health for control of disease vectors and in agriculture for control of crop pests. The analysis revealed presence of all the targeted pesticides with the highest mean concentrations for methoxychlor 140 ± 1.5 μg/kg, Σendosulfan (30 ± 2.1 μg/kg), aldrin (18 ± 0.28 μg/kg), respectively. The results show the presence of these pesticides in soils in the basin and this could be impacting negatively on the ecosystem health of the area.

To develop anaerobic digestion (AD), innovative solutions to increase methane yields in existing AD processes are needed. In particular, the adoption of low energy pre-treatments to enhance biomass biodegradability is needed to provide efficient digestion processes increasing profitability. To obtain these features, hydrodynamic cavitation has been evaluated as an innovative solutions for AD of waste activated sludge (WAS), food waste (FW), macro algae and grass, in comparison with steam explosion (high energy pre-treatment). The effect of these two pre-treatments on the substrates, e.g. particle size distribution, soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD), biochemical methane potential (BMP) and biodegradability rate, have been evaluated. After two minutes of hydrodynamic cavitation (8 bar), the mean fine particle size decreased from 489- 1344 nm to 277- 381 nm (≤77% reduction) depending of the biomasses. Similar impacts were observed after ten minutes of steam explosion (210 °C, 30 bar) with a reduction in particle size between 40% and 70% for all the substrates treated.  In terms of BMP value, hydrodynamic cavitation caused significant increment only within the A. nodosum showing a post treatment increment of 44% compared to the untreated value, while similar values were obtained before and after treatment within the other tested substrates. In contrast, steam explosion allowed an increment for all treated samples, A. nodosum (+86%), grass (14%) and S. latissima (4%). However, greater impacts where observed with hydrodynamic cavitation than steam explosion when comparing the kinetic constant K. Overall, hydrodynamic cavitation appeared an efficient pre-treatment for AD capable to compete with the traditional steam explosion in terms om kinetics and providing a more efficient energy balance (+14%) as well as methane yield for A. nodosum.

Summary Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) comprise a group of motile microorganisms common in most mesothermal aquatic habitats with pH values around neutrality. However, during the last two decades, a number of MTB from extreme environments have been characterized including: cultured alkaliphilic strains belonging to the Deltaproteobacteria class of the Proteobacteria phylum; uncultured moderately thermophilic strains belonging to the Nitrospirae phylum; cultured and uncultured moderately halophilic or strongly halotolerant bacteria affiliated with the Deltaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria classes and an uncultured psychrophilic species belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria class. Here, we used culture-independent techniques to characterize MTB from an acidic freshwater lagoon in Brazil (pH ? 4.4). MTB morphotypes found in this acidic lagoon included cocci, rods, spirilla and vibrioid cells. Magnetite (Fe3O4) was the only mineral identified in magnetosomes of these MTB while magnetite magnetosome crystal morphologies within the different MTB cells included cuboctahedral (present in spirilla), elongated prismatic (present in cocci and vibrios) and bullet-shaped (present in rod-shaped cells). Intracellular pH measurements using fluorescent dyes showed that the cytoplasmic pH was close to neutral in most MTB cells and acidic in some intracellular granules. Based on 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analyses, some of the retrieved gene sequences belonged to the genus Herbaspirillum within the Betaproteobacteria class of the Proteobacteria phylum. Fluorescent in situ hybridization using a Herbaspirillum-specific probe hybridized with vibrioid MTB in magnetically-enriched samples. Transmission electron microscopy of the Herbaspirillum-like MTB revealed the presence of many intracellular granules and a single chain of elongated prismatic magnetite magnetosomes. Diverse populations of MTB have not seemed to have been described in detail in an acid environment. In addition, this is the first report of an MTB phylogenetically affiliated with Betaproteobacteria class.

Climate change has been recognised as one of the biggest challenges of our time. To prevent further climate change impacts, nations at COP21 further stressed the need to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions enough to prevent dangerous temperature rise and to adapt societies to become more resilient. Municipals have been found important actors in this transition due to their power to inflict change on a local level. However, there is a lack of methods to assess how transition is made due to the fact that transition is a fairly new approach to managing climate change combined with a lack of completed transitions in municipalities. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of indicators as a method to assess municipal transition processes. Focusing on two Swedish municipalities that have been deemed vulnerable but at the same time apt to combat climate change, this study uses a triangulation of methods that are divided into two phases. The first phase uses a literature review in order to create a scientifically based list of transition indicators. The second phase uses document analyses and interviews in order to test the indicators and analyse transition process on a local level. The study revealed that there are multiple barriers and triggers for transition such as conflicting interests, economic factors, political steering, knowledge building- and awareness and long term perspectives, but that there also exist important tools for municipal transition in the form of networks through multi-level collaborations and plans/objectives. The findings in this study also suggests that the use of indicators as a method to assess transition could be viable, but that it is limited due to its contextual nature and lack of successful transitions to compare with.

The purpose of the thesis is to analyze how downscaling of a global climate vision to a local context is expressed in Oslo Muncipality’s climate strategy. The choice of Oslo municipality's climate strategy as a study object was based on Oslo's collaboration with UN-Habitat, the nomination of Oslo as Europe's environmental capital in 2019 and Norway's petroleum operations. The document Klimastrategi mot Oslo 2030 (2020) has been analyzed on the basis of the concepts of Urbanity and Sustainable Transition, as well as the meaning of downsizing climate policy and three communication methods. The thesis is anchored in the previous research that treats Copenhagen and Stockholm. To answer the questions; which measures are presented as most important to become a zero-emission city in 2030? How are the links between the local climate strategy and global goal fulfillment described? What are the critical points of the strategy's measures and solutions? a qualitative analysis method is used where the empirical data and the scientific foundation are given equal space. Based on the concluding discussion, it appears from the conclusions that the largest measure in the climate strategy is the CCS facility at Klemetsrud. A fossil-free restructuring of the transport sector and a reduction in energy use are also important for Oslo to succeed in becoming a zero-emission city by 2030. It is highlighted that local emission accounting affects global target fulfillment. The critical points in the climate strategy that have been identified are; uncertainty regarding the future role of biofuels, the diffuse goal formulation in Indirect Emissions and the problem of following measures and solutions from the strategy for other international cities.

Digestate produced during anaerobic digestion of food waste is recognised as a good alternative to mineral fertilizer which could also be used to amend soil properties. This has conventionally been applied directly and unprocessed to nearby farms or processed and transported elsewhere. The latter option has gained recognition due to environmental restrictions coupled with soil nutrient management objectives but is an expensive venture. With increasing biogas production and AD plants across Europe, production of digestate has however exceeded its demand. Improving the dewaterability of the digestate has the benefit of reducing the cost and time of processing and handling. The principal aim of this experiment was to enhance the dewaterability of food waste digestate by the addition of pulp fibre to the AD process. In doing so, the study also investigated the effect of co-digestion of food waste and pulp fibre on the performance and stability of the digestion.

Source separated food waste was digested at OLR of 3.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 for 163 days in 3 CSTRs with a working volume of 6L at HRT OF 23-26 days. Soft- and hardwood pulp fibres were added to 2 designated digesters for 104 days and increased stepwise at OLR of 0.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 PF until 1.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 PF with the 3rd digester serving as a control. 3 other post-digesters, each with a working volume of 1.41L were operated for 104 days with sludge from the 3 main digesters serving as inoculum and substrate. This was run at HRT of 7 days. 

Pulp fibre addition of 1.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 OLR to 3.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 food waste increased the total biogas and methane production to 35-40% and 21-32% respectively. Though recording a higher biogas production, the corresponding specific methane production from the fibre addition was 12-8% lower than food waste digestion. Analysis of the digestate from post digestion showed that CST increased linearly from 595 ±13s for food waste digestate to 962 ±19s for pulp fibre addition. The experiment established a positive correlation between CST and organic matter content. Suspended solids increased from 128 ±10 mg/l for FW digestate to 177 ±12 – 237 ±10 mg/l for fibre addition. Addition of kraft pulp fibre types did not enhance the dewaterability of the digestate. However, the total methane production was enhanced by the addition of pulp fibre. 

Tidigare studier inom forskningsområdet spelbaserat lärande redogör för ett flertal fördelar med undervisningsmetoden, exempelvis i relation till elevers inlärning och motivation. I samband med samhällets ökande digitalisering och hållbarhetsfrågans centrala roll i framtida utveckling är det således relevant att undersöka potentialen i spelbaserat lärande i undervisning om hållbar utveckling. Syftet med denna utvalda litteraturöversikt är att ge en övergripande bild av relevant forskning inom området spelbaserat lärande i gymnasieundervisning om hållbar utveckling med fokus på dess dimensioner och implikationer för applicering. Utifrån analysen identifierades fyra huvudsakliga empiriskt grundade teman: kunskap och inlärning, motivation och engagemang, attityd och beteende samt lärar- och elevperspektiv. Analysen tyder på att spelbaserat lärande kan medföra en mängd olika positiva effekter på elevernas kunskap och inlärning, motivation och engagemang, attityd och beteende samt ytterligare kognitiva och sociala förmågor. Implikationer för lärare vid applicering av spelbaserat lärande i undervisning om hållbar utveckling är exempelvis att lärarens modererande roll bör innefatta vägledning och ett skapande av djupare förståelse. Slutligen presenteras olika faktorer, såsom tillgängliga resurser och spelets design, vilka bör tas i åtanke vid planerad undervisning med spelbaserat lärande.

This study aims to conduct a life-cycle assessment (LCA) on the efficiency of biohydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) in laboratory-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge fixed-film (UASFF) and continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). LCA is a tool used to determine the environmental performances of products, processes, or services, through their production, distribution, usage, maintenance, and disposal stage. It is a systematic set of procedures developed to compile, examine, and evaluate the material and energy balance of the system by converting those inputs and outputs to associate with the potential environmental impact that is directly attributable to the operation of a product or service system throughout its entire life cycle. SimaPro software (version 9) was chosen to carry out the LCA of biohydrogen production under the ISO 14040 Standard. The life cycle inventory (LCI) data from Ecoinvent database (version 3.6) libraries were used. The study covered the analysis of the cradle-to-gate system boundary, which contains the raw material and energy acquisition. The assessment was done based on the functional unit of 1 kg biohydrogen production. The POME input to the system is considered a waste product that carries zero environmental loads. The potential of the avoided burden of POME utilization was also not considered in the system boundary. The system boundaries of the biohydrogen production include the inputs: POME, electricity usage (pumps, water bath and stirrer), molasses as fermentation stimulant, and output: emission of biogas (H2, and CO2), and effluent described within the boundary. The density and specific heat of POME used for the analysis are 1007.7 kg/m3 and 4374.89 j/kg. The density of molasses, hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases are 1124.6 kg/m3, 0.08988 kg/m3 and 1.87 kg/m3. The energy conversion factors of 1kWh equal to 3.6 MJ. The inventory analysis was conducted by collecting and calculating the input-output data, which consist of energy flows and material used as defined in the system boundary. The inventory data were collected for the CSTR reactor and the UASFF reactor with both on 24h HRT. The amount of energy usage for both reactors are collected using power meters installed. For CSTR, the electricity consumption for water bath, stirrer and pumps were measured, while, for UASFF, the electricity usage was measured for water bath and pump. The water bath and pump(s) in the UASFF reactor consumed higher amounts of energy compared to the CSTR reactor due to the operating volume of POME in UASFF on average (1.9L) being higher than CSTR (4.2L). The impact assessment results show that in the 24h HRT system, CSTR performed slightly (7%) better than UASFF in terms of carbon footprint (kg CO2e) and energy consumption (MJ) per kilograms of biohydrogen produced. It is also noticed that the water bath was the main contributor to carbon footprint and energy consumption in both reactors with CSTR at an average of 61% and UASFF at 66%. While the pump and stirrer (CSTR only) come second and third. The usage of molasses produced a negative values of carbon footprint due to its carbon sequestration capabilities during its life cycle. The biohydrogen production from CSTR reactor showed a better performance than UASFF reactor in term of carbon footprint and energy consumption. 

Biohydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) through dark fermentation process was evaluated in a two different lab scale reactor configuration namely up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket fixed-film reactor (UASFF) and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The effect of different organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on hydrogen yield and volumetric hydrogen production rate (VHPR) was investigated. The data on the UASFF reactor is based on the start-up study published research data by the authors undertaken from 2021. In that study, UASFF reactor operated at large OLRs of 5-80 g COD/L.d and HRTs of 6-24h, and CSTR reactor at OLRs of 15-100 g COD/L.d and HRTs of 6-24h. The UASFF achieved a VHPR of 1.9-4.8 ± 0.1 L H2/L-d and COD removal of 35% while the CSTR had a VHPR of  1.8-4.5 ± 0.1 L H2/L-d and COD removal of 30%. The results indicated the change of bacterial community diversity over the operation in the UASFF reactor, in which Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Lactobacillus species contributed to hydrogen fermentation. While the CSTR resulted in higher population of Clostridium sensu stricto 12 but also includes Lactobacillus sp. that mainly contribute to hydrogen production. Both Clostridium sensu stricto 1 (C. acetobutyricum) and Clostridium sensu stricto 12 (C. tyrobutyricum) are known to be producers of hydrogen as a byproduct of both respective metabolic pathways that converts carbon sources into acetic and butyric acid. Previous research has also shown that depending on the operating conditions and parameters of the fermentation process, Clostridium sensu stricto 12 can be converted into Clostridium sensu stricto 1. The similar performance of the UASFF and the CSTR can be explained by the similarity in the microbial community composition, which shows high prevalence of hydrogen-producing bacteria, Clostridium sensu stricto 1 in the UASFF and Clostridium sensu stricto 12 in the CSTR. The difference in COD removal could be due to the method operation between the two reactors, as mixing capabilities of UASFF (through up-flow velocity and recirculation rate from a settling tank to the main UASB reactor) is well-established and known to be efficient as compared to CSTR. However, CSTR can be easily modified to optimize mixing capabilities with changes in tank size, stirrer type, and also stirring speed, not to mention maintenance for CSTR is relatively simple and does not involve complex techniques. 

Enhanced wastewater treatment plays a pivotal role in preserving ecological equilibrium and ensuring human well-being. Traditional wastewater treatment methods face challenges in effectively removing emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics. This has led to the exploration of alternative materials for wastewater treatment, and one such class of materials that has gained significant attention is bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX). This article aims to provide an overview of the emerging opportunities of BiOX in wastewater treatment. BiOX materials possess unique properties, including excellent photocatalytic activity, chemical stability, and low toxicity, making them promising candidates for various wastewater treatment applications. The paper emphasizes recent advancements in the synthesis and characterization of diverse BiOX nanostructures, including BiOCl, BiOBr, and BiOI and their performance in removing organic pollutants, heavy metals, and microorganisms from wastewater. The review also discusses the mechanisms underlying the photocatalytic activity of BiOX, including the generation of reactive oxygen species and the role of different crystal facets. Moreover, it explores strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of BiOX through modifications such as doping, heterostructure formation, and co-catalyst loading. Furthermore, this paper addresses the challenges and limitations associated with BiOX-based wastewater treatment, including material stability, reusability, and cost-effectiveness. It also identifies future research directions and potential applications of BiOX in emerging fields such as wastewater treatment in resource-limited settings and the removal of emerging contaminants. In conclusion, BiOX materials present promising opportunities for advanced wastewater treatment due to their exceptional photocatalytic properties. However, further research is needed to overcome the current challenges and optimize the performance of BiOX-based systems for practical applications in real-world wastewater treatment scenarios.

Greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate change mitigation are among the biggest challenges facing societies right now and in the future. The increasing population has caused agriculture and food waste to become major issues affecting the environment and climate. Therefore, a renewable energy source, such as biogas, is a good alternative to replace fossil fuels. It is possible to produce biogas from a wide range of organic waste streams and by-products of industrial processes.  Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste is an efficient means of producing fossil free energy with synergistic sustainable waste management. Nevertheless, it requires a circular economy and an integrated waste-management system. The integration of AD and pyrolysis is not only for treating agricultural and food wastes and prospects for biogas production but also could be a sustainable approach towards providing nutrients and resources. Moreover, addition of the by-product of the pyrolysis viz. biochar in AD processes could stabilize and increasing the quality and quantity of biogas production, improving soil fertility and promote the circular bioeconomy. This study aims to critically assesses the available strategies for enhancing biogas production and to explore the synergistic effects of integrated AD and pyrolysis of agro-food waste that will promote the concept of a circular bioeconomy to reduce the negative impact on the environment including carbon footprints, which encourage the scientists, industrialists, and policy makers to explore integrated concepts for using organic waste in biofuel production.

Anaerobic microbial communities and their functions can provide information about waste management practices, as well as reveal novel degradation metabolisms that can be utilized in wastewater treatment. This study was aimed towards sustainable palm oil industry with assessing the microbial evolution during the dark fermentative processing of palm oil anaerobic sludge and palm oil mill effluent (POME) in batch-mode over twomonths with a distinct incubation time of 24 h. The process was designed using response surface methodology (RSM) by acclimatization of inoculum using POME with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 36 g-COD/l. The effect of mesophilic and thermophilic conditions and pH on COD removal, hydrogen content, and hydrogen yield (HY) were investigated. A potential sample was selected for microbial analysis after the first and second months of operation based on the maximum outputs achieved throughout the experiment. The bacterial community at pH 5.6 and temperature 55 degrees C with maximum hydrogen content of 64.13 %, and HY of 0.93 ml H2/g-COD was dominated by three phyla: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidota. The results obtained from high throughput pyrosequencing showed that how acclimatization period affects the microbial community structure towards Firmicutes phylum, which includes the majority of hydrogen-producing microorganisms.

Organic wastes can be converted to value-added products using biotransformation technologies since waste disposal and the depletion of fossil fuels are major concerns. There has been a great deal of environmental pollution caused by the extraction of palm oil, which produces a large number of by-products, along with the industry’s development and economic progress. It is important to address the issue of palm oil mill effluent (POME) in order to reduce its negative environmental effects. By regenerating energy from renewable sources, such as organic residues, anaerobic digestion (AD) is considered one of the most effective technologies for organic waste treatment. Since biomass is converted to energy through inputs and outputs, questions have been raised regarding the sustainability of bioenergy pathways. Defining sustainable disposal alternatives for organic residues can be achieved by evaluating the environmental benefits associated with biogas utilization, and digestate treatment.

Biohythane has been gaining a lot of attention lately, due to its gaseous composition of biohydrogen and biomethane. In this way, biogas production from POME can be evaluated and ensured to be sustainable through a holistic and comprehensive environmental tool, such as a life cycle assessment (LCA). By providing environmentally relevant information, LCA and carbon footprint analysis proves to be an appropriate tool for supporting future investment decisions in sustainable bioenergy production.

The Permian Irati Formation in Brazil hosts organic-rich shales and heavy hydrocarbons suitable for biogenic production of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). In this study, shale samples from the irati Formation were used in laboratory incubation experiments performed under different temperatures (22 degrees C, 50 degrees C, 70 degrees C and 80 degrees C) to evaluate the generation of CH4 and CO2 under thermal conditions compatible with biodegradation in shallow gas systems (amp;lt; 80 degrees C). Despite our laboratory experiments do not represent natural subsurface temperature conditions, it is observed that the concentrations of CH4 and CO2 increase when shale samples are incubated under temperature higher than 22 degrees C. Samples incubated at 80 degrees C presented a maximum CH4 yield of 2.45 ml/t.d (milliliter per ton of shale per day) compared to 0,49 ml/t.d at 22 degrees C, 1.75 ml/t.d at 50 degrees C and 2.09 ml/t.d at 70 degrees C. The same trend of increasing production rates with higher temperatures was observed for CO2, with maximum potential production observed under a laboratory temperature of 80 degrees C, reaching 23.47 ml/t.d. Stable carbon isotopes (delta C-13) on CH4 and CO2 suggest a mixture of thermogenic and secondary microbial gas. However, the measured CH4 and CO2 can be generated through methanogenic degradation of heavy hydrocarbons present in the studied shales, difficulting the use of carbon isotope composition to discriminate between biogenic and thermogenic gases. The studied shale samples showed significant differences in CH4 and CO2 production rates, which are possibly related to the major elements composition of the mineral matrix. Higher CH4 and CO2 production rates occurred in samples with higher amount of sulfur. Besides sulfur, we highlight that others soluble elements in the mineral matrix, such as Ca and Mg, can play an important role for the generation of biogenic CH4 and CO2. The present work intends to alert for the importance of thermal conditions as well as the geochemical composition of the mineral matrix to build conceptual models about shallow gas systems, acting on organic-rich shales in sedimentary basins.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), along with Bioenergy with Carbon Captureand Storage (BECCS), feature heavily in climate mitigation scenarios. Nevertheless,the technologies remain controversial within the broader mitigation discourse, inpart for their potential to excuse delay in more ambitious emissions reductions inthe short term. Sweden has included BECCS and CCS as proposed “supplementarymeasures” to enable the country to meet its ambitious target of achieving netnegative emissions by 2045. Hajer’s Argumentative Approach to Discourse Analysisis applied to Swedish parliamentary speeches, motions, and written questions andanswers, to uncover the storylines and attendant assumptions constituting Swedishpolicy deliberation regarding CCS and BECCS. This study finds that by problematizingclimate change as an issue of emissions, actors position CCS and BECCS within adominant neoliberal discourse and characterize them as tools to facilitate a greentransition centering on industrial and economic competitiveness. This discourselacks detail, and risks delay by oversimplifying the needs and requirements for CCSand BECCS deployment. Meanwhile, a CCS-critical discourse acknowledges theneed for negative emissions but challenges storylines portraying the technologyas inexpensive or easy to deploy rapidly. If pursued, this discourse could serveto sharpen the debate about the technologies and bring planning in line withaspirations, helping to avert risks of delay.

While energy-sector emissions remain the biggest source of climate change, many least-developed countries still invest in fossil-fuel development paths. These countries generally have high levels of fossil fuel technology lock-in and low capacities to change, making the shift to sustainable energy difficult. Tanzania, a telling example, is projected to triple fossil-fuel power production in the next decade. This article assesses the potential to use internationally supported Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to develop solar energy in Tanzania and contribute to transformational change of the electricity supply system. By assessing the cultural legitimacy of NAMAs among key stakeholders in the solar energy sector, we analyse the conditions for successful uptake of the concept in (1) national political thought and institutional frameworks and (2) the solar energy niche. Interview data are analysed from a multi-level perspective on transition, focusing on its cultural dimension. Several framings undermining legitimacy are articulated, such as attaching low-actor credibility to responsible agencies and the concept’s poor fit with political priorities. Actors that discern opportunities for NAMAs could, however, draw on a framing of high commensurability between experienced social needs and opportunities to use NAMAs to address them through climate compatible development. This legitimises NAMAs and could challenge opposing framings.

Biogas Research Center (BRC) is a center of excellence in biogas research funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Linköping University and a number of external organizations with one-third each. BRC has a very broad interdisciplinary approach, bringing together biogas-related skills from several areas to create interaction on many levels:

• between industry, academia and society,
• between different perspectives, and
• between different disciplines and areas of expertise.

BRC’s vision is:

BRC contributes to the vision by advancing knowledge and technical development, as well as by facilitating development, innovation and business. Resource efficiency is central, improving existing processes and systems as well as establishing biogas solutions in new sectors and enabling use of new substrates.

For BRC phase 1, the first two year period from 2012-2014, the research projects were organized in accordance with the table below showing important challenges for biogas producers and other stakeholders, and how these challenges were tackled in eight research projects. Five of the projects had an exploratory nature, meaning that they were broader, more future oriented and, for example, evaluated several different technology paths (EP1-5). Three projects focused more on technology and process development (DP6-8).

This final report briefly presents the background and contains some information about competence centers in general. Thereafter follows more detailed information about BRC, for example, regarding the establishment, relevance, organization, vision, corner stones and development. The participating organizations are presented, both the research groups within Linköping University and the partners and members. Further on, there is a more detailed introduction to and description of the challenges mentioned in the table above and a short presentation from each of the research projects, followed by some sections dealing with fulfillment of objectives and an external assessment of BRC. Detailed, listed information is commonly provided in the appendices.

Briefly, the fulfillment of objectives is good and it is very positive that so many scientific articles have been published (or are to be published) from the research projects and also within the wider center perspective. Clearly, extensive and relevant activities are ongoing within and around BRC. In phase 2 it essential to increase the share of very satisfied partners and members, where now half of them are satisfied and the other half is very satisfied. For this purpose, improved communication, interaction and project management are central. During 2015, at least two PhD theses are expected, to a large extent based on the research from BRC phase 1.

In the beginning of 2014 an external assessment of BRC was carried out, with the main purpose to assess how well the center has been established and to review the conditions for a future, successful competence center. Generally, the outcome was very positive and the assessors concluded that BRC within a short period of time had been able to establish a well-functioning organization engaging a large share of the participants within relevant areas, and that most of the involved actors look upon BRC as a justifiable and well working investment that they plan to continue to support. The assessment also contributed with several relevant tips of improvements and to clarify challenges to address.

This report is written in Swedish, but for each research project there will be reports and/or scientific papers published in English.

The work presented in this report has been financed by the Swedish Energy Agency and the participating organizations.

A significant proportion of carbon (C) captured by terrestrial primary production is buried in lacustrine ecosystems, which have been substantially affected by anthropogenic activities globally. However, there is a scarcity of sedimentary organic carbon (OC) accumulation information for lakes surrounded by highly productive rainforests at warm tropical latitudes, or in response to land cover and climate change. Here, we combine new data from intensive campaigns spanning 13 lakes across remote Amazonian regions with a broad literature compilation, to produce the first spatially-weighted global analysis of recent OC burial in lakes (over ~50-100-years) that integrates both biome type and forest cover. We find that humid tropical forest lake sediments are a disproportionately important global OC sink of 7.4 Tg C yr−1 with implications for climate change. Further, we demonstrate that temperature and forest conservation are key factors in maintaining massive organic carbon pools in tropical lacustrine sediments.

Coastal eutrophication and urban flooding are increasingly important components of global change. Although increased seawater renewal by barrier openings and channelizing are common mitigation measures in coastal lagoons worldwide, their effects on these ecosystems are not fully understood. Here, we evaluated the re-lationships between human interventions in the watershed, artificial connections to the sea, and the sediment burial rates in an urban coastal lagoon (Maric & PRIME;a lagoon, Southeastern Brazil). Sediment accretion along with nutrient and carbon burial rates were determined in two sediment cores representing the past-120 years (210Pb dating) and associated with anthropogenic changes as indicated by historical records and geoinformation ana-lyses. Lagoon infilling and eutrophication, expressed by the average sediment accretion, TP, TN, and OC burial rates, respectively, increased-9-18, 13-15, 11-14 and 11-12-fold from the earliest (<1950) to the most recent (2000-2017) period. These multi-proxy records confirm mechanistic links between deforestation, urbanization, and untreated sewage discharges. In addition, our findings reveal artificial connections to the sea may contribute to lagoonal eutrophication and infilling, particularly when not integrated with sewage treatment and forest conservation or reforestation in the watershed. Therefore, increased seawater renewal by physical interventions commonly considered as mitigation measures may in contrast cause severe degradation in coastal lagoons, causing harmful consequences that should be not neglected when implementing management practices.

Energy security is a critical global challenge in the transition to sustainable development. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a promising renewable energy solution that mitigates environmental impacts. Algae, as biomass feedstock, have shown significant potential for bioenergy production; however, their complex chemical composition poses challenges to the efficiency of the AD process. To address these limitations, various pretreatment methods have been applied to enhance biogas production. In this study, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of different pretreatments on methane (CH4) yields from both microalgae and macroalgae. Our results demonstrate that biological, physical, and combined chemical-physical pretreatments significantly improve CH4 production in microalgae, with increases of up to 141%, 125%, and 151%, respectively. For macroalgae, physical pretreatments were the most effective, leading to a 129% increase in CH4 yield. We also estimate that utilizing just 10% of the global algal biomass production (3.6 Mt) could generate over 5.5 TWh y-1 of energy. This potential could be doubled with the application of appropriate pretreatment strategies. These findings highlight the role of algae in advancing renewable energy production and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on optimizing AD processes for cleaner energy generation.

Proper pretreatment of organic residues prior to anaerobic digestion (AD) can maximize global biogas production from varying sources without increasing the amount of digestate, contributing to global decarbonization goals. However, the efficiency of pretreatments applied on varying organic streams is poorly assessed. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis on AD studies to evaluate the efficiencies of pretreatments with respect to biogas production measured as methane yield. Based on 1374 observations our analysis shows that pretreatment efficiency is dependent on substrate chemical dominance. Grouping substrates by chemical composition e.g., lignocellulosic-, protein- and lipid-rich dominance helps to highlight the appropriate choice of pretreatment that supports maximum substrate degradation and more efficient conversion to biogas. Methane yield can undergo an impactful increase compared to untreated controls if proper pretreatment of substrates of a given chemical dominance is applied. Non-significant or even adverse effects on AD are, however, observed when the substrate chemical dominance is disregarded.

The textile industry is one of the largest environmental polluters in the world. Although waste management via anaerobic digestion (AD) is a sustainable strategy to transform waste into clean energy and water recovery, the efficiency of the AD process is reduced by the presence of recalcitrant materials, chemicals, and toxic contents. This study aims to investigate the performance of several chemical, physical, and biological pretreatments applied to improve the biodegradability of textile waste. We performed a meta-analysis with 117 data extracted from 13 published articles that evaluated the efficiency of pretreatments applied to textile waste prior to AD to increase biogas production measured as methane (CH4) yield. Even though the majority of the studies have focused on the effect of chemical and physical pretreatments, our results showed that the application of biological pretreatments are more efficient and eco-friendlier. Biological pretreatments can increase CH4 yield by up to 360% with lower environmental risk and lower operating costs, while producing clean energy and a cleaner waste stream. Biological pretreatments also avoid the addition of chemicals and favor the reuse of textile wastewater, decreasing the current demand for clean water and increasing resource circularity in the textile industry.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a versatile manure management approach that can combine waste treatment, energy generation and nutrient recovery, thus playing a central role in circular economy. The AD process is highly influenced by manure composition which, depending on the source, may contain high loads recalcitrant materials (e.g., lignocellulosic and fibers) or lead to the formation of toxic compounds (e.g., NH₃), decreasing the energetic potential of the waste and requiring specific pretreatments to increase its degradability and biogas production. Although there are distinctions in the chemical composition of manure according to animal diets, different manure sources are usually grouped together, leading to a suboptimal performance of both the pretreatment and the AD process. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of 54 studies to evaluate the effects of different pretreatments on different manure types and their effect on methane (CH₄) yield and we estimated the energy potential if the appropriate pretreatment is applied to largest manure producing countries. The results showed that chemical and/or biological pretreatments were more effective for omnivore manure (e.g., swine, chicken), while physical and a combination of chemical and physical pretreatments negatively affected CH₄ production. Physical and/or chemical pretreatments had a positive effect on CH₄ yield from herbivore manure (e. g., cattle, horses), while biological pretreatments had a negative effect. The application of the adequate pretreatment can more than double the energy recovered from manure, allowing for an important substitution of fossil fuels, while decreasing operational costs and environmental risks and ultimately improving profitability. The development of pretreatment technologies and their application are strongly related to public policies for sustainable manure management and biogas use and production.

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are potentially toxic compounds formed when drinking water is treated with disinfectants, such as chlorine or chloramine. A large proportion of the exposure to DBPs is still unknown and the health risks observed through epidemiological studies cannot be explained by DBPs known today. In this thesis, a part of the unknown DBP fraction is investigated, covering a wide range of non-volatile, chlorine/bromine-containing DBPs. The goals were to investigate how the compositions of these DBPs differ between water treatment plants, how their occurrence changes in the distribution system until reaching consumers and how new treatment techniques can reduce their formation and toxicity. To analyze unknown DBPs, a non-targeted approach adopting ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), was used, where the mass of molecules is measured with such accuracy that the elemental composition of individual DBPs can be calculated. A panel of bioassays was used to assess the combined toxic effects from these DBP mixtures. 

The results show that the formation of these DBPs to a large extent was specific to each water treatment plant and that local conditions influenced DBP formation, based on e.g., the abundance of organic material with certain chemical structures, bromide and disinfection procedure and agent (chlorine or chloramine). The DBPs were detected in both chlorinated and chloraminated water and in all tap water samples, demonstrating that they are part of human exposure. The number of DBP formulae decreased and the DBP composition changed between drinking water treatment and consumer taps, suggesting that DBP exposure to consumers is not necessarily resembling measurements at the treatment plants. Evaluation of new treatment techniques showed that suspended ion exchange and ozonation have potential to decrease the formation and toxic effects of DBPs and that the removal of organic matter can influence qualitative aspects of DBP formation, such as the proportions of chlorine-containing (less toxic) versus bromine-containing (more toxic) DBPs. Through increased knowledge about the role and relevance of non-volatile DBPs, this work can contribute to future monitoring and actions to reduce the health risks associated with DBPs in chlorinated or chloraminated drinking water. 

The occurrence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water has become an issue of concern during the past decades. The DBPs pose health risks and are suspected to cause various cancer forms, be genotoxic and have negative developmental effects. The vast chemical diversity of DBPs makes comprehensive monitoring challenging. Only few of the DBPs are regulated and included in analytical protocols. In this study, a method for simultaneous measurement of 20 DBPs from five different structural classes (both regulated and non-regulated) was investigated and further developed for 11 DBPs using solid phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled with a halogen specific detector (XSD). The XSD was highly selective towards halogenated DBPs, providing chromatograms with little noise. The method allowed detection down to 0.05 µg/L and showed promising results for the simultaneous determination of a range of neutral DBP classes. Compounds from two classes of emerging DBPs, more cytotoxic than the “traditional” regulated DBPs, were successfully determined using this method. However, haloacetic acids (HAAs) should be analyzed separately as some HAA methyl esters may degrade giving false positives of trihalomethanes (THMs). The method was tested on real water samples from two municipal waterworks where the target DBP concentrations were found below the regulatory limits of Sweden.

The formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during drinking water treatment has been associated with various health concerns but the total DBP exposure is still unknown. In this study, molecular level non-target analysis by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used to study non-volatile DBPs, and how their composition changes during water distribution in four drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Sweden using different types of raw water and disinfection processes. The largest portion of tap water DBP compositions were detected also at the DWTPs, highlighting that these DBP formulae were rather stable and contribute to human DBP exposure. Yet the number of detected DBPs decreased 14-48% between drinking water treatment and consumer taps in the three plants in which no mixing of water from other DWTPs in the distribution system occurred showing active DBP processing in the water distribution network. While considerable amounts of bromine-containing DBPs were detected upon chemical disinfection in some DWTPs, few of them were detected in the tap water samples, likely due to debromination by hydrolytic reactions. The overall fewer non-volatile DBPs detected in tap waters, along with changed distribution among chlorine and bromine DBPs, demonstrate that DBP mixtures are highly dynamic and that DBP measurements at DWTPs do not adequately reflect exposure at the point-of-use. Clearly, more knowledge about changes of DBP mixtures through the distribution system is needed to improve DBP exposure assessments.

Potentially harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs) are formed upon drinking water treatment when disinfectantsreact with organic matter in the water. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) provides information on the compositions of individual DBPs in the unknown, toxicologically relevantfraction, comprising non-volatile, high-molecular weight DBPs. This review evaluates current applications of FTICR-MS for DBP analysis to assist improved analysis with this technique. Four methodological aspects are infocus, 1) The use of quenching agents, 2) The choice of extraction method 3) The choice of ionization techniques/modes, and 4) Data processing including DBP formula verification and interpretation. Quenching can lead todecomposition or adduct formation and needs to be further evaluated or avoided. There is a large potential toexpand FT-ICR-MS DBP analysis by applying different SPE sorbents and ionization techniques, and improvedsystematic verification procedures are important to ensure reliable non-target analysis.

Reactions between chemical disinfectants and natural organic matter (NOM) upon drinking water treatment result in formation of potentially harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs). The diversity of DBPs formed is high and a large portion remains unknown. Previous studies have shown that non-volatile DBPs are important, as much of the total toxicity from DBPs has been related to this fraction. To further understand the composition and variation of DBPs associated with this fraction, non-target analysis with ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was employed to detect DBPs at four Swedish waterworks using different types of raw water and treatments. Samples were collected five times covering a full year. A common group of DBPs formed at all four waterworks was detected, suggesting a similar pool of DBP precursors in all raw waters that might be related to phenolic moieties. However, the largest proportion (64–92%) of the assigned chlorinated and brominated molecular formulae were unique, i.e. were solely found in one of the four waterworks. In contrast, the compositional variations of NOM in the raw waters and samples collected prior to chemical disinfection were rather limited.This indicated that waterworks-specific DBPs presumably originated from matrix effects at the point of disinfection, primarily explained by differences in bromide levels, disinfectants (chlorine versus chloramine) and different relative abundances of isomers among the NOM compositions studied. The large variation of observed DBPs in the toxicologically relevant non-volatile fraction indicates that non-targeted monitoring strategies might be valuable to ensure relevant DBP monitoring in the future.

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are potentially toxic compounds formed upon chemical disinfection of drinking water. Controlling the levels and characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) as precursor material for DBPs is a major target to reduce DBP formation. A pilot-scale treatment including suspended ion exchange (SIX (R)), a ceramic microfilter (CeraMac (R)) with in-line coagulation and optional pre-ozonation followed by granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration was compared with a conventional full-scale treatment based on DOM removal and DBP formation using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), rapid fractionation, liquid chromatography organic carbon detection (LC-OCD), adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) and trihalomethane (THM) analysis. The new treatment combination showed different selectivity for DOM removal, compared to the conventional, leading to changes in composition of the DBPs formed. SIX (R) and GAC had the largest impacts on reducing AOX and THM formation potentials but the high adsorptive capacity of GAC affected the diversity of detected DBPs most. Chlorination and chloramination of pilot treated water with doses normally used in Sweden produced low levels of AOX compared to the full-scale treatment, but FT-ICR MS revealed an abundance of brominated DBP species in contrast with the conventional treatment, which were dominated by chlorinated DBPs. This finding was largely linked to the high DOM removal by the pilot treatment, causing an increased Br-/C ratio and a higher formation of HOBr. Potential increases in Br-DBPs are important to consider in minimizing health risks associated with DBPs, because of the supposed higher toxicity of Br-DBPs compared to Cl-DBPs.

Improved characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in source waters used for drinking water treatment is necessary to optimize treatment processes and obtain high drinking water quality. In this study, seasonal differences in freshwater DOM composition and associated treatment-induced changes, were investigated at four drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Sweden, during all seasons and a full-year. The objective was to understand how effectively DWTPs can adapt to seasonal changes and compare how optical and mass spectrometry methods detected these changes. In addition to bulk DOM analysis, this work focused on excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence including parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis, and molecular level non-target analysis by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Overall, seasonal variability of raw water DOM composition was small and explained primarily by changes in the contributions of DOM with aromatic and phenolic moieties, which were more prevalent during spring in two surface water sources as indicated by absorbance measurements at 254 nm, computed specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) and phenol concentrations. These changes could be balanced by coagulation, resulting in seasonally stable DOM characteristics of treated water. While EEM fluorescence and PARAFAC modelling effectively revealed DOM fingerprints of the different water sources, FT-ICR MS provided new insights into treatment selectivity on DOM composition at the molecular level. Future DOM monitoring of surface waters should target more specific seasonal DOM changes, such as features with a known impact on certain treatment processes or target certain events, like algal or cyanobacterial blooms. Improved characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in source waters used for drinking water treatment is necessary to optimize treatment processes and obtain high drinking water quality.

Review essay of Infinite Mobilization, by Peter Sloterdijk, translated by Sandra Berjan, Cambridge, Polity, 2020, 240 pp., $24.95, ISBN: 978-1-509-51847-0.

From charting out climate change mitigation pathways to estimating price risks associated with the social cost of carbon, as environmentally concerned citizens of the twenty-first century, we live in a culture of foresight. Because of a growing integration of an ever-wider sample space of possible climate futures into the present, historical experience has become seemingly irrelevant for effectively predicting where our climate transitions are headed, in effect restricting our sense of futurity to its performativity in the present. What has been surprisingly absent as a theoretical and methodological approach among sociologists, however, are treatments of the performativity of the future as the expression of a historical praxis for prognosis, with its own mode of disclosure. By interrogating the temporal structure of anticipation that characterizes computer-based simulations of emissions scenarios, the paper illustrates how this praxis discloses the future in accordance with the grammatical tense of the future perfect. It then argues that this relationship between past and future is the cultural product of a historically particular set of prognostic techniques and technologies, namely, model-based scenario analysis. Against this background, the paper seeks to contribute to the rehabilitation of the relevance of historical experience by historicizing the social ontological status of the future that theories of performativity take as their starting point.

This paper considers negative emissions – the deliberate removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by human intervention – as a future-oriented imaginary of connected social and technological order. It does so in order to examine how expectations around the development and use of negative emission technologies are managed with the help of integrated assessment models. By treating this family of models as a case study for drawing out historical associations between the terminology of risk saturating the discourse of net-zero emissions and the modern conception of the future as an unexplored territory to be profitably colonized, the paper argues that integrated assessment modeling, as a praxis of forecast, structure and organize our experience of the future through standards of risk management and utility maximization. It concludes that to consider risk as a means of navigating between possible futures is to engage with practices that are enacted in the name of a particular understanding of how one ought to act in the face of deep uncertainty. Aside from epistemic questions of how to treat various kinds of uncertainties inherent to integrated assessment models, of pressing concern are thus also normative questions of how its representation of environmental hazards in terms of risk are distinctively writing the contours of our contemporary forms of responsibility toward nature, each other, as well as future generations.

In light of the radical change to the reach and range of technical alteration, the co-evolution of mankind and the biosphere has become one of the principal questions of our age. As we find that man has altered the planet at just about every scale we are capable of measuring, the question concerning the essence of technology, in its power to not only imitate but in many ways even surpass the forces of nature, has become critical for the discussion about global environmental change. Often, the empirical findings of the geosciences have been interpreted as a motive to question the long-standing dualism between nature and artifice that itself has served, during almost the entirety of the history of Western philosophy, as the productive tension through which concepts such as technology and history have hitherto been conceptualized. But if much of our contemporary discourse on global environmental change is premised upon the functional and formal similarities between natural and artificial organs, I argue that returning to the intellectual current of 1920s and 30s Weimar Culture, where the relationship between globalization and industrialization first became of central hermeneutic concern, may shed new light on the Anthropocene as the conceptual site for a resurged geoaesthetics that denotes the ontological ubiquity of the designed environment, making the technological the foundation for a modern typological cosmology. Examining Ernst Jünger’s early work on the meaning of the planetary impact of modern technology, I caution that by reifying the cybernetic disclosure of the earth as a natural-artificial hybrid into a naturalistic ontology of work, we are liable to render our planet perfectly functional to its sustained instrumental appropriation as standing-reserve.

Artificial Earth: A Genealogy of Planetary Technicity offers an intellectual history of humanity as a geological force, focusing on a prevalent contradiction in the Anthropocene discourse on global environmental change: on the one hand, it has been argued that there are hardly any pristine environments anymore, to the degree that the concept of nature has lost its meaning; while on the other, that anthropogenic environmental change has become so prevailing that it ought to be conceived of as a force of nature, in the literal sense of the expression. Artificial Earth argues that to fully grasp the stakes of this discourse, we need not only understand the contemporary scientific and technological transformations behind the Anthropocene, but also explore the history of an ontological concern tied up with it.

In order to do so, Artificial Earth examines reflections on the ontological dualism between nature and artifice within the history of earth science from the late eighteenth century onwards. Paying particular attention to its consequences for how human subjectivity has been conceptualized in the Anthropocene, it then enrolls these resources in an effort to problematize attempts since the 1980s to formalize earth science in systems theoretical terminology. In sum, the aim is to investigate the historical conditions for the possibility of conceiving human artifice as an integral part of the earth’s terrestrial environment, with the conviction that such an investigation may assist in resolving the aforementioned contradiction or at least to understand it better by tracing its historical lineage.

Since the turn of the millennium, the humanities have been progressively forced to come to terms with the materiality of a warming world, in particular the entanglement of natural environments with technical infrastructures that lies at the heart of anthropgenic environmental change, and its implications for the hithertofore seemingly impentetrable ontological wall of separation between natural and human history. In an effort to address the concomitant insufficiency of remaning solely at the discursive level, some scholars have sought to reorient the interpretative concerns of the humanities by submerging the modern subject into geological registers of deep time. This paper cautions that along with such a reorientation, however, any sense of a limit – such as a horizon of understanding belonging to human history – recedes into the modal void of deep time, with the unfortunate side-effect that questions of human agency and responsibility have a tendency to get lost in the more-than-human networks of the earth’s geophysical forces. This is ironic, given that the purported novelty of the so-called ‘Anthropocene’ condition is to highlight the anthropogenic dimension of global environmental change, and thus the deep time consequences of human action.

The majority of today's environmental problems are caused by a lack of environmental awareness and behavioral change is essential for reducing human impact. Knowledge of what shapes people's environmental awareness and environmental behavior is therefore necessary.  The aim of this study is to examine children’s environmental awareness and behavior with focus on age and gender. We want to increase the understanding of what affects children’s interest, commitment and understanding of environmental problems and pro-ecological behavior. We have conducted interviews with twenty children in the age groups of nine and twelve years as well as one teacher from each age group. The study highlights the children’s view on the concept of environment, environmental problems, pro-ecological behavior and the future of the environment as well as the children’s interest, commitment and knowledge about the environment. The results show that children’s environmental awareness varies and that there are individual differences which are affected by parents influence and school education. Differences caused by age are observed when it comes to the children’s commitment and interest to the environment as well as their thoughts of the future. Differences caused by gender are not as apparent but is displayed when discussing pro-ecological behavior and the children’s view of the future environment.

As the climate changes, actors on all levels and in all sectors will be affected. Thus it is imperative that authorities, municipalities, businesses and individual property owners all take action.

Flooding, heat waves, landslides and erosion are only a few examples of the challenges that that society faces and needs to prepare for. Sweden must adapt to the impacts of a changing climate, as well as the indirect effects of climate change impacts in other parts of the world.

The costs of adaptation can be high, but the European Commission, among others, has deemed that it still pays to adapt in relation to the costs incurred if no action is taken.

Climate adaptation initiatives in Sweden have advanced significantly in recent years. Notable examples include governmental missions for a national elevation database, landslide risk mapping in the Göta Älv River Valley, the Swedish drinking water investigation, the County Administrative Boards’ regional climate change action plans, and the establishment of the National Knowledge Centre for Climate Adaptation.

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute’s mission to survey, analyse and follow-up on climate adaptation work in Sweden has shown that there is still a considerable need for further measures. This report provides proposals for a road map for climate adaptation in Sweden and concludes that climate adaptation is best conducted in a long-term manner, that roles and responsibilities should be made more transparent, and that better coordination among the many actors involved in climate adaptation is necessary.

The most important conclusions for continued work are:

• Laws and regulations need to be adapted; roles and responsibilities as well as strategies and goals should be made clearer.
• Priority and funding should be given to research and development measures that fill an identified knowledge-gap, including long-term monitoring.
• Knowledge and decision support as well as prognoses and warning systems should be more accessible.
• There is a need to outline how the costs of adaptation should be distributed among actors and how resources for prioritised measures can be guaranteed.

This mission has compiled knowledge of the current and future risks and consequences for society of a changing climate, such as effects on vital societal functions and human health. The mission has also surveyed the work that has been done since the publication of the final report of the Swedish Commission on Climate and Vulnerability in 2007. From this background material our goal has been to describe the gaps and challenges and provide suggestions for how adaptation can be approached in various sectors of society. The EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change has been an important point of departure. The work has been performed in cooperation with national and regional authorities, municipalities, researchers, sectoral organisations and representatives of the private sector.

This report is comprised of a main report and 18 annexes. Chapter 3 of the main report is a synthesis of all of the proposals made throughout the document and as such can be seen as a road map to ensure that Sweden adapts to a changing climate.

As part of the governmental mission to act as knowledge brokers in the field of adaptation to climate change, the Swedish National Knowledge Centre for Climate Change Adaptation, together with Linköping University, is developing a serious game concept with the aim to provide an experience of how different functions in society are influenced by choices or lack of choice of climate adaptation measures. The game is primarily targeted towards high-school students, but could also be used by, e.g., practitioners and politicians in municipalities that recently have initiated work on climate change adaptation. Sharing experiences from game sessions could contribute to the development of a common understanding of the needs and benefits of adaptation actions. In its present version the game is developed in Minecraft as a single-player game. Moderated dialogues between players are a vital part of the game, with the aim to address: What are the consequences (cost-benefits) related to actions taken (or not taken)? How to take decisions with consideration to uncertainty and natural variability (provided from a climate generator)? The concept has been evaluated from testing with high-school students and teachers. The potential of to engage students seems to be promising, especially when the game has been integrated in a role-play setting, where the players reflect upon different societal roles and perspectives. However, for some teachers the integration of gaming in education has been perceived as a technical challenge. The next step of the work will therefore include provision of a simpler web-based in order to increase the audience that feels comfortable with the use the game concept. However, while technical and methodological challenges remain, the use of serious gaming has been shown to support dialogues and engagement and will now be tested together with politicians in three Swedish municipalities under guidance of high-school students from the participating municipalities.

Limited application and use of forecast information restrict smallholder farmers ability to deal with drought in proactive ways. This paper explores the barriers that impede use and uptake of seasonal climate forecasts (SCF) in two pilot communities in Limpopo Province. Current interpretation, translation and mediation of national SCF to the local context is weak. A local early warning system (EWS) was developed that incorporated hydrological modelled information based on national SCF, locally monitored rainfall and soil moisture by a wireless sensor network, and signs from indigenous climate indicators. We assessed to what degree this local EWS could improve interpretation of SCF and increase understanding and uptake by farmers. Local extension staff and champion farmers were found to play important knowledge brokering roles that could be strengthened to increase trust of SCF. The local EWS provided added value to national SCF by involving community members in local monitoring, enacting knowledge interplay with indigenous knowledge and simplifying and tailoring SCF and hydrological information to the local context. It also helped farmers mentally prepare for upcoming conditions even if many do not currently have the adaptive mindsets, economic resources or pre-conditions to positively respond to SCF information.

This thesis identified dominant discourses in climate change mitigation policy in three Swedish municipalities using argumentative discourse analysis. It was explored how these discourses influence the potential for success in mitigating climate change. Other studies have identified several factors that are important when working with climate change mitigation in municipalities, for example, political leadership and organizational structure. However, studies have shown that discourse is also an influential factor since it sets the frame for what can be thought of, consequently influencing policies and actions, but this has not been studied as much at the municipal level in Sweden. Previous studies of environmental policy have shown the dominance of an ecological modernization discourse, where economic growth and environmental issues are combined to create a win-win. The results in this thesis show the dominance of a strong ecological modernization where the decoupling between economic growth and environmental problems, renewable energy and technology, a global justice perspective, and a focus on collaboration between stakeholders is central. A main conclusion is that the ecological modernization discourse risks obscuring potential solutions that are not related to the market or technological innovation. However, the inclusion of a diversity of actors and a focus on justice could potentially minimize this risk. Finally, emerging discourses around transformation and circular economy could be ways to problematize the taken-for-granted ecological modernization discourse. However, their potential depends on how these concepts are framed and what is included in them.

This article explores how discourses may influence the potential for success in mitigating climate change in Swedish municipalities. We identify dominant discourses in climate change mitigation policy in three Swedish municipalities using argumentative discourse analysis, based on policy documents and interviews as empirical material. Political leadership and adequate organizational preconditions are necessary for working with climate change mitigation in municipalities, but the role of discourse is also significant. Policy discourse constructs preconditions for certain scenarios while rendering others less likely. Previous studies have shown that the ecological modernization (EM) discourse tends to be dominant, something which this study confirms and investigates further. We find that the dominant discourse is strong EM, which largely considers it possible to decouple economic growth and environmental problems through renewable energy and technology. A focus on collaboration between stakeholders is central and a global climate justice perspective is present to some extent. Potential solutions that are not related to the market or technological innovation risk being rendered invisible when this discourse is dominant, but the inclusion of a diversity of actors and an increased focus on climate justice could potentially minimize this risk. Finally, emerging discourses around transformation and circular economy have potential to enable the forging of new paths. This depends, however, on how these concepts are framed and how they are used.

Putting climate change policy-integration into practice is challenged by problems of institutional misfit, due to, inter alia, deficient vertical administrative interplay. While most focus within the field of climate change research has targeted the national-local interplay, less is known about the interface of regional and local perspectives. Here, the aim is to study that interface with a specific focus on the relation between regional and local spatial planning actors, through a case-study of transport and coastal zone management in a Swedish municipality. The article is based on interviews (focus group and single in-depth) and official planning documents. The material reveals a tricky planning situation, replete with conflict. In practice, various institutional frameworks, claims and ambitions collide. The attempts to steer the local spatial planning initiatives from the regional level led to conflicts, which in turn seems to have hampered the overall work for climate change management through spatial planning. Furthermore, there are few traces of prospects of a smooth vertical institutional interplay able to support the overall aims related to integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation in spatial planning. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acknowledging the climate scenarios’ future deployment of BECCS in Europe and modelers’ questions as to the feasibility of implementing the level of BECCS proposed in the scenarios, this chapter provides a crude estimate of?the existing European potential for BECCS.?This potential is estimated through mapping point sources of biogenic CO2 from three types of processes with particularly promising prospects for BECCS: production of paper and pulp, combined heat and power (CHP), and bioethanol. The production of pulp, paper, and paperboard (“pulp and paper” for short)?is very energy intensive and generates considerable CO2 emissions. Due to?improved energy efficiency and a switch from fossil fuels to in-house biomass-based fuels, a large proportion of these CO2 emissions are biogenic (Sun et al., 2018). This, in combination with the fact that the emissions are often concentrated in just a few large production plants, makes these industries promising for BECCS deployment.