| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Fröling, Morgan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Oily Waste Composting
- 1996
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Ingår i: AUZO'96 International Conferece on Analysis and Utilisation of Oily Wastes.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 43. |
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| 44. |
- Grönlund, Erik, et al.
(författare)
-
Emergy as a measure to assess sustainable development
- 2016
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Ingår i: Proceedings of 22nd International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, 13 – 15 July 2016.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Emergy accounting is one of the methods in the sustainability assessment toolbox. In its use of stocks and flows of energy and matter it has similarities with Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Substance Flow Analysis (SFA), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), but Emergy accounting also includes stocks and flows of money and information. In its methodological approach of relating to a global baseline of renewable flows Emergy accounting is similar to Ecological footprints in that it is not just revealing which of two alternatives is using more or less of different stocks or flows but also comparing the use to available renewable flows on a global annual basis.This paper address the contribution of three different aspects of emergy accounting (emergy analysis, emergy synthesis) to the overarching goal of sustainable development. The discussed aspects were: 1) the Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI), 2) emergy as a normalizing measure, and 3) emergy as a network measure.It was concluded that the Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) is an interesting measure but does not catch the full range of the sustainability concept. The emergy accounting approach, with the ESI as part of it, has a lot more to say about sustainability than just what is captured by the ESI. An interesting outcome is that the traditional triple-bottom-line of environmental, economic and social sustainability emerges very easily from the emergy assessment conceptual diagram approach. Emergy accounting holds a promise of clarifying the fuzziness often connected to how to classify economic, social, and socio-economic domains of sustainability. These are in practice often difficult to distinguish between, as are their connections to the ecological/environmental sustainability. The reason why the ESI captures only a small part of what is interesting from a sustainability point of view in the full emergy assessment may be that it has the focus on the traditional load and yield components. Many of the interesting parts from emergy evaluation in the sustainability context may instead come from the capability of emergy accounting to capture network properties.
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| 45. |
- Grönlund, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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The use of Emergy to assess sustainable development
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 20th International Sustainable Development Research Conference Trondheim 18-20 June 2014. - Trondheim : Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Product Design.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A major problem since long within science has been the gap between social and natural science (described for example by C.P. Snow, 1959: The Two Cultures. Cambridge University Press, London). From a qualitative point of view this problem has been met by creating interdisciplinary groups of specialists from both ‘cultures’. The quantitative outcomes has however stayed within the ‘cultures’ framework. Emergy is a relatively new measure that surprisingly has showed the ability to integrate at least economic flows and physical flows of kilograms andEmergy assessment (emergy analysis, emergy synthesis) produces quantitative results on a broad scale covering both ecological and socio-economic systems. In this paper is investigated how such results fits into different views on sustainability and sustainable development.Emergy is a measure based on systems science and thermodynamics. From its methodological foundations quantitative values of both ‘natural’ and socio-economic flows are delivered. These quantitative results form an interesting base to view sustainability or sustainable development. Different possible interpretations are discussed in the paper from different sustainability paradigms, as well as the limitations and possibilities of the Emergy method.Several authors have used an ‘Emergy Sustainability Index’ in their papers. Although an interesting index, it is considered too narrow to claim capturing sustainability, and it is suggested that this index is renamed.Resilient societies need inter- and trans-disciplinary methodological approaches. Quantitative methods covering both economic and ecological flows are rare in this context. Emergy as one of the few measures of this type is therefore interesting.
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| 46. |
- Johansson, Kristin, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental impact of the EPSPEX system. Part 1: Life cycle assessment of polystyrene insulated district heating systems with PEX fluid pipes
- 2005
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The EPSPEX system is a distribution system for district heat with media pipes of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) insulated by blocks of expanded polystyrene (EPS). In this low-pressure distribution system two pipes are used for a space heating circuit, having layers of EVAL to hinder oxygen diffusion, whereas two pipes without diffusion barrier are used for delivery of hot tap water and warm water circulation. The four pipes are placed in the insulating blocks of EPS. Environmental impacts from production, laying and use of an EPSPEX district heat distribution system have been investigated using life cycle methodology. The distribution system is a secondary system developed specially for areas with low heat density. The case studied is the installation and use of an EPSPEX system in Vråen, Värnamo, Sweden. The environmental impacts are described in four categories:climate change, acidification, eutrophication and use of finite resources. Four weighting methods have also been used in the evaluation: EPS2000, Ecoscarcity, ExternE and EcoIndicator99. While carefully considering the precise circumstances of this study, the findings can be adapted for using the EPSPEX district heat distribution systems in other areas.During this study the question was raised of how this district heat delivery system compares with systems that use conventional district heating pipes. This has beenfurther investigated and is reported in the second part of this report: Miljöbelastning från EPSPEX-systemet. Del 2: Konventionella twinrör eller EPSPEX vad är bäst urmiljösynpunkt. In the second part the environmental impacts from the EPSPEX system have been compared with the impacts from conventional twin pipes (polyurethane insulated steel media pipes) used in a comparable setting. A discussion on the environmental choice between media pipes of PEX and steel can also be found in the second part. It should be noted that the two systems for district heat distribution are not fully comparable in function. The EPSPEX system has stricter limitations regarding pressure and temperature compared with the conventional system. The EPSPEX system is also limited in use for well drained ground conditions above the water table. Conventional district heating pipes do not have this limitation. The most important possibility to decrease the environmental impacts from the EPSPEX system is to increase the insulation, this even though the distribution systemis comparably well insulated to start with. The environmental life cycle impacts of the distribution pipe system production, laying and use are predominated by the extra heat that has to be generated to cover the heat losses from the system. When this report was written, measurements from systems in use to confirm the model calculation of heat losses are still lacking. More fine-tuned results can be achieved when studies of the EPSPEX system in use have been concluded.Among different components in the EPSPEX system the impacts from production and transport of EPS-blocks make the major impact. Thus, it is important to utilize the polystyrene material as efficiently as possible, minimizing spillage, and to ensure that unavoidable spillage is recycled as material. However, the environmental impacts from production of the insulating blocks are well outweighed by the decreased environmental impacts gained by using the insulation. In product development it is thus important to ensure that the insulating capacity of the EPSPEX system is never decreased.Machines used for excavating the pipe trenches combust diesel oil, and the production and use of this diesel oil generates a substantial part of the environmental impacts byseveral of the assessment methods used. If possible, it is desirable to further minimize the excavation work and to use mini excavators and low emitting machines (especially regarding nitrous oxides). The brass swaged coupling used to connect the PEX-pipes, gives a strong impact regarding acidification and the two weighting methods EPS2000 and Ecoscarcity, especially when compared to the very small volume fraction these devices constitute. It would be advisable to study if the devices could be made from other material or from recycled material.
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| 47. |
- Johansson, Kristin, 1979, et al.
(författare)
-
Environmental impact of the EPSPEX system. Part 2: Traditional twin pipes or EPSPEX for district heat distribution - what is best from an environmental point of view?
- 2005
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this study the life-cycle environmental impacts from an EPSPEX system for distribution of district heat (a four-pipe system with centrally generated hot tap water) are compared with the environmental impacts of a twin-pipe system with steel media pipes, if installed in the same area. A life cycle assessment of the EPSPEX system constructed in Vråen, Värnamo, Sweden, has been reported in Miljöbelastning från EPSPEX-systemet. Del 1: Livscykelanalys av polystyrenisolerat fjärrvärmesystemmed PEX-mediarör [1]. In that study the question was raised of how the EPSPEX system compares with a conventional twin-pipe system with polyurethane-insulated steel media pipes.In the present study the EPSPEX system in Vråen is compared with a hypothetical construction of a conventional twin pipe system in the same area. Two different fuel mixes for district heat generation have been studied to increase the understanding of the environmental performance of district heat distribution systems; the fuel mix used in Vråen (heat delivered from Värnamo Energi) and Swedish average district heat. How media pipes from the two different materials (PEX and steel) compare is discussed in a separate part. There are technical differences that must be kept in mind when the systems are compared in this way. The EPSPEX system is designed for low-pressure district heat systems and could only be used in such context. It is unadvisable to install the EPSPEX system below the ground water table; this is not a restriction for the twin pipe system. Under the conditions of this study the environmental performance of the EPSPEX system is better than the twin pipe system.The heat loss from the EPSPEX system is approximately 60% of the heat loss for a comparable twin pipe system. This is caused by a combination of thick insulation for the EPSPEX system and the possibility to summertime shut down the district heating circuit for this system and only use the hot tap-water circuit. Note, however, that the heat loss from the EPSPEX system is more uncertain compared to the twin-pipe system. From the characterization methods used, the production of the EPSPEX system gives a higher environmental impact compared to the twin pipe system. This heavily depends on the large amount of insulating material used. However, the environmental impacts from production of the insulation are more then outweighed by the emissionsavoided from heat generation due to lower heat loss. District heating sub centrals generates a notable part of the total environmental impact when using the weighing method EPS2000. Note that sub centrals are not technicallynecessary in low-pressure district heat systems, as the EPSPEX system. The comparison between different fuel mixes for heat generation indicates clearly that the heat generation is an important parameter for environmental performance for all district heating. It is further indicated that also biofuels must be used with sensible andenvironmentally friendly methods. The media pipes of PEX seem to give lower environmental impacts compared withmedia pipes of steel. However, the results differ between assessment methods used.
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| 48. |
- Jonasson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Life cycle assessment of a passive house in northern Sweden
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 20th International Sustainable Development Research Conference Trondheim 18-20 June 2014. - Trondheim : Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Product Design.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- When it comes to more sustainable buildings, energy use in the build environment has been in focus for some time. The life cycle assessment in this study reveals that the building materials can contribute significantly to environmental burdens of a residential building in northern Sweden. Energy efficiency, efficient use of good building materials and issues of appropriate design need to be discussed in the same context to move toward a more sustainable built environment.A life cycle assessment of a passive house in northern Sweden, including building materials and energy use is reported. This case study is used as base for a discussion of what can constituent resilience in the built environment.For energy efficient buildings in a energy system with renewably based energy carriers, building materials might give rise to a significant or even dominating part of the life cycle impact of a building. This give rise to considerations regarding choices of building materials as well as design of buildings to minimize such impacts while not forgetting social aspects impacted by building design. “Resilience” in the housing sector needs to be discussed and defined in a context taking into account LCA impacts of building materials, energy efficiency, design issues and social issues at the same time.
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| 49. |
- Luterbacher, Jeremy S., et al.
(författare)
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High yield methane generation from wet biomass and waste
- 2007
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Ingår i: Pathways to our common future - Proceedings of The Alliance for Global Sustainability Annual Meeting 2007, 18-21 March, Barcelona, Spain.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 50. |
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