| 1. |
- Bjorn, A., et al.
(författare)
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Review of life-cycle based methods for absolute environmental sustainability assessment and their applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 1748-9326 .- 1748-9318. ; 15:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many regions and at the planetary scale, human pressures on the environment exceed levels that natural systems can sustain. These pressures are caused by networks of human activities, which often extend across countries and continents due to global trade. This has led to an increasing requirement for methods that enable absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) of anthropogenic systems and which have a basis in life cycle assessment (LCA). Such methods enable the comparison of environmental impacts of products, companies, nations, etc, with an assigned share of environmental carrying capacity for various impact categories. This study is the first systematic review of LCA-based AESA methods and their applications. After developing a framework for LCA-based AESA methods, we identified 45 relevant studies through an initial survey, database searches and citation analysis. We characterized these studies according to their intended application, impact categories, basis of carrying capacity estimates, spatial differentiation of environmental model and principles for assigning carrying capacity. We then characterized all method applications and synthesized their results. Based on this assessment, we present recommendations to practitioners on the selection and use of existing LCA-based AESA methods, as well as ways to perform assessments and communicate results to decision-makers. Furthermore, we identify future research priorities intended to extend coverage of all components of the proposed method framework, improve modeling and increase the applicability of methods. © 2020 The Author(s).
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| 2. |
- Albertsson, Ann-Christine, et al.
(författare)
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Design of renewable hydrogel release systems from fiberboard mill wastewater
- 2010
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 11:5, s. 1406-1411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new route for the design of renewable hydrogels is presented. The soluble waste from masonite production was isolated, fractionized, and upgraded. The resulting hemicellulose rich fraction was alkenyl-functionalized and used in the preparation of covalently cross-linked hydrogels capable of sustained release of incorporated agents. Said hydrogels showed a Fickian diffusion-based release of incorporated bovine serum albumin. Also, a method for the coating of seeds with hydrogel was developed. The sustained release of incorporated growth retardant agents from the hydrogel coating on rape seeds was shown to enable the temporary inhibition of germination.
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| 3. |
- Lindblad, M. S., et al.
(författare)
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Modified galactoglucomannans from forestry waste-water for films and hydrogels
- 2009
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Ingår i: American Chemical Society Symposium Series (ACS). - Washington DC : American Chemical Society. - 0097-6156 .- 1947-5918. ; 1017, s. 185-198
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hemicelluloses are among the most abundant natural polymers in the world and are consequently a potential source for sustainable materials, that has so far been underexploited. Galactoglucomannans are the principal hemicelluloses in softwoods and can be found in, for example, industrial wood processing waste-water. Currently, we are investigating the fractionation and purification of O-acetylgalactoglucomannans from newsprint and fiberboard mill waste-waters, as well as the preparation of new barrier films with low oxygen permeation and hydrogel materials from the fractions obtained. Self-supporting films have been formed by solution-casting. Interesting oxygen barrier and mechanical strength properties were achieved for films obtained from a physical blend of O-acetyl-galactoglucomannan and either alginate or carboxymethylcellulose. To create oxygen barrier films with high resistance towards moisture, benzylated derivatives of O-acetyl-galactoglucomannan were made. A hydrogel is a polymeric material that swells in water but does not dissolve, valuable for applications including drug delivery. In order to obtain the right properties, we performed tailored cross-linking to create a flexible network structure. The chemical modification procedure involves a methacrylation reaction carried out under mild conditions. Herein we review past work and present some new data on fractionation and purification of galactoglucomannans. © 2009 American Chemical Society.
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