| 1. |
- Akambih Tajam, Joseph, et al.
(författare)
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SMALL SCALE IN-SITU BIOREMEDIATIONOF DIESEL CONTAMINATED SOIL –SCREENING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
- 2010
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Ingår i: ECO-TECH´10, 22-24 November 2010, Kalmar, Sweden. ; , s. 827-835
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Spillage of diesel oil and other petroleum products is a commonly creating need for siteremediation of contaminated soils. In Sweden the most common remediation action isexcavation of the contaminated soil and off site biological treatment by composting.However, a number of small sites spread out in rural areas end up low on priority lists, andwill not be attended to within foreseeable future if ever. For such areas a low cost, easy toapply remediation techniques would be of interest. Enhanced bioremediation of dieselcontaminants in soil by whey addition has been demonstrated in lab scale. Whey is a byproductfrom cheese production. A first pilot remediation trial on an actual site in Gäddede,County of Jämtland, was started the summer of 2010. Using this site as a case study ascreening life cycle assessment model has been set up. The goal of the study was toinvestigate the environmental performance of the whey method, to benchmark the wheymethod toward the excavation and composting practice and to identify environmental hotspots in the whey treatment life cycle. The study aims at establishing if further work shouldbe put into developing the method, or if the environmental performance is such that the wheymethod should be abandoned. It should be noted that even with a slightly worseenvironmental performance compared to other remediation alternatives whey treatment couldstill be of interest, since the small scale sites in rural areas we talk about here otherwise mostoften would not be attended to.Results from the screening life cycle assessment indicate a rather good environmentalperformance of the whey method, partly depending on impact category considered. For thewhey method, impacts from farming activities in the milk production chain allocated to thewhey give significant contributions. Transportation gives important impacts from both thewhey method and the excavation and off site composting, thus logistics should always beconsidered and optimized. The whey on-site treatment could be an interesting alternative forbioremediation especially at sites that would not otherwise be treated, due to small size orremote location.
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| 2. |
- Grönlund, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Ekoteknik (Ecotechnics / Ecotehcnology) – 30 Years of Experience in Interdiciplinery Education
- 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. - 9788291917344 ; , s. 17-21
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- An important part of a society’s resilience is how prepared it is to cope with the changing conditions during the alpha and omega phases according to resilience theory. Lars Thofelt, an academic from the mid Sweden region, early recognized this need for students to develop skills needed for a societal change, and devoted his life to pedagogy suitable for this. The main outcome of his achievement was the interdisciplinary university program in Ecotechnics/Ecotechnology (Ekoteknik in Swedish), at Mid Sweden University. Ecology, economy and technology in cooperation for sustainable development were the original approach, and still are.Thofelt’s ideas had a main focus of helping students develop their inherent capabilities of solving problems and overcome obstacles. After Thofelt’s 12 years at the program his ideas were carried on by former colleagues and students, and the teaching further developed with a mix of the Thofelt tradition and other experiences brought in by new employees. This paper describes this interdisciplinary teaching approach with special focus on development of resilience capacity in students.It was concluded that 1) a key element to develop resilience skills in students is to push them to a self-propelled learning behavior rather than traditional teaching, 2) not too easily provide the students with answers will develop their problem solving skills, 3) doing-before-reading teaching is more time consuming but seem to give deeper knowledge, 4) interdisciplinary teaching will in the long run benefit from having the interdisciplinary team within the department, rather than as a conglomerate of several departments.
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| 3. |
- Haller, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Organic By-Products For Sustainable Soil Remediation - The Effect Of 3 Different Amendments On The Degradation Of Diesel Fuel In A Tropical Ultisol.
- 2014
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Ingår i: ECO-TECH 2014. - Kalmar : Linnaeus University.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In many tropical developing countries, economic incentives are small for soil remediation to take place. Such locations demand special strategies that are energy-efficient, locally adapted and economic. In situ technologies are appealing where energy and material costs are more limiting than the time factor. One potentially sustainable and economic way to enhance the self-organizing capacity of soil ecosystems is by applications of locally available organic by-products to stimulate the polluted ecosystem´s inherent capacity to heal by utilising the embodied energy of the organic pollutant itself, as an energy source for the necessary biochemical transformations. Tropical climate is favourable for biodegradation but many tropical soils are rich in clay which can inhibit the bioavailability of the pollutant and reduce biodegradation kinetics. A pilot scale experiment was performed in order to assess the capability of three amendments based on by-products; whey, pyroligneous acid and compost tea, to enhance degradation of diesel in ultisol. Biweekly applications of 6 mL whey kg-1 soilsignificantly increased the degradation rate but no positive effect on degradation was found of any of the other amendments.
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| 4. |
- Haller, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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TURNING WASTE INTO A RESOURCE FOR REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL IN TROPICAL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
- 2012
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Ingår i: PROCEEDINGS LINNAEUS ECO-TECH 2012. ; , s. 468-480
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Contaminated soil from industrial or agricultural activities poses a health threat to animals and humans and can also have a detrimental effect on economic systems by making land unsuitable for agriculture and other economic purposes. This problem is of particular concern in tropical developing countries where agriculture is the economic base. Traditional methods for soil remediation are often expensive and energy consuming. In-situ bioremediation has been proposed as a cheaper alternative to conventional methods in areas where remediation would otherwise not be implemented. Despite encouraging results in the laboratory, the practice of in-situ bioremediation is limited, partially due to its inefficiency at low temperatures. The objective of this study is to provide an inventory of some waste products that potentially can be used as amendments for in-situ bioremediation in developing countries in tropical climate. Emphasis has been given to map efficient methods that are appropriate to economically marginalised people in such countries. Waste from livestock operations, crop residues and processing waste constitute the major waste flows in many developing countries. A number of organic by-products can potentially be used to stimulate microbial activity for bioremediation purposes. Three amendments; whey, pyroligneous acid and compost teas were selected to be studied in detail due to their liquid nature and documented capacity to stimulate microorganisms with capacity to degrade pollutants. Experiments are needed to determine their potential for in-situ bioremediation in developing countries in tropical climate.
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| 5. |
- Jonsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Ecological engineering to improve the sustainability of soil remediation inremote locations and developing countries
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Toxic compounds from industrial activities accumulate in the ecosystems at an unsustainable rate. Ecological engineering has been proposed as a tool to design ecosystems that integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of the both. Bioremediation is generally considered an ecological engineering practice but even if it addresses one of the core goals of ecological engineering, i.e. restoration of damaged ecosystems, bioremediation can be energy-intensive and have low reliance on self-design, particularly if excavation and ex situ methods are employed.From a thermodynamic point of view, most organic pollutants are composed of molecules with high embodied energies and free energy potential that are appealing features for the use of ecological engineering, especially in locations where economic incentives are small for any kind of remediation to be performed,Based on positive experiences from an ongoing research project in Nicaragua, in which by-products and waste material are used as primary feedstock, it is concluded that the principles of ecological engineering can be useful to make in situ bioremediation a more sustainable practice in remote locations and developing countries.
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| 6. |
- Jonsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Modelling of E.coli transport in river waters as a means to investigaterelationships between settlements within the riparian zone and faecal pollutionof water bodies
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The naturally oligotrophic rivers of northern Sweden are generally characterized by a low pollution level and high hygienic quality. E.coli, an indicator of fresh faecal contamination, shows however increasing trends and two recent outbreaks of the Cryptosporidium parasite in city drinking water supplies has caused much concern about drinking water security and ecological status of water bodies. There is also an increasing demand for scenic plots of land close to rivers and lakes for both permanent dwellings and holiday cottages and there is a need for better understanding of relationships between settlements within the riparian zone and river water quality. Measurements of E.coli are made at fixed sampling points along the river. A transport model for E.coli in river water was developed based on literature data for E.coli inactivation rates, water temperature and hydrological conditions. The model was used to estimate the source distance upstream each sampling point in the investigated section of the river. This procedure enabled the establishment of sections of the river that could influence each sampling point by point or diffuse emissions of E.coli. Studies on human development within the riparian zone of each section could then be related to E.coli data at the sampling points. Data on the latest 20 years of development within the riparian zone was gathered from the local municipality archive which contains information on all new and changed properties. The development data was compared to 18 years long time series of seasonal water quality measurement in the studied river. The analysis also considers the effects of known point sources of faecal pollution within the investigated sections such as discharge from municipal sewage treatment plants. This study shows that E.coli is transported considerably longer during winter compared to summer in a regulated section of the river. Lower water temperatures in the winter increases the survival time of E.coli but there is also a strong effect of water regulation for hydro-electric power generation that completely changes the water flow pattern to relatively higher flow during the wintertime compared to non regulated parts of the river. Both these effects increases the transport distance of E.coli. The study also shows the importance of considering the features of the nearby water body when planning for new settlements.
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| 7. |
- Vilches, Ana Paola, et al.
(författare)
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ENHANCED NATURAL BIODEGRADATION OF DIESEL FUEL CONTAMINANTS IN SOIL BY ADDITION OF WHEY AND NUTRIENTS
- 2010
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Ingår i: <em><em>International Conference on Natural Sciences andTechnologies for Waste and Wastewater Treatment,Remediation, Emissions Related to Climate, Environmentaland Economic Effects</em></em>. ; , s. 1001-1008
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The contamination of soils by petroleum hydrocarbons, such as diesel fuel, has since many years been a serious environmental problem. Treatment of contaminated areas is a concern for governments and environmental authorities in several countries and efforts have been done with the purpose to eliminate this problem. Different methods have been tested and today the most common technique involves the excavation and transportation of contaminated soil to special treatment facilities. In earlier studies we have demonstrated the effect of adding organic amendments, such as fermented whey, on the biodegradation of n-alkanes in diesel contaminated soil. Non-fermented sweet whey also proved significantly to enhance the biodegradation of an aromatic substance (phenanthrene) in contaminated soil. The current paper presents the results of an in-situ field test at a former gas station in the north of Sweden. In parallel to the field study, biodegradation profiles were monitored under controlled laboratory conditions by taking soil samples from the contaminated site and spike them with diesel fuel. The experiments were carried out by adding whey and mineral nutrients (NPK) to the test area and to the laboratory samples, and monitor the degradation of hydrocarbons by gas chromatographic analysis of extracted soil samples. Significant effects on the degradation rates were achieved in the laboratory tests. For the in-situ test, however, no such positive effects could be registered.
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