| 1. |
- Ahlgren, Serina, et al.
(författare)
-
Produktion av kvävegödsel baserad på förnybar energi - En översikt av teknik, miljöeffekter och ekonomi för några alternativ
- 2015
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Mineral nitrogen fertilizer is one of the main reasons for the high yields in modern, industrial agriculture. There is currently no production of mineral nitrogen fertilizer in Sweden – the entire demand is met by imports from abroad. Global production is at present based on fossil resources, which are used both as raw materials for the production and as energy to fuel the process. We are thus dependent on foreign fossil resources – as fuel and fertilizer – for our agricultural production. However, nitrogen fertilizers could be produced using renewable resources, which could pave the way for a more sustainable production of food and bioenergy. This report aims to describe and compare different production process options for the production of nitrogen fertilizers based on renewable energy sources. The report presents estimated production costs based on techno-economic modelling, environmental impact of renewable fertilizer based on life cycle assessments, and an overview of potential risks and benefits of renewable fertilizers. The report can be read as a feasibility study, which can be used to provide information for actors who are interested in supporting the development of renewable fertilizers. The results show that the cost of producing nitrogen fertilizer depends on the choice of production process technology and that some technologies benefit from economies of scale. Among the studied options, the production cost for renewable nitrogen fertilizer was lowest when produced through thermochemical gasification of biomass. The cost for this option was estimated to 11-14 SEK/kg N, which can be compared with the current price of about 10 SEK/kg N. However, gasification of biomass is not yet a commercially available technology but rather a future possibility. The report also shows that there are options that could be realized in the near future. For these options the needed technologies for nitrogen fertilizer based on renewable energy is commercially available. It is "only" a matter of putting together the various elements that is needed. These options are expected to be about 2-3 times more expensive than conventionally produced nitrogen fertilizers. One of the most promising alternatives is to make urea of biogas, which is estimated to cost approx. 20 SEK/kg N. Another option is to produce ammonium nitrate from wind power, which is estimated to cost approx. 24 SEK/kg N. The different technology options – different renewable energy sources – each have their pros and cons. When comparing processes based on wind powered electrolysis and reforming of biogas, production costs are similar. Biogas has however a lower investment cost and a lower proportion of fixed costs. Biogas is also a less intermittent energy source, which is a clear advantage over wind that becomes heavily dependent on a hydrogen storage system or the regional energy system to equalize variations in electricity production. Being dependent on the regional energy system means greater risk for cost variation. Reliance on the regional energy system can also be important for the climate impact assessment, depending on how electric power is generated in the region. Regarding the choice of the final nitrogen fertilizer product, we can conclude that ammonia is the cheapest to produce. However, there is no infrastructure or experience of handling anhydrous ammonia in Sweden, indicating that distribution, storage, handling and use would all require extra investment costs. There are however large risks connected to the handling of anhydrous ammonia as it is dangerous for the environment and to human health in case of leakage. In the comparison between ammonium nitrate and urea, we can see that the estimated production costs are quite similar, with a slight advantage for urea. Urea does however need a source of carbon dioxide, making it an unsuitable option in combination with wind power. Ammonium nitrate is also associated with large risks in storage and distribution, as it is highly explosive. One of the purposes of producing nitrogen fertilizer based on renewable energy is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with agricultural production. In this report, a summary is made of results from previous life cycle assessment studies. Emissions of greenhouse gases for the production of nitrogen fertilizer based on renewable energy was found to vary between 0.1 to 1.5 kg CO2-eq / kg N, compared with production based on fossil energy that varies between 2.2 to 14.2 kg CO2-eq / kg N. Thus, the nitrogen fertilizers based on renewable energy would yield significant climate benefits compared to conventional, fossil alternatives. Using renewable energy for fertilizer production is thus an opportunity to utilize renewable resources in a new way to mitigate climate change, while at the same time reducing the dependency of agricultural production on fossil energy market volatility. We conclude that in the short term biogas-to-urea seems like a very promising option that should be studied further. In the longer term, biomass gasification becomes more interesting, given that the technology of gasification proves itself successful in commercial applications. Although there are actors showing interest in renewable fertilizers, there is yet no market for such products. Articulating a demand pull for renewable fertilizers, as well as formulating policy instruments for a technology push are important aspects that need to be investigated further.
|
|
| 2. |
- Andersson, Fredrik N G, et al.
(författare)
-
Allt stål måste vara fossilfritt
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Dagens Industri. - 0346-640X.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- DEBATT. Frågan om det finns en betalningsvilja för fossilfritt stål är vilseledande. I en ekonomi som når klimatmålen måste allt stål vara fossilfritt oavsett pris. Det skriver några forskare i en replik till ”Är det gröna stålet verkligen grönt” av Henrekson, Sandström och Terjesen 1/4.
|
|
| 3. |
- Andersson, Fredrik N G, et al.
(författare)
-
Politikens roll för näringslivets klimatomställning
- 2024
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Efter Parisavtalet 2015 har synen på politikens roll i klimatomställningen gradvis förändrats. Klimatfrågan betraktas numera som en viktig del av samhällsutvecklingen snarare än som ett isolerat problem. En central fråga i den nya klimatpolitiken är: hur kan samhällsutvecklingens inriktning påverkas så att ekonomin fortsätter utvecklas samtidigt som klimatmålet om nettonollutsläpp till 2050 nås? För att klara av en klimatomställning inom utsatt tid krävs strukturella förändringar av ekonomin. I denna rapport diskuteras politikens roll i att möjliggöra för näringslivet att ställa om, med utgångspunkt i forskning och lärdomar från historiska strukturomvandlingar. Författarna granskar vilka åtgärder och områden som klimatpolitiken behöver fokusera på för att Sverige, liksom övriga Europa, ska kunna uppnå det globala klimatmålet att begränsa temperaturökningen.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Aristi Capetillo, Alejandro, et al.
(författare)
-
Emerging Technologies Supporting the Transition to a Circular Economy in the Plastic Materials Value Chain
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Circular Economy and Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2730-5988 .- 2730-597X. ; 3:2, s. 953-982
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plastic waste has come to the forefront of academic and political debates as a global problem that demands an urgent solution. Promoted by policymakers, academia, and corporations alike, the circular economy model presents a viable path to reach more sustainable levels of development. Emerging and disruptive technologies can catalyse the transition to a circular economy, but their application to the transition of the plastic materials realm is not fully understood. Based on a systematic review of the literature, this paper aims to understand the role of key emerging technologies in the transition towards a circular economy in the plastic materials value chain, their potential impact, as well as the barriers of adoption and diffusion. Employing the ReSOLVE framework, the analysis reveals that rather than individual technologies, four technology sets associated with Industry 4.0, distributed economies, bio-based systems, and chemical recycling stand as major enablers of this transition. The complementarity of technologies and the change needed from a systemic perspective are discussed along with a proposal for governance and practical implementation pathway to overcome barriers and resistance to the transition.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Bauer, Fredric, et al.
(författare)
-
Assessing the feasibility of archetypal transition pathways towards carbon neutrality : A comparative analysis of European industries
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Resources, Conservation & Recycling. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-3449. ; 177
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analyses of the future for manufacturing and heavy industries in a climate constrained world many times focus on technological innovations in the early stages of the value chain, assuming few significant changes are plausible, wanted, or necessary throughout the rest of the value chain. Complex questions about competing interests, different ways of organising resource management, production, consumption, and integrating value chains are thus closed down to ones about efficiencies, pay-back times, and primary processing technologies. In this analysis, we move beyond this to identify archetypal pathways that span across value chains in four emissions intensive industries: plastics, steel, pulp and paper, and meat and dairy. The pathways as presented in the present paper were inductively identified in a multi-stage process throughout a four-year European research project. The identified archetypal pathways are i) production and end-use optimisation, ii) electrification with CCU, iii) CCS, iv) circular material flows, and v) diversification of bio-feedstock use.The pathways are at different stages of maturity and furthermore their maturity vary across sectors. The pathways show that decarbonisation is likely to force value chains to cross over traditional boundaries. This implies that an integrated industrial and climate policy must handle both sectoral specificities and commonalities for decarbonised industrial development.
|
|
| 9. |
- Bauer, Fredric, et al.
(författare)
-
Biogas upgrading – technology overview, comparison and perspectives for the future
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. - : Wiley. - 1932-1031 .- 1932-104X. ; 7:5, s. 499-511
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The utilization of biogas produced from organic materials such as agricultural wastes or manure is increasing. However, the raw biogas contains a large share of carbon dioxide which must be removed before utilization in many applications, for example, using the gas as vehicle fuel. The process – biogas upgrading – can be performed with several technologies: water scrubbing, organic solvent scrubbing, amine scrubbing, pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and gas separation membranes. This perspective presents the technologies that are used commercially for biogas upgradin g today, recent developments in the fi eld and compares the technologies with egard to aspects such as technology maturity, investment cost, energy demand and consumables. Emerging technologies for small-scale upgrading and future applications of upgraded biogas such as liquefied biogas are also discussed. It shows that the market situation has changed rapidly in recent years, from being totally dominated by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and water scrubbing to being more balanced with new technologies (amine scrubbing) reaching significant market shares. There are significant economies of scale for all the technologies investigated, the specific investment costs are similar for plants with a throughput capacity of 1500 Nm3 raw biogas per hour or larger. Biogas production is increasing in Europe and around the globe, and so is the interest in the effi cient use of upgraded biogas as vehicle fuel or in other applications. The market for biogas upgrading will most likely be characterized by harder competition with the establishment of new upgrading technologies and further optimization of the mature ones to decrease operation costs.
|
|
| 10. |
- Bauer, Fredric, et al.
(författare)
-
Climate innovations in the plastic industry: Prospects for decarbonisation
- 2018
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Plastics are efficient materials for many purposes, e.g. packaging and construction, but are also associated with significant problems. These span from littering in forests and oceans, toxicity of additives, to the fundamental dependence on fossil resource for the production of the plastic material. This report aims to give an overview of the challenges for decarbonisation of plastics, i.e. moving away from a dependency on fossil resources for the production. Firstly, it identifies different possible development pathways for the industry towards decarbonisation and the key arguments for and against these pathways – reduced use of plastics, recycled plastics, and bio-based plastics. Secondly, it presents an analysis of structural characteristics of the industry that affect the potential for low-carbon innovation. This includes identifying and understanding the potential that traditional as well as new types of agents have to affect the direction of development. The report presents decarbonisation initiatives and engagement throughout the system of plastics, i.e. not only by primary production firms but also by knowledge organisations, intermediary firms, consumer groups etc. As the development pathways are contested and challenged both on technological and other grounds, the issue of power becomes pressing. The formation and use of coalitions to support and/or counteract certain developments is important, as political regulation of this highly globalised and diffuse sector has previously been difficult. The interaction between geographical particularities and scales must be given due consideration. Finally, the aspect of materiality is a key concern for the development of a system of specific materials. This relates of course to the limits of different types of feedstocks and material properties, but also to other resources and their exploitation within a system that is deeply entrenched in a system with capital invested in technologies and facilities adapted for processing fossil resources into fuels, plastics, and other products. Despite the strong carbon lock-in that the plastics industry is in, the identified pathways show that there are possibilities for decarbonisation. New types of actors are creating pressure for the sector to move towards a future plastic sector that is both circular and independent of fossil resources.
|
|
