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- Almén, Josefina, et al.
(författare)
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Repair in the Circular Economy: Towards a National Swedish Strategy
- 2021
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Ingår i: 20th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production. - 9783851258424 ; , s. 21-41
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extending the lifetime of products is seen as a key objective for realising the vision of a Circular Economy. One way to increase the lifespan of products is to enable more repair activities. However, consumers encounter a variety of barriers for repairs, prompting public authorities in Europe and the US to adopt or propose policies in support of consumer repairs. Sweden has recently adopted a circular economy action plan, where increasing the number of consumer repairs is a stated objective. However, Sweden has so far only adopted a few repair policies, most notably through the tax reliefs for the repair sector that were implemented in 2017. The aim of this contribution is to research how Sweden could develop a more comprehensive policy mix for promoting consumer repairs, also by taking into consideration initiatives from other countries and regions. The research is based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews with policymakers and other relevant actors in Sweden, Europe and the US. The study shows that a lot of interesting initiatives aiming at increasing repairs are currently being proposed. The new requirements related to repairs, developed within the European Union’s (EU) Ecodesign Directive, have been positively received but the process is cumbersome and it will take time before their full effect becomes evident. Initiatives, such as the French repairability index and the French repair fund will create incentives for the producers to design more repairable products and make it easier for consumers to repair. On the same track, the Repair Network of Vienna with its repair vouchers makes repairs cheaper and more trustworthy. Also, the US policy proposals on right-to-repair laws would help to create an open market for repairs for a lot of products. Sweden has the possibility to gain knowledge through the implementation of similar policies, and by considering new policies suggested in literature and by the interviewees. Thus there is potential for Sweden to be a front-runner in creating a more resource efficient society through increased repair activity. Concluding, some preliminary proposals for a future policy mix are presented.
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- Andersson, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Biofilm formation and interactions of bacterial strains found in wastewater treatment systems
- 2008
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Ingår i: FEMS Microbiology Letters. - OXFORD : BLACKWELL PUBLISHING. - 0378-1097 .- 1574-6968. ; 283:1, s. 83-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biofilm formation and adherence properties of 13 bacterial strains commonly found in wastewater treatment systems were studied in pure and mixed cultures using a crystal violet microtiter plate assay. Four different culture media were used, wastewater, acetate medium, glucose medium and diluted nutrient broth. The medium composition strongly affected biofilm formation. All strains were able to form pure culture biofilms within 24 h in at least one of the tested culture media and three strains were able to form biofilm in all four culture media, namely Acinetobacter calcoaceticus ATCC 23055, Comamonas denitrificans 123 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa MBL 0199. The adherence properties assessed were initial adherence, cell surface hydrophobicity, and production of amyloid fibers and extracellular polymeric substances. The growth of dual-strain biofilms showed that five organisms formed biofilm with all 13 strains while seven formed no or only weak biofilm when cocultured. In dual-strain cultures, strains with different properties were able to complement each other, giving synergistic effects. Strongest biofilm formation was observed when a mixture of all 13 bacteria were grown together. These results on attachment and biofilm formation can serve as a tool for the design of tailored systems for the degradation of municipal and industrial wastewater.
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- Andersson, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of extracellular polymeric substances from denitrifying organism Comamonas denitrificans
- 2009
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Ingår i: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0175-7598 .- 1432-0614. ; 82:3, s. 535-543
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play an important role in the formation and activity of biofilms in wastewater treatment (WWT). The EPS of the denitrifying biomarker Comamonas denitrificans strain 110, produced in different culture media and growth modes, were characterized. The EPS mainly contained protein (3-37%), nucleic acids (9-50%), and carbohydrates (3-21%). The extracellular DNA was found to be important for initial biofilm formation since biofilm, but not planktonic growth, was inhibited in the presence of DNase. The polysaccharide fraction appeared to consist of at least two distinct polymers, one branched fraction (A) made up of glucose and mannose with a molecular weight around 100 kDa. The other fraction (B) was larger and consisted of ribose, mannose, glucose, rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, and N-acetylglucosamine. Fraction B polysaccharides were mainly found in capsular EPS which was the dominant type in biofilms and agar-grown colonies. Fraction A was abundant in the released EPS, the dominant type in planktonic cultures. Biofilm and agar-grown EPS displayed similar overall properties while planktonic EPS showed clear compositional disparity. This study presents results on the physiology of a key WWT organism, which may be useful in the future development of improved biofilm techniques for WWT purposes.
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- Bauer, Bjørn, et al.
(författare)
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Circular plastics in electrical and electronic equipment
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This report explores what the Nordic countries can do to promote the use of recyclable plastic components in electrical and electronic products, with particular focus on minimising their hazardous chemical component. The report provides an overview of the hazardous additives currently used in the plastic components of EEE, drawing on information available from legislation and supporting studies, research and academia, NGOs and market actors. The results presented here build upon input collected though a literature study, a policy analysis of EU and Nordic legislation and initiatives, interviews with experts across the value chain and an expert workshop. Together these inputs were used to assess and qualify possible future actions in the Nordic countries to minimise hazardous chemicals in plastic components of EEE.
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