| 1. |
- Aid, Graham, 1980-
(författare)
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Operationalizing Industrial Ecology in the Waste Sector : Roles and tactics for circular value innovation
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The take-make-waste approach to resource management in human production and consumption systems is contributing to a variety of environmental and social problems worldwide. Additionally, as the world’s population and affluence increase, so do the negative impacts of poor resource management. Lifting the waste management (WM) sector into a new phase of development, which takes its lead from the ideals of Industrial Ecology and circular economy, is seen by many scholars and practitioners as one potential to assist in alleviating these impacts. While there are many studies on how more efficient inter-organizational resource management is (or could be) constructed, there are relatively few business development studies which have explored novel approaches (from roles to tactics) that WM organizations might operationalize toward more efficient resource management.The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the development of knowledge and understanding of how the waste management sector can operationalize more effective and efficient resource management. In approaching this aim, two research questions guided the exploration of: 1) novel roles for WM and 2) support tactics for such roles. Grounded in the broader context of Industrial Ecology (IE) and Business Development, five studies were performed. Two studies, focused on the novel roles of inter-organizational resource management and high value secondary resource extraction, were performed through literature review and interviews, and market driver analysis respectively. In exploring support tactics, two design and proof of concept studies were carried out to investigate data analysis tools for inter-organizational resource management, and one long-term action research engagement project was coordinated to study hands-on inter-organizational collaboration tactics.The studies highlighted that the Swedish WM sector holds some key capacities for operationalizing (and in some cases, is already developing) the novel resource management roles identified: industrial symbiosis facilitator, eco-industrial park manager, holistic facility management, and high value resource extractor. However, depending on the portfolio of services to be performed in such roles, several capacities may need to be developed or strengthened. Main opportunities seen for these roles were – staying ahead of market developments, and aligning activities with organizational goals. The main general risk related to these roles was insufficient returns on investment. Looking forward, the main enablers identified were policy leadership for more balanced market mechanisms, increasing use of external knowledge, developing long term partnerships, lobbying, stockpiling resources, and carefully crafting new business models.The tools developed for strategically applying external information toward the identification of opportunities within new roles showed tactical potential. However, their implementation in broader development processes has yet to be fully validated. The hands-on exploration of change oriented collaboration, highlighted collective system framing and goal setting and face-to-face interaction as key activities for inter-organizational approaches within roles such as industrial symbiosis facilitator.Throughout the studies, several novel roles were investigated. Each of these roles will need to be individually evaluated by directing bodies of WM organizations, and evaluated from the organization’s vision and strategy. If certain roles are chosen to be explored in more detail, they will need to be developed within full business models - addressing issues such as income structure, internal processes and capacities to be developed, and key customers. Through applying IE and business development concepts and findings, WM organizations have possibilities to translate ambitious visions into novel offerings.
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| 2. |
- Dubois, Isabelle E., 1983-
(författare)
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Specific surface area of some minerals commonly found in granite
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The specific surface area, determined by the BET method, is a parameter often used to scale results of mineral studies of surface reactions in terms of rate and capacity to the field scale. Such extrapolations of results from small-scale laboratory experiments to the field-scale are important within many environmental applications. An example of this is for the prediction of radionuclide retention in the bedrock surrounding a deep repository for radioactive waste, following failure of the engineered barriers, where radionuclides may sorb onto minerals constituting the geological environment. As a first step, the approach used in this work is to study the relationship between specific surface area and the particle size (0.075-8 mm) and to approach the field scale via measurements on large, centimetre-sized pieces, for seven natural minerals commonly found in granite: apatite, biotite, chlorite, K-feldspar, hornblende, labradorite and magnetite. The underlying assumption is that sorption of radionuclides can be related to specific surface area of a particular mineral in a continuation of this project.The results show that the phyllosilicates biotite and chlorite have a specific surface area that is about 10 times larger than the other minerals. Over the range of particle size fractions studied, the specific surface area varies between 0.1 and 1.2 m2g-1 for biotite and chlorite. The other studied minerals have specific surface areas varying between 0.01 m2g-1 for the largest fraction and up to 0.06 - 0.12 m2g-1 for the smallest. Results show linear relationships between the specific surface area and the inverse of the particle size for all studied minerals for small particle sizes, as expected. For some minerals, however, the data seemingly can be divided in two linear trends, where a change in internal surface area, surface roughness and/or particle geometry as the particle size decreases may explain this behaviour. Interestingly, for larger particles, there is a deviation from the linearity observed for small particles. Tentatively, this behaviour is attributed to a disturbed zone, created by the mechanical treatment of the material during particle size reduction, extending throughout small particles, but not altering an undisturbed core of the larger particles. In agreement with this, measurements on large pieces show a surface area 5 to 150 times lower than expected from the linear trends observed for the crushed material, implying an overestimation of the surface area and possibly also of the sorption capacities of the rock material from simple extrapolations of experimental results employing finely crushed material to the field situation.
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| 3. |
- Miafodzyeva, Sviatlana, 1976-
(författare)
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Understanding the Recycling Behaviour of Householders in Multicultural Urban Areas:Case Study Järva, Stockholm
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Separating household waste into fractions at source is a common method of household waste collection in most European countries. In 1994 Sweden introduced producer liability legislation for packaging, which requires householders to sort, clean and recycle different types of packaging waste. The recycling behaviour of householders is complex and diverse and has been widely investigated. However, the recycling behaviour of householders living in multicultural urban areas has received less attention. Therefore, little is known about the recycling behaviour and attitudes of the ethnic minorities that comprise a sizeable proportion of many urban populations.This thesis examined recycling behaviour among multicultural householders in the urban area of Järva, north-west Stockholm, Sweden, which is home to a significant proportion of immigrants from different parts of the world. Three practical studies were conducted on the recycling behaviour of householders, with data collected through literature reviews, field screening studies for relevant cases, postal surveys and in-depth interviews with householders.A meta-analysis of studies on householder recycling behaviour published in the period 1990-2010 provided a conceptual framework for explaining recycling behaviour. It also revealed some specific features of the determining factors of recycling behaviour among householders in multicultural urban areas. For example, despite self-reported high levels of environmental concern among multicultural respondents in Järva, recycling behaviour was not determined by this factor but by attitudes towards recycling. The data also showed that the most widespread reason for participating in recycling schemes was acceptance of legal norms. The interview study indicated that providing clear, understandable and easily accessible written information in ethnic languages, supported by “word-of-mouth” information, would probably increase participation by Järva householders in recycling schemes. However, lifestyle and the ethnic origins of householders also influenced their waste generation and recycling behaviour.The methodological improvements presented here can help develop future strategies targeted at increasing the waste management behaviour of the important multicultural urban group, while also ensuring that limited resources are effectively used.
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| 4. |
- Nilsson, Anders, 1982-
(författare)
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Energy Feedback and Demand Response Strategies : Exploring Household Engagement and Response Using a Mixed Methods Approach
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Real-time energy feedback (EF) and demand response using dynamic pricing tariffs (DR) have been suggested as effective intervention strategies to meet the need for increased energy efficiency and demand flexibility in the residential sector. Although previous studies provide some empirical support for the effectiveness of EF and DR, evaluation approaches used in practical experiments and field trials commonly suffer from several methodological shortcomings, preventing deeper of knowledge on the potential and barriers for EF and DR to influence household energy consumption.This thesis explored the potential of employing a mixed methods approach for evaluation of household energy consumption to provide improved understanding on how and why households engage and respond to EF and DR strategies. Three research objectives were set: 1) Analysis of the potential for using high-resolution data from smart meters in evaluation of household energy consumption and response to DR strategies, 2) development of a conceptual framework for evaluation of household responses to EF and DR strategies and analysis of its potential to increase understanding of household responsiveness, and 3) identification and analysis of household motivations, perceptions, and obstacles to engaging in EF and DR strategies.The work to achieve these objectives followed a mixed methods research methodology grounded on literature reviews and empirical studies in real-life settings in a single case study, an EF/DR field trial taking place in Stockholm Royal Seaport. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used for data collection and analysis, comprising interviews, surveys, and statistical analysis of smart meter energy data.The results suggest that the mixed methods approach addresses several of the limitations and challenges associated with previous evaluation approaches. As regards objective (1), it was found that high-resolution data from smart energy meters can provide evaluation outcomes with increased transparency and accuracy. Regarding objective (2), it was found that the proposed framework can increase understanding of variations in household responsiveness to EF and DR strategies and reveal the relationship between impacts on electricity use and factors influencing energy consumption behavior. As regards objective (3), several obstacles for households to engaging in EF and DR strategies were identified, primarily related to household-individual factors such as knowledge, sense of control, and personal values and attitudes. Based on these findings, key issues and areas for further research are proposed.
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| 5. |
- Sinha, Rajib
(författare)
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Systems Modeling Approaches to Physical Resource Management : An Industrial Ecology Perspective
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many of the present problems that we are facing arise as unanticipated side-effects of our own actions. Moreover, the solutions implemented to solve important problems often create new problems. To avoid unintended consequences, understanding complex systems is essential in devising policy instruments and in improving environmental management. Thus, this thesis investigated systems modeling approaches to under- stand complex systems and monitor the environmental performance of management actions. The overall aim of the work was to investigate the usefulness of different systems modeling approaches in supporting environmental management. A driver- based, pressure-oriented approach was adopted to investigate systems modeling tools. Material/substance flow analysis, environmental footprinting, input-output analysis, process-based dynamic modeling, and systems dynamics modeling approaches were applied in different cases to investigate strengths and weaknesses of the tools in generating an understanding of complex systems. Three modeling and accounting approaches were also tested at different systems scales to support environmental mon- itoring. Static modeling approaches were identified as fundamental to map, account, and monitor physical resource metabolism in production and consumption systems, whereas dynamic modeling showed strengths in understanding complex systems. The results suggested that dynamic modeling approaches should be conducted on top of static analysis to understand the complexity of systems when devising and testing policy instruments. To achieve proactive monitoring, a pressure-based assessment was proposed instead of the mainstream impact/state-based approach. It was also concluded that the LCA community should shift the focus of its assessments to pressures instead of impacts.
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