| 1. |
- Ekener, Elisabeth, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Developing Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment methodology by applying values-based sustainability weighting - Tested on biomass based and fossil transportation fuels
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 181, s. 337-351
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The production and use of transportation fuels can lead to sustainability impacts. Assessing them simultaneously in a holistic way is a challenge. This paper examines methodology for assessing the sustainability performance of products in a more integrated way, including a broad range of social impacts. Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methodology is applied for this assessment. LSCA often constitutes of the integration of results from social LCA (S-LCA), environmental life cycle assessment (E-LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC). In this study, an S-LCA from an earlier project is extended with a positive social aspect, as well as refined and detailed. E-LCA and LCC results are built from LCA database and literature. Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology is applied to integrate the results from the three different assessments into an LCSA. The weighting of key sustainability dimensions in the MCDA is performed in different ways, where the sustainability dimensions are prioritized differently priority based on the assumed values of different stakeholder profiles (Egalitarian, Hierarchist, and Individualist). The developed methodology is tested on selected biomass based and fossil transportation fuels - ethanol produced from Brazilian sugarcane and US corn/maize, and petrol produced from Russian and Nigerian crude oils, where it delineates differences in sustainability performance between products assessed. The outcome in terms of relative ranking of the transportation fuel chains based on sustain ability performance differs when applying different decision-maker profiles. This result highlights and supports views that there is no one single answer regarding which of the alternatives that is most sustainable. Rather, it depends strongly upon the worldview and values held by the decision maker. A key conclusion is that sustainability assessments should pay more attention to potential differences in underlying values held by key stakeholders in relevant societal contexts. The LCSA methodology still faces challenges regarding results integration but MCDA in combination with stakeholder profiles appears to be a useful approach to build on further.
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| 2. |
- Englund, Oskar, 1982
(författare)
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On Sustainability of Biomass for Energy and the Governance Thereof
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Due to concerns about climate change, energy security, and resource scarcity, non- renewable resources are increasingly being displaced by biomass. As with most human activities, the production of biobased products can be associated with negative impacts. Primarily, this relates to the biomass supply systems, i.e., agriculture and forestry, which currently are major causes of biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystem services. Developing sustainable production systems when transitioning from non-renewable resources to biomass is imperative. This thesis aims to clarify the meaning of sustainability in the context of biomass for bioenergy, and contribute to our understanding of how different forms of governance can promote sustainably sourced biomass for bioenergy. The thesis is based on five appended papers: Paper I analyses to what extent, where, and under what conditions oil palm for biodiesel in Brazil can be produced profitably, and what risks and opportunities that can be associated with introducing large-scale oil palm production in Brazil. Paper II lays the foundation for understanding how new biomass production can be introduced into landscapes while supporting rather than compromising the ability of the landscape to supply other ecosystem services. Paper III describes different forms of governance and shows how these can play different roles in promoting sustainable bioenergy in different countries. Paper IV focuses on how short rotation coppice production systems are affected by EU policy and how different governance forms can assist in adapting production systems to conform to the corresponding sustainability requirements. Finally, Paper V assesses how sustainability certification (private governance) addresses biodiversity conservation and contributes to our understanding of possible improvements.
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| 3. |
- Habibi, Shiva, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of free-floating car-sharing services in cities
- 2017
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Ingår i: ECEEE Summer Study, 29 May - 3 June, 2017. - 2001-7960. - 9789198387810 ; 2017
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, free-floating car sharing services (FFCS) have been offered by many organizations as a more flexible option compared to traditional car sharing. FFCS allows users to pick up and return cars anywhere within a specified area of a city. FFCS can provide a high degree of utilization of vehicles and less usage of infrastructure in the form of parking lots and roads and thus has the potential to increase the efficiency of the transport sector. However, there is also a concern that these compete with other efficient modes of transport such as cycling and public transport. The aim of this paper is to better understand how, when and where the vehicles are utilized through logged data of the vehicles’ movements. We have access to data collected on FFCS services in 22 cities in Europe and North America which allows us to compare the usage pattern in different cities and examine whether or not there are similar trends. In this paper, we use the collected data to compare the different cities based on utilization rate, length of trip and time of day that the trip is made. We find that the vehicle utilization rates differ between cities with Madrid and Hamburg having some of the highest utilization levels for the FFCS vehicles. The results form a first step of a better understanding on how these services are being used and can provide valuable input to local policy makers as well as future studies such as simulation models.
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| 4. |
- Nordelöf, Anders, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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A scalable life cycle inventory of an electrical automotive traction machine—part I: design and composition
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 24:1, s. 55-69
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: A scalable life cycle inventory (LCI) model of a permanent magnet electrical machine, containing both design and production data, has been established. The purpose is to contribute with new and easy-to-use data for LCA of electric vehicles by providing a scalable mass estimation and manufacturing inventory for a typical electrical automotive traction machine. The aim of this article (part I of two publications) is to present the machine design, the model structure, and an evaluation of the models’ mass estimations. Methods: Data for design and production of electrical machines has been compiled from books, scientific papers, benchmarking literature, expert interviews, various specifications, factory records, and a factory site visit. For the design part, one small and one large reference machine were constructed in a software tool, which linked the machines’ maximum ability to deliver torque to the mass of its electromagnetically active parts. Additional data for remaining parts was then gathered separately to make the design complete. The two datasets were combined into one model, which calculates the mass of all motor subparts from an input of maximum power and torque. The range of the model is 20–200 kW and 48–477 Nm. The validity of the model was evaluated through comparison with seven permanent magnet electrical traction machines from established brands. Results and discussion: The LCI model was successfully implemented to calculate the mass content of 20 different materials in the motor. The models’ mass estimations deviate up to 21% from the examples of real motors, which still falls within expectations for a good result, considering a noticeable variability in design, even for the same machine type and similar requirements. The model results form a rough and reasonable median in comparison to the pattern created by all data points. Also, the reference motors were assessed for performance, showing that the electromagnetic efficiency reaches 96–97%. Conclusions: The LCI model relies on thorough design data collection and fundamental electromagnetic theory. The selected design has a high efficiency, and the motor is suitable for electric propulsion of vehicles. Furthermore, the LCI model generates representative mass estimations when compared with recently published data for electrical traction machines. Hence, for permanent magnet-type machines, the LCI model may be used as a generic component estimation for LCA of electric vehicles, when specific data is lacking.
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| 5. |
- Nordelöf, Anders, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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A scalable life cycle inventory of an electrical automotive traction machine—part II: manufacturing processes
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 23:2, s. 295-313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: A scalable life cycle inventory (LCI) model of a permanent magnet electrical machine, containing both design and production data, has been established. The purpose is to contribute with new and easy to use data for life cycle assessment (LCA) of electric vehicles by providing a scalable mass estimation and manufacturing inventory for a typical electrical automotive traction machine. The aim of this article (part II of two publications) is to present the manufacturing data with associated collection procedures, from material constituents to complete motor. Another objective is to explain the gate-to-gate system boundaries and the principles for linking the LCI model upstream, to database data, in order to create a full cradle-to-gate dataset. Methods: Data for design and production of electrical machines has been compiled from books, scientific papers, benchmarking literature, expert interviews, various specifications, factory records, and a factory site visit. For the manufacturing part, new primary data was collected directly from industry, with a motor factory and a steel mill in Sweden as main contributors, and from technical literature. Other LCA publications were used, if presented in sufficient detail to be disaggregated and revised, to match the gaps of the model. The data represents the current level of technology and targets high-volume manufacturing to the largest extent possible. Also, flows crossing the system boundary have a recommended link to Ecoinvent data, or a request for an attentive selection of input data, depending on the user’s object of study. A distinction was made between the regular and an extended system boundary, wherein the processing of some smaller subparts was accounted for through proposals of ready-made Ecoinvent activities for production efforts. Results and discussion: An extensive new dataset representing electrical machine manufacturing is presented, and, together with the estimation of motor mass and configuration of article part I, it forms a comprehensive scalable LCI model of a typical automotive electric traction motor. New production data includes a complete motor factory, electrical steel production, and the fabrication of a neodymium-dysprosium-iron-boron (Nd(Dy)FeB) magnet. In addition, smaller, new datasets cover the composition of silicon steel, the making of electrolytic iron, enameling of copper wire, and die casting of aluminum. Conclusions: Successful data generation required “data building” from multiple sources and access to expert support. Transparent, well-explained, and disaggregated data records were found to be crucial for LCA data validation and usefulness.
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| 6. |
- Johansson, Björn, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Power Level Sampling of Metal Cutting Machines for Data Representation in Discrete Event Simulation
- 2015
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Ingår i: International Journal of Production Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0020-7543 .- 1366-588X. ; 53:23, s. 7060-7070
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An extension to the application area for discrete event simulation (DES) has been ongoing since the last decade and focused only on economic aspects to include ecologic sustainability. With this new focus, additional input parameters, such as electrical power consumption of machines, are needed. This paper aim at investigating how NC machine power consumption should be represented in simulation models of factories. The study includes data-sets from three different factories. One factory producing truck engine blocks, one producing brake disc parts for cars and one producing forklift components. The total number of data points analysed are more than 2,45,000, where of over 1,11,000 on busy state for 11 NC machines. The low variability between busy cycles indicates that statistical representations are not adding significant variability. Furthermore, results show that non-value-added activities cause a substantial amount of the total energy consumption, which can be reduced by optimising the production flow using dynamic simulations such as DES.
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| 7. |
- Vogl, Valentin, et al.
(författare)
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A just transition towards a coal-free steel industry: perspectives from labour
- 2019
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Ingår i: 14th Nordic Environmental Social Science (NESS). ; , s. 1-30
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Limiting global warming to ‘safe’ levels will require rapid and radical reductions of greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the global economy. The discontinuation of incumbent industrial structures, that will be an unavoidable part of such sustainability transitions, will disproportionally burden certain groups. Recent events including the social and political unrest linked to the imminent deterioration of coal communities and the fuel tax protests of the ’Gilets Jaunes’ have loudly shown that distributional effects of climate transitions cannot be ignored. Trade unions and NGOs have for some time called for an inclusive transition and brought increased attention to the justice dimension of energy transitions. In this paper, we analyse potential social impacts in a concrete case: the planned transition from coal to hydrogen-based steelmaking in the Swedish steel industry. To this end, we conduct a series of semi-structured interviews to examine the role of trade unions and the national trade union federation in re-orienting the industry. By doing so we aim to widen the scope of the just transitions debate to include process industries and to explore the concrete meaning of a just transition in the case of the planned transition of the Swedish steel industry. We analyse, on the one hand, the capacity of trade unions to influence the transition process, and, on the other hand, the potential social impacts of the transition on the labour force and local communities. As the transition of the Swedish steel sector kicks into gear, we highlight a number of social issues that should be addressed both within industry and through policy. We conclude that it is important to early on: include stakeholders in the process, bring up social and political aspects of the transition, and acknowledge and address potential conflicting interests associated with it.
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| 8. |
- Åström, Stefan, 1977
(författare)
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Research and reflections on European air pollution policy support models
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- European emissions to air of SO2, NOx, PM2.5, NH3 and NMVOC still today cause harm to human health and the environment. These pollutants are associated with the premature death of ~400 000 people annually in the EU (25 000 perished in traffic accidents 2017). Improvements are expected but problems will persist. To abate these effects European countries are engaged in several international agreements, all dependent on interaction between science and policy. For some 15 years scientific decision support to policy-makers was based on integrated assessment models (IAM) combined with quantification of economic benefits in cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of proposed policies. However, in 2013 the European Commission changed approach and used CBA to model socio-economic optimal emission levels and used these levels as basis for a policy proposal. This new approach puts higher demand on model coverage and reliability. It can also be methodologically controversial. This thesis presents research and reflections on the robustness of air pollution policy support models used by the European Commission, with focus on IAM and CBA. Robustness over climate metrics is analysed with cost-effectiveness analysis of air pollution control options, with sensitivity analysis of metric choice. An SO2 decomposition analysis indicates if consideration of end-of-pipe control options is enough. Robustness of emission control strategies with respect to investment parameters is analysed with IAM, and CBA provides estimates of whether options to reduce emissions from international shipping should be considered in the modelling. Methodological issues are also reviewed. The results indicate that the models are robust with respect to climate metrics used and the focus on end-of-pipe SO2 options. The modelling of emission control can be sensitive to investment parameters and to the current exclusion of control options on ships. The methodological foundation of CBA is criticised but since environmental policies depend on support also from arenas outside science it remains unclear if CBA-shortcomings impairs the air pollution policy process. Regardless, there are arguments for inter alia complementing CBA with analyses based on non-economic decision rationales. Finally, the thesis provides insights and suggestions for air pollution policy modelling and research that should be considered in the future.
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| 9. |
- Bryngelsson, David, 1981
(författare)
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Land-use competition and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in a climate change mitigation perspective
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Productive land for food production, bioenergy, or preservation of nature is a limited resource. Climate change mitigation puts additional pressure on land via higher demand for bioenergy to replace fossil fuels and via restrictions on deforestation—two processes that limit the availability of land for food produc- tion, and may thus also raise food prices. Methane and nitrous oxide emis- sions from agriculture may also need to be reduced to efficiently mitigate climate change. This thesis deals with this in three ways.In papers I–II, we estimate greenhouse gas emissions from food production for current diets and expected future developments, together with alternative di- etary developments and potential technical improvements in the agricultural sec- tor. Costs and possibilities for reaching climate goals are analyzed for the differ- ent diets. The results indicate that a phase out of ruminant products would cut mitigation cost in half, for staying below a 2◦C limit, and it may be necessary if the climate sensitivity is high.In papers III–IV, a conceptual and transparent partial equilibrium model of global land-use competition is developed, analyzed and applied. The model is to a large degree analytically explored and price differentials between crops are derived. The model is subjected to a detailed characterization of its mechanisms and parameters that are critical to the results. We conclude that the total amount of productive agricultural area and bioenergy yields are of crucial importance to the price impacts from large-scale introduction of bioenergy. We also show how limiting bioenergy production to marginal land could be difficult to implement in practice.In paper V, we use two established indicators for poverty and sensitivity to food-price changes to capture peoples’ vulnerability to rising food-prices in four Sub-Sahara African countries/regions. In contrast to previous studies, we include all food products instead of just one or a few main staples. We found that the vast majority of people are net consumers of food and that the inclusion of more than main staples increases their net position as consumers and thus vulnerability to high food prices.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Karin, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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Shipping and the Environment - Improving Environmental Performance in Marine Transportation
- 2016
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Bok (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This book focuses on the interaction between shipping and the natural environment and how shipping can strive to become more sustainable. Readers are guided in marine environmental awareness, environmental regulations and abatement technologies to assist in decisions on strategy, policy and investments. You will get familiar with possible paths to improve environmental performance and, in the long term, to a sustainable shipping sector, based on an understanding of the sources and mechanisms of common impacts. You will also gain knowledge on emissions anddischarges from ships, prevention measures, environmental regulations, and methods and tools for environmental assessment. In addition, the book includes a chapter on thebackground to regulating pollution from ships. It is intended as a source of information for professionals connected to maritime activities as well as policy makers and interested public. It is also intended as a textbook in higher education academic programmes.
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