| 1. |
- Bender, Anke, et al.
(författare)
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Imaging-sonar observations of salmonid interactions with a vertical axis instream turbine
- 2023
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Ingår i: Rivers Research and Applications. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1535-1459 .- 1535-1467.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anthropogenic activities and their influences on aquatic systems is an important topic, especially considering the growing interest in using the earth's resources in a sustainable way. One of those anthropogenic activities is the introduction of renewable technologies into the aquatic environment such as instream turbines. Environmental studies around those technologies are often still ongoing due to their novelty. During the spring of 2018, juvenile individuals of two salmonid species, Atlantic salmon and brown trout were released upstream a vertical axis instream turbine in the river Dal (Dalälven) in eastern Sweden. The aim of this study was to investigate the swimming behavior of the salmonids around a small-scale prototype vertical axis instream turbine. The swimming pattern and the possible response of avoiding the vertical axis instream turbine were documented with a multi beam sonar. A control area, next to the turbine, was used as reference. No consistent results were shown for trout as they were passing the control area with a statistically high variation, and specimens were rarely observed in proximity of the turbine, neither if the turbine was operating nor at stand still. Salmon clearly avoided the operating turbine, but did not avoid the turbine when it was at stand still, and was often observed swimming straight through the turbine area. These findings indicate that operating this type of instream turbine in a river affects the swimming behavior of Atlantic salmon but is unlikely to affect its migration paths. For brown trout, the statistical results are inconclusive, although data indicate a response of avoiding the turbine. The species are in little risk to suffer physical harm as no fish entered the rotating turbine, despite very turbid water conditions.
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| 2. |
- Cains, Mariana, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental Management Cycles for Chemicals and Climate Change, EMC4: A new conceptual framework contextualizing climate and chemical risk assessment and management
- 2024
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Ingår i: Integrated environmental assessment and management. - 1551-3777 .- 1551-3793. ; 20:2, s. 433-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Environmental Management Cycle for Chemicals and Climate Change (EMC4)is a suggestedconceptualframework for integrating climate change aspects into chemical risk management. The interaction of climate change and chemical risk brings together complex systems that are imperfectly understood by science. Making management decisions in this context is therefore difficult and often exacerbated by a lack of data. The consequences of poor decision making can be significant for both environmental and human health. This paper reflects on the ways in which existing chemical management systems consider climatechange and proposes theEMC4conceptual framework that isa tool for decision makersoperating at different spatial scales. Also presented are keyquestions raised by the tool to help the decision maker identify chemical risks from climate change, management options and, importantly, the different types of actors that are instrumental in managing that risk.Case studies showing decision making at different spatial scalesare also presentedhighlighting the conceptual framework’s applicability to multiple scales.The United Nations Environment Programme’s development of an intergovernmental Science Policy Panelon Chemicals and Wastehas presented an opportunity to promote and generate research highlighting the impacts of chemicals and climate changeinterlinkages.
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| 3. |
- Furberg, Anna, 1990, et al.
(författare)
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A practice-based framework for defining functional units in comparative life cycle assessments of materials
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 26:3, s. 718-730
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of materials, there is a mismatch between the current practice and existing guidelines regarding functional unit definition. The purpose of this study is to develop a practice-based framework for defining functional units in comparative LCAs of materials and provide guidance regarding in which situations different functional unit types are relevant. A literature review of comparative LCAs of materials identified three types of functional units: (i) the reference flow functional unit, (ii) the property functional unit, and (iii) the performance functional unit. These functional unit types, of which only the latter strictly complies with LCA guidelines, represent varying degrees of functional equivalence and technological maturity. The most relevant functional unit type depends on the goal of the study. We suggest that screening assessments of whether materials have comparable environmental impacts can apply reference flow functional units. Material comparisons for certain application areas with some important properties can apply property functional units. For comparisons of end products, performance functional units can be applied. However, even in such cases, complete functional equivalence can hardly be achieved due to more or less relevant product differences. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated for the case of comparing cemented carbide and polycrystalline diamond hard materials.
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| 4. |
- Furberg, Anna, 1990, et al.
(författare)
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Human health impacts of natural diamond production
- 2020
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Ingår i: Social LCA Impacts, Interests, Interactions. - 2426-9654. - 9782956214120
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Natural diamonds have been treasured by humans for centuries, but its production is associated with various negative human health impacts. These include occupational accidents in the production system (e.g. due to artisanal mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)), human health impacts due to production system emissions and diamond is furthermore associated with the conflict in the DRC. The aim of this study is to conduct a screening LCA of human health impacts in global natural diamond production. Preliminary results, quantified by applying the disability-adjusted life year indicator, show that production system emissions and occupational accidents in the production system, mainly from artisanal diamond mining in the DRC, constitute the largest contributors to negative human health impacts in natural diamond production globally. Potential positive human health impacts are also discussed. The preliminary results from this study can be applied in future studies of natural diamond and its products.
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| 5. |
- Fältström, Emma, 1987-
(författare)
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Towards the Control of Microplastic Pollution in Urban Waters
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Water pollution has long been considered a challenge in urban areas, and new types of pollution are continuously introduced to society. Urban wastewater and stormwater act as transport pathways of pollution from urban areas to receiving waterways. Microplastics are a new type of pollution that is being highlighted as problematic, and the presence of microplastics is widespread in the environment. The knowledge about behaviour, sources and transport pathways is still limited. Still, there have been suggestions for ways to control microplastic pollution. Moreover, many other pollutants have been introduced, and to a various extent controlled, in the urban water system before, which means that there are strategies for pollution control in place.The problem of microplastic pollution is receiving attention from both research and policy. Therefore, there is a need to simultaneously explore ways to handle the pollution and learn more about the flows of microplastics. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of flows of microplastics in urban waters and investigate strategies and measures that can control the flows. This aim has been addressed through three different studies presented in the three appended papers. The empirical material was gathered between 2017 and 2020 using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The flows of microplastics were investigated using a quantitative approach with inspiration from substance flow analysis. Strategies and measures to control pollution were investigated by means of analyses of documents, literature review and interviews.In terms of flows, the results show that laundry seems to be a large contributor to the wastewater system, while the contribution from cigarette filters was smaller than anticipated. Littering, in general, as well as paint, are potentially important sources of microplastics where the understanding is very limited. In terms of strategies and measures to control the flows, there are both preventive and treatment options for microplastics. As microplastics are a diverse pollutant group, several different solutions are needed. Some aspects that influence control efforts are related to the properties and behaviour of the specific pollutant and can therefore be more or less suitable for different pollutants. Other aspects are more general, such as what compartments are seen as valuable and prioritised in terms of protection. Further, treatment moves the pollution from the water to another medium, and this movement also needs to be considered.Challenges in terms of changing, limited or even lack of legislation, as well as unclear responsibility, and problems with collaboration among urban actors also impact the possibilities to control pollution. The case of microplastics also raises questions about when and how pollution should be controlled and by whom. Further, emerging practices in the urban water system, such as source separation, pipe-separation, and water reuse, will have implications for how pollution will be handled in the future.
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| 6. |
- Gustavsson, Mikael, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Estimating the release of chemical substances from consumer products, textiles and pharmaceuticals to wastewater
- 2022
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 287
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chemical emissions from households originate from a wide range of sources and results in highly diverse mixtures. This makes traditional monitoring based on analytical chemistry challenging, especially for compounds that appear in low concentrations. We therefore developed a method for predicting emissions of chemicals from households into wastewater, relying on consumption patterns from multiple data sources. The method was then used to predict the emissions of chemical preparations, chemicals leaching from textiles and prescription pharmaceuticals in Sweden. In total we predicted emissions of 2007 chemicals with a combined emission of 62,659 tonnes per year - or 18 g/person and day. Of the emitted chemicals, 2.0% (w/w) were either classified as hazardous to the environment or were both persistent and mobile. We also show that chemical emissions come from a wide range of uses and that the total emission of any individual chemical is determined primarily by its use pattern, not by the total amount used. This emphasizes the need for continuous updates and additional knowledge generation both on emission factors and excretion rates as well as a need for improved reporting on the intended use of individual chemicals. Finally, we scrutinize the model and its uncertainty and suggest areas that need improvement to increase the accuracy of future emission modelling. We conclude that emission modelling can help guide environmental monitoring and provide input into management strategies aimed at reducing the environmental effect caused by hazardous chemicals.
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| 7. |
- Gustavsson, Mikael, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Risk assessment of chemicals and their mixtures are hindered by scarcity and inconsistencies between different environmental exposure limits
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 225
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In chemical risk assessment, measured or modelled environmental concentrations are compared to environ-mental exposure limits (EELs), such as Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs) or hazardous concentrations for 5% of species (HC05s) derived from species sensitivity distributions (SSDs). However, for many chemicals the EELs include large uncertainties or, in the worst case, the necessary data for their estimation are completely missing. This makes the assessment of chemical risks and any subsequent implementation of management strategies challenging. In this study we analyzed the uncertainty of EELs and its impact on chemical risk assessment. First, we compared three individual EEL datasets, two primarily based on experimental data and one based on computational predictions. The comparison demonstrates large disagreements between EEL data sources, with experimentally derived EELs differing by more than seven orders of magnitude. In a case-study, based on the predicted emissions of 2005 chemicals, we showed that these uncertainties lead to significantly different risk assessment outcomes, including large differences in the magnitude of the total risk, risk driver identification, and the ranking of use categories as risk contributors. We also show that the large data-gaps in EEL datasets cannot be covered by commonly used computational approaches (QSARs). We conclude that an expanded framework for interpreting risk characterization outcomes is needed. We also argue that the large data -gaps present in ecotoxicological data need to be addressed in order to achieve the European zero pollution vision as the growing emphasis on ambient exposures will further increase the demand for accurate and well -established EELs.
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| 8. |
- Gustavsson, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Transformers enable accurate prediction of acute and chronic chemical toxicity in aquatic organisms
- 2024
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Ingår i: Sciences Advances. ; 10:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental hazard assessments are reliant on toxicity data that cover multiple organism groups. Generating experimental toxicity data is, however, resource-intensive and time-consuming. Computational methods are fast and cost-efficient alternatives, but the low accuracy and narrow applicability domains have made their adaptation slow. Here, we present a AI-based model for predicting chemical toxicity. The model uses transformers to capture toxicity-specific features directly from the chemical structures and deep neural networks to predict effect concentrations. The model showed high predictive performance for all tested organism groups—algae, aquatic invertebrates and fish—and has, in comparison to commonly used QSAR methods, a larger applicability domain and a considerably lower error. When the model was trained on data with multiple effect concentrations (EC50/EC10), the performance was further improved. We conclude that deep learning and transformers have the potential to markedly advance computational prediction of chemical toxicity.
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| 9. |
- Hammar, Linus, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Cumulative impact assessment for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning
- 2020
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 734
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Claims for ocean space are growing while marine ecosystems suffer from centuries of insufficient care. Human pressures from runoff, atmospheric emissions, marine pollution, fishing, shipping, military operations and other activities wear on habitats and populations. Ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged worldwide as a strategic instrument for handling conflicting spatial claims among competing sectors and the environment. The twofold objective of both boosting the blue economy and protecting the environment is challenging in practice and marine planners need decision support. Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) was originally developed to provide an overview of the human imprint on the world's ocean ecosystems. We have now added a scenario component to the CIA model and used it within Swedish ecosystem-based MSP. This has allowed us to project environmental impacts for different planning alternatives throughout the planning process, strengthening the integration of environmental considerations into strategic decision-making. Every MSP decision may entail a local shift of environmental impact, causing positive or negative consequences for ecosystem components. The results from Swedish MSP in the North Sea and Baltic Sea illustrate that MSP certainly has the potential to lower net cumulative environmental impact, both locally and across sea basins, as long as environmental values are rated high and prevailing pressures derive from activities that are part of MSP. By synthesizing innumerous data into comprehensible decision support that informs marine planners of the likely environmental consequences of different options, CIA enables ecosystem-based MSP in practice.
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| 10. |
- Harder, Robin, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Reframing human excreta management as part of food and farming systems
- 2020
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Ingår i: Water Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0043-1354 .- 1879-2448. ; 175
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recognition of human excreta as a resource, rather than as waste, has led to the emergence of a range of new and innovative nutrient recovery solutions. Nevertheless, the management of human excreta remains largely rooted in current sanitation and wastewater management approaches, which often makes nutrient recovery an add-on to existing infrastructures. In this paper, we argue that framing human excreta management as a resource recovery challenge within waste management obscures important trade-offs. We explore the factors that would be brought to the fore by reframing human excreta management as part of food and farming systems. We find that such a reframing would accentuate (at least) six aspects of critical importance that are currently largely overlooked. Recognizing that the proposed framing may also have its limitations, we argue that it has the potential to better guide human excreta management towards long-term global food, soil, and nutrient security while reducing the risk of compromising other priorities related to human and environmental health.
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