| 1. |
- Eriksson, E., et al.
(author)
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Life cycle assessment of the road transport sector
- 1996
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 189-190, s. 69-76
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The road transport sector has been studied with a life-cycle perspective. Transport activities and products used for road transportation have been analysed in order to identify those with significant contribution to the total environmental impact. Detailed data on the environmental burdens caused by different transportation activities such as fuel production, fuel combustion at driving, maintenance of the vehicle and production and after use treatment of the vehicle have been collected and transformed into a form usable in life cycle assessment (LCA). A comprehensive and flexible system model for description of road transportation systems has been developed. A software program, KRABAT, has been developed from the system model. The program has been used for calculation of the environmental burdens of road transportation. The use of non-renewable energy is sometimes used as an indicator of the environmental impact of activities. In this study the consumption of non-renewable fuels, electricity and air emissions have been considered. The production, maintenance and after use treatment of the vehicle have shown to contribute significantly to the total environmental impact of road transportation, measured per vehicle kilometer. This is especially valid for passenger cars, for which the amount of fossile fuel used for production of the vehicle is about 10% of the total amount used during the whole life time of the car. This share is generally much smaller for trucks, since they are used more frequently than passenger cars. The treatment of the different materials of the car after use is of importance for the possibilities of minimization of the environmental impact from road transport. In a case study, the environmental burdens from all processes and transports in the life cycle of newspapers have been analysed. Two after use treatment scenarios were studied, one with 70% recycling and the other with 100% incineration with heat recovery. The total contribution of environmental burdens from transportation to the total of the whole life cycle were studied. It could not be concluded that transportation increased with a higher degree of recycling. This holds true for our assumptions. The result may however be different for other geographical conditions, population densities, etc.
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| 2. |
- Bratt, P, et al.
(author)
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Function of the rat salivary glands after exposure to inorganic mercury
- 1995
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 172:1, s. 47-55
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In spite of many studies on the toxicity of mercury, very little is known about the effects of mercury on the function of exocrine glands. In the present paper selected functions of Sprague-Dawley rat salivary glands were studied after the exposure of the animals to inorganic mercury at two different doses; 3.25 mg/kg body weight given during 25 days and 7.0 mg/kg body weight given during 27 days. The function of the salivary glands was estimated by saliva secretion rate, secretion of electrolytes, proteins and biosynthesis of glycoproteins. The function was compared between mercury exposed rats and age and sex matched control rats that were given injections with equal volumes of 0.154 mol/l NaCl on the same time schedule. In the present study we report that no significant effect on saliva secretion rate, concentrations of salivary constituents or biosynthesis of glycoproteins in the salivary glands could be observed in rats as a result of mercury exposure at two levels that gave 30 or 60 times higher serum mercury concentrations than in the majority of the Swedish population.
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| 3. |
- Bucksch, S., et al.
(author)
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The Swedish program for investigations concerning biofuels
- 1999
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 235:1-3, s. 293-303
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As constituted today, the transport sector is not sustainable in the long-term. It is based almost entirely on non-replenishable natural resources which, when combusted, release emissions that can cause serious harm to human beings, animals and the natural environment. Therefore, in order to achieve a sustainable transport system, it is imperative to achieve a means of propulsion, which is based on renewable energy sources in every phase of production and distribution. The responsibility for developing such a sustainable transport system is an assignment, which must be approached as a common cause, involving both the official agencies of society and the business sector together with international cooperation. In 1991 the Swedish Government allocated 120 million Swedish crowns to the Swedish Transport and Communications Research Board (KFB) as funds for research, development and demonstration in the field of biofuels to be used in the transportation sector. In order to fulfil this obligation a program was presented and approved and this program for engine alcohols and biogas was carried out between the summer of 1991 and the end of 1997. The program has generated a broad spectrum of useful results showing that, in general terms, there are a number of technical problems connected to the use of biofuels. There is also a need to continue the development of both the fuels and the engines in order to take advantage of all that can be achieved concerning the use of biofuels in the transportation sector. The presentation at The Sixth International Highway and Urban Pollution Symposium will focus on a brief description of the program carried out and a presentation of the results of the field tests and the emission characterisation.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Lena, 1967-
(author)
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Blast furnace slag as phosphorus sorbents - column studies
- 1999
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 229:1-2, s. 89-97
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Filter substrates that efficiently remove phosphorus (P) from wastewater can be used to optimise the nutrient removal by on-site wastewater treatment systems. A number of filter substrates have been investigated and the industrial by-product blast furnace slag has attracted attention as a promising substrate. To further evaluate the sorption and attenuation of PO(4)(3-), a column experiment was carried out under conditions of intermittent P loading. Two types of slag were used; crystalline slag (CS) and amorphous slag (AS). The slags were available in two particle sizes; 0-0.125 mm and 0.25-4 mm, respectively. The slags were mixed with inert sand to improve the hydraulic conductivity. In addition to the column experiment, a P fractionation experiment was conducted. The sorption experiment indicated that the removal of P by the CS (0.25-4 mm), the AS (0.25-4 mm) and the AS (0-0.125 mm) columns at the end of the experiment exceeded 95%. In the other columns, the P sorption had decreased remarkably indicating a beginning saturation of the substrates. The P fractionation experiment showed that the P sorption was largest in the uppermost layers. Clear gradients of the P sorption in the downward direction could also be observed. It was concluded that the P sorption by the coarser slags was high at the end of the experiment indicating that saturation had not been achieved.
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| 6. |
- Johansson Thunqvist, Eva-Lotta, et al.
(author)
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Airborne spreading and deposition of de-icing salt : A case study
- 1999
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 235:1-3, s. 161-168
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study it was concluded that between 20 and 63% of the de-icing salt applied on the road was transported by air and deposited on the ground 2-40 m from the road. The reason for the higher percentages is suggested to be intense snowfall, which leads to more splash generation and ploughing. Ninety percent or more of the total deposition occurs within 20 m at all transects. For all periods and both localities the deposition was greater on the east side of the road, which reflects the prevailing westerly winds in relation to the de-icing action occasions.
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| 7. |
- Lindgren, Åsa
(author)
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Asphalt wear and pollution transport
- 1996
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 189-190, s. 281-286
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studded tires cause extensive wear of road surfaces during winter producing small particles. Besides transporting different adsorbed pollutants these particles also discharge metal ions by their own natural content. The major part (95%) of the asphalt is composed of stone fractions. The rest consists mainly of bitumen, which contains trace quantities of metals. Laboratory studies in this study have demonstrated different adsorbing properties of metal ions, as well as differences in adsorption when comparing stone materials. Two stone materials, a gabbro and a porphyry, have been tested for their adsorption properties concerning Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd. The gabbro showed better adsorption capacity than the porphyry. Gabbro has coarser grains, it is softer, and also has a higher content of most metals compared to the porphyry. In all tests lead and copper are more adsorbed than zinc and cadmium. All metal ions are released at about the same pH ({approx}4)
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| 8. |
- Rodushkin, Ilia, et al.
(author)
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Multi-element analysis of wild berries from northern Sweden by ICP techniques
- 1999
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 231:1, s. 53-65
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, the abundances of 60 chemical elements were determined in berries of blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) by a combination of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma double focusing sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SMS). Samples of both species were collected at 35 sites in northern Sweden. The sites are related to four zones representing areas affected by different types of human activity as well as an adjacent reference area. Special care was taken to keep sample contamination during sampling and sample preparation as low as possible. Different approaches such as use of an internal quality control sample, spike recovery tests and comparison between different analytical techniques, were used to ensure the quality of the results. Variations in element concentrations within individual sampling sites were estimated, based upon in-site duplicate sampling and analysis. The contribution from surface contamination to total berry concentrations was assessed by analysis of samples before and after rinsing with water. A comparison of the two species showed that, in spite of very similar concentrations for the majority of the elements, the highest Tl, Sr and Ba values were found in lingonberry while the highest Cl and Re concentrations were found in blueberry. The highest total concentrations of Ag, As, Be, Bi, Br, Cd, Hg, I, Ni, Pb, Sb and Tl were found in berries from mining areas, whereas those of Li, V, Hf, W, Ta and REE were found in the vicinity of high-traffic roads.
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| 9. |
- Tossavainen, Mia, et al.
(author)
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Potential leachability from natural road construction materials
- 1999
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 239:1-3, s. 31-47
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Leaching characteristics are used for the evaluation of waste materials in road construction. Few leaching tests have been performed on natural rock materials which implies that there is a lack of data to be used in comparison with waste materials. In order to form a basis for comparison of the leachability, nine natural road construction materials in Sweden were investigated using the availability test NT ENVIR 003. The results show that the leachable amounts of heavy metals and sulphur generally are very small, but under oxidizing conditions the solubility of sulphide bound elements increases notably. Vanadium and chromium are probably present as ionic substitutes for other elements in mineral lattices and show very low leachability. The leachable amounts of some heavy elements, e.g. zinc, nickel and copper are higher in the rock materials and gravels than in the blast furnace slags.
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| 10. |
- Viklander, Maria
(author)
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Snow quality in the city of Lulea, Sweden : time-variation of lead, zinc, copper and phosphorus
- 1998
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 216:1-2, s. 103-112
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The quality of urban snow was studied with regard to how the concentrations of selected metals and phosphorus vary over time. The area studied is situated in northern Sweden (65°36 prime N; 22°13 prime E). Snow samples were taken at three different locations in the city centre, approximately every second week, throughout winter. This study has clearly shown the importance of local conditions and snow clearance operations on snow quality. The study also shows that it is difficult to interpret and predict the concentrations of lead, zinc, copper and phosphorus in the snow. However, it should be possible to predict the mass loads of these substances from the deposition velocities, if the snow handling methods and routines, as well as the local circumstances are known.
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