Author: Prithvi Simha

Trying the new role-playing game RECLAIM

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We ended the year 2019 with a very fun activity – trying out a new role-playing game developed by Jennifer McConville and her colleagues. RECLAIM is an exciting, dynamic board game whose main purpose is to act as a learning tool for participatory decision-making on water and sanitation issues. There are several stakeholders represented in the game, and all players are allowed to role play each stakeholder, and collaborate to provide and improve the sanitation situation of their region. The board itself is modular in the sense that it can be arranged to depict that group of players’ cities, be it a peri-urban area in Uganda or the urban area of central Stockholm. Not only did we have a lot of fun role playing, but we also found it to be quite intuitive. At the end of the game, we as players reflected on how RECLAIM can be a great tool that can help community members to come together, share, and help understand each other’s perspective on sanitation and how such games provide an ideal platform to make that happen.

Role-playing and gaming are active learning tools, which are useful for learning relationships between technology and society, problem solving in complex situations and communication. For further information about RECLAIM, get in touch with Jennifer McConville at Kretsloppsteknik.

Pressmeddelande: KvÀve bör prioriteras högre Àn fosfor vid Ätervinning av nÀring frÄn avlopp

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Fosfor har lĂ€nge starkt prioriterats vad gĂ€ller Ă„tervinning frĂ„n avlopp och i direktivet till den sittande slamutredningen Ă€r fosfor det enda nĂ€ringsĂ€mnet som nĂ€mns. KvĂ€ve bör dock prioriteras högst enligt en ny utvĂ€rdering av kriterier kopplade till anvĂ€ndning av icke förnybar resurs, sĂ„rbarhet, och potentiellt minskad klimatpĂ„verkan.  

Vid prioritering av Ă„tervinning frĂ„n avlopp betonas ofta att fosfor Ă€r nödvĂ€ndigt för allt liv och att det snart kommer att ta slut (Peak phosphorus). Det finns skĂ€l att ifrĂ„gasĂ€tta denna ensidiga betoning pĂ„ fosfor. Rapporten ”Fosfor, kvĂ€ve, kalium och svavel – tillgĂ„ng, sĂ„rbarhet och Ă„tervinning frĂ„n avlopp” gĂ„r igenom a) risker kopplade till att konstgödsel tillverkas av icke förnybara resurser, b) sĂ„rbarheten för svensk vĂ€xtodling vid stoppad import av konstgödsel, och c) potentiellt minskad klimatpĂ„verkan vid Ă„tervinning av vĂ€xtnĂ€ring frĂ„n avlopp.

Definitionen av ekonomisk reserv Ă€r: Storleken pĂ„ den resurs som bedöms vara av sĂ„dan kvalitet att den med dagens teknik och pris ekonomiskt kan utvinnas. Den ekonomiska reserven av rĂ„fosfat berĂ€knades 2017 till 266 Ă„rsproduktioner, vilket Ă€r 5 gĂ„nger sĂ„ stor som den för naturgas, 53 Ă„rsproduktioner (figur A). Naturgas Ă€r den viktigaste icke förnybara rĂ„varan för tillverkning av konstgödselkvĂ€ve. MĂ„nga pĂ„pekar att gödselkvĂ€ve kan tillverkas med förnybar energi, men dĂ„ blir produktionskostnaden ca 3 gĂ„nger sĂ„ hög, varför förnybar energi inte ska rĂ€knas in i de ekonomiska reserverna. Den ekonomiska reserven för tillverkning av kvĂ€ve Ă€r alltsĂ„ klart minst. Dessutom Ă€r odlingens kostnad och kostnadskĂ€nslighet för kvĂ€ve ca 6,5 gĂ„nger större Ă€n för fosfor. DĂ€rför bör Ă„tervinning av kvĂ€ve prioriteras högst. Återvinning av fosfor och kalium Ă€r ocksĂ„ önskvĂ€rd.

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Press Release: Nitrogen should be given higher priority than phosphorus when recovering plant nutrients from wastewater

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Phosphorus has long been the highest priority when recovering plant nutrients from sewage. However, nitrogen should be given top priority according to a new evaluation of criteria linked to the use of non-renewable resources, vulnerability, and potentially reduced climate impact. 

When prioritizing recovery from wastewater, phosphorus often emphasised as it is necessary for all life and as it is stated to soon run out (Peak phosphorus). There is reason to question this one-sided emphasis on phosphorus. The report “Phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and sulphur – access, vulnerability and recovery from wastewater” reviews a) risks linked to the production of artificial fertilizers from non-renewable resources; b) the vulnerability of Swedish plant production to blocked import of artificial fertilizers; and c) potentially reduced climate impact in the recovery of plant nutrients from wastewater.

All investigated criteria show that the recovery of nitrogen from wastewater should be given highest prioritized, and significantly higher than the recovery of both phosphorus and potassium. According to its directives, the presently working governmental investigation on sewage sludge is obliged to submit a proposal focused on recycling of phosphorus from sewage sludge by 10 January 2020. The risk is obvious that the wastewater sector will be forced to devote considerable resources to phosphorus recovery, resources that should be invested in nitrogen recovery to best contribute towards increased sustainability for both the wastewater system and the entire food system.

For more information, read the report: Fosfor, kvĂ€ve, kalium och svavel – tillgĂ„ng, sĂ„rbarhet och Ă„tervinning frĂ„n avlopp. Download from: https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/16407/

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Vi söker en postdoktor för att stÀrka vÄr forskning inom miljösystemanalys

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Kretsloppsgruppen vis SLU – Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet söker ett postdoktor för att förstĂ€rka vĂ„rt team. SnĂ€lla sprida denna annonsen i dina nĂ€tverk. Vi söker en postdoktor för att stĂ€rka vĂ„r forskning inom hĂ„llbarhetsbedömningar av tekniker för resursĂ„tervinning frĂ„n organiskt avfall frĂ„n stĂ€der, dvs avloppsfraktioner och organiskt fast avfall. Vi Ă€r sĂ€rskilt intresserade av hĂ„llbarhetsbedömningar, t.ex. livscykelanalys, kostnads-nyttoanalys och tekniska innovationsstudier av system utformat för Ă„tervinning av nĂ€ringsĂ€mnen frĂ„n avloppsvatten. 

Mer information om positionen finns hÀr: https://www.slu.se/om-slu/lediga-tjanster/?rmpage=job&rmjob=2977&rmlang=SE

Kontakt: Jennifer McConville

We are looking for a Post-Doc to join our team & work with sustainability assessment

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The environmental engineering group at SLU – Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is looking for a post-doc to join our team. Please, spread this announcement in your networks. Apologies for cross-posting. We are looking for a post doc to strengthen our research on sustainability assessments of technologies for resource-recovery from urban organic waste, i.e. wastewater fractions and organic solid waste.
We are particularly interested in sustainability assessments, e.g. life cycle assessment, cost-benefit analysis and technological innovation studies of systems designed for the recovery of nutrients from wastewater.

Full details of the position can be found here: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/jobs-vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=2978&rmlang=UK

Contact: Jennifer McConville

SIDA International Training Programme at Kretsloppsteknik

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  • Björn demonstrates how to use a PeePoo toilet during his lecture

Earlier this week, a few members of Kretsloppsteknik hosted a group of SIDA’s International Training Programme participants in Uppsala. NIRAS on behalf of SIDA implements a number of International Training Programmes. Kretsloppsteknik is involved as part of this program through NIRAS with focus on participants from both Asian and African countries. During these visits, we teach, present, and do technology demonstration through field visits talking about safe nutrient recycling, source-separating sanitation systems, management of organic wastes, socio-technical systems analysis, etc.

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Exjobb projekt (VT, 2020): Termogravimetrisk analys (TGA) för kvantifiering och identifiering av mikroplast i slam

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UtslÀpp av mikroplast frÄn hushÄllen stÄr för en betydande del av den mÀngd som inkommer till avloppsreningsverken och tvÀtt av syntettextil Àr sannolikt den största enskilda kÀllan till mikroplast i hushÄllsspillvatten. Mikroplastens flödeskedja frÄn avloppsvatten reningsverk till miljö behöver studeras för att en bÀttre bedömning av problemets omfattning ska kunna genomföras. Förekomsten av mikroplast i slam och pÄverkan frÄn olika slambehandlingsprocesser behöver utredas. Det saknas standardiserade metoder för analys av mikroplaster vilket gör det svÄrt att spÄra kÀllor samt att utvÀrdera ÄtgÀrder för att minska mÀngden inkommande mikroplaster till reningsverk. DÀrför Àr det av hög prioritet att utveckla provberednings- och analysmetoder som Àr pÄlitliga och kostnadseffektiva. I TGA analyseras en kÀnd mÀngd (massa) material (t.ex. slam) genom att utsÀttas för termisk sönderdelning under stigande temperatur (50-2000 °C). Under processen ökar temperaturen kontinuerligt och olika material sönderdelas och avgÄr vid olika temperaturer vilket skapar ett diagram av massförlust som funktion av temperatur. En stor fördel med TGA Àr att det Àr en automatiserad analys som med en relativ liten arbetsinsats bör ge totalhalterna av olika mikroplaster i provet, vilket bör innebÀra att analysen, jÀmfört med dagens analysmetoder, bör kunna bli vÀsentligt billigare.

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Sanitation360 AB and Science Park Gotland to work together on developing urine drying

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Last week, Björn, Jenna and Prithvi were in Visby, on the Island of Gotland to meet with Daniel Freeman from Science Park Gotland (SPG), an organisation that supports new businesses in Gotland to take the next step. We are happy to share that we came to a mutually satisfactory agreement and found a way forward to work together so that we can develop, implement and commercialise the group’s research on urine drying through its start-up company – Sanitation360 AB.

SPG will provide S360 with access to business advice, financial support, opportunity to participate in incubator joint activities, open co-working office space, and contribute to the development of our company. We are happy to have such support and are eager to get things rolling! At the same time, we are also grateful for the support we have received from SLU Holding in the past that has helped us get to the stage we are at now.

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Pharmaceuticals in source separated sanitation systems: Fecal sludge and blackwater treatment

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In this article, the occurrence and fate of 29 multiple-class pharmaceuticals (PhACs) in two source separated sanitation systems based on: (i) batch experiments for the anaerobic digestion (AD) of fecal sludge under mesophilic (37 Â°C) and thermophilic (52 Â°C) conditions, and (ii) a full-scale blackwater treatment plant using wet composting and sanitation with urea addition. For more information, please read: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896971935524X .