To celebrate the successful PhD defence of Jenna Senecal, we combined it with the annual spring semester Brännboll game of PhDs vs the non-PhDs, a perfect activity for social distancing. The referees (aka the PhDs) are still counting the results due to some unclear activities regarding how to run after batting (not cutting corners) and how to normalize by age and education combined with the number of players. The non-PhDs felt that they won (as usual) but need to work and get their PhDs so they can go to the other side and be the ones who make the rules.
Category: English
PhD defence Jenna Senecal
We congratulate Jenna Senecal for a well performed defence of her PhD thesis “Safe Nutrient Recovery from Human Urine – System and Hugiene Evaluation of Alkaline Urine Dehydration”. It was a great discussion with the opponent Professor Chris Buckley from University of KwaZulu Natal, followed by the discussion with the evaluation committee, Ana Soares Cranfield Water Sciences Institute, H.B. Wittgren VA-Syd & Sweden Water Research, Helvi Heinonen-Tanski University of Eastern Finland, Malgorzata Krzywonos WrocĹ‚aw University of Economics and Business and Sofia Boqvist SLU. If you missed it the event is available on the Energi och teknik Facebook page. The event was performed online as well as with an audience in the room, with social distance, in total there were 22 persons in the room listening and up to 36 persons following the dissertation online, it worked well, even if we were missing the interesting post seminar discussions with all involved persons.
Survey for End of Wastewater project
Robin and Jennifer from the group are collaborating in the End of Wastewater project that is also led by Robin. The aim of the project is to co-create, together with committed Swedish actors, a knowledge brokering and public engagement toolbox to support and encourage acceptance, implementation and upscaling of innovative and sustainable solutions to recirculate nutrients and carbon from human excreta and other organic residuals to agriculture. We are circulating a survey to collect information from diverse actors about how to design this knowledge tool and the support engagement material.
Robin Harder, new postdoc to work on nutrient recovery and reuse from a systems perspective
After ten years in Gothenburg on the Swedish West Coast, it is now time to (again) experience Uppsala on the East Coast. Having only good memories from a summer spent in Uppsala back in 2010, when I first came to Sweden, I am looking forward to work at SLU’s Environmental Engineering Group.
Through my work, I aspire to contribute to a world in which nutrients are recirculated from human excreta and other organic residuals to agriculture in a way the supports healthy water, soil, food, and people. To achieve this, I believe it is crucial that we see human excreta management as part of food and farming systems rather than as part of waste management. This premise underpins much of my research as environmental systems analyst.
36th month meeting for the Run4Life project
The 36 month meeting during June 2-3 for the run4life project was like everything else held like an online meeting. All presentations and discussions were made online. It was interesting to hear that all the pilot areas included in the project were progressing and people are moving into the separating houses in Helsingborg, Gent, Sneek and Vigo. We all looking forward to the final year of the project and the exciting results we will get from it.
Madeleine Fogde Honorary doctor at NJ faculty at SLU
Congratulations and welcome to SLU, we look forward to continue the collaboration in the future. Program Manager Madeleine Fogde is a trained teacher and currently program manager for the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (Siani), which is coordinated by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Siani has a broad membership base and is a very inclusive organization that offers an attractive network for people working with agricultural research globally. She has worked extensively with low-income countries in Africa, including in a water supply and ecological sanitation program in Mozambique. She has a large worldwide network in agriculture, sanitation and women’s organizations.
David Jonsson presents his thesis on biopolymer from insect protein
David Jonsson has been working on development of a biopolymer from BSF larvae protein and now he has concluded his work. Join his Master Thesis presentation for degree project in biotechnology to find out more.
New publication on fate of Ascaris at various pH, temperature and moisture levels
A new study assessed the inactivation of Ascaris eggs under various conditions and observed that the exposure of Ascaris eggs to elevated pH (10.5–12.5) at temperatures <27.5 °C for >70 days had no effect on egg viability. To accelerate the inactivation of STH, an increase in the treatment temperature is more effective than pH increase. Alkaline pH alone did not inactivate the eggs but can enhance the effect of ammonia, which is likely to be present in organic wastes.
Follow the link to access the article: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2020.264
Senecal, J., Nordin, A., & VinnerĂĄs, B. (2020). Fate of Ascaris at various pH, temperature and moisture levels. Journal of Water and Health.
PhD Defence of Jenna Senecal on June 11th at 9h00
On June 11th @ 9h00 Jenna Senecal will defend her thesis titled “Safe Nutrient Recovery from Human Urine – System and Hygiene Evaluation of Alkaline Urine Dehydration.” You are most welcome to watch the defence. One may come in person to Framtiden room in the MVM building at SLU (max 25 people) or join online.
For online viewing, one can stream it from facebook at our departmental webpage. Or join via zoom: https://slu-se.zoom.us/j/65645045319 with password: 528646
Forskning & Framsteg: home composting or centralised management?
Evgheni Ermolaev from Environmental Engineering group answers a reader’s question in an article in Forskning & Framsteg.
Read the whole article (in Swedish, use google translate) at Forskning & Framsteg
Contact: Evgheni Ermolaev