Category: English

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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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 °C) and thermophilic (52 °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 .

The Cary 620 FTIR microscopes coupled with Cary 660 IR spectroscopes and FTIR microscopy is ready for microplastic analyses

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After investing 1.5 million Swedish Crowns, the new Cary 620 FTIR microscope coupled with Cary 660 IR spectroscopes and FTIR microscopy is finally installed and ready for operation for analyses of microplastics in Department of Energy and Technology. Using the Focal plane array detector and the FTIR spectrophotometer, the instrument will be used to implement chemical imaging to identify, quantify and determine the particle size of micro plastics and other substances.  The instrument is homed by Environmental technology group under the responsibility of Sahar Dalahmeh.

Participatory design of biochar filters for small scale wastewater treatment

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FORMAS has granted 3 mkr to implement multi-actor engagement and particpatory design approach to understand how socio-technical factors affect the development of biochar-based systems as an alternative for onsite wastewater treatment in Sweden. Based on the participatory design criteria, laboratory and demonstration biochar-based treatment systems will be implemented. The technical performance and maintenance and operation requirements will be evaluated with the relevant stakeholders. Sustainability of biochar solution will be assessed in a multi-criteria sustainability assessment, including social, economic and environmental impacts. The project is lead by Sahar Dalahmeh from the environmental technology group.

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Eight million Swedish kronor to implement research about Cities with less microplastics

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With a total fund of 8 million Swedish crown, Sahar Dalahmeh her collaborators will evaluate contribution of stormwater from roads in polluting the environment with microplastics and will investigate how to integrate green infrastructure into pollutant removal, by assessing the potential, efficiency and design of road-side filters (bark and biochar) for removing MP from stormwater, to function as planting sites and to retain water. The project comprises four work tasks: 1) To assess the composition, particle size and quantities of MP in stormwater from different urban sources; 2) to assess and compare the efficiency and potential of road-side filters made of biochar or bark filters in removing MP and in acting as green beds, and compare them with soil beds; 3) to develop a conceptual design for road-side green filters for MP removal; and 4) to assess their environmental sustainability in terms of e.g. climate change and water quality impacts. The project will be implemented within four years in collaboration with researchers from Aalborg University in Denmark and Malmö University

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Capturing nutrients in Urine: Socio-technical evaluation of urine concentrating technologies

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The sanitation sector needs innovations with minimal environmental impacts and maximum resource recovery. Separate collection and treatment of urine is one such method. Technologies for dehydrating or concentrating urine are part of the emerging innovations that aim to increase resource recovery from human waste streams. Urine contains a majority of the nutrients found in human excreta, but also large volumes of liquid. Concentrating technologies have the potential to convert human urine into commercial-quality fertilizer and reduce transport and treatment costs. Several technologies are now being piloted around the world, however holistic studies of socio-cultural, institutional and environmental impacts are lacking.

The aim of this project is to investigate the potential for increasing the use of urine concentrating technologies. The proposed study uses a socio-technical approach to meet the following objectives: 1) investigate the potential for urine concentration to support global sustainability goals, 2) investigate the technical and market readiness of urine concentrating systems, and 3) study the socio-technical dynamics influencing urine concentrating systems in order to identify possible development strategies.

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The Susana webinar on Sanitation and Employment aired 21/11 is now available online

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In this seminar, moderated by Alejandro Jiménez of the Stockholm International Water Institute, different aspects of employment in the sanitation sector are discussed. Rémi Kaupp from WaterAid tells us about the findings presented in a new WHO report on the Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers. Martin Mawajje from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) describe how the emptying services in informal settlements can be formalised using a case from Kampala, Uganda as example. Daniel Ddiba, from the Stockholm Environment Institute tells us about a tool they have developed called REWAMP that can estimate and compare the circular economy potential of sanitation derived products from different sanitation technologies. The last presenter is Cecilia Lalander from our group that gives an example on how black soldier fly larvae treatment can be implemented by a sanitation entrepreneur. 

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