Blog from the Environmental Engineering Research Group at SLU
On the 1st of July, Björn VinnerÄs was promoted to full Professor in Environmental Engineering at SLU. At the same time, Bjorn has also taken up the position (50%) as Head of Department of Energy and Technology but will continue with his research on the second half of the position (50%). The framework of the research will continue with focus on safe recycling of plant nutrients.
During the last week, group members Prithvi Simha and Giulio Zorzetto were in Tampere, Finland where they installed a new urine dehydrator module that is being pilot tested in the Hiedanranta neighbourhood of the city of Tampere. The treatment module was constructed at SLU, transported to Finland, reasssembled at TAMK, and finally installed at the basement of the Lielahti Manor house. Urine from two different toilets in the manor house, which itself is undergoing renovation, is planned to be diverted to this treatment system over the coming week. This installation, once in operation, has the potential to open up a new avenue for local collection and treatment of urine in urban settings.
The three month long urine drying pilot installation at the Pori Birgade in SĂ€kylĂ€, Finland was dismantled last week, bringing to an end the first field demonstration of our technology. As you’ll recall from our previous blogs, we integrated a urine dehydration module with capacity of treating 40 L urine/day/m2 into an existing, mobile dry sanitation system – the Biomaja toilet. During this pilot, we have been collecting samples of the end-product/fertiliser (see picture below), monitoring various physico-chemical properties as well as energy consumption of the treatment module. Over the coming months, we will be analysing the collected samples, along with our partners in Finland. While the module received less urine than its design capacity, it functioned smoothly throughout the pilot period.
Following the successful wrap up of the MORTTI-project that piloted the group’s urine drying technology in field conditions for the first time, we are back in Finland once again this week. This time around, we will be constructing, installing, and integrating a urine dehydrator with – a dry urinal and a urine-diverting flush toilet. The system is scheduled to be installed at the Lielahti Manor in the Hiedanranta neighbourhood of the city of Tampere, and is designed to treat nearly 25 L of fresh urine/day for a period of 3 months. The project is being carried out by our group and Sanitation360, the group’s university-based startup company working with urine dehydration. Our partners in this project include the City of Tampere, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and the Finnish Environment Institute. More updates to follow!
Two recent studies from the group have pointed at the importance of good leadership and common visions for successfully implementation of new water and wastewater systems.
A theory-building case-study of community-based water and wastewater systems in Cochabamba, Bolivia identified four prerequisites for success: leadership, agreed vision, collective action and management. The study builds a framework of prerequisites and enabling factors that may be used by policy makers and development practitioners to strengthen community management and support community-based organisations in providing water and sanitation services.
I slutet av maj arrangerade SLU, för andra Ă„ret i rad, sitt evenemang âThesis Dayâ. Detta var en möjlighet för universitetets studenter att presentera sina kandidat- och masters-arbeten i form av vetenskapliga affischer. Sex studenter valdes Ă€ven ut för att ge muntliga presentationer av sina projekt. En av dessa studenter var Nils Ewald. Som ni kanske kommer ihĂ„g blev Nils tidigare i vĂ„r klar med sin masteruppsats som handlade om fettsyrorna i den amerikanska vapenflugans larver (black soldier fly larvae).
In the last week of May, SLU was arranging the âThesis Dayâ-event for the second year in a row. This was an opportunity for bachelorâs and masterâs students to present their degree projects in the form of scientific posters. Six students were also chosen to arrange oral presentations of their projects. Nils Ewald was one of these students. As you might remember, Nils finished his masterâs thesis about the fatty acid composition of the black soldier fly larvae earlier this spring.
Den 26 april presenterade doktorandkandidaten Prithvi Simha sitt halvtidsseminarium, âUrine Dehydration Technology for Decentralized Sanitation Systemsâ vid SLU. PĂ„ seminariet sammanfattade och diskuterade Prithvi tvĂ„ forskningsartiklar och ett utkast till bokkapitel om urinsortering. Ă ke Nordberg, docent i Bioenergy Technology var motstĂ„ndare vid seminariet.
On 26th April, PhD Candidate Prithvi Simha presented his half-time seminar, “Urine Dehydration Technology for Decentralised Sanitation Systems” at SLU. In the seminar, Prithvi summarised and discussed two research papers & a draft book chapter on urine dehydration. Ă ke Nordberg, Assoc. Prof. in Bioenergy Technology was the opponent at the seminar.
I Ă„r startade medlemmar i Kretsloppsteknikgruppen pĂ„ SLU Sanitation360, ett startupföretag som syftar till att kommersialisera urinsorteringstekniken som utvecklas vid SLU. Som Sanitation360 deltog vi i FAMAE Water Challenge (âPrecious Water!â) dĂ€r mĂ„let var att utforma en enkel och innovativ produkt eller tjĂ€nst för att bevara vatten, göra det renare och tillgĂ€ngligt för alla. Sanitation360:s innovativa toalett för urinuttorkning valdes ut bland semifinalisterna i tĂ€vlingen och slutade bland TOP 100 av mer Ă€n 3 000 kandidater frĂ„n 120 lĂ€nder. Enligt juryn övertygade vĂ„r “upplösande fosforfĂ„ngsttoalett laget och juryn”.
FAMAE Àr en oberoende familjestiftelse som stödjer innovation inom miljöomrÄdet. Stiftelsen organiserar varje Är en internationell utmaning för att hjÀlpa uppfinnarna att skapa enkla och innovativa lösningar som vÀsentligt kan förbÀttra vÄrt dagliga liv, samtidigt som miljömÀssiga fotavtryck vÀsentligt mildras.