With a growing population but scarce primary phosphorus sources, recycling of the vital element has become an important research area throughout the last decades. Several streams in society are potential resources for recirculation but municipal sewage is considered one of the most available materials. With current technologies in wastewater treatment, over 95 % of the influent phosphorus is captured in the sludge along with a variety of other nutrients. However, due to increasing fractions of pharmaceutical residues and heavy metals also following the sludge, direct use as fertiliser is being phased out in most European countries in favour of extraction methods. Extraction of nutrients from the sludge is problematic mainly because of dewaterability difficulties. Thus, pretreatment of the material is required to access the desired components at a reasonable cost and energy consumption. Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is a technology showing high potential for treatment of wet carbonaceous material without necessity of prior drying. The resulting product is hygenised, essentially free from pharmaceuticals and easily dewatered. In this Master’s thesis principal conditions for release of phosphorus from HTC converted digested sludge under acid leaching have been experimentally investigated. Dependence of time, temperature, dry solids (DS) content of HTC sludge and pH have been studied. Also, differences arising from acid type have been considered by comparing acidulation with sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid. A short investigation of the recovery of the dissolved phosphorus from leachate by precipitation was also performed where calcium ions were added to both sulphuric and hydrochloric acid leachates. Extraction of phosphorus from HTC converted sludge has shown to be easier than from pure metal phosphates under comparable leaching conditions and pH values. Also, the dissolved phosphorus concentrations obtained in the presence of HTC converted sludge was higher than for theoretical equilibrium concentrations where all phosphorus is in the form of iron(III) or aluminium(III) phosphate. A maximum leachate phosphorus concentration was around 2500 mg/L, recorded in leaching experiments performed at a dry HTC product concentration of 10 % (w/w) in an extraction solution of water acidified with sulphuric acid. Leaching procedures performed at pH values between 2 and 1 with 1 and 5 % DS HTC product resulted in dissolution of 90 % of ingoing phosphorus at an acid charge of 0.5 kg H2SO4/kg DS HTC product. At this chemical charge, release of phosphorus from converted sludge is fast. Similar amounts of dissolved phosphorus were recorded after 15 min as after 16 h retention time. Possibly, time dependence becomes relevant at lower charges. The dissolution of phosphorus is negatively affected by temperature increases at moderate acid loads, and by possibly by hydrochloric acid at pH values below 2. Addition of calcium gave a dissolved phosphorus reduction of 99.9 % in both the sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid leachates. Gypsum, CaSO4, also precipitates from the sulphuric acid leachate resulting in 67 % more dry mass. Due to high release of metals during acidulation, the precipitate was also contaminated with large fractions of metals in addition to calcium. In summary, this investigation has demonstrated that up to 90 % of the phosphorus content of the HTC converted sludge can be released by acid leaching, and almost 100 % of the phosphorus can be recovered from the leachate by precipitation with calcium ions.

Nanoporous carbon materials are widely used in industry as adsorbents or catalyst supports, whilst becoming increasingly critical to the developing fields of energy storage / generation or separation technologies. In this thesis, the combined use of carbohydrate hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) and templating strategies is demonstrated as an efficient route to nanostructured carbonaceous materials. HTC is an aqueous-phase, low-temperature (e.g. 130 – 200 °C) carbonisation, which proceeds via dehydration / poly-condensation of carbon precursors (e.g. carbohydrates and their derivatives), allowing facile access to highly functional carbonaceous materials. Whilst possessing utile, modifiable surface functional groups (e.g. -OH and -C=O-containing moieties), materials synthesised via HTC typically present limited accessible surface area or pore volume. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the development of fabrication routes to HTC materials which present enhanced textural properties and well-defined porosity. In the first discussed synthesis, a combined hard templating / HTC route was investigated using a range of sacrificial inorganic templates (e.g. mesoporous silica beads and macroporous alumina membranes (AAO)). Via pore impregnation of mesoporous silica beads with a biomass-derived carbon source (e.g. 2-furaldehyde) and subsequent HTC at 180 oC, an inorganic / carbonaceous hybrid material was produced. Removal of the template component by acid etching revealed the replication of the silica into mesoporous carbonaceous spheres (particle size ~ 5 μm), representing the inverse morphological structure of the original inorganic body. Surface analysis (e.g. FTIR) indicated a material decorated with hydrophilic (oxygenated) functional groups. Further thermal treatment at increasingly elevated temperatures (e.g. at 350, 550, 750 oC) under inert atmosphere allowed manipulation of functionalities from polar hydrophilic to increasingly non-polar / hydrophobic structural motifs (e.g. extension of the aromatic / pseudo-graphitic nature), thus demonstrating a process capable of simultaneous control of nanostructure and surface / bulk chemistry. As an extension of this approach, carbonaceous tubular nanostructures with controlled surface functionality were synthesised by the nanocasting of uniform, linear macropores of an AAO template (~ 200 nm). In this example, material porosity could be controlled, showing increasingly microporous tube wall features as post carbonisation temperature increased. Additionally, by taking advantage of modifiable surface groups, the introduction of useful polymeric moieties (i.e. grafting of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)) was also demonstrated, potentially enabling application of these interesting tubular structures in the fields of biotechnology (e.g. enzyme immobilization) and medicine (e.g. as drug micro-containers). Complimentary to these hard templating routes, a combined HTC / soft templating route for the direct synthesis of ordered porous carbonaceous materials was also developed. After selection of structural directing agents and optimisation of synthesis composition, the F127 triblock copolymer (i.e. ethylene oxide (EO)106 propylene oxide (PO)70 ethylene oxide (EO)106) / D-Fructose system was extensively studied. D-Fructose was found to be a useful carbon precursor as the HTC process could be performed at 130 oC, thus allowing access to stable micellular phase. Thermolytic template removal from the synthesised ordered copolymer / carbon composite yielded functional cuboctahedron single crystalline-like particles (~ 5 μm) with well ordered pore structure of a near perfect cubic Im3m symmetry. N2 sorption analysis revealed a predominantly microporous carbonaceous material (i.e. Type I isotherm, SBET = 257 m2g-1, 79 % microporosity) possessing a pore size of ca. 0.9 nm. The addition of a simple pore swelling additive (e.g. trimethylbenzene (TMB)) to this system was found to direct pore size into the mesopore size domain (i.e. Type IV isotherm, SBET = 116 m2g-1, 60 % mesoporosity) generating pore size of ca. 4 nm. It is proposed that in both cases as HTC proceeds to generate a polyfuran-like network, the organised block copolymer micellular phase is essentially “templated”, either via hydrogen bonding between hydrophilic poly(EO) moiety and the carbohydrate or via hydrophobic interaction between hydrophobic poly(PO) moiety and forming polyfuran-like network, whilst the additive TMB presumably interact with poly(PO) moieties, thus swelling the hydrophobic region expanding the micelle template size further into the mesopore range. / Nanoporöse kohlenstoffbasierte Materialien sind in der Industrie als Adsorbentien und Katalysatorträger weit verbreitet und gewinnen im aufstrebenden Bereich der Energiespeicherung/erzeugung und für Trennverfahren an wachsender Bedeutung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass die Kombination aus hydrothermaler Karbonisierung von Zuckern (HTC) mit Templatierungsstrategien einen effizienten Weg zu nanostrukturierten kohlenstoffbasierten Materialien darstellt. HTC ist ein in Wasser und bei niedrigen Temperaturen (130 - 200 °C) durchgeführter Karbonisierungsprozess, bei dem Zucker und deren Derivate einen einfachen Zugang zu hochfunktionalisierten Materialien erlauben. Obwohl diese sauerstoffhaltige Funktionalitäten auf der Oberfläche besitzen, an welche andere chemische Gruppen gebunden werden könnten, was die Verwendung für Trennverfahren und in der verzögerten Wirkstofffreisetzung ermöglichen sollte, ist die mittels HTC hergestellte Kohle für solche Anwendungen nicht porös genug. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es daher, Methoden zu entwickeln, um wohldefinierte Poren in solchen Materialien zu erzeugen. Hierbei führte unter anderem der Einsatz von anorganischen formgebenden mesoporösen Silikapartikeln und makroporösen Aluminiumoxid-Membranen zum Erfolg. Durch Zugabe einer Kohlenstoffquelle (z. B. 2-Furfural), HTC und anschließender Entfernung des Templats konnten poröse kohlenstoffbasierte Partikel und röhrenförmige Nanostrukturen hergestellt werden. Gleichzeitig konnte durch eine zusätzliche Nachbehandlung bei hoher Temperatur (350-750 °C) auch noch die Oberflächenfunktionalität hin zu aromatischen Systemen verschoben werden. Analog zur Formgebung durch anorganische Template konnte mit sog. Soft-Templaten, z. B. PEO-PPO-PEO Blockcopolymeren, eine funktionelle poröse Struktur induziert werden. Hierbei machte man sich die Ausbildung geordneter Mizellen mit der Kohlenstoffquelle D-Fructose zu Nutze. Das erhaltene Material wies hochgeordnete Mikroporen mit einem Durchmesser von ca. 0,9 nm auf. Dieser konnte desweiteren durch Zugabe von Quell-Additiven (z. B. Trimethylbenzol) auf 4 nm in den mesoporösen Bereich vergrößert werden. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass beide untersuchten Synthesewege nanostrukturierte kohlenstoffbasierte Materialien mit vielfältiger Oberflächenchemie liefern, und das mittels einer bei relativ niedriger Temperatur in Wasser ablaufenden Reaktion und einer billigen, nachhaltigen Kohlenstoffquelle. Die so hergestellten Produkte eröffnen vielseitige Anwendungsmöglichkeiten, z. B. zur Molekültrennung in der Flüssigchromatographie, in der Energiespeicherung als Anodenmaterial in Li-Ionen Akkus oder Superkondensatoren, oder als Trägermaterial für die gezielte Pharmakotherapie.

Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) could form the basis for rendering human faecal wastes safe whilst at the same time generating a carbon-rich material (hydrochar) and providing prospects for the recovery of energy. The work presented here has an objective of the search for optimal conditions for the HTC conversion of human faecal waste. Primary sewage sludge (PSS) and synthetic faeces (SF), of various moisture contents, were used as feedstocks to investigate the kinetics of decomposition of solids during HTC over a range of reaction times and temperatures. Decomposition was found to follow first-order kinetics, and the corresponding activation energies were obtained. Temperature was of primary importance to influence solid decomposition. Higher temperatures resulted in higher solids conversion to hydrochar. The energy contents of the hydrochars from PSS carbonised at 140 200oC for 4 h ranged from 21.5 to 23.1 MJ kg 1. Moisture content was found to affect the HTC process and feedstocks, with higher initial moisture contents resulted in lower hydrochar yields. The effect of reaction conditions on the characteristics of the hydrochar, liquid and gas products from HTC of faecal material, and the conditions leading to optimal hydrochar characteristics were investigated using a Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Models were developed here which could aid in the identification of reaction conditions to tailor such products for specific end uses. The results showed that the amount of carbon retained in hydrochars decreased as temperature and time increased, with carbon retentions of 64 77% at 140 and 160oC, and 50 62% at 180 and 200oC. Increasing temperature and reaction time increased the energy content of the hydrochar from 17 19 MJ kg 1 but reduced its energy yield from 88 to 68%. HTC at 200oC for 240 min resulted in hydrochars suitable for fuel, while carbonation at 160oC for 60 min produced hydrochars appropriate for carbon storage when applied to the soil. Theoretical estimates of methane yields resulting from subsequent anaerobic digestion (AD) of the liquid by-products are presented, with the highest yields obtained following carbonisation at 180oC for 30 min. In general, HTC at 180oC for 60 min and 200oC for 30 min resulted in hydrochars having optimal characteristics, and also for obtaining optimal methane yields. Maillard reaction products were identified in the liquid fractions following carbonisations at the higher temperatures. It was also found that the TOC, COD and BOD of the liquid products following HTC increased as the reaction temperature and time were increased and that these would require further treatment before being discharged. The results indicated that the gaseous phase following HTC contained carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide indicating that additional treatment would be required before discharge to the atmosphere. In order to identify the optimum conditions leading to greater filterability of slurry resulted from HTC, the effects of reaction temperature and time on the filterability of PSS and SF slurries were investigated and optimised using RSM. It was shown that filterability improved as the reaction temperature and time at which the solids were carbonised was increased, with the best filtration results being achieved at the highest temperature (200°C) and longest treatment time (240 min) employed here. The specific cake resistance to filtration of the carbonised slurries was found to vary between 5.43 x 1012 and 2.05 x 1010 m kg 1 for cold filtration of PSS, 1.11 x 1012 and 3.49 x 1010 m kg 1 for cold filtration of SF, and 3.01 x 1012 and 3.86 x 1010 m kg 1 for hot filtration of SF, and decreased with increasing reaction temperature and time for carbonisation. There was no significant difference in specific resistance between cold and hot filtration of SF. The RSM models employed here were found to yield predictions that were close to the experimental results obtained, and should prove useful in designing and optimising HTC filtration systems for generating solids for a wide variety of end uses. Mass and energy balances of a semi-continuous HTC of faecal waste at 200oC and a reaction time of 30 min were conducted and based on recovering steam from the process as well energy from the solid fuel (hydrochar) and methane from digestion of the liquid by-product. The effect of the feedstock solids content and the quantity of feed on the mass and energy balances were investigated. Preheating the feed to 100oC using heat recovered from the process was found to significantly reduce the energy input to the reactor by about 59%, and decreased the heat loss from the reactor by between 50 60%. For feedstocks containing 15 25% solids (for all feed rates), energy recycled from the flashing off of steam and combustion of the hydrochar would be sufficient for preheating the feed, operating the reactor and drying the wet hydrochar without the need for any external sources of energy. Alternatively, for a feedstock containing 25% solids for all feed rates, energy recycled for the flashing off of steam and combustion of the methane provides sufficient energy to operate the entire process with an excess energy of about 19 21%, which could be used for other purposes.

Befolkningsökningen och därmed efterfrågan på energikällor som tillhandahålls från fossila bränslen leder till allvarliga miljöproblem på grund av utsläpp av växthusgaser. En annan utmaning är att effektivt hantera organisk avfall som till exempel matavfall som genereras världen över. Matproduktionen orsakar stora miljöproblem som övergödning, klimatpåverkan, kemikaliespridning, regnskogsavverkning och utfiskning. Det är därför viktigt att matsvinnet minskar men också att effektiva metoder används för hantering av avfallet för att inte belasta miljön ytterligare.  En lösning för att hantera organiskt avfall, och samtidigt producera en förnybar energikälla är att använda anaerob rötning för att producera biogas. Vid anaerob rötning bryts organiskt material ner i en syrefri miljö, vilket resulterar i produktion av biogas som innehåller koldioxid och energirik metangas. Biprodukten som bildas är rötrest, som kan vidare användas som gödsel.  Den anaeroba rötningsprocessen har olika utmaningar där biogasprocessen kan stabiliseras och effektiviseras genom tillsats av hydrokol. Hydrokol är ett kolrikt material framställd från hydrotermisk karbonisering av biomassa. Eftersom det finns mycket begränsad forskning på kontinuerlig anaerob rötning av matavfall med tillsats av hydrokol, och ingen forskning har utförts på hydrokol som är tillverkat från skogsindustriellt avfall, så var det viktigt och av intresse att genomföra denna studie.  Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur tillsats av hydrokol påverkar biogasproduktion, metanproduktion och stabiliteten i en kontinuerlig anaerob rötningsprocess. Vidare syftar studien till att analysera effekterna av hydrokol på rötresterna som genereras, undersöka möjligheterna av sammankoppling av en befintlig rötkammare med en HTC reaktor, samt bedöma om det är ekonomiskt försvarbart att investera i hydrokol som additiv i rötningsprocessen. Målet har varit att undersöka om tillsats av hydrokol ger högre biogasutbyte, ökad metanproduktion och en stabil rötningsprocess. Målet har även varit att analysera rötresterna, utföra en materialflödesanalys över när Karlskogas rötkammare sammankopplas med en HTC reaktor, samt utföra en livscykelkostnadsanalys för att svara på om det är ekonomiskt försvarbart att investera i en HTC anläggning, alternativt att köpa in hydrokol externt.  De laborativa försöket gjordes på Karlstads universitet där rötningen var en enstegs anaerob samrötning som gjordes i två kontinuerligt matade reaktorer. Inmatning och uttag av gas gjordes en gång om dagen där försöksserierna pågick under 68 dagars tid. Substratblandningarna eftersträvades efterlikna substratförhållandena på Biogasbolaget i Karlskoga. Inmatat material, det vill säga substratblandningen utgjorde 8,5% av ensilage, 0,6% av glycerol, och 90,9% av substrat (matavfall och flytgödsel). Detta förhållande är detsamma som på Biogasbolaget. I en av reaktorerna användes substratblandningen och i den andra substratblandningen och hydrokol. Hydrokolet blandades in med substratblandningen vid en koncentration på 8g/l. Materialflödesanalysen gjordes över Karlskogas biogasanläggning där flödena ritades ut i programmet Stan 2.5. LCC gjordes utifrån två olika scenarion, om hydrokol köps in externt alternativt att en HTC-reaktor ansluts till biogasanläggningen. Det valdes att beräkna utifrån scenarion om metanutbytet ökar med 17%, enligt resultat från studien gjord av Maria Kristoffersson eller om utbytet ökar med 53% enligt resultat från den här studien.  Resultatet visar att tillsats av hydrokol som additiv ger en ökning på 59% för biogas utbytet och 53,5% för metanutbytet. I medelvärde från rötningsdag 27 till 68 så resulterade biogasproduktionen för hydrokolsreaktorn i 533 ml/g VS. Medelvärdet för referensreaktorn resulterade i 70 ml/g VS. Det här resulterar i en procentuell ökning med 663%. Eftersom misstankar finns att referensreaktorn inte bildar biogas som den ska har biogasproduktionen jämförts med tidigare studie som har gjorts på ungefär samma substratblandning och samma utrustning. Biogasproduktionen i medelvärde för referensreaktorn för (Leijen, 2016) resulterade i 335 ml/g VS. Procentuella skillnaden i biogasproduktion resulterar då i 59% mellan referensreaktorn och hydrokolsreaktorn. Metanproduktionen i hydrokolsreaktorn resulterade i medelvärde till 367 ml/g VS, i referensreaktorn till 18 ml/g VS och i referensreaktorn i Leijens studie till 237 ml/g VS. Jämfört med Leijens resultat resulterade den procentuella ökningen i metangasproduktion till 53,5%. En stabil rötningsprocess bekräftades genom att pH på rötresterna resulterade i 7,66 under hela rötningsprocessen.  Det är möjligt att sammankoppla Karlskogas befintliga anläggning med en HTC-anläggning och återföra rötresterna för hydrokolsproduktion. Rötresterna med ett högre kol-och näringsinnehåll kan återanvändas och recirkuleras för produktion av hydrokol. Av 10 tonTS/dag rötrester som kommer ut från rötningskammaren kommer 2,46 tonTS/dag att recirkuleras för hydrokolsproduktion. Resten av rötresterna kan användas vidare som gödsel.  Det är ekonomiskt försvarbart att investera i hydrokol som additiv till rötningsprocessen. Genom att bygga en HTC-anläggning, där tillsatsen av hydrokol kan ge 17% respektive 53% högre metanproduktion resulterar nettovinsten i 363 miljoner respektive 1237 miljoner kr över en 20-årsperiod. Alternativet är att köpa in hydrokol externt, där nettovinsten uppgår till 177 miljoner respektive 1052 miljoner kr över samma tidsperiod. Livscykelkostnadsanalysen visar att det är ekonomiskt mer fördelaktigt att investera i en HTC-anläggning jämfört med att köpa hydrokol externt. / The population growth and thus the demand for energy sources provided by fossil fuels leads to serious environmental problems due to greenhouse gas emissions. Another challenge is to effectively manage organic waste such as food waste generated worldwide. Food production causes major environmental problems such as eutrophication, climate impact, chemical dispersion, rainforest deforestation and depletion. It is therefore important that food waste is reduced, but also that effective methods are used to manage the waste so as not to burden the environment further.  One solution for managing organic waste, while producing a renewable energy source, is to use anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. In anaerobic digestion, organic material is broken down in an oxygen-free environment, resulting in the production of biogas containing carbon dioxide and energy-rich methane gas. The by-product formed is digestate, which can be further used as fertilizer.  The anaerobic digestion process has various challenges, where the biogas process can be stabilized and made more efficient by adding hydrochar. Hydrochar is a carbon-rich material produced from hydrothermal carbonization of biomass. Since there is very limited research on continuous anaerobic digestion of food waste with the addition of hydrochar, and no research has been conducted on hydrochar produced from forest industry biosludge, it was important and of interest to conduct this study.  The aim of the study is to investigate how the addition of hydrochar affects biogas production, methane production and the stability of a continuous anaerobic digestion process. Furthermore, the study aims to analyze the effects of hydrochar on the digestate generated, investigate the possibilities of connecting an existing digester with an HTC reactor, and assess whether it is economically justifiable to invest in hydrochar as an additive in the digestion process. The goal has been to investigate whether the addition of hydrochar provides higher biogas yield, increased methane production and a stable digestion process. The goal has also been to analyze the digestate, perform a material flow analysis of when Karlskoga's digester is connected to an HTC reactor, and perform a life cycle cost analysis to answer whether it is economically justifiable to invest in an HTC plant, or to purchase hydrochar externally.  The laboratory experiments were carried out at Karlstad University where the digestion was a single-stage anaerobic co-digestion in two continuously fed reactors. Gas was fed and withdrawn once a day and the experimental series lasted for 68 days. The substrate mixtures sought to mimic the substrate conditions at Biogasbolaget in Karlskoga. Input material, i.e. the substrate mixture consisted of 8.5% silage, 0.6% glycerol, and 90.9% substrate (food waste and liquid manure). This ratio is the same as at Biogasbolaget. One of the reactors used the substrate mixture and the other used the substrate mixture and hydrochar. The hydrochar was mixed with the substrate mixture at a concentration of 8g/l. The material flow analysis was made over Karlskoga's biogas plant where the flows were drawn in the program Stan 2.5. LCC was made based on two different scenarios, if hydrochar is purchased externally or if an HTC reactor is connected to the biogas plant. It was chosen to calculate based on scenarios if the methane yield increases by 17%, according to results from the study made by Maria Kristoffersson or if the yield increases by 53% according to results from this study.  The results show that adding hydrochar as an additive gives an increase of 59% for the biogas yield and 53.5% for the methane yield. In average from digestion day 27 to 68, the biogas production for the hydrochar reactor resulted in 533 ml/g VS. The average value for the reference reactor resulted in 70 ml/g VS. This results in a percentage increase of 663%. Since there are suspicions that the reference reactor does not produce biogas as it should, the biogas production has been compared with previous studies that have been done on approximately the same substrate mixture and the same equipment. The biogas production in average for the reference reactor for (Leijen, 2016) resulted in 335 ml/g VS. The percentage difference in biogas production then results in 59% between the reference reactor and the hydrochar reactor. The methane production in the hydrochar reactor resulted on average to 367 ml/g VS, in the reference reactor to 18 ml/g VS and in the reference reactor in Leijen's study to 237 ml/g VS. Compared to Leijen's results, the percentage increase in methane gas production resulted in 53.5%. A stable digestion process was confirmed by the fact that the pH of the digestate resulted in 7.66 during the whole digestion process.  It is possible to interconnect the existing Karlskoga plant with an HTC plant and recycle the digestate for hydrochar production. The digestate with a higher carbon and nutrient content can be reused and recycled for hydrochar production. Out of 10 tonTS/day of digestate coming out of the digestion chamber, 2.46 tonTS/day will be recycled for hydrochar production. The rest of the digestate can be further used as fertilizer.  It is economically justifiable to invest in hydrochar as an additive to the digestion process. By building a HTC plant, where the addition of hydrochar can provide 17% and 53% higher methane production, the net profit results in 363 million and 1237 million SEK over a 20-year period. The alternative is to purchase hydrochar externally, where the net benefit amounts to SEK 177 million and 1052 million respectively over the same time period. The life cycle cost analysis shows that it is economically more advantageous to invest in an HTC plant compared to buying hydrochar externally.

Municipal sewage sludge (MSS) management varies widely between countries and legislative regimes. Within the European directive for sewage treatment France applies over half of MSS to arable land, while The Netherlands has banned the practice (Kelessidis et al, 2012). In Sweden, 34% of MSS is applied to agricultural lands; despite this, ocial government reports recommend banning the practice over pollution concerns, alongside the most common alternative of land reclamation (Ekane et al, 2020). This is the result of two decades of disagreement, complicated by dual perceptions of MSS as a valuable resource to be returned to the ecocycle vs an unsanitary waste product requiring careful disposal (Ekman Burgman, 2022).  Previous studies have analyzed novel treatment technologies including multiple forms of phosphorus and nitrogen extraction from various stages of MSS treatment, but holistic system analyses are scarce (Bagheri et al 2023). Based on literature review and emerging technologies in Sweden, hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is identified as a keystone technology, and can be supported by secondary treatment via nitrogen stripping and phosphorus extraction from liquid and ash waste streams respectively. HTC is an anaerobic thermal treatment of wet organic waste resulting in solid hydrochar and liquid process water products. To address the lack of holistic assessments, an environmental and techno-economic assessment framework (ETEA) is applied to model three MSS treatment scenarios. Each scenario models treatment of MSS by anaerobic digestion (AD) and mechanical dewatering of digested sludge followed by:  REF: A reference case of storage and arable land application of dewatered digested sludge (DDS)  ALT1: DDS treatment by Oxypower HTC with Aqua2N nitrogen recovery from process and reject water.  ALT2: The treatment described by ALT1, followed by hydrochar mono-incineration and Ash2Phos phosphorus extraction.  ETEA is conducted in four stages using data collected from literature and public and private partners. Qualitative and quantitative process flow mapping defines the scenarios and models material and energy flows through the systems. An attributional comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) alongside techno-economic analysis (TEA) follows. The LCA has a gate to grave scope with a functional unit of one ton of total solids treated. Finally, results are evaluated using sensitivity and data uncertainty analysis to identify hotspots and knowledge gaps in the system.  Results combining alternative scenarios based on current trends show the potential of emerging technologies to multiply WWTP nitrogen and phosphorus recovery by five and two times respectively, while simultaneously improving net energy recovery by three times. LCA results show reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by between 60-70%. Considering emerging MSS technologies from a systems perspective provides critical context that can improve their economic viability. Combining intelligent systems design with these technologies, the models demonstrate how future MSS treatment can provide both good sanitation and recovery of nutrient and energy resources. Integration of these systems will accelerate the transition from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) to water resource recovery facilities (WRRF). / Hanteringen av kommunalt avloppsslam (MSS) varierar kraftigt mellan länder och lagstiftande regimer. Inom det europeiska direktivet för avloppsrening tillämpar Frankrike över hälften av MSS på åkermark, medan Nederländerna har förbjudit detta (Kelessisdis et al, 2012). I Sverige tillämpas 34 % av MSS på jordbruksmark; Trots detta rekommenderar ociella regeringsrapporter att man förbjuder praxis på grund av föroreningsproblem, vid sidan av det vanligaste alternativet med landåtervinning (Ekane et al, 2020). Detta är resultatet av två decennier av oenighet, komplicerat av dubbla uppfattningar om MSS som en värdefull resurs som ska återföras till kretsloppet jämfört med en ohälsosam avfallsprodukt som kräver noggrann hantering (Ekman Burgman, 2022).  Tidigare studier har analyserat nya reningstekniker inklusive flera former av fosfor- och kväveextraktion från olika stadier av MSS-behandling, men holistiska systemanalyser är få (Bagheri et al 2023). Baserat på litteraturgenomgång och framväxande teknologier i Sverige, identifieras hydrotermisk karbonisering (HTC) som en nyckelstensteknik, och kan stödjas av sekundär rening via kvävestrimning och fosforextraktion från flytande respektive askavfallsströmmar. HTC är en anaerob termisk behandling av vått organiskt avfall som resulterar i fast hydrochar och flytande processvattenprodukter. För att komma till rätta med bristen på holistiska bedömningar, tillämpas ett ramverk för miljö- och teknikekonomisk bedömning (ETEA) för att modellera tre MSS-behandlingsscenarier. Varje scenario modellerar behandling av MSS genom anaerob rötning (AD) och mekanisk avvattning av rötslam följt av:  REF: Ett referensfall av lagring och applicering av åkermark av avvattnat rötslam (DDS)  ALT1: DDS-behandling av Oxypower HTC med Aqua2N kväveåtervinning från process- och rejektvatten.  Behandlingen som beskrivs av ALT1, följt av monoförbränning av kolväte och fosforextraktion av Ash2Phos.  ETEA genomförs i fyra steg med hjälp av data som samlats in från litteratur och oentliga och privata partners. Kvalitativ och kvantitativ processflödeskartläggning definierar scenarierna och modellerar material- och energiflöden genom systemen. En attributionell jämförande livscykelanalys (LCA) tillsammans med teknisk-ekonomisk analys (TEA) följer. LCA har en grind till graven omfattning med en funktionell enhet på ett ton av totalt behandlat fast material. Slutligen utvärderas resultaten med hjälp av känslighets- och dataosäkerhetsanalys för att identifiera hotspots och kunskapsluckor i systemet.  Resultat som kombinerar alternativa scenarier baserade på nuvarande trender visar potentialen hos framväxande teknologier för att multiplicera reningsverkens kväve- och fosforåtervinning med fem respektive två gånger, samtidigt som nettoenergiåtervinningen förbättras med tre gånger. LCA-resultat visar minskningar av växthusgasutsläpp (GHG) med mellan 60-70%. Att överväga framväxande MSS-teknologier ur ett systemperspektiv ger ett kritiskt sammanhang som kan förbättra deras ekonomiska bärkraft. Genom att kombinera intelligent systemdesign med dessa teknologier visar modellerna hur framtida MSS-behandling kan ge både bra sanitet och återvinning av närings- och energiresurser. Integration av dessa system kommer att påskynda övergången från reningsverk för avloppsvatten (WWTP) till anläggningar för återvinning av vattenresurser (WRRF).

Anaerob rötning är en naturlig nedbrytningsprocess av organiskt material som tar tillvara på avfall samtidigt som nyttig energi kan utvinnas. På Biogasbolaget AB i Karlskoga omvandlas substrat som matavfall, gödsel och ensilage till biogas som sedan kan uppgraderas till fordonsgas. Fordonsgasen kan användas som drivmedel till bussar i närområdet. Det bildas dessutom en rötrest som används som biogödsel, men som är kostsam för företaget. Rötkamrarna i Karlskoga är överdimensionerade i förhållande till den mängden substrat som levereras, vilket innebär att de kan ta hand om mer gas än det som bildas i dagsläget. Tidigare studier har visat att tillsats av hydrokol kan öka metangasproduktionen. Därför var syftet med studien att utvärdera ifall hydrokol kan öka metangasproduktionen i satsvis anaerob rötning. Målen var att jämföra två olika hydrokol; skogsindustriellt och kommunalt, samt att komma fram till en optimal dos. Eftersom området är relativt nytt var det också av intresse att ta reda på hur klimatpåverkan förändras vid tillsats av hydrokol genom att utföra en enkel livscykelanalys.   Utvärderingen av hydrokolets potential i anaerob rötning utfördes genom satsvis rötning i två omgångar. Substrat och ymp hämtades från Karlskogas biogasanläggning. De doserna hydrokol som testades i båda försöken var 4, 8 och 10 g/l samt referensfallet 0 g/l vilket motsvarade Karlskogas förhållanden. Det gjordes även försök med endast hydrokol för att ta reda på om det var hydrokolet i sig som producerade metangas. Den satsvisa rötningen visade att det kommunala hydrokolet med en dos på 8 g/l gav mest metangas (841 Nml/g VS) jämfört med referensen 0 g/l (435 Nml/g VS) vilket var en ökning med 93%. Det skogsindustriella hydrokolet med en dos på 8 g/l visade en ökning med 16,6% (517 Nml/g VS) jämfört med referensen 0 g/l (443 Nml/g VS). Den enkla livscykelanalysen visade att det resulterade i en större minskning av utsläpp när dieselbussar kan bytas ut mot hydrokolsbaserad biogas jämfört med vanlig biogas. Vid tillsats av kommunalt hydrokol till biogasprocessen blev besparingen 14783 ton CO2.ekv./år vid utbyte av diesel och för skogsindustriellt hydrokol motsvarade besparingen 8938 ton CO2.ekv./år. Det jämfört med biogas som produceras utan hydrokol som vid utbyte av diesel sparar 7688 ton CO2.ekv./år. Massflödesanalysen visade att det teoretiskt är möjligt att använda Karlskogas rötrest för att använda som substrat till HTC-anläggningen och därmed införa ett cirkulärt system. Däremot visade metallanalysen att det finns risk för förhöjda mängder tungmetall i rötresten, vilket skulle kunna leda till att de inte klarar de krav som finns för att certifiera biogödseln.   För Biogasbolaget AB i Karlskoga innebär resultaten att de med 8 g/l kommunalt alternativt skogsindustriellt hydrokol skulle kunna öka sin metangasproduktion med 93% respektive 16,6%. Däremot kan det leda till problem med metallhalterna i rötresten som riskerar att överstiga gränsvärdena som finns för biogödsel. / Anaerobic digestion is a natural decomposition process of organic material that utilizes waste while extracting useful energy. At Biogasbolaget AB in Karlskoga, substrates such as food waste, manure, and silage are converted into biogas, which can then be upgraded to vehicle fuel. The vehicle gas can be used as fuel for buses in the local area. Additionally, a digestate is formed, which is used as biofertilizer but is costly for the company. The digesters in Karlskoga are oversized compared to the amount of substrate delivered, which means they can handle more gas than is currently being produced. Previous studies have shown that the addition of hydrochar can increase methane gas production. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate whether hydrochar can increase methane gas production in batch anaerobic digestion. The goals were to compare two different types of hydrochar: from the forestry industry and municipal sources, and to determine the optimal dosage. Since the area is relatively new, it was also of interest to determine how the climate impact changes with the addition of hydrochar by conducting a simple life cycle analysis.   The evaluation of hydrochar's potential in anaerobic digestion was carried out through batch digestion in two rounds. Substrate and inoculum were obtained from Karlskoga's biogas plant. The doses of hydrochar tested in both experiments were 4, 8, and 10 g/l, as well as the reference case of 0 g/l, which corresponded to Karlskoga's conditions. Experiments were also conducted with hydrochar alone to determine if it was the hydrochar itself that produced methane gas. The batch digestion showed that the municipal hydrochar with a dosage of 8 g/l produced the most methane gas (841 Nml/g VS) compared to the reference of 0 g/l (435 Nml/g VS), which was an increase of 93%. The forestry industry hydrochar with a dosage of 8 g/l showed an increase of 16,6% (517 Nml/g VS) compared to the reference of 0 g/l (443 Nml/g VS). The simple life cycle analysis showed that it resulted in a greater reduction in emissions when diesel buses can be replaced by hydrochar-based biogas compared to regular biogas. When municipal hydrochar was added to the biogas process, the savings amounted to 14,783 tons of CO2 equivalent per year through diesel substitution. For forest industry hydrochar the equivalent resulted in savings of 8,938 tons of CO2 equivalent per year. This is in comparison to biogas produced without hydrochar, which saves 7,688 tons of CO2 equivalent per year when substituting diesel. The mass flow analysis showed that it is theoretically possible to use Karlskoga's digestate as substrate for the HTC plant, thus introducing a circular system. However, the metal analysis revealed a potential risk of elevated levels of heavy metals in the digestate, which could prevent it from meeting the requirements for certifying the biofertilizer.   For Biogasbolaget AB in Karlskoga, the results mean that with 8 g/l of municipal or forest industry hydrochar, they could increase their methane gas production by 93% and 16.6%, respectively. However, this could lead to issues with metal levels in the digestate, which may exceed the threshold values set for  biofertilizer.