Modified nanocellulose have distinctive qualities and have drawn a lot of interest from a variety of fields. It is a natural, sustainable product that is manufactured from plant-based materials like wood and other renewable resources. It is also biodegradable. It is a possible material for battery separators because of its great mechanical strength, flexibility, and ability to create a stable and consistent membrane. Due to the cost of using it as a membrane, it has been investigated in this work to see if it can be coated onto a substrate and used as battery separator. In this work sulfonated cellulose nanofibrils (SCNF) has been used to be coated on kraft paper and inkjet paper using a rod coater. Parameters like concentration, thickness and substrates have been varied in this experiment. Viscosity was measured using Brookfield instrument to measure the viscosity for 0,5% SCNF and 1,5% SCNF. The coating was carried out using a rod coater and varying between two rods to influence the thickness, the coating used concentrations of 0,5% SCNF and 1,5% SCNF and two different substrates, kraft paper and inkjet paper. Thickness was determined to study the effect of the variation in rod. The mechanical strength was tested on the coated paper substrates and compared the results to the noncoated substrates as reference, the mechanical strength showed an improvement with the coated SCNF substrates. Permeance through the Gurley method was studied in order to understand how the coated substrates behaves compared to the noncoated. Contact angle was determined as well to understand the wettability of the coated substrates and how they would behave as separators in zinc ion batteries. The contact angle decreased with increasing concentration of the SCNF which is a result of the sulfonate groups. Cross sections were analyzed using SEM to study the influence of the coating to the substrates. Ionic conductivity was also tested to evaluate the possibility of the coated substrates as separators.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are bio-based nanoparticles with the ability to stabilize oil and water emulsions thanks to their intermediate wettability and nanometric size. These and other types of particle-stabilized emulsions, commonly referred to as Pickering emulsions, are of great academic and industrial interest due to their superior stability against drop coalescence compared to classical surfactant-stabilized emulsions. In addition, the presence of a densely packed layer of particles at the oil-water interface is expected to impact the encapsulation ability of the emulsion droplets opening up for the possibility to use these systems to modulate the release of active substances in the context of oral or topical delivery formulations used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. In these types of applications, the use of emulsions with nano-sized drops is advantageous due to their longtermcolloidal stability, improved dermal and mucosal transport of actives, improved bioavailability and greater aesthetic appeal and skin feel. This study had two main objectives. The first one was to explore to possibility to produce o/w emulsions with submicron-size drops by means of microfluidization using a combination of CNCs and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a surface-active cellulose derivative that has been shown to have the ability to modify the wettability of CNCs (thereby enhancing their ability to adsorb at the oil/water interface). An important aspect of this first part of the study also involved gaining better understanding on the separate contributions of CNCs and HPMC to the properties of the resulting emulsions. The second objective of the work was to assess the performance of selected o/w CNC/HPMC compared to that of surfactant-stabilised emulsions in terms of their ability to deliver lutein, a hydrophobic prototype active of interest for topical delivery applications. / Cellulosa-nanokristaller (CNC) är biobaserade nanopartiklar med förmågan att stabilisera emulsioner av olja i vatten (o/w) tack vare deras medelhöga vätbarhet och storlek i nanometerskalan. Dessa och andra typer av partikelstabiliserade emulsioner, så kallade Pickering-emulsioner, är av stort akademiskt och industriellt intresse på grund av deras överlägsna stabilitet mot droppkoalescens jämfört med klassiska tensidstabiliserade emulsioner. Det tätt packade skiktet av partiklar vid gränsytan mellan olja och vatten påverkar också inkapslingsförmågan hos emulsionsdropparna vilket kan utnyttjas för att reglera frisättning av aktiva substanser i läkemedel eller kosmetiska produkter. I dessa typer av applikationer är användningen av emulsioner med droppar i nano-storlek fördelaktig på grund av deras långsiktiga kolloidala stabilitet, förbättrad hud- och slemhinnetransport, förbättrad biotillgänglighet och hudkänsla. Denna studie hade två huvudmål. Det första var att undersöka möjligheten att producera o/w emulsioner med droppar av submikron-storlek med hjälp av mikrofluidisering och genom att använda en kombination av CNC och hydroxypropylmetylcellulosa (HPMC), ett ytaktivt cellulosa-derivat som har visat sig ha förmågan att modifiera vätbarheten hos CNC och därigenom förbättra dess förmåga att adsorbera vid olja/vatten-gränsytan. En viktig aspekt av denna första del av studien var att få bättre förståelse för hur CNC och HPMC var för sig påverkar egenskaperna hos emulsionerna. Det andra målet med arbetet var att bedöma prestandan hos o/w CNC/HPMC-emulsioner för frisättning av lutein, ett hydrofob aktivt ämne, och jämföra med tensidstabiliserade emulsioner. / nanocellulosa, hydroxipropylmetylcellulosa, Pickering emulsioner, microfluidization, drogleverans

Periodic, micropatterned superhydrophobic surfaces, previously noted for their ability to provide drag reduction in the laminar flow regime, have been demonstrated capable of reducing drag in the turbulent flow regime as well. Superhydrophobic surfaces contain micro or nanoscale hydrophobic features which can support a shear-free air-water interface between peaks in the surface topology. Particle image velocimetry and pressure drop measurements were used to observe significant slip velocities, shear stress, and pressure drop reductions corresponding to skin friction drag reductions approaching 50%. At a given Reynolds number, drag reduction was found to increase with increasing feature size and spacing, as in laminar flows. No observable drag reduction was noted in the laminar regime, consistent with previous experimental results and theoretical predictions for the channel geometry considered. In turbulent flow, viscous sublayer thickness appears to be the relevant length scale as it approaches the scale of the superhydrophobic microfeatures; performance was seen to increase with further reduction of the viscous sublayer. These results indicate superhydrophobic surfaces may provide a significant drag reducing mechanism for marine vessels.

A prospect in utilizing thermal energy in development of energy systems is by the useof phase change materials (PCMs). PCMs are materials that can store and releaseenergy during phase changes, e.g. from solid to liquid. By-products from the woodand pulping industry could be of interest in this area, in part to add value to theby-products, enhance the yield of the raw product of wood and become less dependenton fossil based fuels. Capsules of lignin and tall oil pitch/tall oil fatty acids weresuccessfully produced with a straightforward coprecipitation method. The solventused was acetone and the antisolvent was distilled water. Dynamic light scatteringanalysis showed average particle diameters of 300 to 500 nm and fairly lowpolydispersity, between 0.2 to 0.3, indicating spherical particles. Scanning electronmicroscopy confirmed particle size and the formation of capsules with shell thicknessless than 100 nm. The particle dispersions showed sufficiently high zeta potential tomaintain a stable colloidal system. Thermal analysis confirmed stability in atemperature range of at least -40 °C to +50 °C, and resistance to decomposition at leastup to around 200 °C. There were also indications of enhanced thermal stability of talloil pitch due to encapsulation. A desired feature for a phase change material is theability to keep a constant temperature during phase change. Regarding using thesynthesized material as phase change material, the results show that the temperaturerange in which phase change, such as melting, occurs is too broad. Latent heat of fusionof 4.7 J/g for the material is also very low compared with commercial phase changematerials. Further studies in modifying the system to impact melting point andenhancement of latent heat is needed if the material should be applicable as an efficientand competitive phase change material.

I detta examensarbete utforskas påverkan av partikelstorleken hos Pt-katalysatorer på kolbärare på syrereduktionen i polymerelektrolytmembran (PEM)-bränsleceller. Den elektrokemiskt aktiva ytarean, aktiviteten för syrereduktion och tillhörande degraderingshastigheter för de undersökta katalysatorerna beräknas och jämförs. Experimenten utfördes med hjälp av en metod som kallas ”roterande skivelektrod med tunn film” i en syra-vatten-lösning. Den katalytiska aktiviteten beräknades med Koutecky-Levichs ekvation. Resultaten visar att filmkvaliteten är avgörande för att kunna göra en bedömning av syrereduktionssaktiviteten. En homogen distribution av Pt-nanopartiklar är nödvändig för att få en korrekt och pålitlig katalytisk aktivitet. Vidare utvecklas en metodik för utvärdering av filmkvaliteten baserad på den diffusionsbegränsade strömtätheten och på potentialen vid halva topphöjden. Mätningen av syrereduktionsaktiviteten genomfördes enbart med prov vars filmkvalitet godkändes med avseende på denna metodik och den erhållna aktiviteten jämfördes vid 0.9 V vs. RHE. De undersökta katalysatorerna uppvisar snarlik aktivitet för syrereduktionsreaktionen, vilket överensstämmer med att också de uppmätta elektrokemiskt aktiva ytareorna för de olika katalysatorerna är snarlika. Förlusten av elektrokemiskt aktiv ytarea visar sig vara beroende av partikelstorleken och mindre partiklar uppvisar en högre degraderingshastighet. Rapporten avslutas med en diskussion om avvikelserna från tidigare studier och möjligheter för vidare studier. / In this thesis, the particle size effect of carbon-supported Pt catalysts on the oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is studied. The electrochemically active surface area and the oxygen reduction reaction activities and the associated degradation rate of the investigated carbon-supported Pt catalysts are computed and compared. The experiments were conducted by a method called thin-film rotating disk electrode in an aqueous acid solution, and the catalytic activity was computed using the Koutecky-Levich equation. The results show that thin-film quality is crucial in the oxygen reduction reaction activity measurement. A homogeneous distribution of Pt nanoparticles is necessary for obtaining correct and reliable catalytic activities. Furthermore, in this thesis, a methodology based on the diffusion-limited current density and the half-wave potential for thin-film quality evaluation is developed. The oxygen reduction reaction activity measurement was only applied to samples with good film quality, and the obtained activity results were compared at 0.9 V vs. RHE. The investigated carbon-supported Pt catalysts display similar oxygen reduction reaction activities, due to the fact that the measured electrochemically active surface area results for the particle sizes are similar. The degradation rate was studied in a platinum dissolution test and the results show a particle size-dependent electrochemically active surface area loss. Smaller particles show a faster and larger degradation rate. At the end of the thesis, deviations in this work from existing work are discussed, and possibilities for future work are presented.

This study was made to increase the understanding of how heavy metals in the aqueous phase are removed at low initial concentrations in different pH and Eh values. The reaction that has been studied is mainly hydroxide precipitation and adsorption in a condensate treatment. In the study, data from one of Vattenfalls waste incinerators was analysed and the results from the data were then compared to previous studies. To increase the understanding, modelling of the heavy metals behaviour in the given concentrations was then made with Medusa and PHREEQC. The heavy metals that were analysed were Sb, As, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd. The low initial concentration that vary between 36.1-23600 μg/l complicates the removal process because it corresponds in a low driving force and the results are hard to compare to other studies since the initial concentrations vary between 10-100 mg/l. From the modelling and the measurement data it can be seen that Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd was removed by hydroxide precipitation at pH 10. According to the speciation calculations, the dominant species at this pH are Pb(OH) 2 , Cd(OH)2, Zn(OH)2 and Cr(OH)3. For arsenic a clear conclusion could not be drawn from the modelling and the measurement data because of low precision. Due to the limited thermodynamic parameters of antimony in comparison with other heavy metals in the database of Medusa and PHREEQC, the modelling of antimony behaviour in condensate treatment has relatively larger uncertainty is low. The modelling results show that the main species in acidic solutions for antimony is Sb(OH)3 and in basic solutions Sb(OH)-6. Further investigation for antimony in needed for a clear conclusions to be drawn

No description available.

Woodroll® is a gasification technology developed by Cortus that produces synthetic gas (syngas) from biomass. Syngas can be used in several different applications. One interesting option is to convert it further into biomethane, which can be used as automotive fuel or replace natural gas in gas grids. The revenues and profitability of biomethane production is heavily dependent on policy instruments and support schemes. These subsidies can be either direct, where the producer receives a feed-in tariff for biomethane production, or indirect, where consumption rather than production is stimulated. This work has investigated which revenues that can be expected from biomethane production via Woodrooll® in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, France and Italy, both in terms of amounts and risks. A profitability analysis have also been carried out to preliminary compare the returns in the different countries, where two different scenarios for different revenues have been analyzed for two different feedstock prices. The results showed that the Netherlands and Italy provides the potentially highest revenues. However, there are uncertainty factors associated with all cases. Sweden and Germany offers indirect support and negative market trends. The Netherlands and the UK are the only options that provide a feed-in tariff for biomethane production via gasification. In the Netherlands the tariff can be secured before making investment decision but is only disbursed for 12 years. The UK offers a fixed feed-in tariff for 20 years but the tariff is secured first after plant start-up and the tariff may be reduced on a quarterly basis. In fact, the tariff has been reduced with 40 % over the last 24 months, but there are discussions on introducing a separate tariff for gasification. Italy has the support schemes that potentially offer the highest revenues, but gasification is currently not eligible for support. The latter also holds for France, which may be an interesting case in the future. If risk is to be minimized, Cortus may either focus on the Netherlands or await the discussions in the UK and France on introducing a gasification tariff. The work on standardization of biomethane use should also be followed since Italy offers the potentially highest return of the investigated countries. It is also recommended to look further for other cases. The best-case scenario for the risk averse is the one that provides a fixed tariff for 20 years and in which the tariff can be secured before an investment decision is taken. / Woodroll® är en förgasningateknik som utvecklats av Cortus som producerar syntesgas (syngas) från biomassa. Det finns en rad olika användningsområden för gasen. Ett intressant sådant är att omvandla den till biometan, vilket kan användas som drivmedel eller ersätta naturgas i gasnät. Dock så är intäktern och lönsamheten starkt beroende av stödsystem. Dessa subventioner kan antingen vara i form av en inmatningstariff, där biometanproducenten får en fast peng för biometanproduktion, eller i form av indirekt stöd där konsumtion snarare än produktion stimuleras. I detta arbete har det utretts vilka intäkter som kan förväntas för biometan-produktion genom Woodroll® i Sverige, Nederländerna, Tyskland, Storbritanninen, Frankrike och Italien, både i termer av belopp och risk. En lönsamhetsanalys har också gjorts för att preliminärt jämföra avkastningen för de olika länderna. Två olika scenarier för olika intäkter har analyserats för två olika råvarupriser. Resultatet visade att samtliga länder kan erbjuda attraktiv avkastning. Dock är samtliga fall förknippade med osäkerhetsfaktorer. Sverige och Tyskland erbjuder indirekt stöd och negativa marknadstrender. Nederländerna och Storbritannien är de enda alternativen som ger en feed-in-tariff för biometanproduktion. I Nederländerna kan tariffen säkras innan investeringsbeslut fattats men betalas endast i 12 år. Storbritannien ger en fast tariff i 20 år men kan justeras kvarstalsvis och nivån säkras först efter uppstart av anläggningen. Tariffen har reducerats med 40 % de senaste 24 månaderna, men det pågår diskussioner om att introducera en särskild tariff för förgasning. Italien erbjuder stödsystemet som ger högst potentiella intäkter men biometan från förgasning är inte berättigat för stödet. Det senare gäller också för Frankrike som kan bli ett intressant fall i framtiden. Om det önskas att minimera risken så bör Cortus fokusera antingen på Nederländerna eller invänta diskussionerna om förgasningstariffen i Storbritannien och Frankrike. Arbetet kring standardisering av biometan-användning bör också följas eftersom Italien erbjuder de potentiellt högsta intäkterna. Det rekommenderas också att Cortus tittar vidare på andra alternativ. Det bästa fallet för den risk-aversiva är fallet som ger en fast tariff i 20 år och där stödet kan säkras innan investeringsbeslut fattas.

Avloppsvattenbaserad epidemiologi är ett framåtväxande område som används för att bedöma förekomsten av virala belastningar i avloppsvatten och på så sätt bidra med trender av virusbildning. I denna studie har avloppsvattenbaserad epidemiologi utnyttjats för att bedöma förekomsten av severe acute respitory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) i avloppsvatten med mål att tidigt upptäcka viruset. Det är känt att parametrarna i avloppsvatten påverkar detektionen av SARS-CoV-2 i stickprov tagna från olika regioner i Stockholm. I denna studie har flödet (m3 /dag) och den kritiska gränsen av Pepper mild mottle cirus (PMMoV) utsetts som oberoende variabler, och genkopieringsnumret av SARS-CoV-2 per m3 av obehandlat avloppsvatten utsetts till den beroende variabeln. Studiens mål riktar sig till att genomföra statistiska tester för att få förståelse av hur variablerna fördelar sig genom att utnyttja gaussian studier. Sambandet mellan de oberoende och beroende variablerna noterades av icke-parametriska tester och korrelationsstudier. Värdena modellerades i en regressionsanalys samt att en prognosmodell skapades genom att utnyttja ARIMA modellen. / Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) is an emerging area to assess the presence of viral loads in wastewater streams and thereby provide trends about the emerging viruses. In this study, Wastewater Based Epidemiology is used to assess the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the wastewater streams, possibly providing for early detection. It is known that wastewater parameters effect the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater samples collected from different regions of Stockholm. In our study, flowrate (m3/day) and Critical Threshold (Ct) value of Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV)  are the independent variables selected when the gene copy number of SARS-CoV-2 /m3 of raw wastewater is the dependent variable. The aim of the study is to perform a series of statistical tests to understand the distribution of the variables using gaussian studies, the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables is noted by non-parametric tests and correlation studies. The data is modeled using regression analysis and forecasting model is created using an ARIMA model.

This study is a research around an issue encountered by MyEasyLab, a laboratory involved in asbestos testing for the French market. They are facing a problem of sample losses, which is hardly acceptable, especially when growing on a highly competitive and price driven market. They are therefore looking for ways to have a better traceability of their samples. The technicians were observed to identify their needs and the problems the company is facing. This study is presenting as a result two complementary solutions: the reorganization of the working space, and the usage of the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to track the samples. The reorganization of the room using the 5S method should enable a more optimized way of working. This method initially used in the industry early on by Toyota, enables to optimize the flows (goods, person, waste …) in a sustainable way. The use of RFID presents the opportunity of a deep change in the whole process of the company, from the client to the labs. Bags already tagged RFID could be sent to the clients for their sample collection, enabling traceability from the beginning of the chain. The samples could, using RFID, be detected as they enter the site, leave the site and if they are in an undesired location (for example in the trash). The RFID technology is also an opportunity to facilitate the work of the technician, with a possibility to save around 4h15 of working time per day. The kind of tags that seems the most appropriate for this application is passive UHF tags. They present the advantages of being cheaper, easier to buy in bulk and readable from longer distances.  Even though the RFID technology is often seen as expensive, a return on investment seems possible for a tag price under 0.08€.  Further experimental tests need to be realized to refine the results of this study.