The concept of integration of industries in urban setup is the current trend among researchers and engineers in the field of industrial ecology and environmental engineering. Trend of urbanization forces an increasing human demand for energy, materials, water and other resources. Urban symbiosis nowadays is closely related to the controlling of urban metabolism. Closing material loops works as an effective way for a circular economy where theoretically no waste is generated. In this thesis work, an investigation has been made for studying current symbiotic activities in the city of Linköping and look for any potential energy or by-product synergies from industrial activities and the urban waste streams. Some of the companies have been found to be already engaged in such type of activities, directly or indirectly. Hence, uncovering symbiotic activity is also an important task to consider while assessing the feasibility of a network of industries and urban settlement. Finally, it is concluded that the symbiotic activity in the city of Linköping is developing with discovering of new opportunities from waste and by-products from industries and the city area.  The municipal utility company Tekniska Verken and its subsidiary Svensk Biogas could play the role as anchor tenants and the aeronautics company SAAB, for its huge production line, has good potential to participate in exchange of physical materials.

The metabolism and physiology of Pseudomonas putida strain LS46 was investigated using biodiesel-derived waste streams as potential low cost substrates for production of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA). Proteomic and trranscriptomic analyses were used to correlate specific gene and gene product expression patterns with differences in phenotypes of mcl-PHA biosynthesis by P. putida LS46. Growth and mcl-PHA content of P. putida LS46 were similar in cultures containing biodiesel-derived waste glycerol versus pure glycerol, and mcl-PHA synthesis occurred during stationary phase after nitrogen concentrations in the medium were exhausted. Waste glycerol cultures contained elevated concentrations of heavy metal ions, such as copper, which induced significant changes in gene expression levels related to heavy metal resistance. Several membrane-bound proteins, such as CusABC efflux and CopAB were identified and putatively play a role in regulating cellular copper concentrations. Cultures containing waste free fatty acids synthesized mcl-PHA throughout the exponential growth phase. Protein expression levels of two mcl-PHA synthases were suppressed during exponential phase growth in waste glycerol cultures, putatively via post-transcriptional regulation. Culture specific expression of monomer supplying proteins (PhaJ1 and PhaG), and sets of fatty acid oxidation enzymes were observed, and may have contributed to differences in the composition of polymers synthesized by P. putida LS46 cultured on the two substrates. Expression levels of the majority of mcl-PHA biosynthesis pathway genes were stable during active polymer synthesis in waste glycerol cultures. However, variations in protein expression levels, and in some cases their corresponding mRNAs, were observed in a number of other metabolic patheays, such as glycerol transportation, partial glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, the TCA cycle, and fatty acid biosynthesis. These data suggest potential regulatory points that may determine carbon flux during mcl-PHA biosynthesis. Evaluation of identified genetic targets in P. putida LS46 that putatively influence mcl-PHA biosynthesis and monomer composition merit further studies. / February 2016

Extensive coastal sabkhas in the northern Gulf of California in North America are colonized by Distichlis palmeri, an endemic perennial grass that produces a grain that was harvested as a staple food by native Cocopah people. Previous short-term trials have shown good vegetative growth but low grain yields. During outdoor trials under anaerobic saline soil conditions of paddy-style irrigation, D. palmeri exhibited high salt tolerance, grain and biomass production. Reproductive maturity was reached four years after initial establishment of plants from seed and a 1:3 mixture of male and female plants produced 231-310 g m⁻² of grain, with nutritional content similar to domesticated grains, confirming the feasibility of developing D. palmeri as a perennial grain and biomass crop for salinized soils and water supplies. Salicornia bigelovii Torr., a cosmopolitan annual coastal marsh succulent, produces seed with high oil content and has been suggested as a potential cash crop for fuel production from saline irrigation but its domestication and development into a cost effective commodity has been slow. A breeding and selection program for agronomic traits that will provide multiple landscape and ecosystem services that could enhance cost benefits of the agronomy of S. bigelovii was initiated during a two year period while producing seed for a pilot system at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. A concept for a saline landscape designed to consume and concentrate saline waste streams was developed and demonstrates the feasibility and potential to support agronomy of halophytes within a built landscape ecology akin to coastal marsh systems. Exploration and development of potential services halophytes could provide and field testing of selected halophytes for their potential to produce food, fuel, fiber and habitat under designed and managed domestication in our salinized soils with saline waste irrigation needs our continued investigation.

A nuclear waste stream is the complete flow of waste material from origin to treatment facility to final disposal. The objective of this study was to design and develop a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) module using Google Application Programming Interface (API) for better visualization of nuclear waste streams that will identify and display various nuclear waste stream parameters. A proper display of parameters would enable managers at Department of Energy waste sites to visualize information for proper planning of waste transport. The study also developed an algorithm using quadratic Bézier curve to make the map more understandable and usable. Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012 were used for the implementation of the project. The study has shown that the combination of several technologies can successfully provide dynamic mapping functionality. Future work should explore various Google Maps API functionalities to further enhance the visualization of nuclear waste streams.

This research explores the scope of waste as a material and methods for fashion design, drawing together an open mindset and sustainable actions for a menswear collection. Reflective Design Practice is the overlaying methodology used to incorporate a wide variety of textile manipulations and materials. The research approach is to source waste materials, with a focus on virgin yarns for knitwear, exploring and identifying the possibilities for individual elements and analyzing through a photographic lineup, repeating for further development. This emergency, as well as a focus on perfect solutions from the offset, can be a barrier for experimentation. Therefore a change in posture and mindset is necessary. For this thesis, posture, motive, and aesthetic design decisions are embodied in a persona - This persona, delicate, yet rough and in a hurry, as with sustainability, are combined into the Lazy Romantic. Speculatively this research has the potential to open up for landfills as material sourcing for fashion design or landfills being unnecessary as the word waste is no longer defining the material.

Background Waste has been around since humans started to create products. Today, it is a growing problem in the world; humans keep producing waste at a faster pace than we can handle. The world is becoming more conscious of our actions, and new solutions to manage and utilize the waste are desired. Medical waste lacks a global definition, which results in a lack of standardization for medical waste management. The rapid development of medical science and technology has led to increased use of medical consumables. Single-use gloves are the most commonly used consumable within healthcare. They are not recycled due to fear of contamination, which results in a big load on the environment by not preserving the value of the material. Objectives The objectives with the research have been to understand the waste industry and identify where waste streams have the opportunity to be replaced with circular systems through new technology. From the findings, design and propose a new technology that fits into a circular economy. Method Design Research Methodology and MSPI Innovation process worked as frameworks for the design process for the researchers during the thesis work. Inspiration from company visits, interviews, job shadowing, and literature research initiated the project and was used to clarify the problem. Prototypes, testing, and literature research were used to validate the design progress and followed up by lab experiments and mechanical design of a fully circular system. Results Through tests and experiments, a circular system for single-use protection gloves was designed. The proposed technology would eliminate the need for raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transportation. The system is based on making protection gloves from Polyvinyl Alcohol. Due to the unique properties of the material, it is possible to dissolve the gloves in water, sterilize them and remanufacture them into new gloves. The gloves proved to have similar mechanical properties to the current options on the market. The system includes many elements from the manufacturing process of nitrile rubber and latex gloves, but the introduction of cleaning and sterilization steps will question the main reason consumable protection gloves are used in the first place, to ensure sterility. Conclusion Optimizing, automating, and implementing this system will make the healthcare industry more environmentally friendly. Introducing a system to remanufacture and sterilize single-use gloves is a statement to prove the possibility to replace linear life cycles with circular ones, by questioning the reasons behind unsustainable behavior and solving those problems. Contaminated waste is incinerated today. Some argue that energy recovery classifies as recycling, but this system will focus on preserving the value of the material by reusing it in multiple cycles. Similar work will be necessary to keep up with the increased production of waste. Circular systems may enable humans to fulfill their needs with a significantly decreased environmental load. Before implementing this solution in the healthcare industry, more research must be carried out. However, the innovation of an in-house system and a more direct approach to manufacture – recycle – reuse, has presented to create new value of waste and further technological development to enhance the waste management and recycling industry. / Bakgrund Avfall har funnits sedan människor började tillverka produkter. Idag är det ett växande problem i världen, människor fortsätter att producera avfall i en snabbare takt än vad vi kan hantera. Världen blir mer medveten om åtgärderna men nya innovationer för att hantera och utnyttja avfallet behövs. Medicinskt avfall saknar en global definition som resulterar i brist på standardisering för hantering av medicinskt avfall. En snabb utveckling av medicinsk vetenskap och teknik har lett till en ökad användning av medicinska engångsartiklar. Engångshandskar är de vanligaste förbrukningsvarorna inom sjukvården och återvinns inte på grund av rädsla för förorening, vilket resulterar i en stor belastning på miljön eftersom materialets värde inte tas vara på. Syfte Målet med forskningen har varit att förstå avfallsindustrin och identifiera var avfallsströmmar kan ersättas med cirkulära system genom ny teknik. Utifrån resultaten, utforma och föreslå ny teknik som passar in i en cirkulär ekonomi. Metod Designforskningsmetodik (Design Research Methodology) och MSPI:s Innovationsprocess användes som ramar för designprocessen för forskarna under avhandlingsarbetet. Inspiration från företagsbesök, shadowing, intervjuer och litteraturforskning initierade projektet och användes för att klargöra problemet. Prototyper, tester och litteraturforskning användes för att validera designframstegen. Följt av laborationer och mekanisk design av ett komplett cirkulärt system. Resultat Genom tester och experiment designades ett cirkulärt system för skyddshandskar avsedda för engångsbruk. Den föreslagna tekniken skulle eliminera behovet av råmaterialutvinning, tillverkning och transport. Systemet är baserat på tillverkning av skyddshandskar från polyvinylalkohol. På grund av materialets unika egenskaper är det möjligt att lösa upp handskarna i vatten, sterilisera dem och åter tillverka dem till nya handskar. Handskarna visade sig ha jämförbara mekaniska egenskaper som de nuvarande alternativen på marknaden. Systemet innehåller många element från tillverkningsprocessen av nitrilgummi- och latexhandskar, men införandet av rengörings- och steriliseringssteg kommer att ifrågasätta den främsta orsaken till att förbrukningsskyddshandskar används i första hand - för att säkerställa sterilitet. Slutsats Optimering, automatisering och implementering av detta system kommer att göra sjukvårdsindustrin mer oberoende och mer miljövänlig. Att införa ett system för att återvinna och sterilisera skyddshandskar för engångsbruk, bevisar möjligheten att ersätta linjära livscykler med cirkulära, genom att ifrågasätta orsakerna bakom ohållbart beteende och lösa dessa problem. Förorenat avfall förbränns idag, somliga hävdar att energiåtervinning kan klassificeras som återvinning, men energiåtervinning saknar egenskapen att bevara materialets värde. Detta system har materialvärdet i fokus genom att återanvända det i flera cykler. Liknande arbete kommer att krävas för att hålla jämna steg med den ökade avfallsproduktionen. Cirkulära system kan göra det möjligt för människor att uppfylla sina behov med en avsevärt minskad miljöbelastning. Lösningen behöver ytterligare forskning och måste förbättras före implementering. Men innovationen i ett internt system och ett mer direkt tillvägagångssätt för tillverkning - återvinning - återanvändning har presenterats för att skapa nytt värde för avfall och ny teknisk utveckling för att förbättra avfallshanteringen och återvinningsindustri.

When increasing the amount of recycled material in production the input materials are rarely homogenous which results in unavoidable waste streams. Utilizing this waste is of high importance when moving towards a Circular Economy and for firms to keep their circular identity. However, to achieve this, collaborations between firms are crucial. The purpose of this single case study is to develop a road map for how firms can create collaboration to strategically valorize waste streams from circular processes. Through a qualitative study based on 23 semi structured interviews the subject was investigated. The interviews were held in three phases with respondents from four different groups: the case company, potential collaborators, other firms with waste streams as well as subject experts. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed through a thematic analysis resulting in five themes. Moreover, this study resulted in a road map with three gears and multiple steps that companies should follow to create collaboration for valorizing waste streams. The three gears are: Gear 1: Internal preparation, Gear 2: Finding the right partner and Gear 3: Forming the collaboration. The study fills the gap in existing literature regarding the lack of a firm perspective of a concrete road map by which companies can go from producing a waste stream to creating a collaboration to valorize it. Both the managers of a company as well as an assigned person responsible for waste streams can benefit from the road map. Although the road map contains three consecutive gears, the containing steps can be considered individually or partly depending on the company’s circumstances. In addition, companies without circular processes can be inspired from the road map in their work of becoming more sustainable. / När mängden återvunnet material ökar i produktioner är ingångsmaterialen sällan homogena vilket resulterar i oönskade restströmmar. För att röra sig mot en cirkulär ekonomi och för att företag ska behålla sin cirkulära identitet är det av stor vikt att ta tillvara på avfallet. För att uppnå detta är samarbeten mellan företag mycket viktiga. Syftet med denna enfallsstudie är att utveckla en roadmap över hur företag kan skapa samarbeten för att strategiskt valorisera restströmmar från cirkulära processer. Genom en kvalitativ studie baserad på 23 semistrukturerade intervjuer undersöktes området. Intervjuerna genomfördes i tre faser med respondenter från fyra olika grupper: fallstudieföretaget, potentiell samarbetspartner, andra företag med restströmmar samt ämnesexperter. Intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades genom en tematisk analys som resulterade i fem teman. Studien resulterade därmed i en roadmap bestående av tre växlar och flera steg vilka företag kan följa för att skapa samarbeten för att valorisera sina restströmmar. De tre växlarna är: Växel 1: Interna förberedelser, Växel 2: Hitta den rätta samarbetspartnern och Växel 3: Utforma samarbetet. Studien fyller gapet i den existerande litteraturen då företagsperspektivet i en konkret roadmap som beskriver hur företag kan gå från att producera en restström till att skapa samarbeten för att valorisera den saknas. Ledarna i ett företag samt en designerad person ansvarig för restströmmarna kan få nytta av av roadmapen. Trots att roadmapen består av tre påföljande varandra växlar kan de olika växlarna i roadmapen nyttjas individuellt eller delvis beroende på företagets omständigheter. Därtill kan även företag utan cirkulära processer inspireras av roadmapen i deras arbete att bli mer hållbara.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a group of bioplastics, which are produced through microorganisms. They are accumulated in granules inside bacteria’s cell cytoplasm and serve as an energy reserve. Moreover, PHAs are completely biodegradable and biocompatible biopolyesters, which make them to suitable materials for medical applications and replace conventional petrochemical plastics. However, it is not economically feasible to produce PHAs yet, as it is four to nine times as expensive as to produce fossil fuel-based plastics. In order to reduce the price, it is possible to use waste streams rich in carbon and mixed cultures as microorganisms, which was applied in this thesis work. In this study, PHAs were synthesized from a volatile fatty acid (VFA) mixture rich in hexanoic acid, which was produced by anaerobic digestion of waste streams. To be able to obtain the maximum PHA content, the experimental work was separated into a selection phase and a production phase respectively. During the selection step, enrichment of the mixed culture took place during 50 days altering feast/famine cycles. The production phase was then conducted in a fed-batch cultivation to accumulate as much PHAs as possible, while utilizing the enriched mixed culture.  The selection phase was seen as successful since the quantity of synthesized PHA increased with time. Solely polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was formed during this period. The specific consumption rates for the hexanoic acid and acetic acid were almost the same in this phase (0.10 g hexanoic acid/(g volatile suspended soilds (VSS),h) and 0.11 g acetic acid/(g VSS,h)), which suggests that the consumption of these majoritarian fatty acids was simultaneous. However, the determined consumption rate for butyric acid was approximately solely half of the values for hexanoic acid and acetic acid. The highest PHA yield obtained in the enrichment phase was 0.26 g PHB/g VFA.  In the production phase, the highest achieved PHA content was 31.4 % of VSS, which was obtained after five hours. Both PHB and polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV) were formed in this phase, even though the quantity of accumulated PHB dominated with its approximately 97 weight-%. / Polyhydroxialkanoater (PHA:er) är en grupp bioplaster som produceras med hjälp av mikroorganismer. De ackumuleras inuti granulater som finns i bakteriers cellcytoplasma, och används som en energireserv. PHA:er är dessutom fullständigt bionedbrytbara och biokompatibla biopolyestrar, vilket gör dem till lämpliga material att applicera inom medicinska preparat och för att ersätta konventionella petrokemiska plaster. Det är däremot inte ekonomiskt fördelaktigt att producera PHA:er än så länge, då det är fyra till nio gånger dyrare att producera än i jämförelse med att producera plaster från fossila bränslen. Ett tillvägagångssätt för att reducera priset är genom att applicera kolrikt avfall som råmaterial och en blandad kultur av mikroorganismer. Det var detta som tillämpades i detta examensarbete vid PHA produktionen. I denna studie syntetiserades PHA:er från en blandning av flyktiga fettsyror rik på hexansyra, som framställts av avfall genom anaerobisk digestion. Det experimentella arbetet delades in i två faser: en selektionsfas och en produktionsfas. Detta för att kunna erhålla högsta möjliga PHA innehåll. Den blandade kulturen av bakterier berikades under selektionsfasen genom applicering av alternerande svält/frossa cykler i 50 dagar. Produktionsfasen utfördes därefter i en så kallad ”fed-batch odling” för att ackumulera högsta möjliga kvantitet av PHA, med hjälp av den berikade kultur blandningen.  Selektionsfasen ansåg vara lyckad, då mängden ackumulerad PHA ökade med tiden. Endast polyhydroxibutyrat (PHB) producerades under berikelsefasen. De erhållna specifika konsumptionshastigheterna för hexansyra och ättiksyra var i samma storleksordning (0.10 g/(g flyktiga suspenderade ämnen, h) respektive 0.11 g/(g flyktiga suspenderade ämnen, h)), vilket tyder på att förbrukningen av dessa fettsyror skedde samtidigt. Konsumptionshastigheten för butansyra var däremot endast cirka hälften av hastigheterna för hexansyra samt ättiksyra. Det högsta PHA-utbytet beräknades till 0.26 g PHB/g flyktiga fettsyror. Det högsta PHA-innehållet som erhölls i produktionsfasen var 31.4 % av de flyktiga suspenderade ämnena, vilket uppmättes efter fem timmar. Både PHB och polyhydroxivalerat (PHV) bildades under denna fas, även om mängden ackumulerad PHB dominerade med 97 vikt-%. / <p>I och med COVID-19 presenterades examensarbetet via zoom</p> / Carbon Neutral Next Generation Wastewater Treatment Plants

This thesis investigates the opportunities and challenges regarding urban oyster mushroomproduction (Pleurotus Ostreatus) employing urban-based materials in Stockholm Stad as agrowing medium. Additionally, the availability of the five most suitable substrates has beenfurther explored with the indicator’s availability in Stockholm Stad, and the Biologicalefficiency (BE%) for a suitable growing medium and the quantity of the substrates have beenmapped out. In response to climate change and an uncertain future, cities need to be resilientto disasters and meet essential needs like water, food, and energy. Due to the COVID-19pandemic, the Swedish government plans to increase self-sufficiency by developing the lawof public procurement to prioritize buying locally produced goods. However, imported foodis cheaper than Swedish goods, making it difficult for domestic products to compete.Moreover, a major part of Sweden’s waste management consists of the combustion of variouswaste, which is being on a lower priority on the Waste hierarchy. Therefore, assessing thepossible areas of use such as oyster mushroom cultivation could likely add further value tothe residual waste streams investigated. Using Material Flow Analysis (MFA), interviews,and literature review, relevant data and information was collected to locate the five mostsuitable substrates: (1) wood waste from arborists and wood workers, (2) paper waste, (3)cardboard waste, (4) Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG) from five of the biggest chains coffeeshops in Stockholm Stad, (5) garden waste collected from a collection company. Theestimated availability of each residual waste stream has been mapped out with paper wastebeing 15’805’567 kg, 20’560’580 kg (cardboard), 64’166’500 kg wood waste, 3’939’664,2kg garden waste, and 152’121,7 kg (SCG). The BE% is ranging from 18,61% for SCG, woodwaste to 64,69%, garden waste to 95,3%, paper to 112,4%, and cardboard with a BE% of117,5%. Moreover, the BE% will vary depending on the preparation of the substrate and thegrowing conditions of the mushrooms. The oyster mushroom's estimated kilo price is 245SEK/kg, with a potential yearly value of the oyster mushroom is estimated to beapproximately 128’333’000 SEK. This thesis highlights the potential of oyster mushroomcultivation potential where Stockholm Stad has the capacity to be locally self-sufficient whenlooking at the quantity of substrate available. Additionally, the results display the value ofusing residual waste streams as a resource in other ways than energy recovery. / Detta examensarbete undersöker möjligheterna och utmaningarna när det gäller urbanostronsvampproduktion (Pleurotus ostreatus) med stadsbaserade material i Stockholm Stad somodlingsmedium. Dessutom har tillgången på de fem mest lämpliga substraten undersökts ytterligaremed indikatorns tillgänglighet i Stockholm Stad och den biologiska effektiviteten (BE%) för ettlämpligt odlingsmedium och mängden av substraten har kartlagts. Som svar på klimatförändringaroch osäker framtid är det viktigt för städer att vara motståndskraftiga mot katastrofer och tillgodoseväsentliga behov som vatten, mat och energi. På grund av COVID-19 pandemin planerar den svenskaregeringen att öka självförsörjningen genom att utveckla lagen om offentlig upphandling för attprioritera köp av lokalt producerade varor. Den importerade maten är billigare än svenska varor, vilketgör det svårt för inhemska produkter att konkurrera. En stor del av Sveriges avfallshantering bestårdessutom av förbränning av olika avfall, vilket är lägre prioriterat i Avfallshierarkin. Därför kan enbedömning av möjliga användningsområden, såsom ostronsvampodling, sannolikt tillföra ytterligarevärde till de undersökta restavfallsströmmarna. Med hjälp av MFA, intervjuer och litteraturstudiersamlades relevant data och information in för att lokalisera de fem mest lämpliga substraten: (1)träavfall från arborister och träarbetare, (2) pappersavfall, (3) kartongavfall, (4) SCG från fem av destörsta kafékedjorna i Stockholm Stad, (5) Trädgårdsavfall som hämtas från ett insamlingsföretag.Den uppskattade tillgängligheten för varje restavfallsström har kartlagts med pappersavfall på15,805,567 kg, 20,560,580 kg (kartong), 64’166’500 kg träavfall, 3’939’664,2 kg trädgårdsavfall och152’121,7 kg (SCG). BE% varierar från 18,61% för SCG, träavfall till 64,69%, trädgårdsavfall95,3%, papper 112,4% och kartong med en BE% på 117,5%. Dessutom kommer BE procenttalet attvariera beroende på preparationen av substraten och svampens odlingsförhållanden. Ostronsvampensestimerade kilopris är 245 SEK/kg, med ett potentiellt årligt värde på ostronsvampen uppskattas tillcirka 128’333’000 SEK. Detta arbete belyser potentialen för ostronsvampsodlingspotential därStockholm Stad har kapacitet att vara lokalt självförsörjande när man tittar på mängden tillgängligtsubstrat. Dessutom visar resultaten värdet av att använda restavfallsströmmar som en resurs på andrasätt än energiåtervinning.