Engineering directly impacts current and future regulatory policy decisions. The foundation of air pollution control and air pollution dispersion modeling lies in the math, chemistry, and physics of the environment. Therefore, regulatory decision making must rely upon sound science and engineering as the core of appropriate policy making (objective analysis in lieu of subjective opinion). This research evaluated particulate matter and ammonia concentration data as well as two modeling methods, a backward Lagrangian stochastic model and a Gaussian plume dispersion model. This analysis assessed the uncertainty surrounding each sampling procedure in order to gain a better understanding of the uncertainty in the final emission rate calculation (a basis for federal regulation), and it assessed the differences between emission rates generated using two different dispersion models. First, this research evaluated the uncertainty encompassing the gravimetric sampling of particulate matter and the passive ammonia sampling technique at an animal feeding operation. Future research will be to further determine the wind velocity profile as well as determining the vertical temperature gradient during the modeling time period. This information will help quantify the uncertainty of the meteorological model inputs into the dispersion model, which will aid in understanding the propagated uncertainty in the dispersion modeling outputs. Next, an evaluation of the emission rates generated by both the Industrial Source Complex (Gaussian) model and the WindTrax (backward-Lagrangian stochastic) model revealed that the calculated emission concentrations from each model using the average emission rate generated by the model are extremely close in value. However, the average emission rates calculated by the models vary by a factor of 10. This is extremely troubling. In conclusion, current and future sources are regulated based on emission rate data from previous time periods. Emission factors are published for regulation of various sources, and these emission factors are derived based upon back-calculated model emission rates and site management practices. Thus, this factor of 10 ratio in the emission rates could prove troubling in terms of regulation if the model that the emission rate is back-calculated from is not used as the model to predict a future downwind pollutant concentration.

Bedienstete Internationaler Organisationen stehen in einem speziellen Rechtsverhältnis zu ihrem Arbeitgeber, das ihnen ermöglicht, belastende Maßnahmen von speziell für Personalrechtsangelegenheiten errichteten internationalen Verwaltungsgerichten (Administrative Tribunals) überprüfen zu lassen. Anläßlich einer konkreten Streitigkeit (ESA) um Gehaltskürzungen befaßt sich der Beitrag sowohl mit prozeduralen als auch mit materiell-rechtlichen Fragenstellungen und erörtert, wie weit hier bereits allgemeine Rechtsgrundsätze existieren.

This doctoral dissertation was produced in a cooperation between Halmstad University (Wetland Research Centre, School of Business and Engineering) and Lund University (Limnology &amp; Marine Biology, Department of Ecology). Abstract . Wetland creation at large, regional scales is implemented as a measure to abate the biodiversity loss in agricultural landscapes and the eutrophication of watersheds and coastal areas by non-point source nutrient pollution (mainly nitrogen). The consequences of creating many new wetlands for biodiversity conservation and nutrient reten- tion (ecosystem functioning) in agricultural landscapes are still relatively unknown, both on local (per wetland) and regional (per landscape) scales. In Sweden, wetland creation has progressed already since the 1990s, and by now larger numbers of created wetlands are present, mainly in the intensively farmed landscapes of southwestern Sweden. This thesis aimed to investigate the following aspects in these systems: (i) their large-scale effects on biodiversity, (ii) their functional diversity of bacterial denitrifiers, (iii) the abiotic and biotic influences on wetland ecosystem functioning, (iv) the potential for biodiversity-function links, and (v) the potential for functional links and joint functioning.(i) Created wetlands hosted diverse assemblages of macroinvertebrates and plants. They maintained a similar com- position and diversity as natural ponds in agricultural landscapes. The environmental conditions per wetland did hardly affect macroinvertebrate and plant assemblages, and the prerequisites for nutrient retention did neither. In landscapes were wetland creation efforts had increased the total density of small water bodies by more than 30%, macroinver- tebrate diversity of created wetlands was facilitated on both local and regional scales. (ii) Diverse communities of denitrifying bacteria with the capacity for conducting different denitrification steps (functional types) were present in all investigated wetlands. The richness of denitrifying bacteria communities was affected by nitrate concentration and hydraulic loading rate, which may potentially be relevant for the nitrogen retention function of created wetlands. The diversity across different functional types of bacterial denitrifiers increased with nitrate concentration. (iii) Both abiotic and biotic factors influenced ecosystem functions of created wetlands. Variation in nitrogen retention was associated to nitrate load, but even to vegetation parameters. In wetlands with constant nitrate load, planted emergent vegetation facilitated nitrogen retention compared to other vegetation types. In wetlands with variable loads, nitrogen retention was facilitated if nitrate load was high and many different vegetation types were present; nitrogen load could explain the majority of the variation in nitrogen retention compared to vegetation parameters. Phosporus retention of created wetlands was best explained by vegetation parameters. Litter decomposition was inhibited at high nitrate to phosphorus ratios. Methane production increased with age and decreased with plant cover. (iv) Biodiversity may facilitate wetland ecosystem functions, particularly in dynamic wetland ecosystems. Nitrogen retention increased with vegetation type diversity, phosphorus retention capacity with plant richness, and litter decomposition with macroinvertebrate diversity. (v) Created wetlands have the capacity of sustaining several parallel ecosystem services. Some wetland functions were coupled; nitrogen retention increased with fast litter decomposition. On the other hand, methane emission and nitro- gen retention were independent of each other, as were nitrogen and phosphorus retention.In conclusion, created wetlands have the potential to at least partly abate the lost biodiversity and multifunctionality caused by the past extensive destruction of natural wetlands in agricultural landscapes. / <p>[Paper II] Milenkovski S., Thiere G., Weisner S.E.B., Berglund O. &amp; Lindgren P.-E. Variation of eubacterial and denitrifying bacterial biofilm communities among constructed wetlands. Submitted manuscript. [Paper V] Thiere G. &amp; Weisner S.E.B. Influence of biotic and abiotic parameters on ecosystem functioning of created wetlands. Manuscript.</p>

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of alternative cropping systems on farm net returns, and nitrate-N and sediment yields in Thomas Brook Watershed (TBW). The study involved integrated bio-physical and economic optimization modelling. Crop yield and nitrate-N pollution response functions were estimated and then used in trade-off analysis between farm returns and environmental quality improvement. Five crop rotation systems were evaluated for seven fertilizer levels under conventional tillage (CT) and no-till systems (NT). Nitrate-N leached, as well as estimated maximum economic rate of N (MERN) fertilizer level and marginal abatement costs depended on crop type, rotation system, and tillage type. The most cost effective cropping systems that met restrictions on Health Canada maximum limit on nitrate-N in water included corn-corn-corn-alfalfa-alfalfa under NT for corn-based cropping systems, potato-winter wheat-carrot-corn under CT for vegetable horticulture-based and potato-barley-winter wheat-potato-corn under NT for potato-based cropping systems.

La planification urbaine stratégique en France se voit chargée de manière croissante des questions environnementale et climatique. Mais est-elle réellement capable d'infléchir les dynamiques d'étalement ainsi que de former un cadre efficace pour la réduction des émissions des transports ? Et que peuvent apporter l'analyse économique et la simulation prospective à la démarche de planification ? Pour y répondre nous avons replacé notre analyse de l'apport des outils économiques à la planification urbaine dans la perspective d'ensemble de réforme politique et administrative du contexte français. Cela a pris la forme d'une analyse critique de la pratique actuelle de la planification, des évolutions à l'œuvre et des conditions d'une meilleure intégration de l'analyse économique dans la démarche et les méthodes de planification. Nous avons construit et utilisé sur le cas de Grenoble, des outils d'analyse économique permettant de traiter la question des politiques climatiques locales dans la planification, d'une manière prospective et systémique. Il s'agit de la 1ère application du modèle de simulation urbanisme-transport TRANUS en France, et de son utilisation dans le cadre d'une méthodologie économique pour produire des courbes de coût d'abattement intégrant le caractère systémique de la ville pour le secteur des transports. Le modèle et la méthodologie économique qui lui est adossée constituent ce que nous appelons l'outil TRANUS+. Nous avons également réinterrogé plusieurs points à partir du cadre de la planification urbaine : la question du choix des outils de modélisation ainsi que celle des modalités du calcul économique, la question de la vulnérabilité énergétique liée à la mobilité, celle enfin du déploiement des véhicules électriques. Cela nous permet d'avoir une vision d'ensemble des apports de la planification et des voies pour la renforcer. / Strategic spatial planning in France is currently given a rising importance for environmental and climate issues. But is this tool really able to reduce urban sprawl and to produce a efficient framework for reducing transport emissions? And what can be the potential contributions to planning of economic analysis and prospective modelling? To answer this, we developed our study on the contribution of economic tools to planning into the global political and administrative reforms of France. We then produced a critical analysis of current planning practices and recent evolutions, and try to define the conditions for a better integration of economic analysis into planning processes and methods. For our case study (Grenoble urban area) we built and used economic tools able to inform local climate policies in the framework of urban planning. It is the first implementation of the land -use transport interaction model TRANUS in France, which was linked to an original economic methodology in order to produce marginal abatment cost curves useful at the urban level. This model and the methodology can take into account the systemic nature of cities and then help to define better transport policies: we call this tool TRANUS+. To have a more complete view of the urban planning question and the way to improve it, we investigated several issues from the perspective of planning: the choice of modelling tool and the role of cost-benefit analysis, energy poverty in the transport sector, electric vehicle deployement.

L’influence de traitements thermiques de revenu sur la corrosion localisée ainsi que sur la résistance mécanique en traction de l’alliage d’aluminium 2024 a été étudiée. Cet alliage est utilisé en construction aéronautique, à l’état T351 (mise en solution, trempe, écrouissage et maturation) grâce aux ses propriétés mécaniques élevées ; à l’état T6 (mise en solution, trempe, revenu au pic de dureté) il présente un bon compromis résistance/ductilité. Par contre, la présence d’hétérogénéités microstructurales le rend sensible à la corrosion localisée. Le traitement T7 (mise en solution, trempe, revenu après pic de dureté) peut améliorer la tenue à la corrosion au détriment des propriétés mécaniques. Dans un premier temps, il s’est agit de déterminer les conditions d’obtention des états métallurgiques T6 et T7 à étudier, à partir des courbes de dureté Vickers en fonction du temps de traitement. Les états métallurgiques obtenus, la microstructure et les propriétés mécaniques à l’échelle macroscopique et locale, ont été analysés. Un point important de cette étude a consisté en la recherche d’une méthode optimale pour la détermination de la distribution des particules intermétalliques grossières, paramètre de premier ordre pour les couplages galvaniques mis en jeu lors de la dissolution des particules. Dans un second temps, le comportement en corrosion, à différentes échelles a été suivi. Des techniques électrochimiques tel que le tracé de courbes de polarisation potentiocinétique et le suivi de potentiel libre, ont permis d’évaluer l’influence du traitement de revenu sur comportement globale en corrosion. A l’échelle locale, la dissolution des particules intermétalliques grossières a été suivie par l’évolution du potentiel de surface en fonction des différents traitements thermiques. Cela a pu être déterminé par microscopie à force atomique, couplée à l’analyse chimique des phases obtenue par spectroscopie à sélection d’énergie. Le taux de corrosion ainsi que l’abattement des propriétés mécaniques à différentes échelles, ont clairement montré l’importance du traitement T7 par rapport au traitement T6. L’ensemble des résultats présente un intérêt industriel dans la mesure où la résistance à la corrosion associée aux propriétés mécaniques peuvent indiquer la probabilité de l’endommagement du matériau. / Nr

Bedienstete Internationaler Organisationen stehen in einem speziellen Rechtsverhältnis zu ihrem Arbeitgeber, das ihnen ermöglicht, belastende Maßnahmen von speziell für Personalrechtsangelegenheiten errichteten internationalen Verwaltungsgerichten (Administrative Tribunals) überprüfen zu lassen. Anläßlich einer konkreten Streitigkeit (ESA) um Gehaltskürzungen befaßt sich der Beitrag sowohl mit prozeduralen als auch mit materiell-rechtlichen Fragenstellungen und erörtert, wie weit hier bereits allgemeine Rechtsgrundsätze existieren.

ABSTRACT The large-scale integration of PV solar energy onto the electricity grid remains a major challenge because of the intermittency issues which affect the grid reliability. In this thesis, we investigate the impact of grid integration issues upon the optimal energy R&D portfolio for climate change under damage uncertainty. We especially look at how the following two contrasting assumptions about solar intermittency issues will impact the composition of the optimal energy R&D technology portfolio for climate change. The first assumption, which we term “costly solar storage”, implies that grid integration will have costs; the second assumption, which we term “free solar storage”, implies that grid integration will have no costs. To achieve this task, we first present a two-stage stochastic programming model for energy R&D portfolio for climate change and the solution methods used to solve it. We will refer to this model as the budget constraint model (BCM model). Then, we will introduce a relaxation of the BCM model by including the R&D budget as a cost in the objective function. We will call this the overall optimal model (OOM model). In order to represent the impacts of technical change, we will use the Mini-Climate Assessment Model (MiniCAM) to generate marginal abatement cost curves (MAC), which represent the cost of reducing an additional ton of CO2. Two sets of MAC curves based on the two assumptions are generated and used in our models to estimate the impacts of grid issues on the optimal R&D portfolios for climate change. The results of our analysis using the BCM model show that the composition of the optimal portfolio remains almost the same under the two grid assumptions. However, the results of the OOM model show some significant differences between the two assumptions, with considerably more solar R&D investment when intermittency issues are neglected. Our estimates of the costs of the grid range between 2.5 billion and 21 billion dollars.

Reducing carbon emissions in our societies requires a massive shift towards renewables. In Sweden, biomass is the dominant source for the district heat production, but growing demand for biomass in other sectors may cause pressure on it. In this context, this thesis explores the possibility to supply heat with solar parabolic thermal collectors to a district heating system in Kosta, a locality in Lessebo municipality, Kronoberg county. The simulations and calculations are based on the locally available hourly data of weather conditions, supply and return temperatures of district heat and heat demand profiles. The energy production as well as the profitability of the installation is evaluated through the calculation of carbon abatement costs, considering that heat supplied from solar collectors spares biomass which can be made available for decarbonating the power sector. Results have shown that a solar installation that cover most of the heat demand during the months of summer, thus 10% of the annual heat demand, can be profitable. This study also investigates different scenarios with increased costs for the biomass resource to simulate the growing pressure around this resource and concludes that with growing costs of the biomass resource, solar application will become more attractive, allowing to make larger solar district heating plants profitable.

The combination of Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) can reduce the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. It is, therefore, seen as an interesting tool in the CO2 abatement portfolio. In a Swedish context, BECCS could contribute to the goal of CO2 neutrality by 2045. This thesis aims to investigate the application of BECCS in the district heating system of Stockholm region with a case study at the energy utility Fortum Värme. The focus of the study is the technical and economic feasibility of such an application. The applicability of Fortum Värme´s plants to implement carbon capture is investigated together with costs and technical implications on each applicable plant and the district heating system as a whole. Three plants are deemed feasible for carbon capture with a cost of about 45€/tonne of captured CO2 (not including transport or storage). A model for transport of CO2 to promising storage sites in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is constructed for transport by pipeline and ship. Ship transport is estimated to be the most cost-efficient option in all scenarios. The total cost for BECCS is calculated at 70-100€/tonne depending on size of emissions and distance to storage locations. Furthermore, the total cost is calculated to decrease by 10-25% if some current promising technologies for carbon capture reach maturity, a market for transport services of CO2 evolves, and a number of actors are sharing the costs for storage.Calculated costs are on a similar price level as other CO2 abatement strategies such as CCS in industries, biogas, and biodiesel in the vehicle fleet. If the cost is applied directly to the heat price, without any subsidies, it would increase the price of heat by 14-21%.The major challenge of BECCS in combined heat and power production, compared to other studies based on power production, is the seasonality of heat demand. The capacity of the carbon capture system will be oversized during the summer, or undersized during the winter. This is an optimization challenge which has to be further studied.