Rapporten beskriver utförandet av ett examensarbete på högskoleingenjörsnivå. Arbetet utfördes på företaget WA3RM AB, vars affärsidé är att skapa värde från industriers outnyttjade resurser, genom att knyta samman olika aktörer och uppnå cirkulär ekonomi med syftet att minska klimatpåverkan och uppnå de globala målen för hållbar utveckling. WA3RM upplevde att arbetssätt i produktutvecklingsprojekt behövde kartläggas eftersom företaget i framtiden ville industrialisera fler produkter. Som ett led i WA3RM:s kartläggning av produktutvecklingsprojekt var examensarbetets syfte att skapa en process för konceptval i produktutvecklingsprojekt. Processen utformades efter WA3RM:s behov och examensarbetets mål var att besvara hur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv kan införas i fasen för konceptval i produktutvecklingsprojekt. Examensarbetet har skett med stöd av metoden Plan, Do, Check, Act, med syftet att strukturera och dela upp arbetet i delproblem. Problemområde och avgränsningar definierades och en kartläggning på företaget gjordes. Det gjordes en litteraturstudie utifrån kartläggningens resultat där verktyg och stöd för metoder identifierades till det slutliga förslaget, en process för konceptval. I kartläggningen identifierades tre huvudområden, krav & mål, hållbarhet samt cirkulärekonomi, vilka utgjorde grunden för litteraturstudien och förslaget, processen för konceptval.Processen för konceptval utgörs av fyra faser, där applikationer sorteras ut, rangordnas, kombineras till olika produkter, vilka slutligen rangordnas. I slutet av processen ska projektgruppen ha ett diskussionsunderlag som stöd för rekommendation till organisationen om konceptval för vidareutveckling i produktutvecklingsprojekt. En slutsats av examensarbetet var att metoderna och verktygen i processen ger möjlighet för att ta hänsyn till hållbarhetsperspektiv. Det anses dock viktigt att ta hänsyn till andra perspektivsom marknad och finansiering för att utveckla realiserbara och konkurrenskraftiga produkter, så att WA3RM kan fortsätta industrialisera produkter som minskar klimatpåverkan och inspirerar fler aktörer. / This report describes the execution of a bachelor's thesis. The work was conducted at the company WA3RM AB, whose business idea is to create value from unused resources in industries by connecting various stakeholders and achieving circular economy with the aim of reducing climate impact and achieving the global goals for sustainable development. WA3RM identified the need to map the work processes in product development projects, as the company intends to industrialize more products in the future. As part of WA3RM:s mapping of product development projects, the purpose of the thesis work was to create a process for concept selection in product development projects. The process was adapted to WA3RM:s needs, and the goal of the thesis work was to answer how a sustainability perspective can be established in the concept selection phase of product development projects. The thesis work was conducted using the Plan, Do, Check, Act method to structure and divide the work into sub-problems. Problem areas and limitations were defined and a mapping at the company was performed. A literature review was conducted based on the results of the mapping to identify tools and methods for the final proposal, the concept selection process. The mapping identified three main areas: requirements and goals, sustainability, and circular economy, which formed the basis for the literature review and the proposal, the concept selection process. The concept selection process consists of four phases, where applications are divided, ranked, generated to products, and finally ranked again. At the end of the process, the project team should have a basis for discussion to provide recommendations to the organization, regarding concept selection for further development in product development projects. A conclusion drawn from the thesis work was that the methods and tools in the process allows for consideration of sustainability aspects. However, it is important to consider other perspectives such as market and financing to develop feasible and competitive products, so that WA3RM can continue to industrialize products that reduce climate impact and inspire more stakeholders.

Background: Regulations and Governments prompt companies to reassess their practices and align with sustainability standards. It emphasizes a transition towards circular business practices, which requires large amounts of capital to commit to the adoption of circularity fully. The transportation sector is a prime example of an industry undergoing a significant circular transformation due to its environmental impact. Circular servitization has complemented the circular transformation by offering products as services instead of selling them outright. This has had severe financial statement implications since the operations differ from linear practices and requires large investments. Financial institutions still assume techniques, modulation, and evaluation processes adapted for linear purposes, which creates obstacles to capturing the value circular business models generate. Subsequently, financial institutions are hesitant to fund circular business models due to the perception of increased risk. Hence, financial inertia occurs and hinders the development of circular businesses.  Purpose: This research adopts the perspective of financial institutions and examines the barriers and enablers that impact companies' transitions to circular business models, leading to or mitigating financial inertia.  Method: The study is qualitative and adopted an abductive approach to contrast theory and findings with the interpretive research paradigm. The primary data was collected from eleven different respondents from a Swedish financial institution. Sampling was done non-randomly with a purposive sample and a convenience input to gather data from respondents who were part of the financial institution and knowledgeable in the circular transition.  Findings: The aim of the study was to answer two research questions regarding barriers causing, and enablers mitigating financial inertia. The findings provided three soft and six hard barriers relating to financial techniques, modeling, and evaluation methods, along with internal competence about circularity, stakeholder involvement, and regulations. Additionally, the study found three soft and six hard enablers which could be interpreted as underlying drivers for mitigating financial inertia.

The Circular Economy is a growing research field and policy agenda. Yet, integrating the social dimensions of sustainability into the Circular Economy remains a challenge. The significance of reactions to an implemented Circular Economy is poorly understood.  Contrary to the narrative that consumer demand shapes supply, affordance theory stresses the significance of considering the exogenous physical context that shapes user decisions. Building on affordance theory and insights from the social sciences, this study develops an agent-based model, TransportTransform, to analyse the interactions of the individual-, meso-, and system-levels. The agent-based model connects individual mobility choices with network decision-making mechanisms. Looking at user decision-making on transportation modes, the model yields insights into the interaction of mode occupancy and social norms to assess system patterns of user behaviour. The model design was informed by eleven interviews with researchers in the field and is initialized with data from an empirical survey conducted in Germany. The TransportTransform agent-based model confirms the importance of affordances as an important factor in modal choice. Model results show the relevance of including habitual behaviour when modelling transport mode choice, with the car being the most popular mode, followed by biking and public transport. Incorporating mode occupancy significantly reduces car usage, offering potential policy avenues for redirecting mode capacities towards desired modes. The impact of social norms on mode choice was less pronounced, highlighting the need to further explore norm internalisation and the indirect effects of social norms in future model iterations. The study emphasizes the need for further model expansions to better understand the impact of Circular Economy policies on user decision-making. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering the social dimensions of sustainability in the Circular Economy and provides a valuable framework and implemented agent-based model for analysing user behaviour in this context.

Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to identify Swedish foundries’ challenges regarding circularity and sustainability demands and explore how SME foundries can be more sustainable and circular. Method: The research approach used in this study is an exploratory multiple-case study. The research questions are answered by using qualitative data through interviews and observations as data collection methods. Findings: The study’s findings present many challenges for Swedish foundries. The main challenges identified are fluctuations in demand, Just-in-Time, extra transports, and the availability of suitable supply chain partners. The challenge of demand fluctuations for SME foundries resulted in a recommendation on how SMEs can face the challenge. The recommendation aims to reallocate capacity by warehousing, followed by increasing communication in the supply chain. The study concludes that Swedish foundries are far from achieving circular supply chains but strive for sustainable foundries. Practical Implications: Organizations could use this thesis as a point of reference to compare and reflect on their foundry operations. Since SMEs are targeted for facing challenges in the industry, practical implications could provide a recommendation for organizations and managers in the foundry industry to collaborate more efficiently with OEMs. Theoretical Implications: This study contributes to the existing knowledge with a new perspective as the challenges connected to sustainability and circularity have been a gap for academia in the foundry industry. Delimitations: This thesis delimitates within the supply chain of one SME and two OEMs in the Swedish foundry industry. The SME’s role in the supply chain is a supplier of casted components, while the OEMs are both a producer of castings and a customer of components. The areas within the supply chain studied are castings, materials, logistics, production, and sustainability & circularity.

Businesses are gradually extending their attention towards including sustainability activities in their business practices. Current linear approaches are outdated and new long-term sustainable options are being investigated. Circular economy (CE) has gained momentum during the past few years after the publication of a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2013. Since then, scientific articles have presented different aspects of the concept, proposing various frameworks on how to address circular product design or circular business models. However, a framework visualizing CE from a holistic perspective and how it should be implemented is lacking. Therefore, this master’s thesis aims at developing a practically applicable framework for CE on a strategic level, as well as a tool for implementing circularity practices in an organization. Since large manufacturing industries seem to find it especially difficult to change from linear to circularity practices, the focus of this study will be on large manufacturing companies. Previous literature within the area was analyzed to interpret existing findings and to enable a creation of a new holistic CE framework. A case study was carried out to enable analyzing theoretical findings with a practical case. The conducted studies resulted in the development of a holistic CE framework, presenting areas necessary to address to accomplish a successful CE implementation. An implementation model was also developed, based on the stage-gate process, as well as the British Standard for implementing CE. The case study results show a status quo based on categories within the developed CE framework. The proposed implementation tool along with three defined focus areas to guide the case company’s continued transition was defined as 1) to introduce product-service systems to close resource loops and increase control of company resources, 2) to improve organizational culture to increase knowledge and thereby also the company’s market position, and 3) to establish product-focused partnerships to strengthen value chain relations.

Undersökningen syftar till att ge en bild av vilka förutsättningar och möjligheter det finns för uppförande av en försorteringsanläggning där plasten i avfallet kan sorteras ut. Detta sker genom att undersöka ekonomiska besparingar genom minskat behov av utsläppsrätter, identifiera lämplig utsorteringsteknik, utreda hur avsättningen för utsorterad plast kan se ut genom att identifiera potentiella mottagare samt kostnader för avsättning och transport. Undersökningen tyder på att NIR-teknik är den mest lämpliga för en försorteringsanläggning. Med Svensk Plaståtervinning som mottagare beräknas en framtida försorteringsanläggning kunna minska mängden plast som går till förbränning med 48%. Detta motsvarar en kostnadsbesparing i utsläppsrätter på 7 670 000 kr per år med dagens utsläppsrättspriser och 9 850 000 kronor per år med estimerade värden för framtidens utsläppsrättspriser. En medförd årlig transportkostnad av den utsorterade plasten till mottagare beräknas uppgå på 632 000 kronor per år. Det finns idag ett flertal potentiella mottagare av den utsorterade plasten men ett pris för denna hantering är svårt att få och kräver vidare utredning och diskussion. Ett ungefärligt europeiskt marknadspris för hantering av utsorterad förpackningsplast är givet till cirka 250 €/ton.

With the rapid advancement of autonomous vehicles, reliable and efficient wireless communication systems with high data rates have become essential for their safe and efficient operation and further evolution. High data rates are found in the higher frequency bands where conductive antennas lack radiation efficiency. To achieve high radiation efficiency, researchers tend towards using Circular Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antennas (CP-DRA). However, there is a lack of studies that cover the FR2 5G bands n257, n258, n261 suggested by 3GPP which is needed if vehicles were to drive across regional borders. This project addresses the challenges of achieving suitable CP-DRA performance for autonomous vehicle communication aimed at covering these FR2 5G bands. The objective is to design and simulate an optimized CP-DRA antenna that meets the required performance characteristics for further use in a phased array for efficient communication in the high-frequency FR2 5G bands. The objective was fulfilled by producing a model of a CP-DRA antenna that covers the mentioned FR2 5G bands. The antenna array achieves this with an axial ratio beam width at plus/minus 20 degrees azimuth angle and peak gain of 9-12 dBi throughout the frequency range. The model consists of four cylindrical resonator antenna elements excited in phase quadrature by a slot aperture feeding network to accomplish the circular polarization. The radiation efficiency of the model is 94% throughout the frequency range with an impedance bandwidth of < -15 dB. A prototype was built and tested that vaguely verified the beam pattern and center frequency. Future work includes building a prototype more comparable to the model for further verification of the circularly polarized gain pattern.

This thesis sits at the relationship between an architecture, and the landscape that produces and is produced by that architecture, recognising that the way we build is often profoundly damaging to the land and its inhabitants, not only at the site of construction but across a vast network of extraction, transportation and processing. We need a new material culture that rethinks of the built environment as an extension of the wider ecosystem and social context, able to be maintained in good health through a symbiotic, seasonal and regenerative cycle of matter and energy.  The project uses an architectural proposal for collective living in the countryside, to explore how rural areas - responsible for the majority of our resource production - could set a precedent for new patterns of resource consumption and practice a Convivial* Construction.  *where conviviality is the building of long lasting, engaging and open ended relationships with non-humans and ecologies (Buscher & Fletcher, 2021)

Banana peels account for about 61 million tons of waste each year globally. The aim of this project was to investigate the possibility of using banana peels as a substrate to cultivate edible filamentous fungi. The peels were subjected to physical and thermal pretreatments while variables such as changes in the medium pH, biomass concentration, fungal strain dependence, and protein content of the fungal biomass were analyzed. The experiments were carried out in three phases. The purpose of phase I was to identify which of the four fungal strains among Neurospora intermedia, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oryzae, and Rhizopus oligosporus could grow in a medium containing ball-milled banana peel powder (BPP) only. In phase II, the best performing strains from phase I in terms of biomass concentration, i.e., A. oryzae and R. oryzae, were cultivated using banana peel broth (BPB) obtained from thermal pretreatment of BPP. During this phase, the impact of medium supplementation with yeast extract was also assessed. The biomass yield for A. oryzae and R. oryzae 2.9 g/L and 1.6 g/L, respectively, yeast supplementation compared to 2.7 g/L and 0.7 g/L, respectively, without supplementation. In phase III, the experiments performed in phase II without yeast extract supplementation were scaled up, after which protein analysis was performed. A crude protein content of 8.82% was determined for A. oryzae, while in R. oryzae, a higher value of 21.1% was obtained. The protein content from both fungal strains was much higher than that present in the BPP, which was 4.8 g/L. The results showed the potential of using banana peel as a substrate to produce edible fungal biomass with higher protein content and thus has potential applications as animal feed or human food. Further studies are needed to optimize the process in order to raise the fungal biomass yield as well as increase the protein content of the biomass. In addition, comprehensive characterization of the fungal biomass would reveal other important components, such as the amino acid profile.

Currently the treatment of alcohol use disorder is very difficult and often requires the combination of therapy and medications, with many who undertake treatment experiencing relapse over time. There is also no treatment in use to prevent the development of alcohol use disorder. It is the aim of this work to provide information that may be useful for the development of a preventative treatment for developing alcohol use disorder by elucidating more of the acute effects of alcohol use. It is known that these effects originate in the brain. Within the brain are circuits made up of neurons that communicate with each other through chemical synapses. These chemical synapses involve the release of neurotransmitters from one neuron that are detected by another neuron, which initiates its own response. It is known that ethanol can change how much neurotransmitter is released from a neuron, depending on the specific neuron tested, and many researchers have implicated the "release machinery" as a target. It is also known that alcohol can affect lipid membrane properties that are important for the fusion of the vesicle membrane, encapsulating the neurotransmitter, with the cell membrane for release of the neurotransmitter outside of the neuron. It is not known if alcohol directly affects the SNARE proteins ("release machinery") or the lipid membranes to initiate the change in neurotransmitter release previously observed. Within this work you will find a discussion of the steps of neurotransmitter release and the known effects of anesthetics on components of this process, as an introduction to the topic (Chapters 1 and 2). In Chapters 3-5 you will find studies that successively dive deeper and deeper into the effects of alcohol on the SNARE proteins and lipid membranes. We show that ethanol is effective at a dose of 0.4% v/v or 64 mM at increasing fusion probability in a model of neurotransmitter release that uses the 3 SNARE proteins to drive fusion of a vesicle with a supported membrane. We also show that alcohol has little direct effect on the SNARE proteins themselves. In addition, we provide evidence that alcohol alters fusion oppositely, depending on which membrane leaflet it has most direct access to. In Chapter 5 we show that alcohol increases the probability of lipid tail protrusion in silico. Previously it has been shown that protrusion of one fatty acid tail of one lipid can initiate fusion of that membrane with an apposing membrane. These data provide further insight into the effects of alcohol on a neuron and we would argue are valuable to research pursuing treatment and prevention of alcohol use disorder.