The carbon footprint of the power generation is studied for more than 30 years now. In order to curb GHG emissions, politics, industrials and consumers tend to take action to reduce the carbon intensity of the electricity mix, spread electrification and enhance usage efficiency. However, little is known on the growing power network which connect production and consumption. This study assesses the GHG emission of typical distribution infrastructure projects, in Sweden, with the aim to express recommendation to further improvements. The life cycle assessment (LCA) follows the Greenhouse gas protocol, gathering every related emission from the material mining till the endof-life. The computation is carried out thanks to the project data, environmental product declaration and environmental agencies carbon emission factor. In addition, 50% load hypothesis have been assumed to model the electric usage of transformer and cable. As a result, the installation of 1km of 240mm2 aluminium cable emits 35.67t CO2eq throughout its 30 years of lifespan, involving material, vehicle, and usage related emissions. The GHG sources are almost evenly split between the losses in the cable and the cable material. This total rises up to 41.81 t CO2eq, when excavation is required. The same life cycle assessment is carried out for a 30 to 130 kV substation with a transformer capacity of 63MVA. 1287 t CO2eq are accounted with the highest share coming from SF6 leakage, with 31% of the emissions. To go further, a wide range of options is studied to reduce the projects’ climate impact: going from more sustainable materials, recycling, equipment lifespan extension, more efficient devices, and alternative fuels. Climate-economic studies applied to the previous project measures the costs and benefits for each solution. It demonstrates the relevance of circular economy, even in a business perspective. The transformer refurbishment must be prioritized as it saves the most emissions and costs. The aluminium recycling must be aimed for, because of its major GHG emission reduction for (aluminium) cable project. The substation design must ban as much as possible the SF6 usage and reduce the ground surface on grassland or forest. Lastly, electrification of the fleet and green concrete help to save extra tonnes of CO2eq for reasonable prices. / Koldioxidavtrycket från elproduktion har studerats i mer än 30 år. För att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser tenderar politiker, industrier och konsumenter att vidta åtgärder för att minska koldioxidin tensiteten i elmixern, sprida elektrifieringen och öka effektiviteten i användningen. Det finns dock få uppgifter om det växande elnätet som förbinder produktion och konsumtion. I den här studien bedöms växthusgasutsläppen från typiska distributionsinfrast rukturprojekt i Sverige i syfte att ge rekommendationer om ytterligare förbättringar. Livscykelanalysen följer växthusgasprotokollet och samlar in alla relaterade utsläpp från materialbrytning till slutet av livscykeln. Beräkningen görs med hjälp av projek tdata, miljövarudeklarationer och miljöorganens koldioxidutsläppsfaktorer. Dessutom har man utgått från en 50 transformatorns och kabelns elförbrukning.procentig belastning för att modellera Resultatet är att installationen av 1 km 240 mm2 aluminiumkabel koldioxidekvivalenter under sin 30släpper ut 35,67 ton åriga livslängd, vilket innefattar material, fordonsoch användningsrelaterade utsläpp. Växthusgaskällorna är nästan jämnt fördelade mellan förlusterna i kabeln och kabelmaterialet. Denna summa stig er till 41,81 t CO2eq när det krävs grävning. Samma livscykelanalys utförs för en 30130 kVstation med en transformatorkapacitet på 63 MVA. 1287 ton koldioxidekvivalenter redovisas, där den största andelen kommer från SF6 utsläppen. Fläckage, med 31 % av ör att gå vidare studeras ett stort antal alternativ för att minska projektens klimatpåverkan: mer hållbara material, återvinning, förlängning av utrustningens livslängd, effektivare apparater och alternativa bränslen. Klimatekonomiska studier som tillämpa ts på det tidigare projektet mäter kostnaderna och fördelarna för varje lösning. Det visar på relevansen av cirkulär ekonomi, även ur ett affärsperspektiv. Renoveringen av transformatorn måste prioriteras eftersom den sparar mest utsläpp och kostnader. Åt ervinning av aluminium måste eftersträvas, eftersom det ger en stor minskning av växthusgasutsläppen för (aluminium)kabelprojektet. Utformningen av transformatorstationer måste i så stor utsträckning som möjligt förbjuda SF6användning och minska markytan på gräsmark eller skog. Slutligen bidrar elektrifiering av fordonsflottan och grön betong till att spara ytterligare ton koldioxidekvivalenter till rimliga priser.

Transitioning from the conventional steel process to a direct hydrogen reduction process in the steel industry is a significant step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving greater sustainability. The process involves using hydrogen gas as a reducing agent instead of carbon to remove oxygen from the iron ore. This study aimed to investigate the future capacity of the hydrogen-based steelmaking process in Sweden by 2050 while also examining the pathway for transitioning to hydrogen-based steelmaking in other European countries in comparison to the Swedish case. To achieve this goal, a systematic literature search was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify relevant case studies and reviews that focused on green steel solutions and that discussed associated challenges and barriers. A aconsupteal model was designed by simplifying the process into three production steps, hydrogen storage, and hot briquette iron storage to calculate the energy consumption and material requirements for the hydrogen direct process in Sweden. Additionally, a survey providing insights regarding current practices and perspectives was administered to seven companies in Sweden and two in other European countries, namely the Netherlands and Germany. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the literature review on life cycle assessment was conducted to compare the carbon emissions associated with two different steel production processes: the conventional process using the basic oxygen furnace and the emerging hydrogen-based steel production process.  An analysis of the energy consumption within the hydrogen-based steelmaking process reveals several components, including the electrolyze, direct reduction shaft furnace, electric arc furnace, and briquetted iron and hydrogen storage. The model results showed that electrolyzing alone accounts for 60% of the energy needed in the process. The model showed that hydrogen direct reduction steelmaking needs 3.66 MWH of electricity per ton of liquid steel produced in Sweden.  Only a few of the Swedish companies have adopted innovative approaches while the remaining steel mills primarily rely on scrap-based methods. While they may obtain hydrogen-reduced iron as a raw material in the future, emissions reduction is not their primary focus. These mills contribute to emissions through fuel usage, and efforts are underway to transition from fossil fuels to electricity, bio -based gas, or hydrogen. Hydrogen-based steel production produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional steel productio, by up to 90 percent, depending on the specific process and energy used, as stated in the life cycle analysis reviews.  This thesis shows key factors for the success of hydrogen-based steel production methods; low -emission electricity and flexibility to store hydrogen. All three countries have expressed interest in and invested in hydrogen-based steelmaking. the share of renewable energy produced and consumed in hydrogen-based steel production in Sweden is expected to make up a share of 2.3% of the total renewable energy production in the country, while Germany and the Netherlands are projected to contribute a modest 1.5% and 1.3% respectively. However, the search for ways to lower carbon dioxide emissions is costly in terms of the amount of electricity required. There are practical reasons for the restricted usage of this steelmaking process in Europe, including the availability of steel scrap, electricity demand, and the low likelihood of scrap generation and recycling scrap availability on the EU  market. Because of this, it is challenging to predict capacity and carbon dioxide reduction by 2050.

No description available.

As per the Paris agreement in 2015, 190 nations have joined the cause to cut the Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To limit global warming, the aim is to reduce the global emissions to half by 2030 compared to 2012 and reach net zero by 2050. The transportation industry can play a big role to achieve this target. The freight transportation sector need to reduce the emissions by 20% (5.7 Gt) by 2030 compared to 2020 (7.2Gt) in order to reach the Net Zero Emissions goal by 2050[1]. At Mycronic group, freight transportation operations generate the third largest GHG and CO2 emissions after customer use of products and Material use. Most of the in-bound and out-bound deliveries are carried out by air freight. Air freight creates the highest emissions out of all the freight transport systems. To reduce the use of air freight and meet the requirements of global agreement, Mycronic group aims to deliver products in more sustainable and effective ways. Hence, this study aims to find less carbon-intensive shipping solutions for outbound deliveries of Mycronic products. A comparative study of current freight logistics system and a more sustainable system has been carried for one of the Mycronic AB divisions’ products and specific to outbound deliveries from Sweden to USA. Study of future trends of freight transport system in terms of sustainability with respect to upcoming technology, policies and initiatives have been carried out. For the calculation of emissions, a third-party proprietary software was used to analyse and compare the sustainable solutions. Product forecasting and the making of a tCO2e calculation sheet for salespeople were also carried out as support for the company to implement the suggested solution.Shipping of products through waterways is much more sustainable compared to other transport modes and that it should therefore be adopted more often to deliver products. A multi-modal transport system, including shipping by sea freight and further combined by road or rail freight found to be the most efficient solution to reduce the emissions. To adopt this solution, the main challenges appeared are the client acceptance for longer lead times and organizational behaviour change within Mycronic group. The technical requirements of the product analysed in this study did not prove to be an issue for transporting the product by waterways. / I enlighet med Parisavtalet 2015 har 190 länder anslutit sig till målet att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser (GHG). För att begränsa den globala uppvärmningen är målet att halvera de globala utsläppen till 2030 jämfört med 2012 och att nå nettonoll till 2050. Transportbranschen kan spela en stor roll för att uppnå detta mål. Godstransportsektorn behöver minska utsläppen med 20 % (5,7 Gt) till 2030 jämfört med 2020 (7,2 Gt) för att nå målet om nettonollutsläpp till 2050[1].På Mycronic group genererar godstransportverksamheten de tredje största utsläppen av växthusgaser och koldioxid efter kundernas användning av produkter och materialanvändning. De flesta inkommande och utgående leveranser sker med flygfrakt. Flygfrakt skapar de högsta utsläppen av alla frakttransportsystem. För att minska användningen av flygfrakt och uppfylla kraven i det globala avtalet strävar Mycronic Group efter att leverera produkter på ett mer hållbart och effektivt sätt. Syftet med den här studien är därför att hitta mindre koldioxidintensiva fraktlösningar för utgående leveranser av Mycronics produkter. En jämförande studie av nuvarande fraktlogistiksystem och ett mer hållbart system har genomförts för en av Mycronic AB:s divisioners produkter och specifikt för utgående leveranser från Sverige till USA. En studie av framtida trender för godstransportsystem i fråga om hållbarhet med hänsyn till kommande teknik, politik och initiativ har genomförts. För beräkning av utsläpp har en tredjeparts programvara använts för att analysera och jämföra de hållbara lösningarna. Produktprognoser och utarbetande av ett kalkylblad för tCO2e-beräkningar för säljare genomfördes också som stöd för företaget att genomföra den föreslagna lösningen.Transport av produkter via vattenvägar är mycket mer hållbart jämfört med andra transportsätt och bör därför användas oftare för att leverera produkter. Ett multimodalt transportsystem, med sjötransport och kombinerad transport på väg eller järnväg, visade sig vara den mest effektiva lösningen för att minska utsläppen. De största utmaningarna för att införa denna lösning är kundernas acceptans för längre ledtider och en förändring av det organisatoriska beteendet inom Mycronic-koncernen. De tekniska kraven på den produkt som analyserades i denna studie visade sig inte vara något problem för transport av produkten på vattenvägar.

The need to transition the global economy to net zero greenhouse gas emissions is clear. Commitments made by the majority of the world’s governments declare that a global net zero economy should be achieved by the middle of the century. What is less clear is how this transition should take place, or how these commitments impact companies. This paper explores senior management perspectives on a net zero transition, identifying drivers, enablers, and barriers to transitioning effectively. In line with Kurt Lewin’s work, we collectively refer to these as forces. Through 11 in-depth interviews and a quantitative survey to managers across several industries and geographies, we identify, rank, and visually conceptualise 26 forces that act on companies in the context of a net zero transition. The strongest driving force is ‘Societal awareness of climate change and net zero targets’, while the biggest current constraining force is ’Business priorities’. The force considered to have the single biggest potential impact is ‘government disincentives and bans’. Based on the collective analysis of our findings, there are possible policy implications that could be explored further in order to successfully manage a transition to net zero.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) with 300 times the radiative forcing in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO2), and has recently become a subject of great concern because the nitrogen (N) fertilizers which have been necessary to increase agricultural productivity have also dramatically increased N2O emissions from agroecosystems. Many N control practices have been suggested and implemented in agroecosystems, but their ability to simultaneously remove reactive N from the environment and prevent the production of N2O is, at best poorly understood. The goal of this work is to characterize environmental controls on production of N2O in denitrifying bioreactors. The review portion of this work first discusses the geologic history of the N cycle, how its past and present processes differ, and how it is being affected by human activity. It then explores the N cycle's biochemical pathways, reviews the controls for each of its steps, and discusses the environmental drivers of these controls. The review closes with a discussion of environmental N management strategies. The experimental portion of this work further explores these concepts by observing how biochar amendment and the modification of pH affect N2O production in the denitrification pathway in denitrifying bioreactors. Both pH and biochar have previously been shown to affect N2O production and many N management practices utilize biochar or manipulate pH to increase N retention. The objectives of the experiment were to: 1) Examine headspace N2O concentration in sealed, biochar-amended, denitrifying bioreactors; 2) Determine if the effects of pH on N2O production differ in biochar-amended systems versus controls (under acidic, unbuffered, and buffered conditions); 3) Quantify key denitrification genes (nirK, nirS, nosZ) in each treatment combination. Experimental results showed biochar treatment to significantly increase N2O emissions, a result which runs contrary to most, but not all studies regarding its effects on N2O production. Differences between treatments decreased with increasing pH levels. Biochar did not exhibit significant effects on individual denitrification genes, but it did show influence on the ratios of their populations. On the other hand, pH was found to have significant effects on nirS and nosZ populations. Differences in N2O production between biochar and controls were thus explained by biochar's chemical effects, likely its ability to increase denitrification activity. Developing an understanding of the mechanisms behind these differences will require using a combination of isotope tracing, enzyme assays, and mass balance approaches. Future microbial work in biochar-amended systems should attempt to characterize differences in gene expression, overall community structure, and long-term population trends in the genes of interest. The combination of these approaches should allow researchers to better predict where N2O production will occur and develop strategies to mitigate it while simultaneously increasing food production to meet the demands of a growing population. / Master of Science

Stickstoffdüngung und Bodenbewirtschaftung sind die Hauptquellen für Treibhausgase aus Anbausystemen. Dennoch sind diese Maßnahmen in Ackerbaubetrieben unerlässlich. In Anbetracht der Notwendigkeit, rasch Maßnahmen gegen den Klimawandel zu ergreifen, ist es notwendig Minderungspotentiale und Kosten in diesen Betrieben zu ermitteln und vergleichen. Es wurden Fallstudien in den USA, in Brasilien und in Deutschland durchgeführt, wobei jeweils eine Kultur in jeder Region untersucht wurde. Wissenschaftliche Literatur und Fokusgruppen mit lokalen Experten wurden genutzt, um realistische Ergebnisse zu generieren, die den lokalen Kontext abbilden. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Minderungsstrategien von dem betrachteten Zeithorizont abhängt, der sich aus der Kohlenstoffdynamik im Boden ergibt. Kurzfristig bieten Strategien, die die Kohlenstoffbindung fördern, ein größeres Minderungspotenzial, was jedoch langfristig nicht zutrifft. Kurzfristig wurden in Brasilien und den USA die geringsten Minderungskosten durch die Optimierung der Stickstoffdüngung erreicht. Diese Kosten sind negativ, was bedeutet, dass die Anwendung dieser Strategien, nicht nur ihre Emissionen, sondern auch ihre Kosten senken würden. Weitere kosteneffiziente Strategien waren die Verringerung der Bodenbearbeitungsintensität und Zwischenfrüchte, die in allen Fällen mit vergleichbaren Minderungskosten durchführbar waren und die Kohlenstoffbindung fördern. Der Einsatz von Hemmstoffen schließlich, der in den USA und in Brasilien möglich war, hatte die höchsten Minderungskosten. Langfristig betrachtet stiegen die Minderungskosten von Strategien mit Kohlenstoffbindung an und waren ähnlich hoch oder höher als bei Strategien ohne Kohlenstoffbindung. Da in allen Fällen dieselbe Methodik angewandt wurde, sind die Ergebnisse vergleichbar. Darüber hinaus sind die Ergebnisse zwar spezifisch für den Kontext, in dem sie berechnet wurden, sie liefern jedoch Erkenntnisse für ähnliche Regionen. / Nitrogen fertilization and soil management are the main sources of greenhouse gases from cropping systems. Yet these operations are essential on arable farms. Considering the need to take quick action against climate change, it is necessary to understand which mitigation potentials and cost can be attained in these farms and how they compare. Case studies in the USA, Brazil and in Germany were conducted, assessing one crop in each region. Scientific literature and focus groups with local experts were used to generate realistic results which depict the local context. This thesis identified that the economics of the mitigation strategies depended on the time horizon considered, which results from the carbon dynamics in the soil. In the short term, strategies promoting carbon sequestration offer a larger mitigation potential, yet this is not valid in the long term. In the short term, the lowest mitigation costs were attained by optimizing the nitrogen rate, feasible in the USA and Brazil. These costs are indicated to be negative, implying that adopting the strategy would not only lower emissions, but also reduce their costs. The next most cost efficient strategies were the reduction of the tillage intensity and cover crops, which were feasible in all cases with comparable mitigation costs and promote carbon sequestration. Lastly, the adoption of inhibitors, feasible in the USA and in Brazil, had among the highest mitigation costs. Assuming the long term, the mitigation costs of strategies with carbon sequestration increased, becoming similar to or higher than strategies without carbon sequestration. By applying the same methodology in each case, the results are comparable. Moreover, while the findings are specific to the context in which they were calculated, they provide insights for similar regions.

The thesis outlined in this report is a pre-feasibility study of the potential to use waste-to-energy technology in the region Kutai Kartanegara, Borneo, Indonesia. The project is a collaboration between the Kutai Kartanegara government, Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural sciences and the technology consulttancy Sweco. The current waste management system in Kutai Kartanegara consists of landfills in the cities and open burnings and dumping in the lesser developed sub-districts. This is a growing problem both environmentally and logistically. The electrification in the sub-districts is sometimes as low as 17 % and access to electricity is often limited to a couple of hours per day. The current electricity production in the region is mainly from fossil fuels. Data was collected during a two month long field study in Tenggarong, the capital of Kutai Kartanegara. From the collected data, various waste-to-energy systems and collection areas were simulated in Matlab. Results from the simulations show that a system using both a waste incineration and biogas plant would be the best solution for the region. The chosen system is designed to handle a total of 250,000 tons of waste annually, collected from Tenggarong and neighbouring districts. The system will provide between 155 and 200 GWh electricity and between 207 and 314 GWh of excess heat energy annually. Some of this is used in a district heating system with an absorption-cooling machine. The system investment cost is around 42.5 MUSD and it is expected to generate an annual profit of 16 MUSD. The recommended solution will decrease the emissions of CO2-equivalents compared to the current waste system and fossil electricity production with 50%. The results in the study clearly show that there are both economic and environmental potential for waste-to-energy technologies in the region. But the waste management and infrastructure has to be improved to be able to utilize these technologies. By implementing waste-to-energy technologies, the supplied waste can be seen as a resource instead of a problem. This would give incentives for further actions and investments regarding waste management.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering / Ronaldo Maghirang / Emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2), from open beef cattle feedlots is becoming an environmental concern; however, scientific information on emissions and abatement measures for feedlots is limited. This research was conducted to quantify GHG emissions from feedlots and evaluate abatement measures for mitigating emissions. Specific objectives were to: (1) measure N2O emissions from the pens in a commercial cattle feedlot; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of surface amendments in mitigating GHG emissions from feedlot manure; (3) evaluate the effects of water application on GHG emissions from feedlot manure; and (4) compare the photo-acoustic infrared multi-gas analyzer (PIMA) and gas chromatograph (GC) in measuring concentrations of N2O and CO2 emitted from feedlot manure. Field measurements on a commercial beef cattle feedlot using static flux chambers combined with GC indicated that N2O emission fluxes varied significantly with pen surface condition. The moist/muddy surface had the largest median emission flux; the dry and compacted, dry and loose, and flooded surfaces had significantly lower median emission fluxes. Pen surface amendments (i.e., organic residues, biochar, and activated carbon) were applied on feedlot manure samples in glass containers and evaluated for their effectiveness in mitigating GHG emissions. Emission fluxes were measured with the PIMA. For dry manure, all amendments showed significant reduction in N2O and CO2 emission fluxes compared with the control (i.e., no amendment). For moist manure, biochar significantly reduced GHG emissions at days 10 and 15 after application; the other amendments had limited effects on GHG emissions. The effect of water application on GHG emissions from feedlot manure was evaluated. Manure samples (with and without water application) were placed in glass containers and analyzed for GHG emission using a PIMA. For the dry manure, GHG emissions were negligible. Application of water on the manure samples resulted in short-term peaks of GHG emissions a few minutes after water application. Comparison of the GC and PIMA showed that they were significantly correlated but differed in measured concentrations of N2O and CO2. The PIMA showed generally lower N2O concentrations and higher CO2 concentrations than the GC.

Com o crescente debate a respeito da contribuição do homem nas emissões de gases causadores do efeito estufa, além da pressão da sociedade por um comprometimento maior das lideranças mundiais com políticas de mitigação dos efeitos das mudanças climáticas, faz-se necessário estudar os efeitos que a adoção de políticas climáticas pelos países do chamado Anexo I (desenvolvidos) e pelos que pertencem ao Não-Anexo I (em desenvolvimento) podem ter sobre a economia brasileira. Também é importante analisar como se daria este impacto em um contexto onde o Brasil adotaria políticas de mitigação dos efeitos das mudanças climáticas, principalmente pelo fato do país ser responsável por uma parcela considerável de gases causadores do efeito estufa, devido às atividades relacionadas às mudanças no uso da terra, agricultura e pecuária, bem como pela crescente pressão para um compromisso mundial de esforço de redução de emissões. O presente trabalho buscou estimar cenários para o Brasil, levando-se em consideração políticas ambientais domésticas e internacionais já discutidas ou em aplicação pelos países desenvolvidos, e assim, verificar quais os impactos sobre as economias em termos de bem-estar e produto. / With the growing debate about the contribution of human emissions of greenhouse gases, along with pressure from society for a greater commitment of world leaders with policies to mitigate the effects of climate change, it is necessary to study the effects that adoption of climate policies by the countries of the so-called Annex I (developed) and those who belong to non-Annex I (developing) may have on the Brazilian economy. It is also important to analyze how this impact would occur in a context where Brazil would adopt policies to mitigate the effects of climate change, mainly because the country is responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions due to activities related to changes in land use, agriculture and livestock, as well as the increasing pressure for a global commitment to emissions reduction effort. The present study sought to estimate scenarios for Brazil, taking into account domestic and international environmental policies already discussed or implemented by developed countries, and thus determine the impacts on the economies in terms of welfare and product.