The wastewater treatment process has developed with the primary goals of protecting receiving water ecosystems and human health. Over time, there have been continuous innovations in process efficiencies, energy recovery, and nutrient removal. Wastewater offers opportunity for recovery of resources of various economic values, and recent research aims at process innovation to optimize resource recovery while still achieving the primary goals of the treatment process. The objective of this study is to assess the logistical and economic feasibility of recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus at two municipal treatment plants in the Tampa Bay area, one employing aerobic digestion and the other anaerobic digestion. The study is conducted using literature review of applicable processes, mass balance on the fate of nutrients (N and P) through the treatment plants and special attention to sludge handling. Based on the whole-plant mass balance conducted at the facilities, it is estimated that over 80% of the nutrient influent is routed to the solids handling side of the plant, warranting special attention to this area for nutrient recovery. Sludge digested through anaerobic and anaerobic processes have distinctly different characteristics and opportunities for resource recovery are specific to each process. Mass balances for nitrogen in the anaerobic digestion process show a high concentration of dissolved ammonia. The feasibility of struvite precipitation by addition of phosphate and magnesium compounds is evaluated through batch reaction using anaerobic sludge filtrate. Aerobic sludge contains most of the nutrient resources in the solid phase, ready for recovery if handled properly. Phosphorus release is a potential concern and specific phosphorus release rates are evaluated for a municipal scale aerobic digester.

The capability of autonomous operation of ship-based Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in extreme sea conditions would greatly extend the usefulness of these aircraft for both military and civilian maritime purposes. Maritime operations are often associated with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) procedures, even though the advantages of conventional fixed-wing aircraft over VTOL aircraft in terms of flight speed, range and endurance are well known. In this work, current methods of shipboard recovery are analysed and the problems associated with recovery in adverse weather conditions are identified. Based on this analysis, a novel recovery method is proposed. This method, named Cable Hook Recovery, is intended to recover small to medium-size fixed-wing UAVs on frigate-size vessels. It is expected to have greater operational capabilities than the Recovery Net technique, which is currently the most widely employed method of recovery for similar class of UAVs, potentially providing safe recovery even in very rough sea and allowing the choice of approach directions. The recovery method is supported by the development of a UAV controller that realises the most demanding stage of recovery, the final approach. The controller provides both flight control and guidance strategy that allow fully autonomous recovery of a fixed-wing UAV. The development process involves extensive use of specially tailored Evolutionary Algorithms and represents the major contribution of this work. The Evolutionary Design algorithm developed in this work combines the power of Evolutionary Strategies and Genetic Programming, enabling automatic evolution of both the structure and parameters of the controller. The controller is evolved using a fully coupled nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom UAV model, making linearisation and trimming of the model unnecessary. The developed algorithm is applied to both flight control and guidance problems with several variations, from optimisation of a routine PID controller to automatic control laws synthesis where no a priori data available. It is demonstrated that Evolutionary Design is capable of not only optimising, but also solving automatically the real-world problems, producing human-competitive solutions. The designed UAV controller has been tested comprehensively for both performance and robustness in a nonlinear simulation environment and has been found to allow the aircraft to be recovered in the presence of both large external disturbances and uncertainty in the simulation models.

<p>Energy recovering techniques for air conditioning has increased in recent years and new prod- </p><p>ucts have been introduced to the market where the Membrane-based Energy Recovery Ventilator </p><p>(ERV) is one promising product. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new type of membrane </p><p>material for an ERV and give an analysis of the need for digital control of the air flow rate to </p><p>improve efficiency. A prototype counter-flow ERV was used in the test to validate the performance under different </p><p>flow conditions. The result was promising for the tested membrane material with high moisture </p><p>and heat transfer. The optimisation of the flow rate was found to be superfluous, since the relation </p><p>between the energy transferred by the ERV and the air flow rate was almost linear.</p>

<p>Service recovery is about problems. What happens when customers experience problems? Well, sometimes customers complain to the one responsible for the service. Sometimes customers do not complain but instead tell somebody else about the problem, possibly leading to a bad reputation for the one responsible for the service. Sometimes it happens that customers never return to the same provider because of the problem experienced. To avoid the customer leaving, service recovery can be used. Service recovery is a set of actions a service pro-vider can take in order to repair a failure (Tax and Brown, 1998; Zemke, 1995; Scheuing and Christopher, 1993; Levesque and McDougall, 2000).</p><p>In addition, many services today are Internet-based, meaning that services are self-services enabled by information technology (IT). Self-services enabled by IT, referred to as self-service technology (SST), are characterized by an interac-tion between a user and a machine rather than between two humans. Conse-quently, service recovery is no longer between two people interacting in a face-to-face manner when solving problems, but between a user and a machine when taking place in an SST context.</p><p>This change of context has resulted in difficulties but also opportunities in the work of service recovery. Instead of turning to the one responsible for the service when problems occur, it is now possible to turn to other customers and users to receive help. SST has opened up new opportunities to learn with and from other individuals through the sharing of knowledge. The sharing of knowledge for the purpose of turning problems into solutions and improve-ments depends on the ability to create value for people involved.</p><p>Service recovery in a self-service technology context, i.e. self-service recovery (SSR) is defined as the capability, enabled by self-service technology, of turning user prob-lems into solutions and improvements by means of sharing knowledge between users in order to create value.</p><p>The aim of this doctoral thesis is to answer the question, “Why self-service recovery works?” The question is addressed by seven research studies and by evolving a framework for understanding why self-service recovery works.</p><p>The contributions of this dissertation reside from the framework, which en-hances our understanding of self-service recovery as a value creation activity through not only recovery, but also improvement of the service in question.</p>

<p>I takt med att Försvarsmakten ökar sitt internationella engagemang ökar också riskerna för att svensk personal ska bli isolerad, tillfångatagen eller kidnappad. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka om svensk undsättningsförmåga är tillräcklig för de insatser som Försvarsmakten genomför internationellt.</p><p>Det kan konstateras att flera faktorer bidrar till ett behov av en undsättningsförmåga. Försvarsmakten har en moralisk skyldighet mot sin personal att göra allt för att se till att de kommer hem ifall något skulle hända dem. Försvarsmakten har heller inte råd att få personal kidnappad då det genom media och hemmaopinion kan ge ett högt tryck på politiker vilket i sin tur kan leda till att Försvarsmakten tvingas dra sig ur en insats. Förvarsmakten måste även kunna ansvara för sig själv och inte förlita sig på att en annan nation ska lösa problemet när situationen inte kan hanteras. I övriga europeiska länder saknas i många fall en fullgod undsättningsförmåga och därför blir det än viktigare att Försvarsmakten innehar en egen förmåga. Förmågan bör åtminstone omfatta kvalificerade helikoptrar och välutbildade undsättningsenheter med rätt utrustning för att en trovärdig undsättningsförmåga ska finnas i organisationen.</p><p>Resultaten av uppsatsen tyder på att Försvarsmakten har kommit långt i sin strävan att utveckla en undsättningsförmåga men att organisationen brister i att utveckla verkligt kvalificerade undsättningsförband. Dessa förband bör tilldelas mer resurser för att en trovärdig förmåga kopplat mot Försvarsmaktens målsättning ska upprätthållas.</p> / <p>When the Swedish Armed Forces are increasing its contribution to international peacekeeping missions there is an increasing danger that Swedish personnel could find themselves isolated and taken hostage. The purpose with this work is to examine whether the level of Swedish Personnel Recovery is acceptable due to the international missions the Swedish Armed Forces is participating in. </p><p>The Swedish Armed Forces has the moral responsibility to bring all personnel home when deployed. One reason to have Personnel Recovery capability is to reduce the danger of getting personnel executed and media exploiting it which could lead to a withdrawal from the area. Further on Swedish Armed Forces have got to have its own Personnel Recovery capability since not very many countries has a sufficient capability. The Swedish Armed Forces Personnel Recovery capability should at least contain qualified helicopters and Personnel Recovery units.</p><p>The results of this work is that the Swedish Armed Forces has made huge progress in developing a Personnel Recovery capability although there is a lack of truly qualified Personnel Recovery units which should be given sufficient funds to enhance the Swedish Personnel Recovery capability.</p>

Service recovery is about problems. What happens when customers experience problems? Well, sometimes customers complain to the one responsible for the service. Sometimes customers do not complain but instead tell somebody else about the problem, possibly leading to a bad reputation for the one responsible for the service. Sometimes it happens that customers never return to the same provider because of the problem experienced. To avoid the customer leaving, service recovery can be used. Service recovery is a set of actions a service pro-vider can take in order to repair a failure (Tax and Brown, 1998; Zemke, 1995; Scheuing and Christopher, 1993; Levesque and McDougall, 2000). In addition, many services today are Internet-based, meaning that services are self-services enabled by information technology (IT). Self-services enabled by IT, referred to as self-service technology (SST), are characterized by an interac-tion between a user and a machine rather than between two humans. Conse-quently, service recovery is no longer between two people interacting in a face-to-face manner when solving problems, but between a user and a machine when taking place in an SST context. This change of context has resulted in difficulties but also opportunities in the work of service recovery. Instead of turning to the one responsible for the service when problems occur, it is now possible to turn to other customers and users to receive help. SST has opened up new opportunities to learn with and from other individuals through the sharing of knowledge. The sharing of knowledge for the purpose of turning problems into solutions and improve-ments depends on the ability to create value for people involved. Service recovery in a self-service technology context, i.e. self-service recovery (SSR) is defined as the capability, enabled by self-service technology, of turning user prob-lems into solutions and improvements by means of sharing knowledge between users in order to create value. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to answer the question, “Why self-service recovery works?” The question is addressed by seven research studies and by evolving a framework for understanding why self-service recovery works. The contributions of this dissertation reside from the framework, which en-hances our understanding of self-service recovery as a value creation activity through not only recovery, but also improvement of the service in question.

Energy recovery by waste incineration has a double function as waste treatment method and supplier of electricity and/or heat, thereby linking the systems of energy and waste management. Both systems are undergoing great changes, mainly due to new regulations. Important regulations within waste management in Sweden are a ban on landfill of combustible waste and organic waste, and a tax on landfill of waste. New waste incineration facilities are being built in order to increase capacity to meet these demands. The aim of this thesis is to investigate impacts on Swedish district heating systems of increased use of waste as a fuel in economic and environmental terms, the latter mainly by assessing emissions of carbon dioxide. Of importance is the influence of various policy instruments. To highlight the connection between the energy and waste management systems and how these influence each other is another goal, as well as the function of district heating systems as user of various waste heat supplies. An important assumption for this thesis is a deregulated European electricity market, where the marginal power production in the short term is coal condensing power and in the long term natural gas based power, that affects the conditions for combined heat and power in district heating systems. The method used is case studies of three Swedish municipalities that utilise waste in their district heating systems. In two papers, the scope is broadened from the energy utility perspective by comparing the energy efficiency of energy recovery and material recovery of various fractions, and the effect of including external costs for CO2 as well as SO2, NOx and particles. The ambition is that the results can be part of the decision making process for energy utilities and for policy makers in the energy sector and waste management. It is economically advantageous to use waste as a fuel in the energy sector and regulations in the waste management sector and high taxes on fossil fuels contribute to profitability. Waste incineration plants are base suppliers of heat because they derive revenue from receiving the waste. Economic conditions for waste incineration are altered with the introduction of a tax on incinerated municipal waste. A conflict may arise between combined heat and power production in district heating systems and waste incineration, since the latter can remove the heat sink for other combined heat and power plants with higher efficiencies. Combined heat and power is the main measure to decrease carbon dioxide emissions in district heating systems on the assumption that locally produced electricity replaces electricity in coal condensing plants. It can be difficult to design policy instruments for waste incineration due to some conflicting goals for waste management and energy systems. Comparing the energy efficiency of material recovery and energy recovery is a way to assess the resource efficiency of waste treatment methods. From that perspective, if there is a district heating system which can utilise the heat, biodegradable waste and cardboard should be energy recovered and plastics and paper material recovered. To put costs on environmental effects, so called external costs, is a way to take these effects into regard in traditional economic calculations, but the method has drawbacks, e.g. the limited range of environmental effects included and uncertainties in the monetary valuation of environmental effects.

Research has shown that companies encourage customers to complain and gather huge amounts of service recovery information, although most of this information isn´t used by the companies. Our purpose with this thesis is to explore what determines the filtering of service recovery feedback, and if possible to identify its underlying reasons. This was accomplished through a qualitative case study at Handelsbanken Uppsala City. Empirical material was mainly collected through interviews with the office manager, frontline employees, and the regional complaints manager. When analyzing the empirical material Tax and Brown model of service recovery was used as an analytical framework. The analysis shows that the employees at Handelsbanken Uppsala city aren’t controlled by many guidelines and policies; instead emphasis is put on the independence, trust, and responsibility of each individual employee. This is probably due to the decentralized organization of Handelsbanken and the belief in the employee’s capability to better understand what is of importance to filter, due to their close interaction with customers.

I takt med att Försvarsmakten ökar sitt internationella engagemang ökar också riskerna för att svensk personal ska bli isolerad, tillfångatagen eller kidnappad. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka om svensk undsättningsförmåga är tillräcklig för de insatser som Försvarsmakten genomför internationellt. Det kan konstateras att flera faktorer bidrar till ett behov av en undsättningsförmåga. Försvarsmakten har en moralisk skyldighet mot sin personal att göra allt för att se till att de kommer hem ifall något skulle hända dem. Försvarsmakten har heller inte råd att få personal kidnappad då det genom media och hemmaopinion kan ge ett högt tryck på politiker vilket i sin tur kan leda till att Försvarsmakten tvingas dra sig ur en insats. Förvarsmakten måste även kunna ansvara för sig själv och inte förlita sig på att en annan nation ska lösa problemet när situationen inte kan hanteras. I övriga europeiska länder saknas i många fall en fullgod undsättningsförmåga och därför blir det än viktigare att Försvarsmakten innehar en egen förmåga. Förmågan bör åtminstone omfatta kvalificerade helikoptrar och välutbildade undsättningsenheter med rätt utrustning för att en trovärdig undsättningsförmåga ska finnas i organisationen. Resultaten av uppsatsen tyder på att Försvarsmakten har kommit långt i sin strävan att utveckla en undsättningsförmåga men att organisationen brister i att utveckla verkligt kvalificerade undsättningsförband. Dessa förband bör tilldelas mer resurser för att en trovärdig förmåga kopplat mot Försvarsmaktens målsättning ska upprätthållas. / When the Swedish Armed Forces are increasing its contribution to international peacekeeping missions there is an increasing danger that Swedish personnel could find themselves isolated and taken hostage. The purpose with this work is to examine whether the level of Swedish Personnel Recovery is acceptable due to the international missions the Swedish Armed Forces is participating in.  The Swedish Armed Forces has the moral responsibility to bring all personnel home when deployed. One reason to have Personnel Recovery capability is to reduce the danger of getting personnel executed and media exploiting it which could lead to a withdrawal from the area. Further on Swedish Armed Forces have got to have its own Personnel Recovery capability since not very many countries has a sufficient capability. The Swedish Armed Forces Personnel Recovery capability should at least contain qualified helicopters and Personnel Recovery units. The results of this work is that the Swedish Armed Forces has made huge progress in developing a Personnel Recovery capability although there is a lack of truly qualified Personnel Recovery units which should be given sufficient funds to enhance the Swedish Personnel Recovery capability.

The purpose of this research was to quantify what value could be gained from cutting solid wood products from old-growth western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) logs that are used to produce pulp in British Columbia. These logs represent a significant portion of the resource and increasing their value recovery would be beneficial to the forest industry. One hundred and sixteen logs were sampled from the coastal and interior regions of British Columbia. Dimension and quality attributes were measured to enable estimates of gross and merchantable volume. Logs deemed likely to yield lumber were sawn with the aim of maximizing value recovery. The nominal dimension and grade of all lumber recovered was recorded. Margins and breakpoints at which sawing became profitable were calculated. Models to predict the volume of lumber and proportion of Clear grade lumber recovered (“C Industrial” grade at the interior mill, “D Select” grade at the coastal mill) were developed. Lumber recovery, especially Clear grade lumber, was significantly higher from logs from the coastal site. At current market prices, cutting lumber from these logs was profitable, with the highest margins achieved when chips were produced from the milling residue. It was not profitable to recover lumber from the interior logs regardless of whether chips were produced. The disparity between locations was attributed to differences between the logs, the sawmilling equipment, the sawyers’ motivations and the lumber grades. Between 60% and 67% of coastal logs and 13% to 21% of interior logs returned a profit, depending on whether chips were produced. Models were developed to better identify these logs using observable attributes. A linear model described the total volume of lumber recovered. Significant predictor variables in the model were the gross log volume, the average width of the sound collar and the stage of butt/heart rot at the large end. A second model predicted the proportion of Clear grade lumber. Regional models were developed to account for different Clear lumber grades between sawmills. Significant predictor variables were knot frequency, diameter at the large end, volume, length, taper and the width of the sound collar at the large end.