Sverige har som mål att vara koldioxidneutralt år 2045 och inte öka jordensmedeltemperatur med mer än 2°C. För att uppnå detta mål måste mängdenfossilbaserade produkter minskas eller fasas ut helt ur den svenska marknaden. Idagsläget är majoriteten av all plast producerad av fossila råvaror. Förbränning avfossil plast leder till betydande utsläpp av växthusgaser till atmosfären.Nedskräpningen av fossilbaserad plast på land och i hav, utgör samtidigt ett av detsvåraste miljöproblemet. Ett alternativ är att ersätta fossilbaserad plast medPolyhydroxyalkanoater (PHA) som är producerad av förnybara råvaror och heltbiologiskt nedbrytbar i naturen. Bakterierna producerar PHA när de får flyktigafettsyror (VFA). I det här projektet användes bakterier i ett bioslam från ett massa-och pappersbruks reningsverk. Bioslammet är rikt på bakterier som har förmågan attackumulera PHA och när VFA tillsätts lagrar bakterierna dessa ämnen i sina cellersom kol- och energikälla. Den största utmaningen vid PHA-produktion är den lågalönsamheten till följd av höga produktionskostnader för VFA. Det finns en möjlighetatt sänka kostnaderna genom att skapa en industriell symbios där olika industrierutnyttjar varandras restprodukter och spillvärme. Lixea är ett företag i Kristinehamnsom använder restprodukter från skogsindustrin för att skapa nya hållbara produkter.Under deras process bildas ett rejektvatten som innehåller VFA. Ett annat företagkan eventuellt kombinera bioslammet från ett massabruk och VFA från Lixea för attproducera PHA. Den producerade PHA kan sedan användas till en plastfilm till BlueOcean Closures skruvkorkar och planteringsskyddet Tubesprout. Om alla företagkan samarbeta har en industriell symbios mellan fem företag skapats.I detta examensarbete undersöks några av de grundläggande nödvändiga processernai en industriell symbios. Går det att producera PHA inom symbiosen och har PHArätt nedbrytningshastighet för att passa produkterna i symbiosen? Målet medexamensarbetet är att utforska användningen av PHA som material för Tubesproutoch en plastfilm för Blue Ocean Closure, med särskilda krav på nedbrytningstid iolika miljöer. Utveckla en påskyndad nedbrytningsmetod av biologiskt nedbrytbartmaterial. I ackumuleringsförsöken av PHA används bioslam från Stora EnsoSkoghalls bruk och VFA från Lixea För att analysera om biomassan ackumuleradePHA används metoderna FT-IR och acetonextraktion. PHA genomgick ettnedbrytningstest tillsammans med fyra andra material PE, PLA, Blue Ocean Closureskruvkork och Tubesprout för att undersöka hur snabbt de bryts ner. Materialentestas i fem olika miljöer kompost, två tallskogsmarker där en är berikad medhydrokol, sjön och en ny utvecklad aktivslam. Den nya metoden aktivslam ärmikroorganismer tagna från ett kommunalt reningsverk. Nedbrytningshastighetbestämdes genom att mäta viktminskningen av materialet, mikroskopbilder ochbilder ovanför materialet.Resultatet visar att VFA från Lixea kan ackumulera PHA men att bakterierna dogefter ca 12 timmar. Den högsta halten PHA som ackumulerades i biomassanmotsvarade 10,3 procent av biomassans torrsubstans. PHA har likartadnedbrytningshastighet som Tubesprout vilket innebär möjligheten att ersätta PHA        som material till en Tubesprout. PHA till en plastfilm skulle fungera ur ettnedbrytnings perspektiv där kravet var att den bröts ner med nästan samma hastighet.I nedbrytningstesten hade aktivslam bäst nedbrytningshastighet hos alla material.Aktivslam är en enkel metod som kan användas som ett snabbtest vid undersökningav biologiskt nedbrytbart material. / Sweden aims to be carbon dioxide neutral by 2045 and not increase the earth'saverage temperature by more than 2°C. In order to achieve this goal, fossil-basedproducts must be reduced or completely phased out of the Swedish market.Currently, the majority of all plastic produced is based on fossil raw materials. Theburning of fossil plastics leads to significant emissions of greenhouse gases into theatmosphere. The littering of fossil-based plastic on land and in the sea is at the sametime one of the most difficult environmental problems. An alternative is to replacefossil-based plastics with polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), which are renewable andfully biodegradable bioplastics. Bacteria produce PHA when they receive volatilefatty acids (VFA). In this project, bacteria were used in biosludge from a pulp andpaper mill treatment plant. The biosludge is rich in bacteria that can accumulate PHAand when VFA is added, the bacteria store these substances in their cells as a sourceof carbon and energy. The biggest challenge in PHA production is the lowprofitability due to the high production costs of VFA. There is an opportunity tolower costs by creating an industrial symbiosis where different industries utilize eachother's residual products and waste heat. Lixea is a company in Kristinehamn thatuses residual products from the forest industry to create new sustainable products.During their process, a reject water containing VFA is formed. Another companycould potentially combine the biosludge from a pulp mill and VFA from Lixea toproduce PHA. The PHA produced can then be used for a plastic film for Blue OceanClosures screw caps and the Tubesprout plant protection. Which in the end, anindustrial symbiosis between five companies has been created.n this thesis, some of the basic necessary processes in an industrial symbiosis areinvestigated. Is it possible to produce PHA within the symbiosis and does the PHAhave the right degradation rate to suit the products in the symbiosis? The goal of thethesis is to explore the use of PHA as a material for Tubesprout and a plastic film forBlue Ocean Closure, with special requirements for degradation time in differentenvironments. Develop an accelerated degradation method of biodegradablematerial. In the accumulation trials of PHA, biosludge from Stora Enso Skoghall'smill and VFA from Lixea are used. To analyze whether the biomass accumulatedPHA, the methods FT-IR and acetone extraction are used. PHA underwent adegradation test along with four other materials PE, PLA, Blue Ocean Closure screwcap and Tubesprout to investigate how quickly they degrade. The materials are testedin five different environments; compost, two pine forest lands where one is enrichedwith hydrocoal, the lake and a newly developed activated sludge. The new method,activated sludge, is microorganisms taken from a municipal treatment plant.Degradation rate was determined by measuring, the weight loss of the material,microscope images and images above material.The result shows that VFA from Lixea can accumulate PHA but that the bacteriadied during both experiments. The highest level of PHA accumulated in the biomasswas Lixea 2 which corresponded to 10.3 percent. PHA has a similar degradation rateas Tubesprout, which means the possibility of replacing PHA as material for a        Tubesprout. PHA to a plastic film would work from a degradation perspective wherethe requirement was that it degraded at nearly the same rate. In the degradation tests,activated sludge had the best degradation rate of all materials. Activated sludge is asimple method that can be used as a rapid test when examining biodegradablematerial.

pH control is a tool to improve some aspects of Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) process. Filipe et al (2001a, 2001b, and 2001c) found strong evidence that the stability of EBPR systems can be improved by increasing the pH of the anaerobic zone, thereby creating conditions where phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) are able to take up acetate faster than glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs). They explained this observation by comparing the growth rate of phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) and found that pH has little effect on PAOs growth rate but adversely affects GAOs growth rate when it increases (at pH values greater than 7.25, PAOs would take acetate faster than GAOs would). They used synthetic wastewater rich in acetic acid. In this study, we used real wastewater and the dominant volatile fatty acid available to microorganisms was propionic acid in continuous EBPR system. It was found that lower anaerobic zone pH (6.5 vs. 7.2) reduced the anaerobic P release both on an MLVSS specific basis and also on a non-specific (absolute value for the process) basis. In addition, the observed yield was significantly decreased. Aerobic P uptake was lower in the low-pH system (on a non-specific basis) due to the lower observed yield, and thus lower MLVSS concentration. Net P uptake was hard to interpret because of the effect of P release in the secondary clarifier of Train 2 (high pH). However, on a specific basis it was clear that net P uptake was either equal or better in the low-pH system regardless of how the secondary clarifier data was interpreted. Carbon transformations were not impacted in as consistent a fashion as anaerobic P release was. On a specific basis, PHA content remained unchanged although the PHV/PHB ratio was impacted with much lower PHV content in the low-pH system. Glycogen content and the amount of labile glycogen (delta glycogen) were higher in the low-pH system, in spite of the fact that MLVSS P content did not decrease. However, due to the impact of the low observed yield at low pH, absolute values resulted in higher PHA content for the process reactors as a whole, higher glycogen content, and unchanged labile glycogen. Low pH resulted in increased biomass P content, however the lower observed yield offset this on a process basis so that effluent P levels were nearly equal. So low pH improved P removal on a specific basis, but not on a process basis. Since it is unknown if the low observed yield is repeatable, and due to the impact of the secondary clarifier in the high pH system, it cannot be concluded that the effect of low pH on net P removal would be similar in other EBPR systems.

Att rena vatten är kostsamt, från både en ekonomisk och miljömässig synpunkt, då behovet av fällningskemikalier, kolkällor och energi är stort. Det är därför önskvärt att titta på alternativa lösningar som möjliggör reningsverk att bli mer självförsörjande och kretsloppsanpassande. Hammarby Sjöstadverket är en pilotanläggning för avloppsvattenrening belägen i Stockholms sydöstra stadsdel i Henriksdal och ägs av IVL, Svenska Miljöinstitutet samt KTH. Sedan pilotanläggning byggdes år 2002, har flera olika reningstekniker utvärderats där fokus ligger på att sträva efter miljövänliga och kretsloppsanpassade system. Bland annat har en förfällningsteknik, så kallad trepunktsfällning utvärderats. Trepunktsfällningen innebär att ett metallsalt följt av två olika polymer tillsätts i flockningskammaren i inbördes ordning för att på så sätt kunna reducera en högre halt av det organiska materialet. Tidigare fällningsförsök på Hammarby Sjöstadsverket, har visat på att trepunktsfällningen kan avskilja det organiska materialet med upp till 90 %, vilket kan jämföras med en avskiljning på endast 75 % med vanlig förfällning. Detta examensarbete syftar till att validera redan framtagna resultat inom trepunktsfällning samt att genom biologisk hydrolys av primärslam, utvinna en kolkälla till efterdenitrifikationen innehållande så höga halter flyktiga fettsyror, Volatile Fatty Acids, (VFA) som möjligt samt undersöka kostnaderna för ett avloppsreningsverk med trepunktsfällning, biogasutvinning och uttag av intern kolkälla från primärslammet vid en uppskalning motsvarande 100 000 personekvivalenter. Fällningsförsöken utfördes i pilotskala med fällningskemikalien PAX XL-36 kombinerat med en lågmolekylär organisk polymer, Purfix-120, följt av en högmolekylär oorganisk polymer Superflock C-494. Syftet med trepunktsfällningen var att validera redan framtagna resultat inom trepunktsfällning och på så sätt avskilja så stora mänger organiskt material som möjligt i förfällningen så att ett primärslam innehållande en hög halt Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) erhålls. Två olika doseringar med PAX XL-36 testades, 145 respektive 193,5 g/m3. Bäst reduktion av COD och fosfor erhölls då 193 g/m3 PAX XL-36 kombinerades med 60 g/m3 Purfix-120 samt 0,025 g/m3 Superflock C-494. Då erhölls en COD-reduktion på 75 % samt en totalfosforreduktion på 83 %. Genom hydrolys av primärslam i laboratorieskala undersöktes torrsubstanshalter (TS-halter) på 1, 2 respektive 3 % och uppehållstider på upptill åtta dagar. Syftet med hydrolysen var i detta fall att undersöka vilken torrsubstanshalt samt vilken uppehållstid som gav högst produktion av VFA. Försöken visade att en TS-halt på 3 % producerade högst andel VFA och att produktionen av VFA för samtliga TS-halter var som störst under dygn två. VFA- och COD-produktionen ökade linjärt för samtliga TS-halter fram till och med dygn fem. Efter dygn fem började produktionen av VFA och COD för TS-halterna 1 och 2 % avta något. TS 3 % visade dock inte samma avtagande trend för VFA.  Även den dagliga ammoniumhalten och pH undersöktes. Ammoniumhalten ökade i takt med att VFA-halten ökade. pH hade generellt sett en avtagande trend. Fyra olika denitrifikationsförsök genomfördes i laboratorieskala med det uttagna hydrolysatet där den tillsatta COD-halten antingen var 3,3 eller 4 gånger den initiala nitratkvävekoncentrationen. Syftet med denitrifikationsförsöken var att utvärdera det framtagna hydrolysatets funktion som en kolkälla. Denitrifikationsförsöken uppvisade denitrifikationshastigheter mellan 4,3 och 7 mg NO3-N/g volatile suspended solids*h med kol-kvävekvoter (C/N-kvoter) mellan 3,9 och 12,3 mg COD/mg NO3-N. Lägst C/N-kvot erhöll lägst denitrifikationshastighet. Dock kunde inte slutsatsen dras att högst C/N-kvot gav högst denitrifikatioshastighet. Även de ekonomiska aspekterna undersöktes i syfte att utreda kostnaderna för ett avloppsreningsverk med trepunktsfällning, biogasutvinning och uttag av intern kolkälla från primärslammet vid en uppskalning motsvarande 100 000 personekvivalenter. Uttaget av en intern kolkälla skulle trots förlust i biogasutvinning vara ekonomiskt gynnsamt. Vinsten, i form av att ej behöva inhandla en extern kolkälla, i detta fall etanol, motsvarar biogasförlustens belopp. Trepunktsfällningens fällningskemikaliekostnader var den största posten och uppgick till 8 060 000 kr. Denna kostnad kontra mindre energiförbrukning i biosteget undersöktes också. Här uppgick besparingarna i biosteget till ca 1/8 av fällningskemikaliekostnaderna. Då trepunktsfällningen endast kunde ge en 75-procentig COD-reduktion, vilket motsvarar en vanlig förfällning, anses trepunktsfällningen vara ekonomisk ogynnsam då den medför extra kostnader av polymerer.  Istället borde trepunktsfällningen ersättas med en förfällning. Sammanfattningsvis kan det konstateras att en intern kolkälla i form av hydrolyserat primärslam skulle kunna ersätta en extern kolkälla rent funktionsmässigt. Dock måste åtgärder göras för att minimera produktionen av ammonium under slamhydrolysen. Ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv skulle utvinningen av en intern kolkälla endast vara ekonomisk gynnsam då trepunktsfällningen ersätts med förfällning. / Water treatment is costly, from both an economic and environmental point of view, since the need for precipitation chemicals, carbon sources and energy is high. It is therefore desirable to look for alternative solutions that enable plants to be more self-sustaining. Hammarby Sjöstadsverket is a pilot plant for wastewater treatment located in Henriksdal, a southeastern neighborhood of Stockholm. The plant is owned by IVL, Svenska Miljöinstitutet and Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH). Since the pilot plant was built in 2002, several different cleaning techniques have been evaluated with focus on striving for eco-friendly and eco-adapted systems. For instance, a pre-precipitation technique, so-called three step precipitation have been evaluated. The three step precipitation implicates that a metal salt followed by two different polymers are added in the flocculation chamber in the particular order to thereby enable to reduce a higher content of the organic material. In previous precipitation tests at Hammarby Sjöstadsverket, one managed to remove up to 90 % of the organic material using the three step precipitation (IVL, Hammarby Sjöstadsverket, 2011). This can be compared to a removal of only 75 % with ordinary pre-precipitation. This thesis aims to validate already obtained results within three step precipitation and with biological hydrolysis of primary sludge, extract a carbon source for post-denitrification containing as high concentrations of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) as possible and to investigate the cost of a wastewater treatment plant with three step precipitation, biogas generation and collection of internal carbon source from primary sludge at an upscaling corresponding to 100,000 person equivalents. Precipitation experiments were carried out in pilot scale with the precipitation chemicals, PAX-XL 36, combined with a low molecular weight organic polymer, Purfix-120, followed by a high molecular weight inorganic polymer, Super Flock C-494. The purpose of the three step precipitation was to validate the already produced results within three step precipitation and thus separate as large amounts of organic material as possible in the precipitation so that a primary sludge containing a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) can be obtained.Two different dosages of Purfix-120 were tested: 45 and 60 g/m3. The best reduction of COD and phosphorus were obtained when 193 g/m3 PAX XL-36 was combined with 60 g/m3 Purfix-120 and 0.025 g/m3 Super Flock C-494. Hereby a COD reduction of 75 % and a total phosphorus removal of 83 % were obtained. By hydrolysis of primary sludge in batch experiments Total Solid (TS) concentrations of 1, 2 and 3 % and residence times of up to eight days were examined. The purpose of the hydrolysis in this case was to investigate which TS concentration and residence time that gave the highest production of VFA. The experiments showed that a TS concentration of 3 % produced the highest amount of VFA and that the VFA production of the three different TS concentrations peaked at the second day. The VFA and COD production increased linearly for the three TS concentrations up until day five. After day five the COD and VFA production, for the TS concentrations of 1 and 2 %, started to decrease slightly. However TS 3 % did not show the same declining trend for VFA. Furthermore the daily ammonium and pH were investigated.  As the VFA and COD concentration increased the ammonium concentration increased as well. pH had overall a  decreasing trend. Four different denitrification tests were performed in batch experiments with the extracted hydrolyzate. The added COD content from the hydolyzate was either 3.3 or 4 times the initial nitrate concentration. The denitrification tests showed denitrification rates between 4.3 and 7 mg NO3-N / g volatile suspended solids * h with carbon-nitrogen ratios (C/N ratio) between 3.9 and 12.3 mg COD/mg NO3-N. The lowest C/N ratio received the lowest denitrification rate. However, it could not be concluded that the maximum C/N ratio had the highest denitrification rate. Futhermore the financial aspects were examined in order to investigate the cost of a wastewater treatment plant with three step precipitation, biogas generation and collection of internal carbon source from primary sludge at an upscaling corresponding to 100,000 person equivalents. The extraction of an internal carbon source would, despite loss of biogas production, be economically beneficial. Gain, in terms of not having to purchase an external carbon source, in this case ethanol, amounts to the amount of the biogas loss. The three step precipitation chemical costs were the largest item, amounting to 8,060,000 SEK. This cost versus less energy utilization in the biological step was also examined. In this case the savings in the biological step amounted to about 1/8 of precipitation chemical cost. Since the three step precipitation only managed to remove 75 % of the COD, a removal which corresponds to an ordinary pre-precipitation, the three step precipitation is considered to be economically unfavorable as it involves additional costs of polymers. Instead the three step precipitation should be replaced with a pre-precipitation. In summary it can be stated that an internal carbon source in the form of hydrolyzed primary sludge could replace an external carbon source in a functional way. However, steps must be taken to minimize the production of ammonium during sludge hydrolysis. From an economic perspective, the extraction of an internal carbon source would only be economical favorable if the three step precipitation is replaced with pre-precipitation.

Denna rapport presenterar resultat och analys av prestandan i ett pilotförsök om temperaturstegsrötning (TPAD). Pilotförsöket genomfördes på uppdrag av Käppalaförbundet. Resultaten jämfördes med en nedskalad mesofil process som simulerade den nuvarande fullskaliga rötningsprocessen på Käppala  avloppsreningsverk. Syftet var att utvärdera om TPAD kunde erbjuda fördelar jämfört med det mesofila systemet. TPAD har tidigare visat stor potential i pilotstudier och till viss del i fullskaliga implementeringar på avloppsreningsverk runt om i världen. Då prestanda och beteende vid rötningsprocesser dock är starkt beroende av lokal slamkomposition och processparametrar, behövdes en skräddarsydd pilotstudie för att utvärdera TPADs applicerbarhet vid Käppala avloppsreningsverk specifikt. Sammanfattningsvis visade TPAD något bättre metanutbyte än det mesofila kontollförsöket (MAD), och VSD ökade markant. Dessa fördelar erhölls trots den lägre totala retentionstiden för TPAD. Kvävemineraliseringen ökade dock också märkbart vilket potentiellt kan medföra ökade kostnader associerade med rening av kväve i rejektvattnet för avloppsreningsverket. Avvattningsprov på labbskala visade ett omfattande utsläpp av TSS i rejektvattnet efter det termofila rötningssteget. Detta förbättrades dock avsevärt (om än inte i samma utsträckning som MAD) efter det mesofila skedet. Mycket preliminära resultat indikerade att TPAD hade en utmärkt inneboende hygieniseringsförmåga tack vare det termofila skedet, och resulterade i ett slutgiltigt rötslam som uppfyllde hygieniseringsriktlinjer enligt Revaq. TPAD verkade uppvisa hög robusthet, utan någon uppenbar syrakollaps trots hög belastning i det termofila steget. Framtida stresstester föreslås för att tvinga fram en termofil syrakollaps, vilket skulle kunna ge en syra/gas-fasad TPAD, med potentiellt ytterligare ökad prestanda enligt mycket av den befintliga litteraturen. / This report analyzes the performance of a pilot scale temperature phased anaerobic digestion process (TPAD) undertaken on commission from the Käppalaförbundet wastewater treatment plant. Results from the newly initiated TPAD pilot were compared to those of a scaled down mesophilic process simulating the current full scale digestion used at Käppala, to evaluate whether TPAD could provide benefits over the mesophilic system. TPAD had previously showed great promise at pilot and full scale at other plants around the world, but given that anaerobic digestion performance and behavior are highly dependent on local sludge composition and process parameters, a bespoke pilot was needed to evaluate TPAD at Käppala WWTP specifically. In summary, the TPAD exhibited slightly better methane yields than the mesophilic control, and showed better removal of volatile solids. Such benefits were seen despite the lower overall retention time of the TPAD. Nitrogen mineralisation however also increased, potentially imposing increased costs associated with sludge liquor nitrogen purification. Dewaterability tests showed the thermophilic stage of TPAD releasing large amounts of problematic colloidal material, which however was reduced by the subsequent mesophilic stage. Preliminary results indicated the TPAD had an excellent inherent hygienization ability owing to the thermophilic stage, producing a final digestate which fulfilled Revaq hygienization guidelines. The TPAD also seemed to exhibit great robustness, with no acid collapse in the thermophilic stage apparent despite high loads and short retention times. Future stress tests are proposed to test an acid-gas phased TPAD, with potentially further increased performance as per much of the existing literature.

I Sverige förekommer strikta krav på fosforrening av avloppsvatten och detta har bidragit till att kemisk fällning har kommit att dominera som reningsmetod för fosfor vid svenska avloppsreningsverk. Fällningskemikalier är dyrt för reningsverken att köpa in och ger negativ påverkan på miljön vid tillverkning och transport. Strängare reningskrav har ökat behovet av nya reningsmetoder som på ett effektivt och miljövänligt sätt kan rena avloppsvatten från näringsämnen utan att kostnaderna för reningen blir för stora. Biologisk fosforavskiljning (bio-P) utnyttjar mikroorganismer som naturligt kan ackumulera fosfor i sina celler. En kritisk faktor för en väl fungerande biologisk fosforavskiljning är tillgången till kolkälla i form av flyktiga fettsyror (VFA). Kommunalt avloppsvatten innehåller vanligen för lite VFA för att tillgodose bio-P-processens behov. Den totala tillgången på organiskt material i avloppsvattnet är dock ofta stor och möjligheten finns därmed att genom biologisk slamhydrolys internt producera VFA. Vid biologisk hydrolys av slam utnyttjas mikroorganismers naturliga förmåga att under anaeroba förhållanden bryta ned organiskt material till mer lättomsättliga föreningar. Duvbackens avloppsreningsverk i Gävle tillämpar biologisk fosforavskiljning och producerar VFA till bio-P-processen genom primärslamshydrolys och sidoströmshydrolys av returslam. I detta examensarbete har hydrolysprocesserna vid reningsverket utvärderats med avseende på processernas förmåga att producera VFA till det biologiska reningssteget. Utvärderingen gjordes genom att mäta förändringen i halten organiskt material över hydrolysbassängerna samt genom att bedöma effektiviteten i bio-P-processen i fullskala och vid labskaleförsök. Möjligheten att stänga av primärslamshydrolysen vid verket undersöktes. Ett försök till att optimera driften av sidoströmshydrolysen gjordes genom att utföra hydrolysförsök i laboratorieskala. Resultaten indikerade att produktionen av VFA i primärslamshydrolysen var begränsad och att processen därmed bör kunna stängas av. Innan detta görs bör dock kompletterande mätningar av halten löst COD över primärslamshydrolysen utföras. Vid samtliga mättillfällen uppmättes en betydande ökning i halten organiskt material över sidoströmshydrolysen. Baserat på detta och den i examensarbetet konstaterade effektiviteten i bio-P-processen drogs slutsatsen att sidoströmshydrolysprocessen vid Duvbackens reningsverk var välfungerande. Hydrolysförsöken pekade på att ett större utbyte av VFA skulle erhållas om en kortare uppehållstid än den nuvarande användes i sidoströmshydrolysen. Detta bör vidare undersökas genom fullskaleförsök vid verket. / The strong regulations concerning phosphorus removal from wastewater in Sweden has resulted in chemical precipitation being the most common treatment method for phosphorus at Swedish wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Precipitation chemicals are expensive and have a negative environmental impact when produced and transported. More stringent wastewater treatment requirements have increased the need of new, eco-friendly treatment methods that effectively can remove nutrients from wastewater without being too expensive. Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) utilizes microorganisms that have the natural capability of accumulating phosphorus in their cells. A critical factor for a well-functioning EBPR-process is the availability of carbon source in form of volatile fatty acids (VFA). Municipal wastewater normally contains too small amounts of VFA to satisfy the need of the EBPR-process. The total amount of organic matter in the wastewater is on the other hand large and the possibility consequently exists to internally produce VFA through sludge hydrolysis. Biological sludge hydrolysis takes advantage of the natural capability of microorganisms to degrade complex organic compounds into easily degradable organics. Duvbacken WWTP in Gävle uses EBRP for phosphorus removal and produces carbon source through hydrolysis of primary sludge and sidestream hydrolysis of return sludge. In this master thesis the hydrolysis processes at the WWTP was evaluated with regard to the capacity of the processes to produce VFA to the biological treatment step. The evaluation was performed by measuring the change in organic material content over the hydrolysis basins and by estimating the effectiveness of the EBPR-process in full scale and by laboratory experiments. The possibility to turn off the primary sludge hydrolysis process was examined. An attempt to optimize the operation of the sidestream hydrolysis process was made by conducting hydrolysis experiments in laboratory scale. The results indicated that the production of VFA by primary sludge hydrolysis was limited and that it thus would be possible to turn off the process. Before this is done complementary measurements of COD levels over the primary hydrolysis basin should be performed. At all times considerable increments in COD content was measured over the sidestream hydrolysis basin. Based on this and the in the thesis confirmed effectiveness of the EBRP-process the conclusion was drawn that the sidestream hydrolysis of return sludge at Duvbacken WWTP was well functioning. The hydrolysis experiments indicated that a larger VFA yield would be obtained if a shorter retention time than the present was used in the sidestream hydrolysis process. This should further be investigated by experiments in full scale at the WWTP.

Since the beginning of the 20th century plastic has been a widely used material, which has resulted in large quantities of plastic being produced in the last century. The plastics of today are mainly produced from fossil raw materials, which gives it a high climate impact. Plastic also has a long service life, which creates problems with handling after the new period when new plastic is produced at a faster rate than plastic debris can be recycled or incinerated. One possible approach is to switch from plastic from fossil sources to bioplastics, which is produced by renewable sources. This means a reduction in the environmental impact as the amount of fossil CO2 emissions from combustion of plastics would decrease. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are created by short volatile fatty acids (VFAs) added to bio sludge from a wastewater treatment plant at a pulp and paper mill where there is a lot of bacteria and microorganisms. Some of the bacteria in the sludge have the ability to accumulate PHA when VFA is added in excess and then be able to use it as an energy and carbon source in cases of starvation. This means that PHA produced in this way can be degraded by bacteria making it biodegradable while having similar properties as oil-based plastics. Production of PHA is currently expensive as it is often necessary to purchase VFA for production. To make it economically sustainable to replace oil-based plastics with PHA, the cost of PHA production must therefore be reduced. This can be done by using mixed bacterial cultures from, for example, industrial wastewater treatment plants and by creating their own composition of VFA through fermentation. At the paper mill at BillerudKorsnäs Gruvön there are several process streams that today are led to the water treatment plant, one of which is from PM6 (Paper Machine 6). By fermenting that stream, VFA can be formed with a composition of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. The current may thus be suitable to use as a substrate in PHA production. Another way to produce VFA is to ferment the residual flow from hydrothermal carbonation (HTC) of bio sludge. According to (Samorì et al., 2019), acetic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid are formed, which means that even this stream may be suitable as a substrate for PHA production. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects of the composition of VFA on the production of PHA from forest industrial bio sludge. The study covers two different cases, Case PM6 and Case HTC, where two different types of composition of VFA are added to paper sludge from the paper mill. The experiments were performed in cylindrical tanks on three occasions where the first two experiments had a volume of 30 liters and the last experiment a volume of 10 liters. On the first occasion, the maximum accumulation rate in the growth phase was studied. In the second instance, a high accumulation rate was sought, but also survival after the growth phase. The first two trials were batch trials where the sludge was dosed until saturation was achieved. On the third occasion, the possibility of carrying out PHA production with a continuous sludge exchange was studied. The experiments were analyzed by FTIR which provided information on the absorbance of the sludge which shows how the PHA concentration increased during the course of the experiments. Extractions were then performed to obtain the concentration of PHA that eventually accumulated in the sludge. The results show that biomass from BillerudKorsnäs Gruvön's mills accumulated PHA faster with VFA composition from fermented PM6 effluent compared to VFA composition from fermented HTC condensate. Calculations made with input from the experiments indicate that it is possible to produce a larger amount of PHA per year with Case PM6. The conclusion is therefore that Case PM6 is preferable if as large a PHA production as possible wants to be achieved. Case HTC is instead preferred if reduced PHA production can be tolerated in favor of biocarbon production.

En produktion utan spårbarhet leder till sekundära problem och mer arbete vid reklamationer från flera olika kunder där samma komponent är felande eller inte uppnår uppsatta kravspecifikationerna, det finns en nytta med att veta i vilka fler slutprodukter fler komponenter från samma batch sitter. Då kan de bytas ut eller servicepaket kan skickas ut till kund innan det uppstår komplikationer för kunden. Kund- och lagkrav på att kunna spåra kritiska komponenter inom medicinteknik för att få leverera finns.    Spårbarhetsanalysen för att generera ett lösningsförslag för fallstudien grundar sig i en blandning av kvalitativ- och kvantitativ datainsamling. Intervjuer och litteraturstudie tillsammans med produktionsdata ligger fundament för framtagning av vilken nivå som lämpar sig och vilken lösning som bör implementeras i nuläget.    Resultatet är att skapa förutsättningar för att kunna spåra komponenter. Lösningen bygger på ett inhouse standardiserat 2-bin kanbansystem med FIFO (first in first out). Informationen registreras på samtliga lagerplatser och följer materialet genom produktionsflödet. Det information som ska följa med materialet är tid och datum vid ankomst, leverantör, kvantitet och artikelnummer. Detta behövs implementeras på samtliga lagerhållningsplatser för att informationen ska följa med till utleverans och slutproduktens individuella identifieringsnummer.    Genom analysmetoderna släktskapsträd, PICK-chart och 5 varför har resultatet framtagits. Eliminering av lösningar som inte är aktuella i nuläget har även belysts i analyserna. Jämförelse av flödesanalys genom simulering har gett ett mått på hur detta påverkar produktionen i helhet.    Studien kan användas som första steget i ett PDCA-projekt (Plan, Do, Check, Act) där denna rapport står för planeringsfasen. Genomförande av implementering av lösningsförslaget kommer bolaget uppnå spårbarhet. De rekommenderas att fortsätta utvecklingsarbetet inom spårbarhet med en organisationskultur som är lärande. / A production without traceability leads to secondary problems and extra work. in the case of complaints from several different customers where the same component is faulty or does not meet the set requirement specifications, there is a benefit in knowing in which more end products the same components from the same batch are located. Then they can be replaced, or a service package can be sent out to the customer before complications arise for the customer. Customer- and legal requirements on the ability to track critical components within medical technology to be allowed to deliver or not are existing. The traceability analysis to generate a solution proposal for the case study is based on a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data collection. Interviews and literature together with production data lay the foundation for developing a suitable solution which should be implemented. The result is to generate a basis to be able to track components. The solution is based on an in-house standardized 2-bin kanban system with FIFO (first in first out). The information is registered at all warehouse instances and follows the material through the production flow. The information that must accompany the material is date and time of arrival, supplier, quantity and article number. This needs to be implemented at all warehousing locations for the information to be included in the delivery and the end product's individual identification number. Through the analysis methods kinship tree, PICK chart and 5 why, the result has been generated. Elimination of solutions that are not currently relevant has also been highlighted in the analyzes. Comparison of flow analysis through simulation has provided a measure of how this affects production as a whole. The study can be used as the first step in a PDCA project (Plan, Do, Check, Act) where this report stands for the planning phase. Carrying through of the implementation of the solution, the company will achieve traceability. They are recommended to continue the development work in traceability with an organizational culture that is learning.

Ergot alkaloids present in endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue are thought to be the causative agent of fescue toxicosis, a syndrome affecting cattle in the eastern United States. Many of the observed signs of fescue toxicosis are thought to be attributed to peripheral vasoconstriction; however, there are data indicating that ergot alkaloids can alter blood flow to the gut. An experiment was conducted using right ruminal artery and vein collected from heifers shortly after slaughter. Vessels were mounted in a multi-myograph to determine the vasoconstrictive potentials of ergot alkaloids present in E+ tall fescue. Results indicated ergot alkaloids have the potential to induce vasoconstriction of foregut vasculature. A second experiment was conducted to determine if the additional ergot alkaloids present in E+ tall fescue increase the vasoconstrictive response above that of ergovaline. Results indicated that ergovaline is the main alkaloid responsible for vasoconstriction in bovine vessels. A third study was performed to determine the effect of ergot alkaloids on ruminal epithelial blood flow in the washed rumen of steers exposed to E+ or endophyte-free (E-) tall fescue seed. Steers were dosed with seed followed by a washed rumen experiment with differing levels of ergovaline incubated in the rumen. Results indicated that E+ tall fescue seed treatment reduced ruminal epithelial blood flow. Additionally, incubating ergovaline in the rumen during the washed rumen further decreased epithelial blood flow and volatile fatty acid (VFA) absorption. A final study was conducted to determine the acute effects of ergot alkaloids on isolated rumen epithelial absorptive and barrier functions and the potential for ruminal ergovaline absorption. Results indicate that acute exposure to ergot alkaloids does not alter the absorptive or barrier function of rumen epithelium and ergovaline is absorbed from the rumen. Data from this series of experiments have shown that ergot alkaloids from E+ tall fescue can induce vasoconstriction of blood vessels in the foregut of cattle, reduce blood flow to the rumen epithelium, and decrease VFA absorption. The decrease in nutrient absorption could contribute to the observed symptoms of fescue toxicosis, including depressed growth rates and general unthriftiness.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / James S. Drouillard / Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of [italic]Megasphaera elsdenii[italic] strain NCIMB 41125 and its potential use in the mitigation of ruminal acidosis. In experiment 1, a metabolism study was conducted to evaluate ruminal parameters, quantify changes in ruminal bacterial populations, and determine in vitro capacity for lactate utilization following intraruminal dosing of a placebo or [italic]M. [italic]elsdenii strain NCIMB 41125 and an abrupt diet change. Angus crossbred steers (n=20; average BW=253 ± 24 kg) fitted with ruminal cannulas were blocked by BW and assigned randomly to treatments. Treatments consisted of intraruminal dosing with a placebo (100 mL of autoclaved culture), or 10, 100, or 1,000 mL of a live culture containing 1.62×108 CFU/mL of [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] strain NCIMB 41125. Prior to inoculation, cattle were placed into individual pens in an enclosed facility and allowed free access to alfalfa hay, salt, and water. Feed and water were removed for 24 h prior to administering treatments, after which, cattle were allowed free access to a diet consisting of 34% alfalfa hay and 66% steam-flaked corn-based concentrate. On d 7, cattle were fed an 80% concentrate diet. On d 12, steers were started on the final finishing diet of 94% concentrate. Ruminal pH and concentrations of lactate and VFAs were monitored following introduction of each concentrate diet. Ruminal samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h after feeding for quantitative rt-PCR detection of native and introduced strains of [italic]M. elsdenii[italic], as well as total bacterial genomes. Capacity for metabolism of lactic acid was evaluated by inoculating 0.2 mL of strained ruminal fluid into anaerobic culture tubes containing 15 mL of semi-defined lactate medium. Tubes were incubated at 39˚C, and turbidity changes were determined by measuring absorbance at 2 h intervals up to 12 h. Experiment 2 was conducted in a commercial feedlot to evaluate the efficacy of [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] strain NCIMB 41125 for improving feedlot performance. A second objective of the study was to determine if oral dosing of [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] has the potential for reducing the number of cattle treated for bovine respiratory disease. Angus steers and heifers (n = 3179; average BW = 356 ± 58.4kg) were used in a randomized complete block design with two treatments. Cattle were assigned to treatment on an every-other-head basis such that every-other-animal was orally drenched with 100 mL of a culture medium containing 1.5×108 cfu/mL [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] strain NCIMB 41125 at processing. Cattle were blocked by gender and date of arrival. To maximize profitability, cattle were sorted via visual appraisal to identify cattle that were market ready. Cattle were shipped to a commercial abattoir in Lexington, NE for harvest. Data obtained for each pen of cattle included feedlot performance, morbidity, mortality, carcass characteristics, and grid-based program carcass qualifications. In trial 1, compared to the placebo group, cattle administered [italic]Megasphaera[italic] maintained higher ruminal pH 24 h after the carbohydrate challenge (P < 0.05). Ruminal lactate concentrations increased in response to the diet change (P < 0.05), but concentrations were lower for cattle that received [italic]Megasphaera[italic] compared to the placebo group (P < 0.05). Total number of bacterial genomes 24 h after inoculation was unaffected by intraruminal dosing of [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] strain NCIMB 41125 (P > 0.05), but populations of undifferentiated [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] and strain NCIMB 41125 increased by 24 h after inoculation (P < 0.05). Turbidity of cultures inoculated with ruminal fluid increased in response to [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] administration (P < 0.05), suggesting a greater capacity for lactate utilization in inoculated cattle compared to the placebo group. In trial 2, no differences in feed efficiency were observed (P > 0.05). Compared to cattle dosed with [italic]Megasphaera[italic], the control group had more USDA yield grade 2 carcasses (P < 0.05), and cattle dosed with [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] had more USDA yield grade 5 carcasses (P < 0.05). [italic]Megasphaera[italic] cattle also tended to have more USDA Prime carcasses (P = 0.14). No effects on incidence of liver abscesses were observed. Dosing cattle with [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] prior to introduction of typical concentrate diets may be useful in preventing ruminal lactate accumulation and associated depressions in ruminal pH. Inoculating cattle with [italic]M. elsdenii[italic] is effective in bolstering populations of ruminal lactate utilizers, and may be useful in preventing ruminal lactate accumulation in grain-fed cattle. No effects on reducing episodes of BRD were noted.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T14:59:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2009 - Stela Gomes Pelegrino.pdf: 247744 bytes, checksum: edcaaef4e983d4522513a9fcb967acdc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-04-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / The search of better quality of the milk induces that changes and advances should be reached trought manipulation of de diet of the animals. The evaluation of the food absorption processes have been a very important in the investigation of the animal nutrition. The objective was to evaluate the on ruminal fermentation parameters in high yielding dairy cows fed total mixed ration (TMR). Eighteen Holstein cows in initial third of lactation were distributed to three groups. Cows were fed ad libitum thirty a day. The diet containing corn silage, barley, cottonseed and commercial ration, with forage:concentrate ratio of 45:55. Ruminal fluid was used for sampling at 0, 2, 4 and 6 hours after first meal for determination of ammonia, pH and VFA. The daily average intakes of nutrients, coefficients digestibility and milk production was evaluated how index of the production. There was no effect for averages of molar ruminal concentration ammonia. Was different, 4 hour after fed for the parameters: pH, VFA, acetic, butyric acids evidencing intense ruminal fermentative activity. Total VFA and pH was different in 4 hour after fed. The values of the propionic acid had followed the same trend of the AGV but they had not presented significant difference, the relation acetate: propionato was remained above of 3, keeping adjusted the text of fat of milk. This study demonstrates that the use of total diet provided a ruminal environment with adequate conditions of fermentation without large oscillations, what it diminishes the incidence of metabolic riots in cows of high production. / As melhores mudan?as na produ??o do leite podem ser atingidas atrav?s da manipula??o da dieta dos animais. Avaliar os processos de absor??o de alimentos direcionados para a s?ntese do leite tem sido de grande import?ncia nas pesquisas de nutri??o animal O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os par?metros ruminais de vacas de alta produ??o alimentadas com dieta total. Dezoito animais da ra?a Holandesa, no primeiro ter?o de lacta??o, foram divididos em tr?s grupos, por ordem de pari??o. Os animais receberam dieta total ? vontade (ad libitum) tr?s vezes ao dia composta por silagem de milho, cevada ?mida, caro?o de algod?o e ra??o comercial, com a rela??o volumoso:concentrado de 45:55. Amostras de l?quido ruminal foram coletadas nos hor?rios de 0, 2, 4 e 6 horas, ap?s a alimenta??o, no per?odo da manh?, sendo utilizadas para determina??es das concentra??es de am?nia, pH e AGV do l?quido ruminal. Os valores de consumo m?dio di?rio, coeficiente de digestibilidade, produ??o de leite foram avaliados como indicadores da produ??o. N?o foi observado efeito significante nas concentra??es m?dias ruminais de am?nia. Na quarta hora ap?s a alimenta??o foi observada diferen?a significativa dos par?metros: pH, AGV total, ?cidos ac?tico e but?rico, evidenciando a intensa atividade fermentativa ruminal. Os valores m?dios de ?cido propi?nico seguiram a mesma tend?ncia dos AGV mas n?o apresentaram diferen?a significativa, a rela??o acetato:propionato manteve-se acima de 3, mantendo adequado o teor de gordura do leite. Este trabalho demonstra que o uso de dieta total proporcionou um ambiente ruminal com condi??es adequadas de fermenta??o sem grandes oscila??es, o que diminui a incid?ncia de dist?rbios metab?licos em vacas de alta produ??o.