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Electrification-enabled production of Fischer-Tropsch liquids – A process and economic perspective
No full textTransitioning to biofuels is crucial for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in transportation, but limited biomass availability requires maximizing carbon efficiency. This study evaluates Fischer-Tropsch liquid (FTL) production from biomass, focusing on the impact of partial electrification and carbon capture and storage (CCS) on efficiency and flexibility. Five configurations—ranging from a biomass-intensive base case to a fully electrified process—are simulated and assessed through techno-economic and GHG evaluations under fluctuating energy prices. Full electrification achieves the highest carbon efficiency, increasing carbon-to-liquid fuel conversion from 37 % to 91 %, but faces challenges due to high electricity demand (up to 2.5 MWh per MWh of fuel) and reliance on low-carbon grids. Partial electrification offers a cost-effective alternative, reducing production costs by up to 40 % compared to fully electrified cases, while maintaining a carbon efficiency of around 60 %. CCS enables net-negative emissions, though its viability hinges on sufficiently strong carbon pricing incentives. Compliance with sustainability mandates, such as Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) requirements, depends on access to decarbonized electricity. Overall, partially electrified BtL pathways enhance carbon utilization, reduce emissions, and offer resilience to market fluctuations. These pathways provide a promising balance of environmental and economic performance, outperforming both traditional BtL under high biomass prices and fully electrified e-fuels in terms of cost. Their advantages make them attractive from both investment and policy perspectives—especially in markets supported by stable electricity prices, carbon incentives, and sustainability-driven regulation. This work was supported by the Swedish Energy Agency (P2021- 00083) and Bio4Energy, a strategic research environment supported by the Swedish government’s strategic research area initiative. </p
Greenhouse gas emissions in relation to micronutrient intake and implications of energy intake : a comparative analysis of different modeling approaches
No full textBackground: Human diets account for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Reporting dietary GHGE with or without energy standardization yields different outcomes, often resulting in conflicting conclusions regarding associations with micronutrient intake. Objectives: This study aims to compare methods of reporting dietary GHGE, with and without consideration of energy intake, and their respective associations with micronutrient intake. Methods: Data were sourced from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, a cohort involving 25,970 participants. GHGE were estimated based on life cycle assessment data. The study explores different methods of reporting dietary climate impact: GHGE per day, GHGE per 1000 kcal, and with different energy adjustments. Association with micronutrient intake was modeled as daily intake and per 1000 kcal using linear regression models. Results: Diets with higher GHGE per day were associated with a higher daily intake of all 17 examined micronutrients. When energy was included in the model, the results for GHGE per 1000 kcal aligned well with those for GHGE per day. However, using GHGE per 1000 kcal generally showed that higher GHGE were linked to lower daily micronutrient intake. Different methods of adjusting for energy intake yielded estimates with varying directions and magnitudes of associations. Conclusions: This study highlights the implications of energy intake when assessing the impact of dietary GHGE and demonstrates that the choice of GHGE modeling approach might have important consequences for the results and interpretation. The method of choice for modeling dietary GHGE in relation to micronutrient intake needs to be carefully considered in future studies.FundingThe Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation (nr 20200482), CrafoordFoundation (nr 20210674), Agenda 2030 Graduate School, Lund University. This document has been updated:Erratum to “Greenhouse gas emissions in relation to micronutrient intake and implications of energy intake: A comparative analysis of different modelling approaches” [Am J Clin Nutr, 121 (2025), 1063–1076. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 122, Issue 2, Pages 656 - 658, August 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.06.014 </p
Emissivity and Reflectivity Measurements for Passive Radiative Cooling Technologies
No full textDue to their optical properties, passive radiative cooling (PRC) materials can effectively reflect solar radiation while simultaneously dissipating heat through the infrared transparency windows using outer space as a cold and renewable heat sink. This makes it possible to achieve sub-ambient temperatures even in direct sunlight without using any electricity for cooling or air-conditioning. However, the accurate determination of these peculiar optical properties is challenging and subject to high uncertainty levels when using commercial instruments available to industrial end users and research laboratories. Within the EU project PaRaMetriC, aiming at establishing a metrological framework for the comparable performance evaluation of PRC technologies, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt is leading a work package dedicated to the development of accurate and traceable methods to determine the infrared optical and thermophysical properties of PRC materials. These include reflectivity and emissivity in the broad spectral range from 250 nm to 50 µm, encompassing both, the solar spectrum (250 nm–2500 nm) and the infrared transparency window of the atmosphere (7.1 μm–13 μm) with a target absolute uncertainty of less than 0.03. For this purpose, several candidate benchmark passive cooling materials have been characterized by PTB in the wavelength range between 1.4 µm and 50 µm. The range 250 nm to 1.4 µm will be covered in an upcoming paper. Characterizations of, and comparisons between, reference and end-user measurement techniques applied for the measurements of selected PRC materials will not only allow accurate determination of the thermophysical properties, but also identification of measurement problems and suitable approaches in this rapidly expanding field. The project 21GRD03 PaRaMetriC receives funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and from the Participating States.</p
Principled neuromorphic reservoir computing
No full textReservoir computing advances the intriguing idea that a nonlinear recurrent neural circuit—the reservoir—can encode spatio-temporal input signals to enable efficient ways to perform tasks like classification or regression. However, recently the idea of a monolithic reservoir network that simultaneously buffers input signals and expands them into nonlinear features has been challenged. A representation scheme in which memory buffer and expansion into higher-order polynomial features can be configured separately has been shown to significantly outperform traditional reservoir computing in prediction of multivariate time-series. Here we propose a configurable neuromorphic representation scheme that provides competitive performance on prediction, but with significantly better scaling properties than directly materializing higher-order features as in prior work. Our approach combines the use of randomized representations from traditional reservoir computing with mathematical principles for approximating polynomial kernels via such representations. While the memory buffer can be realized with standard reservoir networks, computing higher-order features requires networks of ‘Sigma-Pi’ neurons, i.e., neurons that enable both summation as well as multiplication of inputs. Finally, we provide an implementation of the memory buffer and Sigma-Pi networks on Loihi 2, an existing neuromorphic hardware platform. D.K. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curiegrant agreement No 839179. The work of C.J.K. was supported by theDepartment of Defense (DoD) through the National Defense Science &Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program. The work of C.J.K.and B.A.O. was supported by the Center for the Co-Design of CognitiveSystems (CoCoSys), one of seven centers in JUMP 2.0, a SemiconductorResearch Corporation (SRC) program sponsored by DARPA, as well as NSF Awards 2147640 and 2313149. The work of D.K., B.A.O., and F.T.S. was supported in part by Intel’s THWAI program. F.T.S. was supported by NSF Grant IIS1718991, NIH Grant R01-EB026955 and by the Kavli Foundation. The authors acknowledge the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking for awarding this study access to the EuroHPC supercomputer LUMI (project No 465000448), hosted by CSC (Finland) and the LUMI consortiu tthrough a EuroHPC Regular Access call.</p
Implications of Second-Order Cybernetics and Autopoiesis on Systems-of-Systems Engineering
No full textSystems-of-systems are often characterized as systems where the constituent parts have some independence from the whole. Recent research has aimed at clarifying in more detail what this independence means. It has shown that independence requires the constituent systems to be agents that observe the system-of-systems from within and construct internal models of it as a basis for decisions. This view on observers as parts of the system-of-systems parallels development in the field of second-order cybernetics several decades ago, yet the connection between that field and systems-of-systems has not been explored previously. This paper, therefore, summarizes key concepts from second-order cybernetics, including the subtopic autopoiesis. It then discusses what the implications are on systems-of-systems engineering through the identification of 17 concerns. These concerns relate to the physical topology, behavior, and control of the system-of-systems. This paper shows how these concerns directly relate to the theoretical concepts of second-order cybernetics and autopoiesis, and thereby, opens the door to further exploitation of this theoretical foundation.
Life cycle assessment of Vidde’s pilot snowmobile - today and in future circular production systems
No full textThe aim of this study was to assess and evaluate the climate impact of Vidde’s pilot snowmobile with life cycle assessment, focusing on its design and production system as of today (2025) and in future circular production systems.This life cycle assessment was performed by Emanuel Glans at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB in collaboration with Vidde Snow Mobility AB between 2024 and 2025 within the research project “Resursoptimering inom fordonsindustrin: Utformning av cirkulära produktionssystem för arktiska terrängfordon”, funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency.</p
Reglering av motorfordonsförmedling - en möjlighet för ökad delning av fordon på lika villkor
No full textRegulating Vehicle Intermediation – Enabling Fair and Inclusive Vehicle Sharing This report explores how the current Swedish legislation on professional car rental can be reformed to promote increased vehicle sharing on equal terms. By analyzing the existing regulatory framework and its limitations, the authors propose a shift from regulating car rental to regulating vehicle intermediation. The suggested model introduces the concept of a licensed vehicle intermediary who assumes legal responsibility, thereby enabling private individuals and businesses to share vehicles without holding a rental license themselves. The aim is to create a more flexible and inclusive legal structure that facilitates sustainable mobility, reduces the need for private car ownership, and ensures fair competition and regulatory compliance. The report also emphasizes the importance of continued regulation to support law enforcement and proposes a collaborative model for digital data sharing between authorities and the industry.Denna rapport har tagits fram inom ramen för ett forskningsprojekt finansierat av Vinnova genom det strategiska innovationsprogrammet Drive Sweden.</p
Preservative treatment of the bamboos Dendrocalamus giganteus, Bambusa vulgaris and Gigantochloa nigrociliata
No full textBamboo is crucial as a woody primary raw material for various products in tropical regions. It is also one of the strongest structural materials used in rural areas of developing countries. However, bamboo is susceptible to biodegradation, leading to the need for frequent replacement, which increases costs. Preservative treatment is essential to extend its lifespan. This study evaluated the feasibility of preservative treatment for three bamboo species: Dendrocalamus giganteus, Bambusa vulgaris and Gigantochloa nigrociliata. The Full-Cell (Bethel) process was used to treat bamboo samples with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) (As₂CrCuO₉). The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed by measuring penetration and retention efficiency in both green and dried bamboo. Results showed that dried bamboo exhibited higher penetration and retention efficiency compared to green bamboo. The average penetration efficiency of dried bamboo was 92.9 %, 91.0 % and 93.9 % for D. giganteus, B. vulgaris and G. nigrociliata, respectively. The retention efficiency was 1.7, 1.5 and 1.8 kg m−3 for D. giganteus, B. vulgaris and G. nigrociliata, respectively. These findings indicate that all three bamboo species can be treated effectively with CCA.
Nog? Nog! Nog. Samtal om tillräcklighet.
No full textDenna handbok är ett resultat av projektet Nog?! - en designutforskning av tillräcklig och rättvis energianvändning. Projektet har genomförts av forskare och designers från RISE, Chalmers och designbyrån Boid, och finansierats av Energimyndigheten genom programmet Design för en energieffektiv vardag som koordineras av SVID, Stiftelsen Svensk Industridesign. Vårt syfte har varit att utforska vad tillräcklig och rättvis energianvändning kan vara; både i relation till personliga behov och som en tolkning av klimatmål eller planetära gränser. Vi har velat bidra till att tillräcklighet blir lättare att prata om eftersom det ibland anses vara ett kontroversiellt och svårt ämne, samtidigt som det är ett viktigt ämne. Fler och fler ser det som en av de nödvändiga strategier vi behöver använda oss av för att nå ett hållbart samhälle, energisystem och vardagsliv. Mer specifikt har vårt mål varit att ta fram ett stöd för yrkesverksamma som energi-och klimatrådgivare och energipedagoger att diskutera ämnet med hushåll – det är detta som blivit handboken du just nu läser. Handbokens innehåll är resultatet av ett antal studier under flera år. Vi började med att undersöka vad tidigare forskning har att säga om tillräcklighet, energi och vardagsliv för att få ett hum om begreppet. Vi följde upp detta med en intervjustudie med energi- och klimatrådgivare (EKR) över hela landet för att få en inblick i dels hur rådgivningen går till, men också för att fånga upp energi- och klimatrådgivarnas expertis och erfarenheter kring tillräcklighet och närliggande ämnen samt hur de uppfattar hushållens tankar och förutsättningar kring tillräcklighet. Från insikterna identifierade vi den stora energislukaren uppvärmd boyta och orosmolnet rekyleffekter (dvs. vad man gör med de insparade pengarna när man energieffektiviserar) som viktiga områden att utforska vidare tillsammans med hushåll. För att komma hushållen nära och utmana deras förutfattade meningar designade vi två provotyper – produkter tänkta att väcka reflektioner – Kvadratutmaningen och Nog-resan. Hushållen hade en av provotyperna hemma hos sig i två veckor, och intervjuades både före och efter. Från hushållens reflektioner har vi plockat fram vad de såg som både fördelarna och svårigheterna med ett tillräckligt vardagsliv, och använt detta som inspiration till de berättelser, samtalsexempel, tips och tricks som är med i handboken. Att vi kokade ner resultatet till just en handbok är ett resultat av samtal och två samskapande workshoppar vi höll med energi- och klimatrådgivare. Reaktionerna på de olika förslag på stöd som vi hade med till workshopparna visade att det inte finns ett format som passar alla, utan rådgivarna sökte inspiration och berättelser som de själva utifrån sin kompetens och situation kunde anpassa och omtolka för sina behov. I utvecklingen av handboken har vi försökt väga in olika önskemål och rådgivningsstilar så att alla förhoppningsvis kan hitta sin egen väg in i fler samtal om tillräcklighet.Denna handbok har tagits fram inom forskningsprojektet Nog!? En utforskning av tillräcklig och rättvis energianvändning genom design (P2022-00151). Projektet har genomförts under åren 2022 till 2025. Arbetet har finansierats av Energimyndigheten genom programmet Design för en energieffektiv vardag som koordineras av SVID, Stiftelsen Svensk Industridesign.</p
How to Approach the Definition of WUI in Northern Europe
No full textThis article aims to delineate the wildland–urban interface in the sparsely populated, limited-resourced Scandinavian peninsula (excluding Finland). Common WUI mapping assumptions and how different thresholds capture the reality of building ignition from wildfire in this region are evaluated. We show that dedicated fuel maps capture areas at risk slightly better than vegetation maps, although the choice of map per se is less important than the selected limit for possible ember transport. The commonly used 6.17 buildings/km2 threshold for building density fails to capture most wildfire incidents that have led to building ignition. This work was partially supported by an Short-Term Scientific Mission Grant from the COST Action CA18134 FIRElinks. N. FernandezAnez acknowledges The Research Council of Norway, Project 301569: Building Design for At-risk Groups (BUILDER) for supporting her contribution. F. Vermina Plathner was supported by FORMAS [grant number 2021-02396]. </p