IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
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Environmental assessment of Sweden-related LNG fleet in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea
No full textThe objective of this study is to provide estimates of emissions from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled ships related to Sweden, and to outline benefits for society through reduced external costs of air pollutants and greenhouse gases from fuel shift from marine gasoil (MGO) to LNG. The total societal benefits from the Sweden-related LNG fleet in 2017 are estimated at 17.4 million €2010. This estimate includes reduced health and climate impacts and reduced crop damage. The largest contributor to the benefits is positive impact of emission reductions on population health. Lower emissions of primary particles (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) from LNG vessels, compared to a reference fleet running on MGO, result in lower concentrations of primary and secondary PM2.5 and ground-level ozone, and subsequently reduced premature mortality. Differences in emissions of main air pollutants between the analysed LNG fleet of 12 ships and a reference MGO fleet in 2017 are calculated to 100 tonnes of SO2, 160 tonnes of PM2.5 and 3 200 tonnes of NOx. The reduced NOX emissions correspond to the emissions from 24 300 average heavy duty trucks with an average mileage on the Swedish roads during the same year. Emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalents) are modelled to be similar for the LNG fleet and the MGO fuelled reference fleet: emissions of CO2 equivalents from the MGO fleet are estimated to be 6 ktonnes higher in 2017. Estimated emissions for 2022 are calculated assuming that present and already ordered LNG ships run mainly on LNG. The difference in emissions between these ships and reference ships fuelled with MGO is then significantly larger and constitutes 385 tonnes of SO2, 540 tonnes of PM2.5 and 11 200 tonnes of NOx. Emissions of greenhouse gases in 2022 are estimated at 640 ktonnes CO2 equivalents for the LNG fleet and 660 ktonnes CO2 equivalents for the MGO fleet.Syftet med denna studie är att uppskatta emissioner till luft från de Sverigerelaterade fartyg som drivs med förvätskad naturgas (LNG) samt samhällsnyttan genom minskade externa kostnader för luftföroreningar och klimatgaser vid övergång från gasolja (MGO) till LNG-drift. Den totala samhällsnyttan från den Sverigerelaterade LNG-flottan uppskattas till 17.4 miljoner €2010 år 2017. I denna uppskattning ingår hälsoeffekter, klimatpåverkan samt minskade skador på jordbruksgrödor. Den här rapporten finns endast på engelska. Svensk sammanfattning finns i rapporten
Verktyg för beräkning av resors klimatpåverkan - Användning, metod och beräkningsförutsättningar
No full textIVL har utvecklat ett verktyg där uppgifter om en resa eller bränsleanvändning matas in, och verktyget genererar värden på koldioxid och total klimatpåverkan inklusive metan och lustgas samt utsläpp som sker under framtagande av bränslet (”Well to tank”). Även flygets så kallade höghöjdseffekt kommer till uttryck i värdena. Verktyget kommer att användas statliga myndigheter inom tjänsten
Försurning och övergödning i Västmanlands län - Resultat från Krondroppsnätet till och med 2017/18
No full textVästmanlands län har varit medlem i Krondroppsnätet under 27 år. I denna rapport redovisas resultaten från mätningar under det hydrologiska året 2017/18. Ett hydrologiskt år omfattar oktober till och med september påföljande år. Mätningarna från 2017/18 ger tillsammans med tidigare års mätningar en bra bild över försurningsläget och kvävesituationen i Västmanland. Vidare redovisas resultaten i förhållande till övriga mätningar inom Krondroppsnätet. I rapporten redovisas även andra relaterade projekt samt aktuella händelser från 2018, som är relevanta ur Krondroppsnätets synvinkel
Separate collection and recycling of PVC flooring installation residue in Sweden - A system assessment
No full textRecycling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste represents a major untapped potential in Sweden. There already exist a few separate collection systems for some of the C&D waste fractions, but they are only used to a limited extent. An example is the national system for separate collection and recycling of material residue from installation of plastic flooring. Separate collection and recycling of residual material from PVC flooring installation is possible in Sweden since 1998. However, only around a fifth of all the residue material generated per year is collected though the existing national joint system while the rest is collected as combustible waste on construction/renovation sites and is sent to incineration with energy recovery. The following opportunities and barriers for increased collection and recycling rates are discussed in the report: • Lack of awareness • No requirements from purchasers • Engagement from all manufacturers and recycling solution for all the material. • Standard practice within the industry. • User-friendliness.This report is a deliverable in work package six of the CONSTRUCTIVATE project. The scope of this deliverable is to create awareness of the existence of the collection and recycling system for plastic flooring in Sweden, to assess its climate impact and to identify opportunities and barriers to increase the collection and recycling rate of this material
Rodenticide screening 2016–2018 - Exposures in birds (raptors and gulls) and red foxes
No full textRodenticides are biocidal products that are used in order to control rats and mice. This screening study aims at investigating whether chemical substances belonging to the group anticoagulant rodenticides can be detected in Swedish non-target biota, and to investigate if the levels are different compared with the results from a previous study. The levels of anticoagulant rodenticides detected in the present screening study are similar to those found in earlier studies in Sweden and elsewhere. The literature indicates that toxic effects can occur in birds at levels > 100 ng/g (liver) whereas the level > 200 ng/g has been proposed to be a threshold level in foxes. Some individuals of raptors (n =2) and several foxes (n = 7) exceed these levels in the present study. These data suggest that anticoagulant rodenticides that are transferred in the food web may cause secondary toxicity in non-target mammals and birds in Sweden. However, no pathology has been performed for the individuals of the present study that can confirm any concentration-effect relationship or reason for mortality.Den här rapporten finns endast på engelska. Svensk sammanfattning finns i rapporten
Simplified LCA of Nilar NiMH battery pack (EC 10Ah, 144V) - Report within the Grön BoStad Stockholm project
No full textThis subproject has been carried out within the framework of the Grön BoStad Stockholm project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The report includes a life cycle assessment (LCA) study of a Nilar Nickel-metal hydride battery pack (EC 10Ah, 144V) carried out by IVL Environmental Research Institute on behalf of Nilar AB. The goal of this project is to provide knowledge of the environmental strengths and weaknesses of the Nilar NiMH battery pack from a cradle to gate perspective. The material composition of the battery was provided by Nilar. The study is made on a Nilar EC 144V battery pack, which can store up to 1.44 kWh of energy. The functional unit is 1 kWh of stored energy which corresponds to 0.7 battery packs. For the cradle to gate approach, the gate is the Nilar production site i.e. when the battery pack is ready to be delivered to customers. The cradle means the production of fuels, electricity, raw materials and extraction of natural resources. It also covers relevant transportation. The actual production of the battery at Nilar as well as the production of components by suppliers are however omitted since the process is assessed to have a minor impact. This study is simplified, only based on an inventory of the bill of materials provided by Nilar AB i.e. kg of materials such as metals and different polymers. Data applied for the materials are based on generic database data mostly representing EU averages. The data applied for production of raw materials has been extracted from thinkstep/GaBi databases and EcoInvent database. Data gaps and assumptions regarding key materials in this study will affect the result since these materials correspond to high percentages of the total battery weight. Production of compounds such as rare metals can also have a high environmental impact in their extraction and production phases. Due to lack of data for production of one of the rare metals it has been approximated as equal to production of a close neighbour in the periodic system. For one substance within the electrolyte, a similar compound was used as an approximation. Transportation of materials has been included on a rough level. For materials produced in China or Asia a long-distance sea transport from Shanghai to Europe has been applied, while for all other materials an assumption of 1000 km truck has been assumed. These are fair assumptions since the total impact from transportation is small in relation to the production of the materials. Also, electricity use from the production phase has been excluded since it was assessed to be small in relation to the total impact. The impact categories used in the study are Global warming potential (Climate change), Acidification potential, Eutrophication potential, Photochemical ozone creation potential and Abiotic resource depletion potential (ADP) elements. Categories used for LCA-results are Renewable and Non-renewable energy resources. The production of one of the rare metals was approximated with production of a close neighbour in the periodic system. The share of the metal is very low, but the data applied corresponds to a very high impact resulting in a contribution to the total climate change. This is the most uncertain assumption made in this study and has a significant effect on the final result. The negative electrode corresponds to the highest share of the total climate change impact with 47% followed by the positive electrode with 24% and contact plate/case with 18%. For abiotic resource depletion potential, the negative electrode corresponds to the highest share of total impact with 71% of the total followed by the positive electrode with 23%.Den här rapporten finns endast på engelska. Svensk sammanfattning finns i rapporten
Klimatanpassning 2019 - så långt har Sveriges kommuner kommit
No full textIVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet och Svensk Försäkring har för fjärde gången genomfört en enkätundersökning för att kartlägga Sveriges kommuners systematiska arbete med klimatanpassning och därmed få en överblick över klimatanpassningsarbetet på lokal nivå i Sverige. Resultaten har också legat till grund för en jämförelse och rankning av kommunernas arbete. Enkäten skickades ut till samtliga Sveriges kommuner och besvarades av 208 kommuner. Frågorna i undersökningen bygger på EU-kommissionens verktyg för klimatanpassning, the Adaptation Support Tool
Undersökning av ämnestransport och uppehållstider i Liukattijoki med fluorescerande spårämne
No full textVattenlösliga fluorescerande färgämnen (spårämnen) kan detekteras i extremt låga koncentrationer och användas för att studera uppehållstider, spridning och utspädning av vattenlösliga ämnen i vattendrag. Resultaten från sådana studier kan användas för att utforma åtgärder, tillståndsvillkor och miljöövervakningsstrategier kopplade till utsläpp av vattenlösliga ämnen från olika verksamheter. Den här rapporten beskriver ett spårämnesförsök med det fluorescerande färgämnet Rhodamine WT. Försöket utfördes 7–8 september 2016 längs vattendraget Liukattijoki som är recipient för bräddat vatten från LKAB:s gruvverksamhet i Svappavaara
Sustainable management of plastic waste from hospitals
No full textHospitals use large amounts of plastics which continue to rise. Most of the plastics are used as disposable items such as plastic syringes, single-use gowns, sterile packaging, etc. due to patient safety, lower cost and convenience. Medical wastes historically have been disposed of in landfills or incinerated. However, politicians and health organizations are beginning to call for a new approach at hospitals that minimizes waste from manufacturing to the disposal. In this context, significantly increased recycling is highlighted as important part of a broader effect to improve hospital sustainability and reduce waste. Products for the healthcare sector are often of high quality and made from high grade plastics, which makes them even more valuable for recycling. However, despite the fact that there is considerable demand for such high-quality plastic waste, the perception that waste generated in hospitals is “dirty” and constitutes a health risk makes people reluctant to use it. The project goal was to increase recycling rates of hospital plastics waste without increasing workload of the staff and without increasing risks for people or the environment. To achieve this goal, suitable pre-treatment methods were used capable to remove infection risks from the plastic waste fraction viz. a hydrothermal method supplied by RedBag Solutions (RBS) and an ozonation process supplied by Ozonator. The main challenge was to find out how quality of plastics from combustible plastic waste fraction is affected by the different pre-treatment methods but without compromising the total removal of the potential infection risks. Three materials for the experimental study were carefully chosen in consensus with hospitals and product manufacturers: polyethylene (PE) used in aprons, polypropylene (PP) used in medicine cups and syringes and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used in gloves. After pre-treatments, the materials were evaluated with respect to colour change, degree of stabilization and alteration of chemical structure. The main conclusion from the pre-treatment studies was that the pre-treatment processes do not cause any measurable changes in the materials studied except some indications of a minor plasticizer loss in the PVC samples. Capability of pre-treated plastics to perform well in industrial processes was evaluated in two large-scale recycling trials. The PP material was used at Bergo Flooring for production of floor tiles made of 100 % recycled PP while the PVC material was used at Tarkett for production of flooring containing 20 w% of recycled PVC. Before manufacturing, the materials were pre-treated in commercial large-scale RBS equipment in USA. The main experience from the trials was that the materials are useful and perform well in the manufacturing process although there is room for improvements that would increase the usability of the recycled materials. One important objective would be to identify and hinder the potential contamination of the pre-treated materials. Another objective would be to ensure a sufficient degree of stabilization of the materials in order to minimize degradation during usage, pre-treatments and recycling processes. Finally, the pre-treatment technologies and subsequent recycling were evaluated with respect to environmental, economic and social factors. The results show that pre-treatment and recycling is beneficial from a climate perspective, even with assumed material losses and assumed quality reduction of the recycled materials. The environmental credit for recycled plastic materials was given only half of the virgin materials. In the industrial recycling trials a significant part of the virgin materials was replaced by the recycled materials without quality reduction thus the environmental credit should be significantly higher than 0,5. This means that the environmental benefit due to recycling is even higher than calculated by the LCA.Den här rapporten finns endast på engelska. Svensk sammanfattning finns i rapporten
Sammanställning av kunskap och åtgärdsförslag för att minska spridning av mikroplast från konstgräsplaner och andra utomhusanläggningar för idrott och lek
No full textIVL har genom mätningar vid lekplatser och idrottsanläggningar med gjutet gummi påvisat höga halter mikroplast i närbelägna dagvattenbrunnar. Vidare spridning i vattenmiljön har dock ej undersökts. Därtill har nuvarande situation och kunskapsläge i Sverige sammanställts för anläggningar med gjutet gummi, konstgräsplaner och ridanläggningar. Syftet med studien är att öka kunskapen om de olika anläggningstyperna som källa till mikroplast och att ta fram åtgärdsförslag för att minska spridningen av mikroplast till miljön. Projekt har utförts på uppdrag av Naturvårdsverket