Under sommaren 2013 har Melica, och Sportfiskarna, på uppdrag av Länsstyrelsen Västra Götalands län inventerat flodpärlmussla i Enningdalsälven, Kolarebäcken, Sollumsån, Verkälven, Tattarströmmarna och Önnarp enligt metoden

enkel statusbeskrivning. I Gärebäcken, Slereboån och Tidan har metoden statusbeskrivning använts. Syftet med övervakningen är att följa status och trender för de ingående vattendragen med avseende på flodpärlmussla och jämföra resultaten med tidigare inventeringar. Ett av vattendragen har inventerats tidigare, Gärebäcken, de resterande 8 är nyinventeringar.

The document describes examples of missions, visions and strategies based on the potentialpiloting models defined in report 3.2. It is based on status of interest amongst thestakeholders, and the information, figures and challenges which were discussed in the reportD 2.1 Stakeholder interests. The different service models will request different missionsdepending on the stakeholder in charge of the model. Also visions and strategies could bedifferent depending on the composition of services (core business) offered within each pilot aswell as the additional services offered by sub suppliers and the network connected to the pilot.In the report D2.1 Stakeholders interests, the following 5 different piloting models aresuggested:Type 1 Joint venture of industry, retailers and contractorsType 2 Joint venture of construction/renovation, industry and architect/engineering companiesType 3 Complementary businesses expand their business into renovationType 4 Joint venture of type house producer, bank and home owner associationType 5 Energy/building consultant, real estate agent and financing institutions, e.g. bankIn this report we have described mission, vision and market strategies for 4 existing orproposed models; The Project Manager by Bolig Enøk, from Norway (type 1), ENRA concept(type 2) and K-Rauta & Rautia (type 3) from Finland, and ProjectLavenergi (type 2) fromDenmark. Cleantech by Dong Energy (type 3) from Denmark is also addressed, but notdescribed in detail. As there is no concrete examples representing two of the models fromD2.1 (types 4 and 5), we have made a theoretical exercise in developing mission, vision andmarket strategies for type 5 model, while type 4 is not handled.It may be concluded that there are commercial actors in different parts of the value chainwhich see an opportunity in developing different approaches of “one stop shops” for energyefficient holistic renovations. The concepts are still in a development phase and differ inrespect to how they are organised (as supply side). We may say that the pilots in the differentcountries also find inspiration from each other through this research project. Due to thecomplexity of a holistic renovation project, it is a prerequisite with good partnerships even inthe development phase. In all identified models there is however one main actor taking thelead and ownership to the business model.Independent of the business model the responsible company needs to make some strategicchoices. The starting point is the SWOT analysis which sums up all major challenges for therespective business model. How the strategies should be developed is described in this report.Although the main target group for this report is companies seeing an interest in developingbusiness models for renovation, we found some important issues identified in the SWOTanalysis which the authorities may influence including lack of interest in the market (need ofmore public attention through holistic campaigns), fragmented solutions (stop subsidisingsingle measures without a holistic plan), serious vs unserious companies (need of certificationsystems to build credibility), cost focus leads to limited renovation (need of subventionschemes for holistic retrofitting including tax deduction measures) and finally lack incompetence within companies (need of support to training and collaboration acrosscompanies).

The impact on snow pack albedo from local elemental carbon (EC) sources in Svalbard has been investigated for the winter of 2008. Highly elevated EC concentrations in the snow are observed around the settlements of Longyearbyen and Svea (locally > 1000 ng g(-1), about 200 times over the background level), while EC concentrations similar to the background level are seen around Ny-Alesund. Near Longyearbyen and Svea, darkened snow influenced by wind transported coal dust from open coal stockpiles is clearly visible from satellite images and by eye at the ground. As a first estimate, the reduction in snow albedo caused by local EC pollution from the Norwegian settlements has been compared to the estimated reduction caused by long-range transported EC for entire Svalbard. The effect of local EC from Longyearbyen, Svea and all Norwegian settlements are estimated to 2.1%, 7.9% and 10% of the total impact of EC, respectively. The EC particles tend to stay on the surface during melting, and elevated EC concentrations due to the spring melt was observed. This accumulation of EC enhances the positive albedo feedbacks. The EC concentrations were observed to be larger in metamorphosed snow than in fresh snow, and especially around ice lenses.

The first EMEP intensive measurement periods were held in June 2006 and January 2007. The measurements aimed to characterize the aerosol chemical compositions, including the gas/aerosol partitioning of inorganic compounds. The measurement program during these periods included daily or hourly measurements of the secondary inorganic components, with additional measurements of elemental- and organic carbon (EC and OC) and mineral dust in PM1, PM2.5 and PM10. These measurements have provided extended knowledge regarding the composition of particulate matter and the temporal and spatial variability of PM, as well as an extended database for the assessment of chemical transport models. This paper summarise the first experiences of making use of measurements from the first EMEP intensive measurement periods along with EMEP model results from the updated model version to characterise aerosol composition. We investigated how the PM chemical composition varies between the summer and the winter month and geographically. The observation and model data are in general agreement regarding the main features of PM10 and PM2.5 composition and the relative contribution of different components, though the EMEP model tends to give slightly lower estimates of PM10 and PM2.5 compared to measurements. The intensive measurement data has identified areas where improvements are needed. Hourly concurrent measurements of gaseous and particulate components for the first time facilitated testing of modelled diurnal variability of the gas/aerosol partitioning of nitrogen species. In general, the modelled diurnal cycles of nitrate and ammonium aerosols are in fair agreement with the measurements, but the diurnal variability of ammonia is not well captured. The largest differences between model and observations of aerosol mass are seen in Italy during winter, which to a large extent may be explained by an underestimation of residential wood burning sources. It should be noted that both primary and secondary OC has been included in the calculations for the first time, showing promising results. Mineral dust is important, especially in southern Europe, and the model seems to capture the dust episodes well. The lack of measurements of mineral dust hampers the possibility for model evaluation for this highly uncertain PM component. There are also lessons learnt regarding improved measurements for future intensive periods. There is a need for increased comparability between the measurements at different sites. For the nitrogen compounds it is clear that more measurements using artefact free methods based on continuous measurement methods and/or denuders are needed. For EC/OC, a reference methodology (both in field and laboratory) was lacking during these periods giving problems with comparability, though measurement protocols have recently been established and these should be followed by the Parties to the EMEP Protocol. For measurements with no defined protocols, it might be a good solution to use centralised laboratories to ensure comparability across the network. To cope with the introduction of these new measurements, new reporting guidelines have been developed to ensure that all proper information about the methodologies and data quality is given.

Rodenticides 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.

Blodprover (600 st.) från deltagare i matvaneundersökningen Riksmaten ungdom 2016-17 har analyserats med avseende på akrylamid och dess metabolit glycidamid. Analyserna har gjorts med masspektrometri av reaktionsprodukter med hemoglobin (Hb-addukter) som biomarkör för exponering för akrylamid. I denna rapport redovisas resultaten från dessa analyser. Skillnader i exponering mellan kön och mellan åldersgrupper (årskurs 5, årskurs 8 och årskurs 2 på gymnasiet) har undersökts samt association med bostadsort (stadsmiljö eller landsbygd) och föräldrars utbildningsnivå. Exponeringen har också undersökts i relation till uppskattat intag av akrylamid från mat, baserat på enkätsvar om matvanor från ungdomarna. 

Akrylamid kunde detekteras i nästan alla prover (99 %). Medianhalten var 34 pmol/g Hb. Ingen signifikant skillnad i Hb-addukthalt av akrylamid kunde observeras mellan pojkar och flickor. Inte heller kunde någon signifikant skillnad observeras mellan åldersgrupperna för akrylamid. Vid jämförelse av Hb-addukter av glycidamid samt summan av akrylamid och glycidamid uppvisade barnen i årskurs 5 högre halter jämfört med ungdomarna i årskurs 8 och i årskurs 2 på gymnasiet. Vid jämförelse mellan bostadsort på landsbygd jämfört med i stadsmiljö observerades inga signifikanta skillnader i Hb-adduktnivåer av akrylamid eller glycidamid för någon åldersgrupp. Inte heller observerades någon association mellan Hb-adduktnivåer och föräldrarnas utbildningsnivå i någon åldersgrupp. Omkring 10 % av studenterna rapporterade att de röker, dagligen eller ibland, och dessa individer hade signifikant högre Hb-adduktnivåer av glycidamid samt av summan av akrylamid och glycidamid. 

Förutom rökning utgör livsmedelskonsumtion den största källan till akrylamidexponering. De uppmätta adduktnivåerna jämfördes med uppskattat intag av akrylamid från livsmedel som är kända att innehålla akrylamid. Jämförelsen gjordes både med data från enkätsvar om generella matvanor samt från data från kostregistrering under två dagar. Ingen signifikant korrelation observerades mellan adduktnivå av akrylamid och det totala medelintaget från kostregistreringen, sannolikt för att adduktnivåerna motsvarar exponeringen som skett under de senaste ca fyra månaderna, vilket är hemoglobinets livslängd. Dock observerades signifikanta korrelationer mellan adduktnivå och registrerad konsumtion av chips och bröd för studenterna i årskurs 5. Också observerades en signifikant skillnad mellan adduktnivåer och konsumtion av chips från enkätdata om generella konsumtionsvanor. 

En framtida studie om matvanor som designats med avseende på akrylamidexponering skulle ge en bättre förståelse för korrelationen mellan konsumtion och exponering, och ge en ännu bättre uppskattning om bidraget av akrylamid från mat till den totala cancerrisken. 

Vi har utrett i vilken utsträckning en kombination av trendstationer och omdrevsstationerkan svara upp till ramdirektivets krav avseende den kontrollerande övervakningen avförekomster som inte bedömts vara utsatta för risk att inte nå målen.

Sveriges geologiska undersökning (SGU) har fått i uppdrag av länsstyrelsen i Blekinge

län att utvärdera länets nuvarande program för övervakning av grundvatten. Programmet

omfattar regelbundna analyser av grundvatten från 13 brunnar vid vattenverk, 21 privata

brunnar i jordbruks- eller skogsmark samt 30 källor. I uppdraget ingår att bedöma

grundvattenstatusen enligt Naturvårdsverkets ”Bedömningsgrunder för miljökvalitet –

Grundvatten” samt att göra tidseriestudier av vissa parametrar. Ett förslag till framtida

övervakningsprogram lämnas. Uppdraget redovisas i denna rapport och som underlag

har legat mätdata tillgängliga i mars 2001.

Länsstyrelsens mål med programmet är att kunna kontrollera att grundvattnet kan ge en

tillräcklig mängd dricksvatten med fullgod kvalitet. Tyngdpunkten ligger på övervakning av

försurning av grundvattnet. Genom att bevaka både grunda grundvattentäkter med snabb

omsättning av grundvattnet samt djupa med långsam omsättning är avsikten att både

långtidseffekter och tidiga miljöförändringar skall kunna spåras. Detta syfte illustreras av att

den genomsnittliga alkaliniteten för lokalerna ligger inom hela intervallet 0 till 236 mg/l.

Enligt bedömningsgrunder för miljökvalitet – Grundvatten finns tre geografiska regioner

representerade inom Blekinge: A – Sydsveriges sedimentära berggrundsområde, B –

Sydsvenska höglandet och C – Väst- och sydostkusten. Efter indelning i grundvattenmiljö

och djup hamnade 20 av lokalerna i

B3g = ”grunda brunnar (<4 m) i öppna akviferer i

morän eller svallsediment i region Sydsvenska höglandet”. Vid indelningen erhölls för

övriga typområden-djup få lokaler. Resultaten visar ändå god samstämmighet med

referensvärden. Alkaliniteten för lokalerna i morän i både region B och C är dock låg vilket

visar på att övervakningsnätet bevakar grundvatten med mycket låg buffertförmåga.

Mätseriernas längd och frekvens i provtagning varierar för lokalerna i de olika

undersökningsprogrammen. För tolkningen av tidsmässiga förändringar används i första

hand lokaler med tidsserier från en 15 års-period och där minst åtta analyser har utförts. De

övriga, korta tidsserierna återspeglar främst tendenser från 90-talet. Resultaten visar att i

jonsvaga grundvatten har en viss ökning skett av pH, alkalinitet och färg medan halterna av

kalcium, magnesium och sulfat minskat. Förändringarna i halter som ger de signifikanta

trenderna är oftast små. Det finns inget tydligt mönster i förändringar av klorid och

konduktivitet. Halterna av kväve och fosfor minskar i flera lokaler.

Det är av värde att de analyser som utförs är så samstämmiga som möjligt inom hela

övervakningsprogrammet. För samtliga prov bör huvudkomponenterna kalcium,

magnesium, kalium, natrium, alkalinitet, sulfat, klorid och kväve ingå för att jonbalanser

skall kunna beräknas och kvaliteten i analyserna kunna kontrolleras. En översiktlig

prioritering av källor och brunnar har föreslagits. För slutlig bedömning av programmets

framtida omfattning behöver informationen om respektive lokal utökas, främst med en

hydrogeologisk dokumentation i fält.

Trafikverkets klimatmål kan uppfyllas bland annat genom att öka kunskapen om klimatpåverkan inom projekten. Syftet med denna studie var att få en bild över de totala utsläppen av växthusgaser vid byggande, underhåll och renovering av de två spårformerna ballastspår och ballastfritt spår. Som studieobjekt användes uppgifter för två enkelspår (2 400 spårmeter [spm] vardera) genom Hallsberg–Stenkumla-tunneln. Beräkningarna utfördes i Trafikverkets klimatkalkylverktyg.  

As part of the global monitoring plan on persistent organic pollutants (GMP) under the Stockholm Convention passive air samplers equipped with polyurethane foam disks (PUFs) were applied to monitor dioxin-like POPs. For sampling, toluene-pretreated PUFs were exposed for three months during two years. Chemical analysis was performed in one accredited expert laboratory using internationally accepted methods; for comparison, all results were normalized to one PUF and 3 month exposure. Total TEQs, using WHO2005-TEFs, were lowest in the Pacific Islands countries (PAC) and had similar mean values in Africa (16.8 pg TEQ/PUF), Asia (16.9 pg TEQ/PUF), and Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC, 13.3 pg TEQ/PUF). Using median values, Asia (13.4 pg TEQ/PUF) and GRULAC (13.1 pg TEQ/PUF) had higher amounts than Africa (6.1 pg TEQ/PUF) and PAC (2.1 pg TEQ/PUF). The contribution of PCDD/PCDF to the total TEQ was 2-3-times higher than from the dl-PCB. Mono-ortho PCB did not play a role in any of the samples. The previous 40 samples during 2010/2011 and the present 195 samples from 2017/2018 did not show a statistical difference (p value = 0.3), only for GRULAC, a downward trend was identified. It is recommended combining 4 PUFs to ‘annual’ samples.

South Africa has the largest occurrence of the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) in the world but has also implemented the largest antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme. It was therefore of interest to determine the presence and concentrations of commonly used antiretroviral drugs (ARVDs) and, also, to determine the capabilities of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for removing ARVDs. To this end, a surrogate standard based LC-MS/MS method was optimized and applied for the detection of thirteen ARVDs used in the treatment and management of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in two major and one modular WWTP in the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The method was validated and the detection limits fell within the range of 2–20 ng L⁻¹. The analytical recoveries for the ARVDs were mainly greater than 50% with acceptable relative standard deviations. The concentration values ranged from <LOD – 53000 ng L⁻¹ (influent), <LOD – 34000 ng L⁻¹ (effluent) in a decentralized wastewater treatment facility (DEWATS); <LOD – 24000 ng L⁻¹ (influent), <LOD – 33000 ng L⁻¹ (effluent) in Northern WWTP and 61–34000 ng L⁻¹ (influent), <LOD – 20000 ng L⁻¹ (effluent) in Phoenix WWTP. Whilst abacavir, lamivudine and zidovudine were almost completely removed from the effluents, atazanavir, efavirenz, lopinavir and nevirapine persisted in the effluents from all three WWTPs. To estimate the ecotoxicological risks associated with the discharge of ARVDs, a countrywide survey focussing on the occurrence of ARVDs in WWTPs, surface and fresh water bodies, and aquatic organisms, is necessary.

Heavy metals are naturally present in nature, but if their concentration is higher than the normal accepted threshold levels, they constitute one of the pollutants that is more difficult to remove and also to rehabilitate the contaminated site by them. There are many heavy-metal pollutants-the most common among them are arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn), along with the less common ones, which produced, for example, by the nuclear process, such as uranium (U)-in different configuration; hence, many possibilities of contamination in the world exist, and they are more difficult to remove.Thus heavy-metal pollution is more and more becoming one of the principal issues of the global interest, because it is common to both industrialized countries and developing countries. These issues are getting hard to be recognized and cannot be followed the simple rules concerning safety and environmental protection, thus fall into the same errors of the already industrialized countries. At the same time, new environment-remediation techniques are developed in the last decade, especially, in these last years. Some of these technologies concern physical or chemical process or effects, such as ion exchanges, flotations, and photocatalysis, while other technologies concern the use of membrane process, especially ultrafiltration or membrane integrated process or hybrid systems, where membranes are generally submerged and used together with another process.In this chapter a review of this problem and some example of technologies for removing and remediation of the environment are reported. 

Solid waste management is a challenge for the cities' authorities in developing countries mainly due to the increasing generation of waste, the burden posed on the municipal budget as a result of the high costs associated to its management, the lack of understanding over a diversity of factors that affect the different stages of waste management and linkages necessary to enable the entire handling system functioning. An analysis of literature on the work done and reported mainly in publications from 2005 to 2011, related to waste management in developing countries, showed that few articles give quantitative information. The analysis was conducted in two of the major scientific journals, Waste Management Journal and Waste Management and Research. The objective of this research was to determine the stakeholders' action/behavior that have a role in the waste management process and to analyze influential factors on the system, in more than thirty urban areas in 22 developing countries in 4 continents. A combination of methods was used in this study in order to assess the stakeholders and the factors influencing the performance of waste management in the cities. Data was collected from scientific literature, existing data bases, observations made during visits to urban areas, structured interviews with relevant professionals, exercises provided to participants in workshops and a questionnaire applied to stakeholders. Descriptive and inferential statistic methods were used to draw conclusions. The outcomes of the research are a comprehensive list of stakeholders that are relevant in the waste management systems and a set of factors that reveal the most important causes for the systems' failure. The information provided is very useful when planning, changing or implementing waste management systems in cities.

The study aimed to determine Aluminum sludge composition and structure for its valorisation as an alternative natural material for heavy metals removal from wastewater for further reuse as treated water in different applications. The study was conducted to investigate the introduction of Al-bearing sludge composition. The physical and chemical properties were examined using X-ray diffraction tests (XRD), scanning electron microscope tests (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared tests (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller tests (BET). Furthermore, the heavy metal concentrations of synthetic wastewater were measured using the spectrophotometry method. The experimental procedure is based on testing different pH limits and amounts of aluminum sludge to find the optimum conditions for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) removal. The results demonstrated a high removal efficiency where its value reached up to 97.4% and 96.6% for Zn and Cu, respectively, in an acidic medium (pH = 6) using a relatively high amount of sludge (1400 mg). Nevertheless, a low efficiency was obtained in the strongly acidic medium (pH = 4) and a smaller sludge amount of about 480 mg.

Crystal structures and vibrational spectra of three related network-forming coordination complexes have been studied. Two novel thermodynamically stable pseudo-polymorphic solvated rhodium chloro compounds, [cis-RhCl4(DMSO-kappa S)(2)K](n), 1, and [cis-RhCl4(DMSO-kappa S)(2)K center dot 3H(2)O](n), 2, and one metastable compound [trans-RhCl4(DMSO-kappa S)(2)K center dot 0.25H(2)O](n), 3, crystallize at ambient temperature in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) for 1, and the monoclinic space groups P2(1)/n and P2(1)/c for 2 and 3, respectively. All three structures contain [RhCl4(DMSO-kappa S)(2)]-complexes in which the rhodium(III) ions bind to two dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) sulfur atoms and four chloride ions in distorted octahedral coordination geometries. The complexes are connected in networks via potassium ions interacting with the Cl- and the DMSO oxygen atoms. As the sum of Shannon ionic radii of K+ and Cl- exceeds the K-Cl distances in compounds under study, these compounds can be described as Rh-Cl-K coordination polymers with non-covalent bonding, which is not common in these systems, forming 1- and 2-D networks for 1/2 and 3, respectively. The 2-D network with nano-layered sheets for compound 3 was also confirmed by TEM images. Further evaluation of the bonding in the cis- and trans-[RhCl4(DMSO-kappa S)(2)](-) entities was obtained by recording Raman and FT-IR absorption spectra and assigning the vibrational frequencies with the support of force-field calculations. The force field study of complexes reveals the strong domination of trans-effect (DMSO-kappa S > Cl) over the effect of non-covalent bonding in coordination polymeric structures. The comparison of calculated RhCl, RhS and SO stretching force constants showed evidence of K+-ligand interactions whereas direct experimental evidences of K+-Cl- interaction were not obtained because of strong overlap of the corresponding spectral region with that where lattice modes and Rh-ligand bendings appear.

Freshwater ecosystems are critical resources for drinking water. In recent decades, dissolved organic matter (DOM) inputs into aquatic systems have increased significantly, particularly in central and northern Europe, due to climatic and anthropogenic drivers. The associated increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration can change lake ecosystem services and adversely affect drinking water treatment processes. In this study, we examined spatial and temporal patterns of DOM treatability with granular activated carbon (GAC) and biological reactivity based on 14-day bacterial respiration incubations at 11 sites across Mälaren during six-time points between July 2019 and February 2021. Mälaren is the third largest lake in Sweden and provides drinking water for over 2 million people including the capital city Stockholm. In our spatio-temporal analysis, we assessed the influence of phytoplankton abundance, water chemistry, runoff, and climate on DOM composition, GAC removal efficiency, and biological reactivity. Variations in DOM composition were characterized using optical measurements and Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Multivariate statistical analyses indicated that DOM produced during warmer months was easier to remove by GAC. Removal efficiency of GAC varied from 41 to 87 %, and the best predictor of treatability using mass spectrometry was double bond equivalents (DBE), while the best optical predictors were specific UV absorbance (SUVA), and freshness index. The oxygen consumption rate (k) from the bacterial respiration incubations ranged from 0.04 to 0.71 d⁻¹ and higher in warmer months and at deeper basins and was associated with more aliphatic and fresh DOM. The three deepest lake basins with the longest water residence time (WRT) were temporally the most stable in terms of DOM composition and had the highest DOC removal efficiency and k rates. DOM composition in these three lake basins was optically clearer than in basins located closer to terrestrial inputs and had a signature suggesting it was derived from in-lake processes including phytoplankton production and bacterial processing of terrestrial DOM. This means that with increasing WRT, DOM derived from terrestrial sources shifts to more aquatically produced DOM and becomes easier to remove with GAC. These findings indicate WRT can be highly relevant in shaping DOM composition and thereby likely to affect its ease of treatability for drinking water purposes.

The current study investigates the characteristics of particles generated from the wear of braking materials, and provides an applicable index for measuring and comparing wear particle emissions. A pin-on-disc tribometer equipped with particle measurement instruments was used. The number concentration, size, morphology, and mass concentration of generated particles were investigated and reported for particles 10 nm-32 mu m in diameter. The particles were also collected on filters and investigated using EDS and SEM. The effects of wear mechanisms on particle morphology and changes in particle concentration are discussed. A new index, the airborne wear particle emission rate (AWPER), is suggested that could be used in legislation to control non-exhaust emissions from transport modes, particularly rail transport.

Particle emissions are a drawback of rail transport. This work is a comprehensive presentation of recent research into particle emissions from rail vehicles. Both exhaust and nonexhaust particle emissions are considered when examining particle characteristics such as PM10, and PM2.5 concentration levels, size, morphology, composition, and adverse health effects, current legislation, and available and proposed solutions for reducing such emissions. High concentration levels in enclosed rail traffic environments are reported and some toxic effects of the particles. The authors find that only a few limited studies have examined the adverse health effects of nonexhaust particle emissions and that no relevant legislation exists. Thus further research in this area is warranted.

Inhalable airborne particles have inverse health effects. In railways, mechanical brakes, the wheel–rail contact, current collectors, ballast, sleepers, and masonry structures yield particulate matter. Field tests examined a Swedish track using a train instrumented with particle measurement devices, brake pad temperature sensors, and speed and brake sensors. The main objective of this field test was to study the characteristics of particles generated from disc brakes on a running train with an on-board measuring set-up. Two airborne particle sampling points were designated, one near a pad–rotor disc brake contact and a second under the frame, not near a mechanical brake or the wheel–rail contact; the numbers and size distributions of the particles detected were registered and evaluated under various conditions (e.g. activating/deactivating electrical brakes or negotiating curves). During braking, three speed/temperature-dependent particle peaks were identified in the fine region, representing particles 280, 350, and 600 nm in diameter. In the coarse region, a peak was discerned for particles 3–6 µm in diameter. Effects of brake pad temperature on particle size distribution were also investigated. Results indicate that the 280 nm peak increased with increasing temperature, and that electrical braking significantly reduced airborne particle numbers. Field emission scanning electron microscope images captured particles sizing down to 50 nm. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry results indicated that Fe, Cu, Zn, Al, Ca, and Mg were the main elements constituting the particles.

The revitalisation and regeneration of streets is a multi-faceted process aimed at breathing new life into urban areas, enhancing their functionality, attractiveness, and economic viability. This concept has gained significant attention from urban planners, policymakers, and community stakeholders seeking to address issues such as urban decay, blight and declining economic activity in cities. Several approaches and strategies have been employed to revitalise and regenerate streets, drawing from principles of urban design, placemaking, and community development (Lydon & Garcia, 2015). Streets have become important components of cities as they function as more than just connecting corridors; they are vital arteries constantly being reproduced and revitalised through the lived experiences of individuals who cross them on a daily basis. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a discernible global trend wherein urban waterfront redevelopment has garnered significant attention within major metropolitan centres. Once overlooked, these urban waterfront areas have transformed, emerging as pivotal loci for social, recreational, and economic endeavours. 

This study explores the revitalisation and regeneration of urban streets, with a focus on Skeppsbron Street, which is an urban waterfront street in Malmö, Sweden. The research in order to evaluate the current conditions of this street and propose strategies to transform it into a vibrant, sustainable, and socially engaging urban space which originates from the two main goals of the research as follows:

1.     Investigating and evaluating the significance of focusing on urban streets in the process of revitalising and regenerating urban areas.

2.     Identifying and introducing a set of influential factors in design will encourage as many people as possible to participate in and be present in the city's street scene, thereby creating a lively and dynamic society.

By employing qualitative methods, including interviews, direct observations, and literature review, the study investigates the role of urban streets as vital public spaces that foster social interaction and community engagement. Drawing upon established urban theories from scholars such as Jane Jacobs, William H. Whyte, Allan B. Jacobs, Jan Gehl, and Donald Appleyard, the research highlights the importance of public space design in the processes of urban street regeneration and revitalisation.

The case study of Skeppsbron Street reveals that, despite its historical significance and strategic location, the street has not fully realised its potential as a dynamic public space. The analysis identifies key challenges, such as limited pedestrian activity and underutilised spaces, which hinder the street's ability to serve as a lively urban environment. To address these issues, the study proposes a set of regenerative strategies, including the activation of land use along the street edge, the introduction of temporary uses, and the enhancement of seasonal vegetation. These strategies aim to increase the street's attractiveness and functionality, thereby encouraging greater public participation and enhancing the overall urban experience.

By examining the current conditions of Skeppsbron Street and identifying potential regenerative elements, this study aims to provide insights into effective strategies for transforming urban streets into dynamic public spaces. The findings will contribute to the broader discourse on urban street revitalisation, offering practical recommendations for creating more sustainable, liveable, and engaging urban environments. 

Protecting or restoring aquatic ecosystems in the face of growing anthropogenic pressures requires an understanding of hydrological and biogeochemical functioning across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Recent technological and methodological advances have vastly increased the number and diversity of hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological tracers available, providing potentially powerful tools to improve understanding of fundamental problems in ecohydrology, notably: 1. Identifying spatially explicit flowpaths, 2. Quantifying water residence time, and 3. Quantifying and localizing biogeochemical transformation. In this review, we synthesize the history of hydrological and biogeochemical theory, summarize modem tracer methods, and discuss how improved understanding of flowpath, residence time, and biogeochemical transformation can help ecohydrology move beyond description of site-specific heterogeneity. We focus on using multiple tracers with contrasting characteristics (crossing proxies) to infer ecosystem functioning across multiple scales. Specifically, we present how crossed proxies could test recent ecohydrological theory, combining the concepts of hotspots and hot moments with the Damkohler number in what we call the HotDam framework.

As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of the critical factors driving carbon balance are unlikely in the near future, so to address this gap, we present estimates from 98 permafrost-region experts of the response of biomass, wildfire, and hydrologic carbon flux to climate change. Results suggest that contrary to model projections, total permafrost-region biomass could decrease due to water stress and disturbance, factors that are not adequately incorporated in current models. Assessments indicate that end-of-the-century organic carbon release from Arctic rivers and collapsing coastlines could increase by 75% while carbon loss via burning could increase four-fold. Experts identified water balance, shifts in vegetation community, and permafrost degradation as the key sources of uncertainty in predicting future system response. In combination with previous findings, results suggest the permafrost region will become a carbon source to the atmosphere by 2100 regardless of warming scenario but that 65%-85% of permafrost carbon release can still be avoided if human emissions are actively reduced.

Background

Water pollution with heavy metals is a severe dilemma that concerns the whole world related to its risk to natural ecosystems and human health. The main objective was to evaluate the removal efficiency of Cd of various concentrations from contaminated aqueous solution by use of two cyanobacterial strains (Nostoc muscorum and Trichormus variabilis). For this purpose, a specially designed laboratory pilot-scale experiment was conducted using these two cyanobacterial strains on four different initial concentrations of Cd (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg L⁻¹) for 21 days.

Results

N. muscorum was more efficient than T. variabilis for removing Cd (II), with the optimum value of residual Cd of 0.033 mg L⁻¹ achieved by N. muscorum after 21 days with initial concentration of 0.5 mg L⁻¹, translating to removal efficiency of 93.4%, while the residual Cd (II) achieved by T. variabilis under the same conditions was 0.054 mg L⁻¹ (89.13% removal efficiency). Algal growth parameters and photosynthetic pigments were estimated for both cyanobacterial strains throughout the incubation period.

Conclusions

High Cd concentration had a more toxic impact on algal growth. The outcomes of this study will help to produce treated water that could be reused in agrarian activities.

Denitrifying microbial communities provide an important ecosystem function in aquatic systems. Yet, knowledge on predictive and modeling of these complex and changing communities is limited. The emergently challenging question of how the geographical distribution of denitrifiers responds to ongoing and future environmental change is not yet fully understood. In our study we use metadata-based correlative niche modeling to analyze the geographical distribution of selected putative denitrifiers in the genus Sphingomonas, Mycoplana, Shewanella, and Alteromonas at different predicted environmental conditions and future climatic scenarios across the Baltic Sea. Using the predictive power of an ensemble modeling approach and eight different machine-learning algorithms, habitat suitability and the distribution of the selected denitrifiers were evaluated using geophysical and bioclimatic variables, benthic conditions, and four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) trajectories of future global warming scenarios. All algorithms provided successful prediction capabilities both for variable importance, and for habitat suitability with Area Under the Curve (AUC) values between 0.89 and 1.00. Model findings revealed that salinity and nitrate concentrations significantly explained the variation in distribution of the selected denitrifiers. Rising temperatures of 0.8 to 1.8 °C at future RCP60–2050 trajectories are predicted to diminish or eliminate the bioclimatic suitable habitats for denitrifier distributions across the Baltic Sea. Multi-collated terrestrial and marine environmental variables contributed to the successful prediction of denitrifier distributions within the study area. The correlative niche modeling approach with high AUC values presented in the study allowed for accurate projections of the future distributions of the selected denitrifiers. The modeling approach can be used to improve our understanding of how ongoing and predicted future environmental changes may affect habitat suitability for organisms with denitrification capacity across the Baltic Sea.

This study investigates the heat reclaim of trans-critical CO₂-booster refrigeration unit in a supermarket in Sweden. The aim is to compare the control strategy for heat recovery in real supermarket installation to the optimum control strategy.

The optimum control strategy based on theoretical analysis is explained. By analyzing field measurement of a supermarket, heat recovery in the refrigeration system is studied and compared to the optimum case. To investigate the potential of higher heat recovery rate, a computer model is developed based on the optimum control strategy.  The model is also used to calculate the boundary conditions at which the system should run for highest COP.

The results show that heat can be recovered at heating COP of 3-4.5. The theoretical analysis shows that the amount of heat that can be recovered from the refrigeration system is about 1.3 times (130 %) the cooling demand in the system. However the analysis of the field measurements shows that only between 30-60 % of the available heat to be recovered is utilized, the rest is released to outdoors. The analysis in this study shows that there is a potential to recover much more heat from the refrigeration system at relatively high heating COP compared to heat pump.

Denna forskningsrapport har som mål att undersöka och analysera de omfattande etiska faktorer som påverkar beslutsprocessen vid ingripande i naturen. I synnerhet undersöker vi de moraliska och praktiska dilemman som kan uppstå vid sådana beslut och som ofta är komplexa och svåra att hantera. 

Syftet med rapporten är att öka förståelsen för hur etiken spelar och bör spela en roll inom miljövården, specifikt i relation till synen på naturens värde och beslutsfattarnas etiska ställningstaganden. Genom att genomföra en vetenskaplig studie med hjälp av systematisk litteraturstudie och intervjuer, har vi kunnat få en bredare bild av svaret på vår undersökningsfråga: " Var bör gränsen för hur långt människan får påverka naturen? " Det finns en skillnad i fokus mellan innehållsanalysen och intervjun, där den första utvecklas i riktning mot att ha en mer praktisk inriktning medan den andra har en mer etisk inriktning. Detta skapar en uppfattning av olika riktningar i det skrivna materialet. De olika metoderna som användes i forskningen, nämligen systematisk litteraturstudie och intervjuer, genererade olika insikter. Snarare än att hitta en entydig lösning, har vi dock funnit att olika metoder och kunskapsläget kring ämnet genererar olika insikter, vilket tyder på att det inte finns ett enkelt svar. 

Genom att analysera och diskutera de erhållna resultaten i denna rapport hoppas vi kunna bidra till en mer nyanserad och informerad debatt kring de etiska aspekterna av ingripande i naturen. Vi betonar vikten av att fortsätta forska och utveckla kunskapen inom detta område för att bättre kunna hantera de komplexa och ibland motsägelsefulla frågorna som uppstår vid beslutsfattandet kring naturens bevarande och användning. 

This article documents the addition of 238 microsatellite marker loci and 72 pairs of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Adelges tsugae, Artemisia tridentata, Astroides calycularis, Azorella selago, Botryllus schlosseri, Botrylloides violaceus, Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii, Campylopterus curvipennis, Colocasia esculenta, Cynomys ludovicianus, Cynomys leucurus, Cynomys gunnisoni, Epinephelus coioides, Eunicella singularis, Gammarus pulex, Homoeosoma nebulella, Hyla squirella, Lateolabrax japonicus, Mastomys erythroleucus, Pararge aegeria, Pardosa sierra, Phoenicopterus ruber ruber and Silene latifolia. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Adelges abietis, Adelges cooleyi, Adelges piceae, Pineus pini, Pineus strobi, Tubastrea micrantha, three other Tubastrea species, Botrylloides fuscus, Botrylloides simodensis, Campylopterus hemileucurus, Campylopterus rufus, Campylopterus largipennis, Campylopterus villaviscensio, Phaethornis longuemareus, Florisuga mellivora, Lampornis amethystinus, Amazilia cyanocephala, Archilochus colubris, Epinephelus lanceolatus, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, Symbiodinium temperate-A clade, Gammarus fossarum, Gammarus roeselii, Dikerogammarus villosus and Limnomysis benedeni. This article also documents the addition of 72 sequencing primer pairs and 52 allele specific primers for Neophocaena phocaenoides.

Purpose: The transition from linear to circular product systems is a big step for any organization. This may require an organization to change the way it does business, designs product and manages supply chain. As these three areas are interdependent, bringing change in one area will influence the others, for instance, changing the business model from conventional sales to leasing will demand changes in both product design and the supply chain. At the same time, it is essential for an organization to anticipate the economic and environmental impact of all changes before it may decide to implement the circular product systems. However, there is no tool available today that can assess economic and environmental performance of circular product systems. The purpose of this research is to develop a multi-method simulation based tool that can help to evaluate economic and environmental performance of circular product systems. Method: The conceptual models that are used to develop the tool have been formulated based on review of the state-of-the-art research. System Dynamics (SD) and Agent Based (AB) principles have been used to create the simulation model which has been implemented in Anylogic software platform. Originality: This research presents the first multi-method simulation based tool that can evaluate economic and environmental performance of circular product systems. Findings: Multi-method simulation technique is useful in designing dynamic simulation model that takes into consideration mutual interactions among critical factors of business model, product design and supply chain. It also allows predicting system's behaviour and its influence on the economic and environmental performance of circular product systems.

The main drivers for adopting product multiple lifecycles are to gain ecological and economic advantages. However, in most of the cases it is not straight forward to estimate the potential ecological and economic gain that may result from adopting product multiple lifecycles. Even though many researchers have concluded that product multiple lifecycles result in gain, there are examples which indicate that the gain is often marginal or even none in many cases. The purpose of this research is to develop system dynamics models that can assist decision makers in assessing and analysing the potential gain of product multiple lifecycles considering the dynamics of material scarcity. The foundation of the research presented in this paper is laid based on literature review. System dynamics principles have been used for modelling and simulations have been done on Stella iThink platform. The data used in the models have been extracted from different reports published by World Steel Association and U.S. Geological Survey. Some of the data have been assumed based on expert estimation. The data on iron ore reserves, iron and steel productions and consumptions have been used in the models. This research presents the first system dynamics model for decision making in product multiple lifecycles which takes into consideration the dynamics of material scarcity. Physical unavailability and price of material are the two main factors that would drive product multiple lifecycles approach and more sustainable decisions can be made if it is done by taking holistic system approach over longer time horizon. For an enterprise it is perhaps not attractive to conserve a particular type of material through product multiple lifecycles approach which is naturally abundant but extremely important if the material becomes critical. An enterprise could through engineering, proper business model and marketing may increase the share of multiple lifecycle products which eventually would help the enterprise to reduce its dependency on critical materials.

Pollution of the drinking water environment has long been thought to be a primary cause of diseases. According to environmental research, there is a global water quality crisis. From an environmental stand point, eutrophication or accumulation of nitrates in wastewater are expected to cause high ammonium, low pH and increased nitrate concentrations [Koren et al. 2000] which are a critical form of nitrogen that needs our attention. This study considers the case of eutrophication in south-west Iran. This region is located in the Khuzestan province and consists of two basins (Karun and Dez) which can be seen as susceptible to the effect of eutrophication. This paper analyses the environmental pollution impact, economic, and social approaches of two waste water treatment plants. The case study focuses on a waste water treatment plant operated by activated sludge in Iran and the reference study is technology combined Sharon-Anammox treatment in Netherlands. The environmental impact assessment of these Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) has been analyzed by a Triple Bottom Line method. The hypothesis is to prove a general and specific outlook of the lowest environmental emissions, the lowest costs and creation of better welfare. The other method applied in this study is the barriers of transferring technology. The results show that the combined Sharon-Anammox method is able to significantly reduce the environmental impact based on the methods applied in this study.In this study, the generally considered barriers are problems of methods of transferring combined Sharon-Anammox technology to Iran and the possible obstacles that may be encountered in the transfer of technology to Iran. The result of this study is estimated with respect to an evaluation of political, environmental, economic, social, and technological capacity. The result is that most potential problems are political and economic in nature, which may be because these two issues are so closely related to each other. In this case, lack of management is a problem in the institution of policy, and could affect the economic situation. In fact each of the barriers could be overlapped and affect each other. Regarding all barriers and problems that are in the process of transferring technology, Iran as a developing country would be able to receive technologies.

In an increasingly urban society, cities pose both challenges and opportunities to move towards a more sustainable society. This study examines the role of large-scale international sport events in sustainable development within host cities, with a focus on the physical legacies that they leave behind. The research seeks to offer guidance to enhance sustainable physical legacy development, informed by Games’ strategy documents, impacts on host cities and professional opinions. The research was conducted using three key methods: an examination of key strategy documents, a literature review of academic and grey literature to record infrastructure projects and interviews with professionals who had worked with four specific Games (Vancouver 2010, London 2012, Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022).

The findings implied that social infrastructure and transport projects were most commonly recorded and that the sport event industry operates with a Triple Bottom Line understanding of sustainability. Based on the findings, a design thinking framework was used to design and propose guidelines. The guidelines recommend a shift to the 3-nested dependencies model and propose the development of key skills (leadership for sustainability and flexibility) and key actions (sustainability education/communication and audit).

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pose a risk in aquatic environments. In sediment, this risk is frequently evaluated using total or organic carbon-normalized concentrations. However, complex physicochemical sediment characteristics affect POP bioavailability in sediment, making its prediction a challenging task. This task can be addressed using chemical activity, which describes a compound's environmentally effective concentration and can generally be approximated by the degree of saturation for each POP in its matrix. We present a proof of concept to load artificial sediments with POPs to reach a target chemical activity. This approach is envisioned to make laboratory ecotoxicological bioassays more reproducible and reduce the impact of sediment characteristics on the risk assessment. The approach uses a constantly replenished, saturated, aqueous POP solution to equilibrate the organic carbon fraction (e.g., peat) of an artificial sediment, which can be further adjusted to target chemical activities by mixing with clean peat. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach using four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and fluoranthene). Within 5 to 17 weeks, the peat slurry reached a chemical equilibrium with the saturated loading solution. We used two different peat batches (subsamples from the same source) to evaluate the approach. Variations in loading kinetics and eventual equilibrium concentrations were evident between the batches, which highlights the impact of even minor disparities in organic carbon properties within two samples of peat originating from the same source. This finding underlines the importance of moving away from sediment risk assessments based on total concentrations. The value of the chemical activity-based loading approach lies in its ability to anticipate similar environmental impacts, even with varying contaminant concentrations. 

This study demonstrated the strengths of invivo molecular staining coupled with automated imaging analysis in Daphnia magna. A multiwell plate protocol was developed to assess mitochondrial membrane potential using the JC-1 dye. The suitability of five common anesthetics was initially tested, and 5% ethanol performed best in terms of anesthetic effects and healthy recovery. The staining conditions were optimized to 30min staining with 2 μM JC-1 for best J-aggregate formation. The protocol was validated with the model compound carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) and used to measure the effect of four environmental contaminants, 2,4-dinitrophenol, triclosan, n-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), and ibuprofen, on mitochondrial health. Test organisms were imaged using anautomated confocal microscope, and fluorescence intensities were automatically quantified. The effect concentrations for CCCP were lower by a factor of 30 compared with the traditional OECD 202 acute toxicity test. Mitochondrial effects were also detected at lower concentrations for all tested environmental contaminants compared to the OCED 202 test. For 2,4-dinitrophenol, mitochondria effects were detectable after 2h exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations and predicted organism death was observed after 24h. The high sensitivity and time efficiency of this novel automated imaging method make it a valuable tool for advancing ecotoxicological testing.

Under sommaren 2005 genomfördes en inventering av tre sandiga områden i Jönköpings län. Baskarp och Fagerhult är belägna i Habo kommun nära Vätterstranden medan Skillingaryds skjutfält ligger vid E4:an uppe på småländska höglandet. De undersökta områdena var sinsemellan mycket olika med avseende på gaddstekelfaunan och sandfälten i Habo kommun uppvisar större faunistisk likhet med östersjökusten än med småländska höglandet.Totalt har 5 602 exemplar tillhörande 162 arter gaddsteklar bestämts till art under inventeringen. Antalet rödlistade gaddsteklar är 8 och rödlistade flugor 2. 16 arter av gaddsteklar är nya landskapsfynd för Västergötland och 1 art är ny för Småland.Alla undersökta områden hyser en värdefull marklevande gaddstekelfauna med höga raritetsvärden. Skillingaryds skjutfält visar dock upp särskilt stora kvalitativa värden, som gör att skjutfältet även i ett nationellt perspektiv tillhör de mest skyddsvärda områdena för gaddsteklar. Fynden av vägsteklarna Evagetes subglaber och Priocnemis gracilis samt silversandbiet Andrena argentata, liksom anmärkningsvärt stora populationer av en rad exklusiva arter, bidrar till det samlade omdömet.Den exklusiva gaddstekelfaunan i de undersökta områdena är för sitt fortbestånd helt beroende av att det även fortsättningsvis sker en omfattande skötsel och kraftig markstörning. Skötselinsatserna för sandödla och marklevande gaddsteklar kan med fördel samordnas. Det mest akuta skötselbehovet föreligger på de minsta och mest isolerade lokalerna som i dagsläget utgörs av sandfälten vid Fagerhult.Metodiken med vita färgskålar har fungerat bra under denna inventering, men det är inte aktuellt att bedriva löpande uppföljning i samma omfattning med denna relativt resurskrävande inventeringsmetod. I stället föreslås att löpande övervakning till att börja med baseras på att populationerna av Andrena argentata och om möjligt även Lasioglossum sexmaculatum följs upp genom transekträkning. På Skillingaryds skjutfält bör även räkning av bon av silversandbiet prövas eftersom det troligen är en ännu effektivare och mindre resurskrävande metod än transekträkning.

Gaddsteklar har samlats in i huvudsak med flygbarriärer ("fönsterfällor") på högstubbar och andra strukturer av lövträd i skogsreservat i Hallands län under perioden 1997-2002. Inventeringsresultatet utvärderas i relation till tidigare kunskap om den vedlevande faunan i Halland och jämförs med några andra insamlingar av liknande omfattning. Inventeringarna resulterade i fynd av en rödlistad art (på tre lokaler) och 17 nya landskapsfynd.Delar av en samling av gaddsteklar från Enslövstrakten, insamlad av Hugo Andersson 1951-83 och därefter överlämnad till Entomologiska museet i Lund, har tidigare bearbetats av författaren och resultatet redovisas för första gången i denna rapport. Genomgången av Hugo Anderssons samling resulterade i ytterligare fynd av en rödlistad art och 8 landskapsfynd.

Det har länge funnits ett behov av att utveckla kostnadseffektiva metoder för uppföljning av skötsel och bevarandestatus för biologisk mångfald i våra skyddade naturområden. Efter Sveriges inträde i EU har vi genom Natura 2000 också ett formellt ansvar för att följa upp huruvida gynnsam bevarandestatus råder för ett stort antal naturtyper (”habitat”) och arter som bedöms vara skyddsvärda i ett europeiskt perspektiv.De viktigaste motiven för att tillskapa ett uppföljningssystem är att vi behöver veta om vi sköter våra skyddade områden på ett bra sätt och att vi vill kunna utvärdera naturvårdens bidrag till övergripande politiska mål om att stoppa utarmningen av biologisk mångfald. Det övergripande syftet med uppföljningen är att kvalitetssäkra det svenska naturvårdsarbetet. I denna rapport presenteras ett målstyrt uppföljningssystem baserat på i huvudsak biologiska parametrar. Ett stort arbete har lagts ner på att formulera förslag till bevarandemål på biogeografisk (nationell) nivå för naturtyper och arter i nätverket Natura 2000, som i sin tur knyter an till bevarandemålen i de enskilda Natura 2000-områdena. Bevarandemålen relaterar till definitionen av gynnsam bevarandestatus för naturtyper och arter och har i första hand fokus på sådant vi kan göra någonting åt i form av skötselåtgärder eller andra åtgärder. Målen styr i sin tur urvalet av parametrar och metoder som används för att följa upp om gynnsam bevarandestatus har uppnåtts De biogeografiska (nationella) bevarandemålen är så konkreta att de går att bryta ner i operativa mål på objektnivå. Omvänt är ett övergripande krav på objektvisa bevarandemål att de utformas så att de kan aggregeras till underlag för uppföljning av de nationella målen för naturtyper och arter. Bevarandemålen på biogeografisk nivå utgör basnivån för de objektvisa målen. Målen på objektnivå kan även innehålla mål för regionala bevarandevärden. Det nationella uppföljningssystemet har utformats på olika sätt för olika naturtyper och arter, beroende på bl.a. areell utbredning, sällsynthet, detekterbarhet, hotbild och ekologiska egenheter. Tre strategier för mätningar på geografisk nivå har urskiljts. Uppföljning i samtliga objekt, i ett urval (stickprov) av objekten eller uppföljning på landskapsnivå med stickprov både i och utanför de utpekade Natura 2000-objekten. De habitat som är skötselberoende eller de parametrar som är relaterade till något som går att åtgärda inom objekten skall utvärderas objektvis inom Natura 2000-objekten. Som exempel kan nämnas variabler som vegetationshöjd i gräsmarker eller förekomster av diken i våtmarker. I de flesta icke skötta naturtyper, exempelvis grandominerad västlig taiga, aapamyrar och dystrofa sjöar, sker uppföljning av de flesta parametrar i permanenta provytor inom ett stickprov av objekten eller habitaten. Objektvis utvärdering genomförs endast där naturtyperna vid basinventeringen konstaterats ha icke gynnsam bevarandestatus. För sällsynta arter på bilaga 2 som är prioriterade i EU bör förutom förekomster i utpekade områden även populationerna utanför Natura 2000 följas upp, t.ex. genom floraväkteri. För uppföljning enligt Fågeldirektivet bör förutom förekommande fågeltaxeringar även data från det internetbaserade rapporteringssystemet under Artportalen användas. Av resursskäl har ambitionen varit att utforma ett indikatorbaserat system för ”tidig varning”, med en lägsta möjliga insatsnivå i botten. Dessa indikatorer utgörs av variabler som indirekt ger signaler om att parametrar för bevarandemålet går i någondera riktning. Om utfallet av mätning ger en negativ indikation så utlöses utökad uppföljning av parametrar för bevarandemålet i fråga. Först efter uppföljning av de i matrisen relaterade parametrarna i objektet kan utvärdering av bevarandestatus ske. Exempel: Istället för att mäta vattenkvalitet i hav (dyrt) så mäts indikatorn fintrådiga alger i flygbilder regelbundet (enklare och billigare). Förekommer fintrådiga rikligt utlöses uppföljning av vattenkvalitet i objektet. Metoder för uppföljning har så långt som möjligt standardiserats så att samma metoder och provytedesign används i så många liknande habitat och arter som möjligt. Metoderna kommer att beskrivas i en handbok för basinventering och uppföljning av Natura 2000. Några grundläggande kriterier för val av metoder har varit att de ska vara robusta, beprövade och väl dokumenterade, kostnadseffektiva, samt om möjligt vara icke-destruktiva. För att bestämma tillståndet för enskilda arter och habitat används tre typmetoder för registrering, positionering, slumpmässigt urval av ytor, samt subjektivt urval av ytor. Subjektiva metoder är beroende av en förrättningsmannamässig kompetens, snabba att utföra och ger godtagbar precision även om mätningarna bara görs i några få ytor. Handdatorer med GPS kommer att användas vid fältarbetet och kommer att vara ett viktigt verktyg vid positionering och arealavgränsning. De kommer att utrustas med funktion som automatiskt räknar ut när tillräckligt antal provytor uppnåtts för att med säkerhet bedöma status för det aktuella bevarandemålet. Naturvårdsverkets miljöövervakningsenhet har varit koordineringsansvarig i ”uppföljningsprojektet”. Projektet har letts av en arbetsgrupp med projektledare från miljöövervakningsenheten, samt representanter för Naturresursavdelningen, ArtDatabanken och en konsult med projektledningsbistående funktion. En stor del av arbetet inom projektet har utförts av länsstyrelserna. Dessa har varit indelade i tre grupper; grupp Syd, Mellan och Nord, var och en med sitt specifika ansvarsområde för olika Natura 2000-habitat. Gruppernas arbete har bestått i utveckling och tester av metoder för uppföljning av habitaten. Förslag till uppföljningsinsatser för arterna i Habitat- och Fågeldirektivens bilagor har tagits fram av ArtDatabanken. 

Gaddsteklar och vissa andra insekter har inventerats inom fyra naturskyddade ljunghedar i Halland med syftet att få bättre kunskaper om hedarnas insektsliv samt att vara ett underlag för den framtida skötseln av västsvenska hedar. Sammantaget har 279 arter insekter artbestämts, varav gaddsteklarna utgör 169 arter. En ny art för landet hittades, rovstekeln Crossocerus exiguus på Fjärås bräcka, och 36 arter är nya för Halland (landskapsfynd), varav hälften gaddsteklar och hälften flugor. Sexton rödlistade insekter påträffades.Resultaten visar att ljunghedarna är en mycket artrik och mångformig naturtyp med ett stort antal sällsynta och rödlistade insekter. Samtidigt är ljunghedarna idag starkt fragmenterade och man kan på goda grunder förutsätta att det finns en så kallad utdöendeskuld för hedarnas arter som innebär att arter och populationer riskerar att försvinna framöver. De viktigaste redskapen för att förhindra detta är storskaliga hedrestaureringar, vilket redan pågår på några håll i Halland, och en reviderad skötsel av vissa hedområden så att de blir mer gynnsamma för gaddsteklar och andra insekter.Variationerna i artinnehåll var stora mellan de fyra hedarna och drygt hälften av gaddsteklarna påträffades bara på en av lokalerna. Fjärås bräcka var den mest artrika heden, men även Tönnersjömålet och Ringenäs har en mycket rik gaddstekelfauna. Däremot var Mästocka ljunghed anmärkningsvärt artfattig, förmodligen på grund av en alltför intensiv och storskalig skötsel som missgynnar gaddsteklar och många andra insekter. För att gynna hedarnas insektsliv bör målbilden för skötseln vara en mosaik med alla successionsstadier alltifrån yngre successionsstadier med blottad grus och sand och nybrända ytor till områden med grov ljung och kråkris samt mer buskiga och trädbevuxna partier.

Gaddsteklar och vissa andra insekter har inventerats inom sex sanddynsreservat utmed Hallandskusten. Totalt insamlades och artbestämdes 1 418 insekter fördelade på 236 arter, varav 103 arter gaddsteklar. Tio rödlistade arter påträffades och tretton arter har tidigare inte noterats i Halland. Inventeringen ger en översiktlig bild av gaddstekelfaunan i dynreservaten och det finns med all säkerhet betydligt fler rödlistade och andra intressanta arter kvar att upptäcka. Många gaddsteklar och andra insekter knutna till öppna, solexponerade sandmarker hade en guldålder under det gamla bondesamhällets tid före 1800 talets agrara revolution. Numera finns bara några få procent av kusttrakternas öppna sandmarker kvar och de blomsterrika slåtterängarna och ljunghedarna som omgav flygsandfälten har i det närmaste utplånats på stora delar av den halländska kustslätten. Mot den bakgrunden är det lätt att förstå att många växter och djur, bland annat gaddsteklar, knutna till öppna, blomsterrika sandmarker idag är utrotningshotade. Huvudsyftet med inventeringen är att vara ett underlag för den framtida skötseln av dynreservaten. Resultaten visar tydligt att en mer aktiv skötsel är angelägen med kontinuerlig markstörning som skapar sandblottor och hävd genom röjning, bete, slåtter och/eller bränning. Dessutom behövs omfattande restaureringsåtgärder för att återskapa öppna sandmiljöer. Stora arealer täta och närmast ogenomträngliga bergtallskogar inom kustreservaten bör omföras till mer öppna sandmarker till förmån för biologisk mångfald och friluftsliv.

Mercury (Hg) deposited from emissions or from local contamination, can have serious health effects on humans and wildlife. Traditionally, Hg has been seen as a threat to aquatic wildlife, because of its conversion in suboxic conditions into bioavailable methylmercury (MeHg), but it can also threaten contaminated terrestrial ecosystems. In Asia, rice paddies in particular may be sensitive ecosystems. Earthworms are soil-dwelling organisms that have been used as indicators of Hg bioavailability; however, the MeHg concentrations they accumulate in rice paddy environments are not well known. Earthworm and soil samples were collected from rice paddies at progressive distances from abandoned mercury mines in Guizhou, China, and at control sites without a history of Hg mining. Total Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations declined in soil and earthworms as distance increased from the mines, but the percentage of THg that was MeHg, and the bioaccumulation factors in earthworms, increased over this gradient. This escalation in methylation and the incursion of MeHg into earthworms may be influenced by more acidic soil conditions and higher organic content further from the mines. In areas where the source of Hg is deposition, especially in water-logged and acidic rice paddy soil, earthworms may biomagnify MeHg more than was previously reported. It is emphasized that rice paddy environments affected by acidifying deposition may be widely dispersed throughout Asia.

South Africa does not have significant surface water resources, which is often easily affected by unpredictable and rapidly changing climatic variables, due to its location in the arid and semi-arid climatic setting. In large part of the country, groundwater from weathered and fractured crystalline rocks plays pivotal role in sustaining the livelihood, often it contains toxic metals released from the host rocks. The host rocks that are responsible for arsenic release in groundwater are primarily enriched due to metamorphism and igneous processes that resulted in the enrichment of economic minerals. Preliminary assessment indicates that the main arsenic containing minerals are arsenopyrite (FeAsS), arsenical oxide, sulpharsenide, arsenopyritical reefs, leucopyrite, löllingite (FeAs2) and scorodite (FeAsO4·2H2O). Owing to the release of arsenic from highly mineralized rocks that constitute the aquifers, arsenic concentration in the groundwater reaches up to 253 μg/L (Namaqualand), 6150 μg/L (west of Johannesburg), about 500 μg/L in the Karoo aquifers, considerably higher than the WHO guideline value of 10 μg/L. Acid mine drainage from coal and gold mining is also found to be an important source of arsenic and other toxic metals in groundwater.

The purpose of the paper is to determine the environmentally safe and economically feasible technology of biofertilizer production from the digestate including dewatering process. Methodological basis is based on the systematic approach to the determination of factors effected on the distribution of nutrients and pollutants between liquidand solid fractions after digestate separation. We studied modern technologies aimed at dewatering the digestateand reduction of its volume, showed their effectiveness. These technologies allow expanding the opportunities forcommercialization of the digestate, increasing the cost of its transportation and application to the soil instead ofcomplex fertilizers, using some valuable products. The results of the study showed that the ecological quality ofthe digestate is the highest as well as co-digested thermally pre-treated feedstock is used for solid-liquid separationin centrifuge with polymer addition as post-treatment approach to the flocculation. In order to increase efficiencyof biofertilizer application the technological scheme of production process of granular fertilizers from digestatewas proposed. Special feature of this scheme is in the use of phosphogypsum binder for the production of organomineral fertilizer that contributes phosphogypsum recycling in the waste management system.

The study aims to define the potential and technological aspects of the digestate treatment for its application as a biofertilizer. Life cycle assessment methodology was used in terms of digestate quality management. The potential of nutrients, organic carbon, and useful microelements in the digestate allows for its consideration as a mineral fertilizer substitute and soil improver. The valorization of digestate as fertilizer requires quality management and quality control. Based on the research focus, the successful soil application of digestate post-treatment technologies was analyzed. Among the different commercial options for digestate treatment and nutrient recovery, the most relevant are drying, struvite precipitation, stripping, evaporation, and membranes technology. Comparing the physical and chemical properties of the whole digestate, separated liquid, and solid liquor fractions showed that in the case of soil application of granular fertilizer, nutrients from the digestate are released more slowly than digestate application without granulation. However, realizing this potential in an economically feasible way requires improving the quality of digestate products through appropriate technologies and quality control of digestate products. To support the manufacture of quality digestate across Europe, the European Compost Network developed a concept for a pan-European quality assurance scheme.

This paper focuses on determining the influence of soil, oil, and environmental factors on the process of oil filtration in a porous medium such as soil. Mathematical modeling of the oil geofiltration process based on classical and modified regularities makes it possible to solve a significant environmental problem associated with predicting the pollution zone due to accidental oil spills. The research methodology is based on the substantiation of theoretical models of oil filtration through porous media, methods for the numerical solution of equations, and computer visualization (ANSYS CFX software). Experimental data supported the verification of the adequacy of the models. Based on obtained results, it was found that all oil flowed into well-permeable sand at a speed of approximately 4-10 -4 m/h. The developed model of the stochastic process of petroleum hydrocarbons geofiltration involved obtaining the output as dependent variables, contamination level, contamination depth, and oil spot borders. Numerical solution and visualization using computer simulation showed the distribution of oil hydrocarbons in the soil in vertical and horizontal directions. The mathematical model allowed to predict the formation of the pollution front and assess the contaminated zone's size.