Nils Brandt

Implementing Smart Urban Metabolism in the Stockholm Royal Seaport: Smart City SRS

For half a century, system scientists have relied on urban metabolism (UM) as a pragmatic framework to support the needed transition toward sustainable urban development. It has been suggested that ...

Recycling behaviour of householders living in multicultural urban area: a case study of Järva, Stockholm, Sweden

The recycling behaviour of multicultural householders was investigated in the urban area of Järva, northwest Stockholm, Sweden, which is home to a significant proportion of immigrants from different parts of the world. Different ethnic minorities currently make up an important proportion of the urban population in Sweden, but little is known about their recycling behaviour and attitudes. Using quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interviews) methodology, possible determinants of recycling behaviour were investigated among Järva householders. It was found that attitude toward the importance of recycling had a positive correlation and was the main determinant of recycling behaviour among these householders. In contrast, environmental concern, satisfaction with the facilities provided, recycling confidence, community identity and socio-demographical factors showed no correlation with their recycling behaviour. Other results of the study indicated a need to investigate the specific behaviour of multicultural householders regarding source-separated collection and the recycling of hazardous, electronic and bulky wastes.

Copper content in lake sediments as a tracer of urban emissions: evaluation through a source-transport-storage model.

A coupled source-transport-storage model was developed to determine the origin and path of copper from materials/goods in use in the urban drainage area and the fate of copper in local recipient lakes. The model was applied and tested using five small lakes in Stockholm, Sweden. In the case of the polluted lakes Råcksta Träsk, Trekanten and Långsjön, the source strengths of copper identified by the model were found to be well linked with independently observed copper contents in the lake sediments through the model. The model results also showed that traffic emissions, especially from brake linings, dominated the total load in all five cases. Sequential sedimentation and burial proved to be the most important fate processes of copper in all lakes, except Råcksta Träsk, where outflow dominated. The model indicated that the sediment copper content can be used as a tracer of the urban diffuse copper source strength, but that the response to changes in source strength is fairly slow (decades). Major uncertainties in the source model were related to management of stormwater in the urban area, the rate of wear of brake linings and weathering of copper roofs. The uncertainty of the coupled model is in addition affected mainly by parameters quantifying the sedimentation and bury processes, such as particulate fraction, settling velocity of particles, and sedimentation rate. As a demonstration example, we used the model to predict the response of the sediment copper level to a decrease in the copper load from the urban catchment in one of the case study lakes.

Smart Urban Metabolism: Towards a Real-Time Understanding of the Energy and Material Flows of a City and Its Citizens

Abstract Urban metabolism is a concept employed to understand the flow of energy and materials through urban areas. However, applying this approach at the city level has been limited by the lack of data at this scale. This paper reviews the current application of the urban metabolism concept and proposes the concept of a “smart urban metabolism” (SUM). Through integrating ICT and smart-city technologies, the SUM model can provide real-time feedback on energy and material flows, from the level of the household to the urban district. This is highlighted through an example of its application in the Stockholm Royal Seaport, Sweden.

An analysis of Chinese policy instruments for climate change mitigation

Design/methodology/approach - First, the paper reviews Chinese energy consumption per unit of GDP (EC/GDP) in order to determine the overall effects of the combined policy instruments. Second, the ...

Motivation recycling: pre-recycling case study in Minsk, Belarus:

Given the aim of motivating householders to behave in a recycling-friendly manner, there is a need to understand consumers’ recycling behaviour. This paper documents and analyses acceptability and awareness of a pre-recycling society, through a survey carried out in the region of Minsk, Belarus. The results show a large number of people have no strong awareness about separate collection of household waste for recycling. By analysing the pre-recycling behaviour of Minsk citizens and substantive comparison with literature studies of a more mature recycling society such as Sweden, we indicate common sociodemographic variables for both cases and determine that these sociodemographic characteristics will directly influence recycling behaviour in countries like Belarus. It is also noted that the lack of recycling habit cannot directly predict subsequent recycling behaviour on the stage of implementation the recycling system.

Harvesting of Nodularia spumigena in the Baltic Sea: Assessment of Potentials and Added Benefits

ABSTRACT Pechsiri, J.S.; Risén, E.; Malmström, M.E.; Brandt, N., and Gröndahl, F., 2014. Harvesting of Nodularia spumigena in the Baltic Sea: assessment of potentials and added benefits. Interest to harvest wild cyanobacteria exists due to the environmental and socioeconomic risks during cyanobacteria blooms coupled with demands for nonterrestrial-based alternatives for biofuel sources. This research, therefore, sought to estimate the wild cyanobacteria harvesting potential using Nodularia spumigena, and using the Baltic Sea as the case study. Data from literature provided during years 2003–2009 were used to perform estimations. Additional benefits of harvesting were also assessed by estimating the nutrient removal and biogas production potentials from the harvested biomass. Results indicate that one boom unit has the potential to harvest approximately 3 to 700 kg dry weight of N. spumigena per hour depending on the algae concentration of the bloom. Results also suggest that nutrient removal and biogas production potentials provide substantial additional incentives to the harvesting operation during years of extensive and highly concentrated blooms. However, during nonextensive or nonconcentrated blooms such potentials are low. ABSTRAKT Intresset för skörd av cyanobakterieblomningar beror på de miljö- och socio-ekonomiska risker som blomningarna medför. Ytterligare en bidragande orsak till detta intresse är efterfrågan efter icke markbaserade biobränslealternativ. Denna studie ämnar därför att undersöka potentialen med skörd av vilt förekommande cyanobakterieblomningar med arten Nodularia spumigena och Östersjön som fallstudie. Litteraturdata från åren 2003–2009 användes för att kvantifiera blomningarna. Ytterligare fördelar med skörden utvärderades också genom en uppskattning av näringsreduktionens och biogasproduktions potentialen av den skördade biomassan. Resultat indikerar att en skördeenhet har potentialen att skörda uppskattningsvis 3 till 700 kg ts Nodularia spumigena per timme beroende på algblomningens koncentration. Resultaten indikerar dessutom att näringsreduktionsförmågan och biogasproduktionspotentialen tillhandahåller ytterligare substantiella incitament för skörd under år med omfattande och koncentrerade blomningar. Dessa ytterligare incitament är dock inte betydande under de år då blomningarna inte är omfattande och koncentrerade.

Sustainable use of Baltic Sea natural resources based on ecological engineering and biogas production

Eutrophication is one of the most serious environmental problems in the Baltic Sea due to factors such as nutrient discharges from different sources and long residence time. Eutrophication gives rise to increased primary production, often followed by oxygen depletion and disruption of important ecosystems. An action plan has been created by the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) in order to achieve good ecological status of the Baltic Sea in the year of 2021. According to the action plan, 21 000 tonnes of nitrogen and 290 tonnes of phosphorus shall be decreased of the annual discharge from Sweden.The aim of methods within ecological engineering is to solve environmental problems, and the applications ranging from the harvesting of existing ecosystems to the construction of new ecosystems. This study evaluates if harvest of algae, reed, and mussels can help meeting the goals of the action plan considerably, in accordance with areas and biomass amounts that need to be harvested, and to assess the efficiency of the three biomasses with regards to nutrient reduction. The potential of harvested biomasses as substrates in biogas production and as fertilizers is investigated, and how much fossil CO2 that can be saved from being released to the atmosphere if net energy benefits, calculated from energy budgets in the biogas process, replaces fossil fuels.Life cycle inventories which extend from the harvest (i.e. from the Baltic coast of Sweden) to the production of biogas have been made in order to investigate the biogas potential of algal, reed, and mussel biomass. Suitability of the three biomasses as fertilizers has been assessed through comparison between nutrient sufficiency of crops and nutrient contents of the three biomasses (i.e. based on quotients of nitrogen).The quantity of biomass in the areas that can be harvested can help meeting the goals of the action plan drawn up by HELCOM, and mussels show to be most efficient with regards to nutrient reduction efficiency. Reed has the highest net energy benefit followed by algae, and both biomasses show potential of further investigation as substrates in the biogas production process. Mussels have low net energy benefit and thus are not a suitable substrate in biogas production. The three biomasses are suitable as fertilizers with respect to contents of nitrogen but the content of phosphorus occurs under the sufficiency levels for the crops (i.e. peas, grain, and sugar beets). For algae and reed, the potassium contents occur above the sufficiency level for peas and grain but under the level for sugar beets, mussels contain lower levels of potassium than the need of the investigated crops.

“Sustainable development in theory and practice”‐ An inter‐Nordic Internet course for regional and local officials and practitioners

Theories and practice of sustainable development have to be discussed and developed within a broad range of actors in different areas of society. The complex concept of sustainable development interacts with at least four separate systems that in one way or another affect each other: ecosystem function and change, economic performance and change, technological performance and change and social performance and change. We have to analyse the interrelationship to these systems in order to find a future sustainable path. Describes an inter‐Nordic cooperation project educating regional and local officials and practitioners in sustainable development using the Internet as a course platform. The course content discusses the relation between the four system areas in its theoretical part (Block 1). In another – more practical – part of the course (Block 2), we discuss “best practice” in different Nordic countries and experiences in using environmental and sustainability indicators on the national, regional and local level.

Big Data GIS Analytics Towards Efficient Waste Management in Stockholm

This paper presents preliminary findings from a big data analysis and GIS to identify the efficiency of waste management and transportation in the City of Stockholm. The aim of this paper is to ide ...