Forskarskolan Tvärvetenskaplig

Avfallsforskning i Sverige
”Polytechnical Waste Research in
Sweden - POWRES”

Forskarskola finansierad av FORMAS

Graduate school funded by FORMAS
 POWRES is a co-operation between:
• Chalmers University of Technology as host of
the school
• The University College Borås
• SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
• Competence Centre Recycling Göteborg
• Waste Refinery Borås
• IVL Sustainable Waste Management
 Invited universities
• Åbo Akademi Process Chemistry Centre
• Umeå University Department of Chemistry
 Industry and society

POWRES
University Chalmers Univ. of Umeå
Åbo Akademi College Borås Technology University

SP Technical Competence Towards IVL Swedish

Waste
Research Centre Sustainable Waste Environmental
Refinery
Institute of Recycling Management Research
Sweden Göteborg Institute
 POWRES management group
• Britt-Marie Steenari, coordinator, Chalmers
• Bengt-Åke Andersson, Univ. College Borås
• Christian Ekberg, Industrial Materials Recycling
Chalmers and CCRG
• Andreas Johansson, SP and Waste Refinery
• Evalena Blomqvist, Waste Refinery (parental
leave)
• Tomas Ekvall, Towards Sustainable Waste
Management - IVL
• Representatives from industry
• Representative for the PhD students
 Activities in POWRES 2009-2013
• The funding is intended for common activities, not
for PhD projects
• Special courses within the waste management area
• Research seminars
• Seminars for supervisors. Pedagogical focus.
• Study trips
• Work periods in another
university/institute/company for the PhD candidates
• Initialisation of common projects/publications
 Ideas behind the work with POWRES
There is a need for scientifically educated
persons with a network of contacts in industry
and with an understanding of the innovation
process
The contacts between academia and industry
can best be developed through the work in
projects that are of common interest
There is a need for a pedagogical forum for
supervisors
 Research areas
• Material recovery from different inorganic waste
fractions (elektronic waste, ash from combustion of
waste, etc)
• Combustion of waste derived fuels
• Biological treatment of organic waste fractions
• Product development with focus on materials
recycling and waste minimisation
• System studies and LCA studies with focus on waste
PhD candidate Project Department

Mattias Micro wave pyrolysis of electronic waste Materials and Manufacturing

Andersson Technology Chalmers
Kristian Larsson Material recovery from NiMH batteries Industrial Materials Recycling
Chalmers
Position open Chemistry of metals and minerals in combustion Chemical and Biological
of MSW Engineering Chalmers
Position open Metal recovery from Li-ion batteries Industrial Materials Recycling
Chalmers
Position open Recovery of solar cell materials Industrial Materials Recycling
Chalmers
Karin Karlfeldt Recovery of metals from MSWI ash Chemical and Biological
Engineering Chalmers
Johanna Olsson Modelling of the combustion of waste in fluid bed University College Borås /
combustors Energy and Environment
Chalmers
Frida Claesson Inorganic reactions in the combustion of waste University College Borås / Åbo
Akademi Finland
Phan Duong Formation and degradation of chlorinated and Umeå University
Ngoc Chau bromated organic compounds in thermal
processes.
PhD candidate Project Department
Anna Teghammar Digestion of ligno-cellulose University College Borås /
materials Chalmers
Azam Jeihanipour Ethanol and bio gas from University College Borås /
textile waste Chalmers
Mohammad Pourbafrani Ethanol from waste University College Borås /
Chalmers
Gergely Forgacs Bio gas from ceratin rich University College Borås /
materials Chalmers
Patrik Lennartsson Ethanol from orange peels University College Borås /
and cellulose Chalmers

Akram Zamani Development of a super University College Borås /

absorbent from biological Chalmers
waste
Hamidreza Bargi Ethanol production University College Borås /
Chalmers
Planned activities during 2009 and winter 2010

• June - Study trip to the laboratory for

biological treatment of organic waste in Borås
• September – Study trip to the labs in Chalmers
• Course ”Waste Management”
• Course ”Liquid Extraction Methods”
• Research seminar II – probably in October
• Suggestions?
 Thank you for your attention!

Time for questions and suggestions

Biological treatment of organic waste
Pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials

Lignocellulosic materials are often a major or sometimes the sole

components of different waste streams from various industries,
municipalities, forestry and agriculture. The first step for either
digestion to biogas or fermentation to ethanol is enzymatic
hydrolysis. Acid hydrolysis may also be applied for ethanol
production. However, both of the hydrolyses are not so effective
without any pretreatment, because of high stability of the materials
to enzymatic or bacterial attacks, or different conditions for acid
hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose. Therefore, the
pretreatment is a key factor to effective utilization of lignocelluloses.
Fruit waste to ethanol and biogas

Worldwide citrus waste is estimated to more than 15 million ton

per year produced as by-product of juice factories. Processes to
produce ethanol, biogas and pectin from citrus wastes are being
developed.
Ethanol and biogas from textile waste

Cotton-based waste textiles such as used jeans are composed of

almost pure cellulose. Cellulose can be hydrolyzed to sugar and
further fermented to ethanol by baker’s yeast or digested to biogas
(methane) by bacteria.
The process as it is now produces almost 0.5 kg ethanol or 380
liters methane from each kg cotton. Further development is under
way and the process is being adapted to other types of textile
materials in order to make the concept attractive for the industries.
Keratin-rich materials to biogas

Keratin rich materials such as hair, horns, nails, feathers, claws and
hooves are presently land filled. However, such waste fractions can
be used in a biogas digester to produce methane. Keratin-rich
materials are not directly suitable for anaerobic digestion because
keratin is very resistant. Hence some pre-treatments are necessary
before the anaerobic digestion. Such methods are developed in the
project.
Production of biological superabsorbent

Development of biological superabsorbents from zygomycetes

fungi for application in non-woven products. Superabsorbent
polymers (SAP) are highly hydrophilic polymers which are able
to absorb aqueous solutions up to hundreds times of their weight.
They can be used in personal care and hygienic products.
Today polyacrylates are the most common materials for
production of SAP but biological SAP materials are interesting
due to the possibility of recycling and composting.