We report on the synthesis, microstructure and mass transport properties of a colloidal hydrogel self-assembled from a mixture of colloidal silica and nontronite clay plates at different particle concentrations. The gel-structure had uniaxial long-range anisotropy caused by alignment of the clay particles in a strong external magnetic field. After gelation the colloidal silica covered the clay particle network, fixing the orientation of the clay plates. Comparing gels with a clay concentration between 0 and 0.7 vol%, the magnetically oriented gels had a maximum water permeability and self-diffusion coefficient at 0.3 and 0.7 vol% clay, respectively. Hence the specific clay concentration resulting in the highest liquid flux was pressure dependent. This study gives new insight into the effect of anisotropy, particle concentration and bound water on mass transport properties in nano/microporous materials. Such findings merit consideration when designing porous composite materials for use in for example fuel cell, chromatography and membrane technology.

The degradation of three- and four-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Kirk medium by Anthracophyllum discolor, a white-rot fungus isolated from the forest of southern Chile, was evaluated. In addition, the removal efficiency of three-, four- and five-ring PAHs in contaminated soil bioaugmented with A. discolor in the absence and presence of indigenous soil microorganisms was investigated. Production of lignin-degrading enzymes and PAH mineralization in the soil were also determined. A. discolor was able to degrade PAHs in Kirk medium with the highest removal occurring in a PAH mixture, suggesting synergistic effects between PAHs or possible cometabolism. A high removal capability for phenanthrene (62%), anthracene (73%), fluoranthene (54%), pyrene (60%) and benzo(a)pyrene (75%) was observed in autoclaved soil inoculated with A. discolor in the absence of indigenous microorganisms, associated with the production of manganese peroxidase (MnP). The metabolites found in the PAH degradation were anthraquinone, phthalic acid, 4-hydroxy-9-fluorenone, 9-fluorenone and 4,5-dihydropyrene. A. discolor was able to mineralize 9% of the phenanthrene. In non-autoclaved soil, the inoculation with A. discolor did not improve the removal efficiency of PAHs. Suitable conditions must be found to promote a successful fungal bioaugmentation in non-autoclaved soils. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Manganese peroxidase (MnP) produced by Anthracophyllum discolor, a Chilean white rot fungus, was immobilized on nanoclay obtained from volcanic soil and its ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compared with the free enzyme was evaluated. At the same time, nanoclay characterization was performed.Nanoclay characterization by transmission electronic microscopy showed a particle average size smaller than 100nm. The isoelectric points (IEP) of nanoclay and MnP from A. discolor were 7.0 and 3.7, respectively, as determined by micro electrophoresis migration and preparative isoelectric focusing. Results indicated that 75% of the enzyme was immobilized on the nanoclay through physical adsorption. As compared to the free enzyme, immobilized MnP from A. discolor achieved an improved stability to temperature and pH. The activation energy (Ea) value for immobilized MnP (51.9kJmol -1) was higher than that of the free MnP (34.4kJmol -1).The immobilized enzyme was able to degrade pyrene (>86%), anthracene (>65%), alone or in mixture, and to a less extent fluoranthene (<15.2%) and phenanthrene (<8.6%). Compared to free MnP from A. discolor, the enzyme immobilized on nanoclay enhanced the enzymatic transformation of anthracene in soil.Overall results indicate that nanoclay, a carrier of natural origin, is a suitable support material for MnP immobilization. In addition, immobilized MnP shows an increased stability to high temperature, pH and time storage, as well as an enhanced PAHs degradation efficiency in soil. All these characteristics may suggest the possible use of nanoclay-immobilized MnP from A. discolor as a valuable option for in situ bioremediation purposes. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

In this study, different growth conditions of Anthracophyllum discolor Sp4 including the effect of agitation, additions of lignocellulosic support, inducer and surfactant were evaluated on the MnP production in Kirk medium using a culture system made up of the tubes containing the glass bead. The highest MnP production (1,354 U/L on day 13) was obtained when the medium was supplemented with wheat grain and 0.25 mM MnSO 4 as inducer, under static conditions at 30°C. Two isoenzymes were purified (35 and 38 kDa respectively). MnP presented a maximal activity in the pH range between 4.5 and 5.5, a relatively high temperature tolerance (50°C) and a high catalytic activity for 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and hydrogen peroxide.

Ethanol derived from biomass has the potential to be a renewable transportation fuel that can replace gasoline. This work was carried out to establish an optimized ethanol organosolv pretreatment of Norway spruce (Picea abies) for bioethanol production (63 wt% EtOH, pH ~3.5 in aqueous phase, 170–240 °C, 90 min) utilizing hydrolytic enzymes in the saccharification step. To test the generality of the method, a series of ethanol organosolv pretreatments were also performed on sugarcane bagasse (50 wt% EtOH, pH ~3.5 in aqueous phase, 155–210 °C, 90–120 min). The degree of delignification increased with increasing temperature during pretreatment, and the fastest increase was observed with sugarcane bagasse. The pretreatments were carried out in a batch mode. The maximum degree of delignification of ~65 % was reached at ~235 °C for Norway spruce, while sugarcane bagasse reached ~80 % at ~210 °C. Cellulose was subjected to degradation (5–10 % points) at these temperatures. Subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis (30 FPU/g cellulose, 32 pNPGU/g cellulose, 50 °C, 48 h) of ethanol organosolv-pretreated biomass achieved complete conversion for both raw materials at the highest degrees of delignification.

Biogas from agricultural waste streams represents an important way to produce fossil-free energy, allow nutrient recycling and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, biogas production from agricultural substrates is currently far from reaching its full potential. In Sweden, the number of biogas plants and their output have increased in recent years, but they are still experiencing harsh economic conditions. A recent evaluation (2010–2015) of 31 farm-scale biogas production facilities in Sweden sought to identify parameters of importance for further positive development. In this paper, data on plant operation, gas yield and digestate quality for 27 of these plants are summarised and statistically analysed to investigate factors that could allow an increase in overall biogas production and in nutrient content in the digestate. The analysis showed that addition of co-substrates to manure results in higher gas production, expressed as both specific methane potential and volumetric gas production, than when manure is the sole substrate. Use of co-substrate was also found to be influential for the nutrient content of the digestate. These observed improvements caused by co-digestion should be considered when subsidy systems for manure-based biogas processes are being created, as they could also improve the economics of biogas production. However, to achieve higher efficiency in existing biogas plants and to improve the situation for future investments, a more detailed, long-term evaluation programme should also be considered.

Ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate are the most commonly used straight nitrogen fertilisers in Europe, accounting for 43% of the total nitrogen used for fertilisers. They are both produced in a similar way; carbonate can be added as a last step to produce calcium ammonium nitrate. The environmental impact, fossil energy input and land use from using gasified biomass (cereal straw and short rotation willow (Salix) coppice) as feedstock in ammonium nitrate production were studied in a cradle-to-gate evaluation using life cycle assessment methodology. The global warming potential in the biomass systems was only 22-30% of the impact from conventional production using natural gas. The eutrophication potential was higher for the biomass systems due to nutrient leaching during cultivation, while the acidification was about the same in all systems. The primary fossil energy use was calculated to be 1.45 and 1.37 MJ/kg nitrogen for Salix and straw, respectively, compared to 35.14 MJ for natural gas. The biomass production was assumed to be self-supporting with nutrients by returning part of the ammonium nitrate produced together with the ash from the gasification. For the production of nitrogen from Salix, it was calculated that 3914 kg of nitrogen can be produced every year from 1 ha, after that 1.6% of the produced nitrogen has been returned to the Salix production. From wheat straw, 1615 kg of nitrogen can be produced annually from 1 ha, after that 0.6% of the nitrogen has been returned. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of making a 1000 ha organic farm self-sufficient in renewable fuel were studied. Biomass grown on-farm can be transported to large fuel production facilities and the fuel transported back to the farm. Two fuels, Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FTD) and dimethyl ether (DME), produced from either straw or short-rotation willow coppice (Salix), were studied. The environmental impact, land use and energy balance were calculated using life-cycle methodology. It was calculated that the straw-based systems had only 32-39% of the impact on global warming (kg [CO2-eq]) compared to the Salix-based systems. For acidification and eutrophication, the differences between the systems were less significant. The energy balances were 8.9 and 9.6 for FTD and 10.1 and 10.0 for DME, from straw and Salix, respectively. To become self-sufficient in FTD, 108 ha has to be set aside for Salix production or 261 ha of straw collected from the existing crop rotation. For DME the corresponding figures are 38 and 70 ha. The many by-products in the FTD scenarios explain the large difference between fuels. Comparing FTD and DME, the differences in environmental impact were small. Considering this, FTD is a more likely alternative since DME requires a pressurised infrastructure system and engine modifications. © 2007 IAgrE.

This study analysed a future hypothetical organic farm self-sufficient in renewable tractor fuel. Biomass from the farm was assumed to be transported to a central fuel production plant and the fuel returned to the farm, where it was utilised in fuel cell powered tractors. The land use, energy balance and environmental impact of five different scenarios were studied. In the first two scenarios, straw was used as raw material for production of hydrogen or methanol via thermochemical gasification. In the third and fourth scenarios, short rotation forest (Salix) was used as raw material for the same fuels. In the fifth scenario, ley was used as raw material for hydrogen fuel via biogas production. The straw scenarios had the lowest impact in all studied environmental impact categories since the Salix scenarios had higher soil emissions and the ley scenario had comparatively large emissions from the fuel production. The energy balance was also favourable for straw, 16.3 and 19.5 for hydrogen and methanol respectively, compared to Salix 14.2 and 15.6. For ley to hydrogen the energy balance was only 6.1 due to low efficiency in the fuel production. In the Salix scenarios, 1.6% and 2.0% of the land was set aside for raw material production in the hydrogen and methanol scenarios respectively. In the straw scenarios no land needed to be reserved, but straw was collected on 4.3% and 5.3% of the area for hydrogen and methanol respectively. To produce hydrogen from ley, 4% of the land was harvested. The study showed that the difference in environmental performance lay in choice of raw material rather than choice of fuel. Hydrogen is a gas with low volumetric energy density, which requires an adapted infrastructure and tractors equipped with gas tanks. This leads to the conclusion that methanol probably will be the preferred choice if a fuel cell powered farm would be put into practice in the future. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The agricultural sector in Sweden needs to cut GHG emissions and contribute to the climate goal of net-zero emissions by 2045. The GHG reduction goal for agricultural emissions is not quantified, but the Swedish climate policy framework states that ‘the Swedish food production shall increase as much as possible with as little climate impact as possible’ and multiple key actors within the sector of food and agriculture have developed roadmaps or industry specific goals for reducing GHG emissions from the sector. Consequently, requirements of transparent GHG accounting and reporting are increasing within the agricultural sector, both at national and international level. The purpose of the Agrosfär tool is to establish an automatic data driven climate calculator used to calculate GHG emissions from agricultural products and on farm enterprise level. The automation and automatic data collection will save time, increase accuracy of the calculations, and simplify updates of the tool to keep it aligned with the most recent climate data and climate reporting methodology. It will make it possible to continuously carry out follow-ups on climate performance indicators and measure improvements from climate measures taken. A working group consisting of Swedish agricultural life cycle assessment experts have developed the framework of the tool, e.g. setting system boundaries, selecting methodologies and input data. A technical team has developed algorithms, a digital interface and coupled the tool to other existing agricultural databases providing farm specific information on crop and animal production data, soil characteristics, carbon footprints and amounts of purchased inputs etc. The tool and user interface have been developed based on input from farmers through prototyping and in-depth interviews. For general guidelines on methodology the calculation model follows the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR), the International Dairy Federation (IDF)’s approach for carbon footprint for the dairy sector and FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance guidelines (FAO LEAP). Where standards have diverged or where assumptions have been required the working group has made expert judgements on which method/guideline to follow or what assumptions to make. A first version of the tool, a so called minimal viable product (MVP) has been developed which will be the basis for further development. The MVP contains an animal and crop module and can calculate the carbon footprint of crops, milk and beef. Future development possibilities of the tool and calculation model is described in chapter 7, such as enabling climate calculations on enterprise level, develop modules for more animal production types, deepen the integration between the crop and animal modules, expand sources for automatic data collection, develop a carbon sequestration module and other technical and methodological improvements to ensure alignment with important climate reporting standards. The report will be repeatedly updated as the tool develops, and new versions of the tool are released.

The agricultural sector in Sweden needs to cut GHG emissions and contribute to the climate goal of net-zero emissions by 2045. The GHG reduction goal for agricultural emissions is not quantified, but the Swedish climate policy framework states that ‘Swedish food production shall increase as much as possible with as little climate impact as possible’. Multiple key actors within the sector of food and agriculture have developed roadmaps or industry specific goals for reducing GHG emissions from the sector. Consequently, requirements for transparent GHG accounting and reporting are increasing within the agricultural sector, both on a national and international level. The purpose of the Agrosfär tool is to establish an automatic data driven climate calculator used to calculate GHG emissions from agricultural products and on a farm enterprise level. Automation and automatic data collection will save time, increase the accuracy of the calculations, and simplify updates of the tool to keep it aligned with the most recent climate data and climate reporting methodology. It will make it possible to continuously carry out follow-ups on climate performance indicators and measure improvements from climate measures taken. A working group consisting of agricultural life cycle assessment experts has developed the framework of the tool (e.g., setting system boundaries, selecting methodologies and input data). A technical team has developed algorithms, a digital interface and coupled the tool to other existing agricultural databases, providing farm specific information on crop and animal production data, soil characteristics, carbon footprints and amounts of purchased inputs etc. The tool and user interface have been developed based on input from farmers through prototyping and in-depth interviews. The priority guidelines on which the calculation model is based are the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR), the International Dairy Federation (IDF)’s approach for carbon footprint for the dairy sector, and FAO Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance guidelines (FAO LEAP). From the farm perspective, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) Corporate Standard, GHG Protocol Agricultural Guidance (Scope 1 & 2) and GHG Protocol Corporate value chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard are guiding standards. Where standards have diverged or where assumptions have been required, the working group has made expert judgements on which method/guideline to follow or what assumptions to make. A first version of the tool, first described in report version 1, was developed as the basis for further development. The first version contains an animal and a crop module, and can calculate the carbon footprint of crops, milk and beef. This report (version 1.1) has been updated to include the most recent developments of the tool. The main change is that the tool can now also be used to calculate farm climate impact on a yearly basis. Future possibilities to develop the tool and calculation model are described in chapter 7, including suggestions for developing modules for more animal production types, deepening the integration between the crop and animal modules, expanding sources for automatic data collection, developing a carbon sequestration module, and other technical and methodological improvements to ensure alignment with important climate reporting standards. The report will be repeatedly updated as the tool develops, and new versions of the tool are released.