Examensarbete vid Industriell Miljöteknik

Background

Start-ups are more likely to develop radical circular business models compared to established companies. However, start-ups face several challenges when developing circular business models because of their small size and limited resources. Thus, start-ups often need a support system including banks, incubators, accelerators, business development organizations and intermediaries to access essential resources. However, recent studies suggest that support systems are still developing competence and approaches to support circular business models. Specifically, there is a systematic lack of knowledge regarding the competence level of the support on circular economy and more importantly if the competence is relevant to practically support start-ups in their development.

Objectives

To analyze the competence among support system actors (e.g., incubators, science parks) on circular economy.

Proposed Research Questions

• What is the competence in the support system regarding circular economy?
• Does this competence meet the challenges of start-ups developing circular business models?

Proposed Methodology

This study can use interviews with actors in the support system with a regional (e.g., Skåne, Östergötland) or national scope (e.g., Sweden).

Qualifications

Student with a background in the general area of sustainability and management.

Other information

Language: Swedish/English

Proposed time: Spring (30hp)

Number of Students:2

Examiner/Supervisor/Co-supervisor: Wisdom Kanda/Olof Hjelm                     

Contact person: Wisdom Kanda (wisdom.kanda@liu.se)

Kommunerna är viktiga samhällsaktörer och viktiga innovationsaktörer i omställningen till ett mer hållbart samhälle. Det här projektet fokuserar på kommuners strategier och strukturer för styrning för en mer hållbar utveckling med fokus på förhållandet mellan den kommunala administrationen och de kommunala bolagen. Hur (kan) man få en växelverkan mellan kommunadministrationen och de politiskt tagna hållbarhetsambitionerna och de kommunala bolagens hållbarhetsarbete. Hur (kan) kommunerna fungera som pådrivare för ett ambitiöst lokalt hållbarhetsarbete genom sina kommunala bolag och hur (kan) de kommunala bolagen påverka kommunens ambitioner och visioner kopplade till hållbar utveckling?

I det här projektet analyserar ni om/hur kommunala bolags strategier och verksamhet bidrar till, förhåller sig till samt är synkroniserade med sin ägarkommuns övergripande strategier kopplat till hållbar utveckling (tex översiktsplaner, visioner, hållbarhetsprogram etc).

Övergripande mål

Att analysera och skapa kunskap kring förhållandet/samarbetet mellan kommunadministration och kommunala bolag vad gäller det kommuners hållbarhetsarbete.

Förslag på övergripande forskningsfråga

Vilken är kommunala bolags roller i kommuners hållbarhetsarbete och hur kan de påverka kommunens övergripande hållbarhetsambitioner och hållbarhetsprestanda?

Föreslagen metodik

Litteraturstudie, samt dokumentstudier, intervjuer i ett antal utvalda kommuner (med tillhörande kommunala bolag).

Annan information

Det här projektet har en nära koppling till ett forskningsprojekt vid avdelningen för Industriell miljöteknik samt vid Centrum för kommunstrategiska studier (CKS, vid Linköpings universitet).

 

Språk: Swedish

Projekttid: Våren 2023

Antal studenter: 2

Examinator/Handledare: Sara Gustafsson

Kontaktperson: Sara Gustafsson (sara.gustafsson@liu.se)

Adopted in 2015 the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable development goals (SDGs) call for transformation through collaboration between actors and across sectors on all levels in society with the aim to “leave no one behind”. The launch of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has broadened many actors’ perspectives on sustainable development and led to new actions and strategies for sustainability. Local and regional governments (LRGs) are essential to the implementations SDGs, as they are responsible for services, either shared or directly, connected to the achievement of the SDGs. Furthermore, it is on this subnational level where goals are translated into practice and it is also important to make sure that the needs of citizens are met and, naturally, that no one is left behind. LRGs are responsible for aligning subnational goals to find potential synergies. Hence, LRGs play a key role in the implementation of the SDGs. How could these global goals be integrated into the municipalities’ visions, strategies, spatial planning and decision-making? The SDGs call for integration and a broad systems approach, it is essential for local governments to collaborate with other actors in the geographical area to achieve these common goals – how can collaboration relations be developed in order to address the SDGs? Reflecting the nature of the global challenges that the SDGs seek to address that cut across sectors, actors and scales (geographic and time), thus cannot be addressed within individual silos. Nevertheless, there are still a knowledge gap to be filled in relation to how these goals are to be implemented sub-nationally. In a Swedish context, it is voluntary for LRGs to implement the SDGs. Naturally, there are multiple ways to go about it and LRGS may have several possible roles to play.

Objectives

What is presented here is a list of possible master thesis topics within the field of local SDG implementation that are interesting and relevant from both a practical and theoretical perspective. The overall aim of the suggested topics below is to investigate if and how the SDGs can lead to societal transformation in a local/regional context. This can be conducted in several ways and it is possible to choose one out of these or a mix between several. Or you may have an idea of your own related to the theme of SDG localization.

Proposed master thesis topics

• Localization of the SDGs in a selected city (what are the challenges, which are the preconditions)
• Explore the SDGs in comprehensive planning
• Comparative study of SDGs guides for local implementation
• The integration of recently presented local indicators in Swedish
• How can the SDG efforts be followed-up and evaluated (there is a set of global indicators and there is a set of Swedish indicators for local authorities)
• Mapping of actors and possible roles connected to the localization of the SDGs

 

Other information

Language: Swedish/English

Proposed time: Spring (30 hp)

Number of Students: 2 per project topic

Examiner/Supervisor/Co-supervisor: Sara Gustafsson

Contact person: Sara Gustafsson; sara.gustafsson@liu.se

Analysing both system and vehicle approaches

• Technological frontier, reverse salient i.e. technological and organisational barriers, their potentials for different road prerequisites and transport needs
• Drivetrain developments and potentials for hybrid solutions
  • Electric motor (continuous supply, battery, hydrogen fuel cells)
  • Internal combustion engines (biofuels)
• Continuous electricity supply (inductive and various conductive approaches)
  • Electricity charging stations
  • Hydrogen filling stations
  • Potentials for systems optimisation to other sectors i.e. industry

   Contact person: Pontus Cerin (pontus.cerin@liu.se)

• Do the reporters according to the GRI provide information on their progress, and if so in a transparent and reliable way, enabling investor to monitor progress and
• Materiality assessment of sustainability reporters. Are they reporting on aspects material to their key stakeholder, or dodging away from key issues with decoy information?
• To what extent do executive management and Board composition as well as compensation design, i.e. largely dependent on incentives rather than fixed, influence the social responsibility and profitability of firms?
  
  Contact person: Pontus Cerin (pontus.cerin@liu.se) 

Bakgrund:

Toyota Material Handling Sweden AB återtillverkar ca 700 gaffeltruckar per år i sin anläggning Truckhuset i Mjölby. Truckar kommer från tidigare långtidsuthyrning (Long Term Rental) och returneras efter avslutad hyresperiod till Truckhuset. Vid ankomst till Truckhuset klassificeras truckar utifrån skick och attraktivitet på begagnat-marknaden för att identifiera kandidater vilka bedöms lönsamma för återtillverkning och försäljning med standard-klassning ”Premium”, inklusive begränsat garantiåtagande. Begagnatpriser på marknaden sätts utifrån prisverktyg vilken inkluderar variabler så som modell, ålder, specifikation, driftstimmar.

Idag används förenklad tabell för referenstimmar och max-kostnader för nödvändiga reservdelar som riktlinje för tekniker och verkstadschef för att styra och planera. Referenstiden är den tid som bör ta att renovera den aktuella gaffeltrucken på ett ekonomiskt försvarbart sätt. Denna baseras mer på empirisk data än analys av variabler. Risk är att referenstider blir felaktiga på grund av normalfördelning av skick på truckar, med konsekvens att effektiviteten minskar eller fel beslut fattas för rekonditionering.

Komplexitet:

• Bred palett av truckar från ”låglyftare” till större ”motviktare”, med olika specifikationer
• Skick på truckar vid ankomst – ålder, miljö, driftstimmar spelar stor roll
• Tekniker hävdar att ”alla truckar är unika” och det är hopplöst att sätta korrekta standardtider

Syfte:

• Akademisk analys av påverkande variabler för att generera korrekt modell för mer precisa referenstider för maskinrenovering
• Analys och effektivisering av beslut, verktyg och flöden genom Truckhuset för att korta av ledtid från ankommande truckar till färdig återtillverkad truck

Studenter:

• Två I/EMM/M/DPU:are som har kunskaper om ekonomi och produktion.

Kontakter/handledare på Toyota Material Handling Sweden:

• Peter Melin, director Rental & Used, peter.melin@se.toyota-industries.eu

Kontakter/handledare på Linköpings universitet:

• Johan Vogt Duberg, johan.vogt.duberg@liu.se, 013-286892
• Jelena Kurilova Palisaitiene, jelena.kurilova@liu.se, 013-282714

Swedish

Cirkulär ekonomi, Återtillverkning, Funktionsförsäljning

Konstruktion för Montering, Tillverkning, Återtillverkning

Hållbar produktion, Återtillverkning,

English

Circular economy, Remanufacturing, Product as a Service (PaaS)

Design for Assembly / Manufacturing / Remanufacturing / the Environment (DfA, DfM, DfRem, DfE)

Sustainable Manufacturing, Remanfacturing

Contact person: Erik Sundin (erik.sundin@liu.se)

Bakgrund

Natural sand might seem ubiquitous, but is actually a depleting resource, since it is important for construction and other economic activities and faces increasing demand. Extraction also cause serve environmental problems. Hence, increasing the utilization of secondary sand (ie. re-use) is a desirable activity – both from economic and environmental points of view.

Econova AB is a regenerative company working with increasing the productive use of secondary resources. They are currently using used foundry sand to produce soil products, but the available flows of secondary sand are bigger than they can valorize in this way. One possible use would be to replace virgin sand that is used in Fluidised Bed Boilers (FBB). However, initial contacts have not spur further development.

In order to design effective strategies and policy that can increase the use of secondary sand by actors operating FBBs, improved knowledge is needed regarding why action is not taken, and what the associated drivers and challenges are.

Syfte

The purpose of this thesis research is to contribute to increased replacement of virgin sand by waste foundry sand in companies operating FBBs. This will be achieved by creating new knowledge regarding the factors supporting and hindering such a dynamic and formulating suggestions for supportive private strategies and public policies.

Metodik och ansats

The work will include the review of the relevant literature as well as good practices. These will be combined with detailed interviews, building on the result in an initial survey (already performed), with waste management and/or energy utility companies that could utilize foundry operating FBBs. The work can also contribute to testing a new analytical framework in the field of Industrial and Urban Symbiosis, that is developed at the division of Miljöteknik and Management.

Övrig information

The thesis project will be a part of one of LiU’s on-going research project called ”Empowering Regenerative Businesses”, which aims at improving conditions. The students need to have a background in Energy and Environmental Management or Business Management. Having a good understanding of management and policy dynamics will be beneficial.

Språk: Engelska

När : January 2023. (30 hp)

Antal studenter: 1-2

Handledare: Kristina Nyström (LiU), Elsa Bertils (Econova)

Examinator (LiU): Murat Mirata

Bakgrund

Industriell och Urban Symbios (IUS) är ett praktiskt sätt att utveckla och pådriva den cirkulära ekonomin på en regional nivå, genom utökade företagssamarbeten med fokus på sekundära resurser.  På detta sätt förväntas företagen uppnå både bättre miljöprestanda, samt ett utökat affärsvärde för flera av sina resursflöden

Miljölagstiftningen har varit en av de starkast pådrivande krafterna bakom miljöinnovation i industrin, och var till exempel den utlösande faktorn för det berömda exemplet på Industriell Symbios i Kalundborg (Jacobsen och Anderberg, 2004). Detta perspektiv lyfts dock sällan i debatten, och det finns behov av uppdaterad kunskap om huruvida, och i så fall hur, miljölagstiftningen fungerar som en drivkraft för att utveckla IUS.

Pågående forskning vid LiU visar också att miljötillståndsprocesserna är ett stort hinder för flera IUS-projekt. Detta trots att Cirkulär Ekonomi är en utpekad strategi (Miljödepartementet, 2020, EU-kommissionen, 2020) för att klara oss undan en annalkande hållbarhetskris och klimatkollaps. Trots ett stort intresse för förändringar i miljölagstiftningen ur ett klimatperspektiv (SOU 2022:21) så finns än så länge lite kunskap om på vilka sätt den sätter hinder för valorisering av sekundära råvaror (återanvändning och återvinning) genom Industriell och Urban Symbios.

I ett pågående forskningsprojekt har vi tillgång till flera företag / fallstudier där miljötillståndsfrågan har inneburit allvarliga hinder. Ett av dem är Econova som jobbar på innovativa sätt med att höja värdet på sekundära resurser, vars affärsidé går ut på att bygga och bibehålla samarbeten med andra aktörer, för att kunna utnyttja deras biprodukter inom jordproduktion och anläggningsarbeten. Samtidigt läggs mycket resurser på tillståndsprocesser som inte är uppdaterade för att hantera cirkulära möjligheter, där avsaknad av standarder skapar osäkra förutsättningar för aktörerna, vilket kan agera ett oöverkomligt hinder för utvecklingen av mer cirkulära samarbeten.

Syfte

I detta exjobb skulle miljölagstiftningens inverkan som hinder och drivkraft för Econovas utveckling av industriella symbios-samarbeten, med det övergripande syftet att skapa en utökad förståelse för hur tillståndsprocesser bättre kan stötta spridandet av cirkulära lösningar.

Metodik och ansats

Examensarbetet genomförs i nära anslutning till ett pågående projekt som leds av Linköpings universitet, kallat Empowering Regenerative Businesses, som undersöker förutsättningarna för regenerativa företag.

Övrig information  

Projektet kan utformas utifrån studenternas intresse, men en inläsning på Miljöbalken, tidigare forskning samt en gedigen analys av utvecklings och tillståndsprocessen för ett antal av projekt som Econova har varit inblandade är att förvänta, med kompletterande intervjuer av de aktörer som har varit inblandade. Resultatet kan komma att spridas som en del av vetenskapliga publikationer, samt ligga till underlag för policy-workshops med relevanta aktörer.

Språk: Svenska eller engelska, men studenten måste vara flytande i svenska.

När : Start kan diskuteras (30 hp)

Antal studenter: 1-2

Handledare: Kristina Nyström (LiU), Elsa Bertils (Econova, kontaktperson)

Examinator (LiU): Murat Mirata

Bakgrund

In Sweden there are almost 500 municipal utiltiy companies, that supply electricity gas, heat and water. Apart from being the backbone of efficient urban resource supply system, they also have a central part in many IUS networks, where waste is circulated and valorised. However, there is hardly any reserach on their role, and how it can be leveraged.

Syfte

The aim is to create new knowledge on the the role that public utility companies play in IUS emergence and development today and how it can be leveraged.

Metodik och ansats

The master thesis can be developed in cooperation with supervisor, and relevant externa actors. Intresting aspects can be to map and investigate values and comissions expressed by owners, existing IUS relations, and investigate cases where the utility company hindered an IUS development. The theoretical perspective can be Industrial and Urban Symbiosis, but it can be combined with other relvant perspectives, such as corporate governane.

Övrig information 

Språk: Swedish or English but most documents will be in Swedish

När : Start kan diskuteras (30 hp)

Antal studenter: 1-2

Handledare: Kristina Nyström (LiU), Elsa Bertils (Econova, kontaktperson)

Examinator (LiU): Murat Mirata

Background

Biogas via AD is very important for circular and biobased economy. Biogas is commonly used to produce fuel (e.g., in Sweden) or to produce electricity and heat (e.g., in many European countries). However, biogas can also be used as feedstock for chemical production process and directly replace fossil methane. This will reduce the production of various chemical products to fossil fuels, reduce their climate impact, and increase their contribution to a circular economy. The thesis is supported by the Perstorp Group which is a world leader in several sectors of the specialty chemicals market for a wide variety of industries and applications and has an ambition to become a climate neutral chemical industry.

Purpose

The students will assess the possible sources of biomethane produced via anaerobic digestion of organic wastes and the conditions that are needed for their use as feedstock in the studied chemical production facility. The study will focus on an actual plant in the USA (Toledo, Ohio) owned and operated by Perstorp. The research questions are:

1. What are the preconditions needed for Perstorp plant to use biomethane as feedstock for their chemical products?
2. What will be the key sustainability effects of such adoption if implemented?

Method and research approach

The students will perform an early-stage feasibility and sustainability analysis that includes several aspects related to potential, conditions for implementation, environmental, economic and social implications. The students will perform interviews with experts from Perstorp and other relevant actors. Perstorp may support traveling of the students to the USA to perform part of the study at the facility (There are also external funding opportunities that the students can apply for to support their trip). Furthermore, the broader network of Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC) will also be available for data collection depending on the need.

Other information

The thesis project is done in collaboration with Perstorp. We are looking for two students with an education in engineering (e.g., “energi-miljö-management” or sustainability engineering and management) with sufficient understanding of systems analysis and biofuels production.

 

Language: English,

Number of students: 2

When: January 2023

Supervisors: Roozbeh Feiz (LiU)

Examiner (LiU): Wisdom Kanda

Contact person: Roozbeh Feiz (LiU)

Background

Biogas via AD is very important for circular and biobased economy. There are lot of Swedish and Nordic experiences related to AD technologies which have been attractive to many potential international users who are interested to have similar solutions in their own countries. However, one of the most important questions that is often asked is related to the cost of developing such solutions which is not easy to answer as it is highly dependent on the local conditions.

Purpose

The students will develop an early-stage model for estimating the cost (and revenues) of developing biogas solution in different countries. The main focus will be on the Nordic biogas model which is based on production of upgraded biogas from organic waste and use of digestate as biofertilizer. The research questions are:

1. What are the most important factors that affect the economy of biogas deployment in a different context and how they can be quantified at early stage of decision making?
2. How to deal with uncertainties and variabilities associated with such a project, but also those that are external to it?

Method and research approach

The students will perform an early-stage techno-economic analysis of a biogas implementation project in a generic context, so that it can be used for different specific cases. Scania will be a source of information for this thesis, but the broader network of Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC) will also be available for data collection depending on the need.

Other information

The thesis project is done in collaboration with BSRC and Scania. We are looking for two students with an education in engineering (e.g., “energi-miljö-management” or sustainability engineering and management) with sufficient understanding of systems analysis and biofuels production.

 

Language: English,

Number of students: 2

When: January 2023

Supervisors: Roozbeh Feiz (LiU)

Examiner (LiU): Wisdom Kanda

Contact person: Roozbeh Feiz (LiU)

Background

Biogas via AD is very important for circular and biobased economy. There are lot of Swedish and Nordic experiences related to AD technologies which have been attractive to many potential international users who are interested to have similar solutions in their own countries. However, Swedish and Nordic companies should be able to decide quite early if they want to invest time and resource to investigate entry into new markets. This will reduce their risk and increase their chances of success in their international engagements.

Purpose

Currently an early-stage decision making tool is being developed in Biogas Solutions Research Center together with researcher and various actors. The students will further develop this tool and apply it on actual cases involving early-stage decision making.

1. What is the state of the art in the scientific community with regards to early-stage decision making for entering into a new market?
2. What are the key issues that should be modified/improved in the BSRC early-stage decision-making tool for biogas market selection?

Method and research approach

The students will further develop the early-stage decision making tool that involves several aspects related to contextual background, key involved actors, potentials, preconditions and feasibility issues, and sustainability impact. The main sources of enquiry will be scientific literature and international activities (or projects) of companies related to Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC). The students will apply the developed tool on a past decision in order to test the tool, and they will also apply it on a new case involving a Nordic company moving into an international context.

Other information

The thesis project is done in collaboration with BSRC. We are looking for two students with an education in engineering (e.g., “energi-miljö-management” or sustainability engineering and management) with sufficient understanding of systems analysis, biofuels production, and international markets.

 

Language: English,

Number of students: 2

When: January 2023

Supervisors: Wisdom Kanda

Examiner (LiU): Roozbeh Feiz

Contact person: Wisdom Kanda

Background

Biogas is very important for circular and biobased economy. Biogas is commonly used to produce vehicle fuel (e.g., in Sweden) or to produce electricity and heat (e.g., in many European countries). However, biogas can also be used to replace fossil methane (natural gas) as feedstock for industrial production processes and directly. The national public inquiry SOU 2019:63 has therefore proposed a fivefold increase of the Swedish biogas production, from today’s 2 TWh to 10 TWh by 2030. The thesis is supported by Linköping university, the competence center Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC) and the research project Biogas scenarios which is financed by the Swedish energy agency and aims to support key stakeholders in strategic decision-making on how to engage in the Swedish biogas ecosystem to facilitate increased growth.

Purpose

The students will analyze the effects of the Swedish government subsidies scheme Klimatklivet on biogas-innovation projects. This will be conducted by developing a framework for analysis of biogas-related projects in Sweden. The study is guided by two research questions:

1. Why did certain biogas-related projects succeed or fail to materialize despite approved Klimatklivet-grants?
2. What potential future trends can be observed regarding the Swedish biogas market development (production, distribution, use) based on grant applications, as well as successful and failed projects?

This will enable the students to establish conclusions regarding government subsidies for eco-innovation and such subsidies impact on future market development.

Method and research approach

The students will perform an analysis based on data from the Swedish energy agency on Klimatklivet grants. This data will be structured and analyzed. The students will also perform multiple interviews with experts from companies that received Klimatklivet-grants for investments in facilities for production, upgrading, liquefictation, distribution or use of biogas. Furthermore, the broader network of Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC) will be available for data collection depending on the need.

Other information

We are looking for two students with an education in engineering (e.g., “energi-miljö-management” or sustainability engineering and management) with sufficient understanding of innovation and market analysis and biogas production. There is a possibility to be paid as a research assistant (amanuens) for this thesis.

Language: Swedish

Number of students: 2

When: January 2023

Supervisors: Thomas Magnusson (LiU)

Examiner (LiU): Mikael Ottosson

Contact person: Thomas Magnusson (LiU)

Background

Alviksgården Lantbruks AB is a large farm located in the northern part of Sweden. This farm has large number of animals and lot of manure which are processed in a biogas plants. This in turn leads to production of large volumes of digestate which can be used as biofertilizers, but due to having high water content is difficult to cost-efficiently utilize. Recently, the farm, using the technological support of Purac AB, has built a digestate processing facility that converts the digestate into pelletized biofertilizer and clean water.

Purpose

The students will perform systems analysis (energy and material balance – life cycle analysis) of the biofertilizers produced at Alviksgården Lantbruks and compare the climate impact, primary energy use, and production cost with the reference cases (digestate without treatment, and also commercial fertilizer products). The results will help Alviksgården Lantbruks to credibly present the benefits of their product to their customers, but will also help them to identity areas that can be further improved.

Method and research approach

The students will use systems analysis and life-cycle assessment to assess the environmental performance and cost of biofertilizer production at Alviksgården Lantbruk. The company will provide production data and will host the students for a field visit.

Other information

The thesis project is done in collaboration with BSRC. We are looking for two students with an education in engineering (e.g., “energi-miljö-management”, sustainability engineering and management, or technical biology / bioteknik) with sufficient understanding of systems analysis and biofuels production.

Language: English, Number of students: 2

When: January 2023

Supervisors: Roozbeh Feiz

Examiner (LiU): Genevieve Metson

Contact person: Roozbeh Feiz

Background

Sweden plans to increase biogas production as a way to decrease greenhouse gas emissions as well as increase national energy security. However, biogas plants can also affect other aspects of sustainability, notably organic waste management and associated pollution, and the availability of plant nutrients in agriculture. Because the organic waste (manure, crop residues, biosolids, and food waste) that serves as a feedstock to biogas plants is heavy, and so is the digestate that comes out of the plant, finding the minimum travel distances is often a major part of a business plan. Although research has been conducted at the national level to map the supply of some of these feedstocks and where crops may benefit from receiving the nutrient in digestate, there is still much work to be done at the local level and with plant and company-specific data to make increased biogas production a reality

Purpose

In order to reduce transport costs it is possible to transform the digestate into more concentrated products. This thesis aims at comparing technological options to do so that are appropriate for the Swedish market, and then create numeric scenarios of adding such technology options would change the landscape for recycling nutrients in Sweden.

Method and research approach

The student(s) would combine a desktop study looking at available technologies with interviews with companies and researchers to gather more specific information a) product characteristics interesting for the Swedish market, b) compatibility with biogas plant parameters in Sweden, and c) product components such as density, moisture, and nutrient concentrations. They would then create scenarios with our research team to investigate how applying these technologies would alter the cost and logistics of transportation either in a selected region or nationally.

Other information

Students from programs like EMM, I, TB, and KB with a keen interest in the development and dissemination of sustainable solutions. Prior experience with systems approaches, GIS, excel or R, and working with quantitative data is very useful.

Language: English and Swedish

Proposed time: 6 months (January 2023)

Number of Students: 2

Location: Linköping University

Supervisors Roozbeh Feiz (IEI)

Examiner: Geneviève Metson  (IFM)

Contact person: Either examiner or supervisor

Background

We need to move towards more sustainable agriculture, and an important question in this context is how to provide fertilizers to the crops in a sustainable manner. There is a clear need to recycle nutrients in organic waste, and new products based on such materials are evolving. Thus there is a need to assess their environmental performance.

Aim

This project aims at providing more in-depth knowledge about the environmental performance of new fertilizer products, ranging from ”green mineral fertilizers” to advanced products targeting the horticultural industry. Interested students will start by specifying the assessment scope in collaboration with the interested companies, e.g. Biototal, Econova and others, as well as the supervisor /examiner. 

Methods and approach

The project can involve literature studies, interviews with companies, LCA assessments of products, multicriteria assessments.

Qualifications

Students from the EMM and SUS MSc programmes with knowledge and interest in systems analysis.

Other information

Research Partners: The project is linked to research going on in the Biogas Solutions Research Center, and is of interest to several of the partner companies in the center.

Language: Swedish or English

Students: 2

Examiner/Supervisor: Roozbeh Feiz/Karin Tonderski

Contact: Karin Tonderski

Background

Urban agriculture (UA) has been proposed as a way to tighten urban residents’ connection to food systems and provide diverse social and environmental benefits as a type of green infrastructure. Sweden has a long history of allotment gardening, which attests to the fact the cities know its value. Diverse types of urban agriculture, from new vertical commercial farms to backyard gardening are increasing in popularity (in particular with the pandemic and inflation). However there is no centralized survey of such practices (unlike with rural agriculture).

Purpose

To understand how important urban agriculture is to a diversity of ecosystem services (or disservices) and where there is potential to grow we need maps of where people are growing food in cities.

Method and research approach

 The student(s) would select several cities and use geographical information system techniques to estimate the area under urban agricultural production for different types of urban agriculture. This will likely be done with areal images as has been done in other cities like Chicago (Taylor and Lovell 2012) or more advanced and up-to-date methods by reviewing literature on identifying green infrastructure using satellite and areal imagery. It will then be possible to compare these estimates among cities, but also with other estimation techniques to evaluate how well the technique worked. By understanding site characteristics, similar sites can be identified to calculate the potential for expansion. Students will also pick an ecosystem service of interest and work on calculating the benefits of existing and potential areas.

Other information

The student(s) need to be familiar with GIS techniques for this project.

 

Language: English (and Swedish if the focus is on Swedish actors)

Number of students: 1 or 2

When: January 2023 for 6 months

Supervisors: Geneviève Metson

Examiner (LiU): TBD

Contact person: Geneviève Metson genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

Human activities are profoundly altering critical nutrient flows that underpin productive ecosystems and life on earth. Factors such as the rise of waterborne sanitation and synthetic fertilizers, increased urbanization, as well as globalization and industrialization of food and farming systems have brought about a linearization and globalization of nutrient flows. Balancing nutrient flows between human settlements and the rest of nature within planetary boundaries is essential for life on earth and for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services, notably healthy water bodies and soils. Recirculating nutrients in human excreta and other organic residuals to agriculture can make important contributions to more circular nutrient flows and improved food security.

Although Sweden has yet to achieve full circularity with human excreta, there is a long history of projects implementing small or medium sized alternative sanitation projects to contribute to this objective.  The End-of-Wastewater project (link below) has identified 50 cases across the country. Many of them have stopped their operations and lessons learnt from these projects are not centrally available or synthesized to facilitate learning and expansion of circularity in Sweden. In order to design desirable systems, and upscale human excreta reuse processes, we need to better understand previous success and failures with alternative sanitation options.

Read more about the project: End-of-Wastewater Project

Objectives

The aim of this thesis is to delve deeper in to selected Swedish case studies where communities have already implemented an alternative sanitation technology to facilitate nutrient recovery and investigate the financial, logistical, and cultural factors that affected the longevity and success of each project. These will be added to an online database to help stakeholders learn from the cases, and the student will also synthesize the results in a report.

Proposed Methodology

The project will include a literature review of relevant materials (peer reviewed papers and government and organization reports). This review will help determine which types of data should be collected for each case, and when available filled in for well documented cases. It will also help determine the number of cases to look at in more depth. Primary data collection will be done by contacting relevant organizations for each case study to either gain access to more detailed documents and conduct an interview to collect knowledge that has not been well documented (focus on success and failure aspects). Data will be quantitative (e.g., costs associated with a project, amount of biofertilizer produced) and qualitative (e.g., legislation, difficulty of use). For each selected case, the student(s) will collect data in a standardized matter and then compare across the cases.

Qualifications

Students with a keen interest in development and dissemination of sustainable solutions, can read and speak Swedish, and is interested in interview work is an asset.

Other information

Language:                          English and Swedish

Proposed time:                5-6 months

Location of Research:   Linköping University or Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

Contact person:
Genevieve Metson:  genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

 With over 700 cities committed to achieving net-zero carbon goals by 2050, urban areas have become central in combatting climate change and achieving carbon sustainability.  Just as for carbon, urban populations are the motors driving phosphorus cycling across landscapes. Yet, urban sustainable phosphorus management is currently insufficient. Cities receive phosphorus as food imports and concentrate emissions of phosphorus from waste/residue streams to the aquatic environment. A lack of coordinated efforts within and across cities place city dwellers at risk of food price fluctuations and water pollution associated with poor phosphorus management.

Purpose

 Identify areas of opportunity for good and better phosphorus management in existing city climate change strategies to inform more comprehensive sustainability policies.

Method and research approach

 The student(s) will review net-zero carbon city strategies (one or two cities of their choosing) with a newly developed Net-Zero Phosphorus framework. This will involve a policy document review, identifying areas of synergies, tradeoffs, or a lack of specificity to determine if a policy would be a synergy or tradeoff. The student(s) can then use a literature review approach and scenario creation approach to suggest either quantitative or qualitative changes to Net-Zero strategies to increase synergies between the two nutrients.

Other information

The thesis project will be done in collaboration with partners at the UK Center Ecology and Hydrology and will be the 1st test run of what will likely be a much larger endeavor to work with cities to create net-zero phosphorus initiatives and studies. 

Language: English (and Swedish if the focus is on a Swedish city)

Number of students:  1 or 2

When: January 2023 for 6 months

Supervisors: Geneviève Metson

Examiner (LiU): TBD

Contact person: Geneviève Metson genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

China’s recent export ban on phosphorus fertilizers and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increasing the price of gas used to produce nitrogen fertilizer have highlighted Europe’s vulnerability in terms of access to essential elements for agricultural production. Although researchers have warned that resilient and equitable access to nutrients for all farmers is a core underpinning of meeting SDG2 (food security) for many years, the current crisis situation has lifted this challenge more clearly to policymakers and companies.

Purpose

The student(s) will examine how this crisis has impacted the availability (physical and price) of these nutrients for farmers in different countries, the types of options that are available to them to decrease negative impacts, and how non-farm actors could invest in alternative infrastructure to decrease the vulnerability of our food system to such geopolitical shocks.

Method and research approach

The student(s) will seek out grey literature (company, organization, and government documentation) to create a numerical overview of the current situation for EU farmers (with a special focus on Sweden) and explore barriers and enablers to creating more resilient systems to access nutrients. Students may then use this information to create future scenarios of alternative mixes of nutrient suppliers and explore differences among EU countries and their vulnerabilities.

Data to be collected will include the price of fertilizers on the marketplace across EU countries for farmers over time (2007 to now with a focus on the last year), major import countries for fertilizer products, the price, and availability of selected alternative fertilizer products (from recycled sources), EU and national laws and policies that currently help or hinder diversifying imports and local fertilizers sources.

Language: English (and Swedish if the focus is on Swedish actors)

Number of students:  1 or 2

When: January 2023 for 6 months

Supervisors: Geneviève Metson

Examiner (LiU): Tina Neset or Karin Tonderski

Contact person: Geneviève Metson genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

Sweden plans to increase biogas production as a way to decrease greenhouse gas emissions as well as increase national energy security. However, biogas plants are also likely to be affected by climate change. Although climate change will affect many aspects of biogas production, here we focus on the upstream effects climate will have on the feedstocks necessary to produce biogas. This is crucial because if the energy concentration of feedstocks such as animal manure or crop residues change this will affect how much a biogas plant will need to import and if the location where these feedstocks can be produced change this might affect the cost of import or even where it makes most sense to locate new biogas plants.

Objectives

The aim of this thesis is to analyze how climate change is likely to affect the quality, quantity and location of feedstocks for biogas plants. It is possible to reduce the scope further to only a few feedstocks or areas depending on the student’s interests. Gaining familiarity with publicly available climate output models to create data that can be used by industries (including government) is key in the environmental job market. This thesis will thus give students important stills for future employment.

Proposed Research Question

How will climate change likely affect the feedstocks that biogas plants use and how may that in turn affect the size, location, or transportation patterns for future biogas plants?

Qualifications

Students from programs like EMM, I, TB, and KB with a keen interest in development and dissemination of sustainable solutions. Prior experience with, climate change models, systems approaches, excel or R, and working with quantitative data is very useful.

Other information

Language: English and Swedish

Proposed time: 6 months (start January 2023)

Number of Students: 1 or 2 (can be from two different programs)

Location of Research: Linköping University

Supervisor: Genevieve Metson (IFM)

Examiner: Roozbeh Feiz (IEI)

Contact person: genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

Phosphorus (P) is essential to plant growth and thus a vital fertilizer to agriculture. However mined P is geopolitically concentrated making supply issues a growing concern, and mismanagement can cause problems with aquatic pollution (eutrophication and associated algal blooms and hypoxic zones). There is a lot of attention on what agricultural and organic waste management sectors can do, however our role as individual consumers has received less attention. Other elements such as carbon and nitrogen have been subject to numerous efforts to quantify the impact of individual decisions through footprint tools and phosphorus is just starting to catch up. Also there are a few studies on the P footprint of global diet, and others on the impact of household decisions on direct losses to the environment, the literature lacks a systematic quantification of individual choices that can be compared to one another (same units) and expressed in a useful way (units that reflect actual use in a house).

Objectives

The aim of this thesis is to calculate and analyze the current and future P footprint of consumers in Sweden. It is possible to focus on Linköping campus footprint instead of individual households depending on the student’s interests.

Proposed Research Questions

How much P is lost to the environment by each Swedish household and what activities contribute most to these losses? What actions have the most potential to increase sustainability?

Proposed Methodology

The broad approach will follow well established environmental footprinting methodologies which exist not only for P but nitrogen, water, and climate change (e.g., SIMAP). The students will identify household items and actions that contain or use phosphorus in their production process and quantifying how much is used (or lost) under different production conditions and different consumption conditions. They will then be able to calculate a footprint for a person, household, or university and create a few scenarios on which parts of consumption practices could most decrease the P footprint. The final products will include a database for P footprint calculation and a written report with key graphical visuals (e.g., climate change).

Qualifications

Students with a keen interest in development and dissemination of sustainable solutions. Skills required include literature and database review and compilation, arithmetic calculation and database management (excel and probably R), simple statistics, systems thinking, and clear writing.

 

Other information

Language: English and Swedish

Proposed time: 6 months (January 2023)

Number of Students: 1 or 2 (can be from two different programs)

Location of Research: Linköping University

Supervisor: Genevieve Metson (IFM)

Examiner: Karin Tonderski (IEI)

Contact person: Genevieve Metson genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

Urban agriculture (UA) has been proposed as a way to tighten urban residents’ connection to food systems and provide diverse social and environmental benefits as a type of green infrastructure. Sweden has a long history of allotment gardening, which attests to the fact the cities know its value. As we urbanize further, and tackle key sustainability challenges related to climate change, air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and natural resource depletion, cities need their green infrastructure, including UA, to be as multifunctional as possible.

A core challenge with determining what benefits (and at times disservices) are provided by UA is the high variability of practices and participation within even one small allotment area. For instance, in June 2021, reports submitted to the city of Stockholm posited that allotment gardens might be contributing to nutrient pollution in two catchments. However, there is little empirical evidence to help determine if this is the case and the reports suggest doing further investigations.

 

Purpose

This thesis project would select a topic of investigation (e.g., crops or nutrient use) and investigate how existing variability in practices (or motivations) might be used to identify areas of environmental risk and those of high social and environmental reward for individuals, the city, and the larger food system. Ultimately the project would feed into working with allotment gardeners to co-develop guidelines and practices that can minimize negative externalities while preserving the diverse set of benefits experienced through urban agriculture.

Method and research approach

The main collection activity will be interviews/surveys with gardeners and searching for literature values to translate this interview data into numbers for a mass balance or an estimate of service or disservice provided inside or outside the harden. Once calculated, these numbers can be compared among gardeners and garden areas, and to data in other cities, as well as to rural farms for comparison. It is also possible to take a different approach as long as the student wants to investigate primary data collection with gardeners in the context of multifunctionality.

Other information

The existing research and stakeholder team (which includes  UA as Blue-Green Infrastructure , ReCaP, FOR , and the Stockholm allotment garden association) are particularly interested in nutrient management but the thesis does not need to focus on this issue.

 

Language: Swedish

Number of students: 1 or 2

When: January 2023 for 6 months

Supervisors: Geneviève Metson

Examiner (LiU): Tina Neset or Karin Tonderski

Contact person: Geneviève Metson genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

Cities are working hard to incorporate more green infrastructure and multi-functional landscapes to become more sustainable. Urban agriculture is one such ‘landscape’ and is increasing in popularity.  However, it is an understudied green infrastructure type in terms of nutrients. Nitrogen and phosphorus, essential inputs to grow food, and also cause water pollution if they are lost to waterways. There is a lack of knowledge on how such urban agriculture practices actually affect the fate of nutrients and the ecosystem services that depend on nutrient flows. The first step in understanding the impact of urban agriculture is tracking nutrients in gardens.

Objectives

The aim of this thesis is to quantify the amount and fate of nitrogen and phosphorus in a subset of urban gardens in Linköping Sweden. The results are relevant inputs to gardeners themselves as well as to municipalities (and larger urban agricultural farms) that want to minimize negative environmental impacts while maximizing their yields.

Proposed Research Question

Is there a balance between how much nitrogen and phosphorus applied to urban gardens in Linköping and how much is harvested as food, composted, and lost to soils and water? What management factors seem to influence this balance?

Proposed Methodology

The student(s) will use material flow analysis methodology, to create mass balances of nitrogen and phosphorus.  The main collection activity will be interviews/surveys with gardeners and searching for literature values to translate this interview data in to numbers for the mass balance. Once calculated, these numbers can be compared to data in other cities, as well as to rural farms for comparison.

Qualifications

Students with a keen interest in development and dissemination of sustainable solutions, sustainable cities and food systems more generally. Prior experience with systems approaches, interviewing people, and working with quantitative data is very useful.

Other information

Language: Swedish for data collection (writing in English)

Proposed time: 6 months (January 2023)

Number of Students: 1 or 2

Location of Research: Linköping University

Supervisor: Genevieve Metson (IFM)

Examiner: Karin Tonderski (IEI)

Contact person: Genevieve Metson genevieve.metson@liu.se

Background

Climate change is considered one of the major environmental challenges that humanity is facing. In Europe, the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is visualized in the target of achieving net-zero GHG by 2050. To achieve this goal, one of the strategies of reducing GHG emissions that has been studied in different industries, is carbon capture and use (CCU). This technology captures the CO₂ from different sources and use it to deliver new carbon-based products to the market. Hence, it creates the opportunity to create new products form CO₂ that is otherwise emitted to the atmosphere.

The CCU principle could be applied in biogas systems to increase their performance. Raw biogas contains between 50 to 70% methane and around 30 to 50% CO₂. In order to increase the energy content of the biogas, the CO₂ can be removed from the gas stream in a process called biogas upgrading. Moreover, this is considered biogenic (green) CO₂ and thus, it does not contribute to climate change. For that reason, this CO₂ is commonly emitted to the atmosphere.

By combining CCU technology with biogas systems, the CO₂ could be valorized into additional methane through methanation, a chemical reaction of CO₂ and hydrogen. Even though there are some technological paths under development, a concrete application requires an extensive technical and environmental assessment, which is the aim of this project.

The outcome of this research will be the proposal of different set ups for the incorporation of methanation in real biogas plants, and a comprehensive assessment. For that, real data will be provided by biogas producers.

Objectives

To identify potential technological pathways to incorporate the use of CO₂ in biogas production through methanation and assess the environmental performance. 

Proposed Research Questions

What technologies are the available for CO₂ methanation in biogas plants? How does the inclusion of methanation of CO2 influence the economic and environmental performance of biogas plants?

Proposed Methodology

Literature review, interviews, case studies, environmental system analysis.

The thesis project takes place within a research project on valorization of CO₂ from biogas production, in collaboration with Scandinavian Biogas, Gasum, ST1 Biogas, Tekniska verken (Linköping) and Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions. Case studies will be performed at biogas plants belonging to one or more of these companies.

Qualifications

Master program related to sustainability. Knowledge of systems analysis.

Other information

Language: English

Proposed time: VT (30hp)

Number of Students: 2

Location of Research: Linköping University

Examiner/Supervisor:     

Supervisor: Stephanie Cordova

Examiner: Marcus Gustafsson

Contact person: Stephanie Cordova, Environmental Technology and Management.

Email: stephanie.cordova@liu.se. Telephone: 13281626

 

Background

The manufacturing industry faces an increasingly strong need to quantitatively assess the lifecycle environmental impacts of products, because of the demands by investors and societies at large. Many companies use LCA (life cycle assessment) for this purpose. However, performing LCA requires time and resource of experts. This poses a challenge for manufacturing companies in performing LCA with meeting their goals in reduced time. This challenge is relevant to a large number of companies but needs more scientific research to address.

Objectives

This thesis aims to investigate the use of LCA in a manufacturing company and propose how to apply LCA to a variety of its products in an effective and economically efficient manner.

Proposed Research Questions

1. What are the conditions such as goals, quality requirements and resources available for performing LCA in the manufacturing industry? reduce time and resources in performing LCA without compromising the goals and quality?
2. How much time and resources could be saved compared to a current practice?

Proposed Methodology

A case study will be adopted, with Axis being the case firm. Axis is a large firm manufacturing equipment for surveillance (e.g., cameras) based in Sweden. A set of other methods is proposed also: scientific literature analysis, interview study, document study and LCA.

Qualifications

Deep knowledge of LCA (such that will not require time to learn LCA during the thesis project): indicated by credits of courses including LCA use. The document study and interview study may require the knowledge of the Swedish language.

Other information

Language: English at LiU (the communication with practitioners may require the Swedish language)

Proposed time: January to June, 2023 (5 months)

Number of Students: 2

Location of Research: Expected to work in Axis’ office in Lund as much as possible (50+%).

Examiner/Supervisor/Co-supervisor: Tomohiko Sakao and Annelie Carlson (an industry supervisor to be assigned)  

Contact person: Tomohiko Sakao

Bakgrund

I Sverige där källsortering praktiserats under decennier hamnar fortfarande ungefär hälften av hushållsavfallet i den restfraktion som går till förbränning med energiutvinning. Idag består upp till ca 70% av detta restavfall av sådant som egentligen borde ha sorterats ut för materialåtervinning och biologisk behandling.

Tekniska verken i Linköping investerar nu i en maskinell sorteringsanläggning där återvinningsbara material som plast, metall, papper och organiskt avfall kan sorteras ut från restavfallet innan förbränning. Genom detta initiativ vill Tekniska verken bidra till att uppfylla våra återvinningsmål, skapa klimatnytta och öka vår resurseffektivitet.

En förutsättning för att sorteringsanläggningen på ett effektfullt sätt ska bidra till dessa mål är att det finns väl fungerande och resurseffektiva återvinningsmetoder för de utsorterade fraktionerna. I det här exjobbet ligger fokus på att undersöka och utvärdera olika återvinningsalternativ för det organiska materialet. Några exempel på sådana alternativ är biogasproduktion, kompostering, biokol och biobränslepellets.

Målbeskrivning

Syftet med exjobbet är att undersöka utmaningar och möjligheter med olika alternativ för att återvinna det organiska materialet från maskinell sortering av restavfall. Baserat på denna kartläggning ska sedan de mest lovande återvinningsalternativen utvärderas mer ingående, både med avseende på miljöpotential och genomförbarhet.

Metod och angreppssätt

Arbetet kommer att genomföras inom ramen för programmet ”Industrial Ecology Research Program” och innebära ett nära samarbete med forskare på LiU och personal på Tekniska verken. Studenterna kommer via litteraturstudier och intervjuer först kartlägga utmaningar och möjligheter med olika återvinningsalternativ för det organiska materialet. För att sedan utvärdera potentialen och genomförbarheten av de mest lovande alternativen kommer även andra metoder att bli aktuella, exempelvis workshops och förenklade systemanalyser.

Övrig information

Språk: Svenska

När: VT 2023 (30 hp)

Antal studenter: 2

Plats: Tekniska verken i Linköping

Examinator/Kontakt: Joakim Johansson, Industriell miljöteknik, joakim.johansson@liu.se

Handledare: Niclas Svensson LiU, Per Björneld och Sören Nilsson Påledal, Tekniska verken

BAKGRUND

Jönköping Energi arbetar proaktivt för att åstadkomma hög effektivitet i elnätet i samband med, kraftig tillväxt, nya elektrifieringsbehov och mer volatil produktion i elnätet. Som en del av det arbetet ingår att hjälpa våra kunder att bli mer flexibla. Dels genom att planera nya produkter och tjänster som gör det enkelt för kunden, dels genom planering av nya strukturer som handel med flexibilitet.

Lokal flexibilitet i elnätet sker idag på test och finns inte etablerat. EU arbetar med utveckling av nya nätkoder på området. Befintliga testmarknader för lokal flexibilitet visar att en utmaning är att få med kunder och deras flexibla förmågor. Att tänka flexibilitet för elnätet är nytt både för kunderna och elnätbolagen

Jönköping Energi tror att flexibilitet är en viktig pusselbit i det framtida hållbara energisystemet. Vi vill tillsammans med kunderna frigöra flexibla resurser.

UPPDRAG

Det här exjobbet syftar till att identifiera vilken potential det finns för flexibilitet hos olika kundsegment inom Jönköping Energis elnätområde. Det handlar om att förstå vilka kundsegment som finns här och analysera vilka resurser olika kunder kan sitta på som skulle kunna vara flexibla förmågor liksom vilka incitament som får kunden att medverka på en flexibilitetsmarknad. Exjobbet innebär också att förstå när i tiden och med vilken upplösning som flexibla förmågor är aktuella. Underlaget är en start för vidare kunddialog för möjlighet till etablering av flexibilitet i lokalnätet.

Projektet ska tillämpas i den lokala kontexten för Jönköping Energis elnät och nära samarbete med kundansvariga, elnät och affärsutveckling för flexibilitet. 

FÖRSLAG PÅ GENOMFÖRANDE

• Uppstart med affärsutveckling inom flexibilitet
• Dialog med kundansvariga för att förstå kunderna i elnätet
• Utveckla förslag på indelning av kundsegment
• Beskriv upplösningen och behovet av lokal flexibilitet, övergripande
• Utred funktionaliteter som kan finnas innanför kundens mätare med potential för flexibilitet, kvantifiera dessa
• Identifiera effektmässigt homogena kundsegment och en hypotes kring flexibla förmågor inom respektive kundsegment
• I dialog med Jönköping energis kundrelationer sker intervjuer med kunder för att testa hypotes
• Identifiera och testa antaganden med Jönköping Energi
• Ta fram en uppskattning av flexibla förmågor och en rekommendation för tillämpning åt Jönköping Energi
• Eventuell dataanalys och validering genom kundkontakter.

DIN PROFIL

Du läser en ingenjörsutbildning inom energi, elnät och hållbarhet och har ett intresse för elnätet och kundens perspektiv. 

Arbetet sker på svenska och kan ske på distans med vissa fysiska möten med Jönköping energi och eventuellt vissa kunder.

För ett väl utfört examensarbete betalas en ersättning.

MER INFORMATION

Välkommen att kontakta Jenny Kongseryd, enhetschef, på tel. 036-10 83 03 eller Erika Antonsson, affärsutvecklare, på tel. 036-10 83 49 för mer information. Sista ansökningsdagen är 8 januari men examensarbetet kan komma att tillsättas innan sista ansökningsdagen. Så ansök redan idag!

På grund av att vi är en samhällsviktig verksamhet kommer du att säkerhetsprövas. 

BAKGRUND

Jönköping Energi arbetar proaktivt för att åstadkomma hög effektivitet i elnätet i samband med kraftig tillväxt, nya elektrifieringsbehov och mer volatil produktion i elnätet. Som en del av det arbetet ingår att hjälpa våra kunder att bli mer flexibla. Dels genom att planera nya produkter och tjänster som gör det enkelt för kunden, dels genom planering av nya strukturer som handel med flexibilitet.

Jönköping Energi tror att flexibilitet är en viktig pusselbit i det framtida hållbara energisystemet. Vi vill tillsammans med kunderna frigöra flexibla resurser.

UPPDRAG

Idag är lokal flexibilitet inte värderat ekonomiskt i Jönköping. Erfarenheter från andra testmarknader visar att även andra värden kan vara viktiga för att kunder vill bidra med flexibilitetshandel. En sådan viktig del kan vara klimatnyttan. Exjobbet syftar till att ta fram en metod för värdering av för kunden åstadkommen klimatnytta vid aktiviteter på en lokal flexhandel.  Utgångspunkten är att tillämpa Greenhouse Gas Protocol som Jönköping Energi använder för klimatredovisning. Värderingen för klimatnyttan ska vara tillämpbar i kundernas klimatredovisningar. Projektet ska ta fram en användbar metod för värdering av klimatnyttan som kunderna kan använda i sina hållbarhetsredovisningar. Projektet ska tillämpas i den lokala kontexten inom Jönköping Energis elnät. 

FÖRSLAG PÅ GENOMFÖRANDE

Dialog med Jönköping Energis ansvariga för hållbarhetsredovisning
Förstå hur lokal flexibilitet fungerar och när handel kan förväntas ske
Beskriv hur hållbarhetsredovisning fungerar och hur det är tillämpbart på lokal elnätsflexibilitet.
Identifiera och testa antaganden med Jönköping Energi
Utveckla en metod och hur metoden ska tillämpas för beräkning av enskilda kunders klimatnytta
Räkna fram resultat på ett par exempelkunder

DIN PROFIL

Utbildning inom hållbarhet, energi, elnät och miljö är lämpligt.

Arbetet kommer att kunna ske på distans med vissa möten på plats. Arbetet görs med fördel på svenska då material finns att tillgå på svenska.

För ett väl utfört examensarbete betalas en ersättning.

MER INFORMATION

Välkommen att kontakta Jenny Kongseryd, enhetschef, på tel. 036-10 83 03 eller Erika Antonsson, affärsutvecklare, på tel. 036-10 83 49 för mer information. Sista ansökningsdagen är 8 januari men examensarbetet kan komma att tillsättas innan sista ansökningsdagen. Så ansök redan idag!

På grund av att vi är en samhällsviktig verksamhet kommer du att säkerhetsprövas.

GRUNDINFORMATION OM UPPDRAGET
Idag arbetar Jönköping energi med energiåtervinning av hushålls- och verksamhetsavfall. Vi tar emot ca 160 000 ton avfall per år för energiåtervinning. Energin skapas genom att vi bränner upp avfallet och skapar fjärrvärme och el. I avfallet som vi energiåtervinner finns dock plast som vi skulle kunna sortera ut för att sedan skicka till plaståtervinning.

Utredningen kommer att innefatta momenten omvärldsanalys, ekonomiska beräkningar, insamling av data, investeringsberäkningar, miljöaspekter mm.

DIN PROFIL
Detta examensarbete riktas mot ekonomi- eller ingenjörsutbildningar. 

Då svenska är vårt koncernspråk ska redovisning ske på svenska. 

MER INFORMATION
Välkommen att kontakta Piroz Kristedt, på tel. 036-19 18 14 eller Anna Johansson, HR-specialist, på tel. 036-10 32 69 för mer information. Sista ansökningsdagen är 8 januari men exjobbet kan komma att tillsättas innan sista ansökningsdagen. Så ansök redan idag!

Examensarbetet kan till viss del ske på distans. För ett väl utfört examensarbete betalas en ersättning. 

På grund av att vi är en samhällsviktig verksamhet kommer du att säkerhetsprövas.