Water Energy Nexus
We work within the paradigm of a circular forest based bioeconomy using a system analysis perspective.
Our research focuses on side streams from pulp and paper mills. We operate within the circular forest-based bioeconomy, adopting a systems analysis perspective to ensure resource efficiency. Specifically, we aim to recover valuable resources such as nutrients, lignin, fatty acids, chemical flocculants and, from these, produce biochar, bioplastics, biogas, bio-oil, soil improvers, and more.
We are keen to collaborate with industrial partners who have interesting side streams and are looking for sustainable ways to utilise them. We also welcome collaboration with universities and research institutes. Our laboratory equipment includes:
- Continuous fermentation reactors for developing methods to produce feedstock for biopolymers.
- Batch fermentation reactors for the automated determination of the fatty acid potential of various biological materials.
- Continuous anaerobic digestion reactors to study both methane potential and long-term effects such as the build-up of inhibitors.
- Batch anaerobic digestion reactors for the automated determination of the methane potential of various biological materials.
- Pilot-scale aeration systems used to study oxygenation and wastewater treatment.
- A pilot-scale reactor for microbial production.
- Access to an extruder for producing biocomposites.
Network
Svenska Nätverket för Industriell och Urban Symbios (SNIUS)
Värmlands Läns Luftvårdsförbund
Researchers
- Karin Granström, Professor
- Maria Sandberg, Associate Professor
- Ali Mohammadi, Senior Lecturer
- Martyna Zywalewska, PhD Student
- Ulrika Engstsröm Palme, Senior Lecturer
Current main research projects
Recently completed research projects
- NBc enriched Ash pellets (Energiforsk, 2019-2020)
- Biochar pellets, a soil nutritional and liming agent or a source of energy: effects of ash and lignin on the physical and chemical properties (Åforsk, 2020)
- Evaluation of nutritional pellets with enriched biocarbon from forest industrial residual products, NärSkog (Vinnova, 2018-2019)
- Research environment for a sustainable forest-based bioeconomy, Fosbe (Tillväxtverket and Region Värmland, 2017-2020)
- MultiBio (Vinnova 2018-2020)
- Production of biopolymer of forest industrial waste P, bioP (RE: Source - Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas, 2018-2020)
- Mikrosvamp för bioraffinaderi och kretslopp (Vinnova 2014-2016).
- Algae culturing at pulp and paper industries for sustainable production of bio-oil (Vinnova 2011-2015)
- Efficient forest industry wastewater treatment recovering energy and chemicals (Värmeforsk 2014)
- The effect of biotransformation for oxygen need and energy use in forest industrial wastewater treatment plants (Värmeforsk 2014)
- Energieffektiv avloppsrening med biokol – positiva kaskadeffekter för massa- och pappersbruk (J. Gust. Richert. 2016)
- IMTRIS - Innovation Med Trä i Inre Skandinavien (Interreg Sverige-Norge 2015-2018)
- BioSirk (Interreg Sverige-Norge 2019-2022)
- Enriched biochar from forest industrial residues for fertilizing plants and woodland, NärSkog II (Vinnova, 2019- 2022)
- WoodPro (EU-cooperation Sverige-Finland) (Finlands Akademi and FORMAS 2022-2025)
