This Master of Science thesis was completed at the Department of Machine Design at the Royal Instituteof Technology in Stockholm in collaboration with Lund Faculty of Engineering, Luleå University ofTechnology and Stanford University. At Stanford University a global product development project wasrealized as part of the course ME310. The project was initiated by the American company ImmerseGlobal whose vision was to develop a new type of Atmospheric Water Generators, a machine that absorbsthe Moisture in the air and via a water system transforms it to pure drinking water. The project was partlyfinanced by the Product Innovation Engineering program, a Swedish research and development programfor increased innovation capability in organizations.In parallel with the global project in the ME310 course the product development process was studied inorder to compare it with a product development course at the Royal Institute of Technology, IPU. Thetwo courses are similar to each other in several aspects.

Decomposition of organic matter is a critical process in the ecosystem, which involves many essential biotic and physical parts. Decomposition is therefore an important process both above and below ground. The rate of decomposition is dependent of many environmental factors for example: pH, Moisture and supply of oxygen. The decomposition can therefore be affected by large scaled environmental influences, such as acidification and climatic changes. The root litter in the forest is in different ways affected by acidification, liming and manuering.

Low stumps represent on their own up to 80% of the dead wood remaining on clear cuts and therefore supply suitable habitat for saproxylic insects i.e. insects depending on dead wood for their survival. Recent stump harvesting activities threaten this substrate of ecological importance and increase the anthropogenic negative impacts on these species. Because of technical and environmental reasons (nutrient leakage, erosion) guidelines for stump harvesting recommend to retain stumps standing in wet parts of clear cuts. However, stumps in wet positions might not be a satisfactory substrate for saproxylic insects and therefore might not be as much used as stumps in dry positions.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility to make small, cheap and ultra low power sensor platforms, connected in wireless networks for monitoring of home and industrial environments. The concept is based on ideas from our supervisor, Jerry Lindblom. The developed system consists of a generic platform for different sensors, a receiver and software. A GPRS module from RO Rollytech AB and a database from Gema Industri AB have been modified and used to demonstrate an example of a complete system. To the platform, it is possible to connect any resistive sensor and any sensor that can act as a switch.

To investigate the possibilities for effective soil tillage, that could imply lower costs, lower negative environmental impact and in addition a meaningful occupation for foraging pigs, a field experiment was carried out in Gränna, Småland, during growing season 2006. The experiment contained two treatments that were repeated three times and were carried out on a couch grass-infected fallow on a light soil close to Sweden?s second largest lake, Vättern. Ploughing was one treatment and pig rooting followed by ploughing, was the other. The experiment was conducted according to the guidelines of organic growing and seedbed preparation was done the same way in the two treatments. The pigs, three groups of five half-year old Linderödssvin (an old Swedish breed), was encouraged to perform an even tillage by strip-grazing, i.e.

Stump wood was used between 1850 and 1950 for production of tar and as firewood. In the 1950s the use decreased because of the introduction of the cheap fossil oil. In the 1970s stump wood became an interesting issue again as a raw material for the pulp industry. Stump lifting has today become a possible source for bioenergy. The objectives with this study were to investigate the productivity of stump lifting and stump extraction, and to analyse the economy.

Forestry and reindeer husbandry are entitled to use the same land for their operations. For this reason, conflicts occasionally arise between them. Soil scarification is a forestry operation which has a negative effect on the occurrence of reindeer lichen. Reindeer lichens are of crucial importance to reindeers and reindeer husbandry, especially in the winter when reindeers primarily feed on different lichen species (Cladina spp. and Cetraria spp.).

Climate change is an increasingly widely known concept. In the EU the construction sector is responsible for more than a third of the carbon dioxide emissions and 40 % of the total energy use. In Sweden, measures have been taken to prevent this climate change. By 16 targets, three of which can be linked to the construction sector, Sweden will reduce the negative trend. None of the three goals with relation to the construction sector will however be achieved before 2020.

Aquaponics is a food production system consisting of a consecutive cultivation of plants and aquatic animals, fish or shellfish, in recirculating water. The plants feed on the nutritious effluents from the fish tank and bacteria converts ammonia from the fish tank into nitrate that is absorbed by the plants. The plants receive nutrition and the fish gain purified water. The environmental impact of the production of fish meal and fish oil used in conventional fish feed includes a large consumption of fossil fuels with subsequent carbon dioxide emission. The aquaponic system can be made environmentally sustainable and self-supporting if supplemented with a vermicompost/vermiculture for the production of worm protein as a fish feed. Vegetable waste from the hydroponic part of the system can be reused as worm feed in the compost and the protein rich worms can be harvested, dried and grinded and brought back to the aquaculture as fish feed. As a first step in this direction, I have investigated the effect of recycling of vegetable waste in vermicomposts on the growth and number of earthworms (this was evaluated after harvesting). The hypotheses were that earthworms can be cultivated in the vegetable waste and that by adding manure to the vermicompost it is possible to obtain a nutrient content adequate to support a continuous worm harvest, in other words create a vermiculture. Eisenia fetida and Dendrobaena veneta were grown in 20 L bins containing peat mixed with either poultry or cattle manure. The proportions were 70% peat and 30 % manure. Discarded plant parts from lettuce cultivation was added to the vermicomposts (35 g per week) and water was supplied with 0.8 L per week.

Each year, the coffee machines at Ericsson in Kista produce around 100 tons of ground coffee waste.The companies Coor Service Management, Löfbergs Lila and Selecta are all responsible for differentstages in the logistical chain in delivering coffee and, together with Ericsson, they want to increasetheir environmental benefit. The plan is to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion instead ofincinerating the coffee waste in a heating plant. The results are to be presented as different businesscases in which different biogas plants are compared with the reference case (heating plant),comparing costs and environmental impacts.There are two major environmental benefits from producing biogas; reduced carbon dioxideemissions from when fossile fule is replaced by carbon neutral biogas, and reduced emissions fromreturning digestate from the bio reactor to farmland instead of using industrial fertelizer.In order to determine the biogas potential in coffee waste, a couple of properties had to bedetermined in a laboratory. Properties such as the dry substance content, heating value, Moisturecontent and ash content. The results show that 100 tons coffee waste could produce around 16 500Nm3 biogas which would contain 163 MWh.The biogas reactor and upgrade plant both need energy gas to function and uses around 14 MWh ofthe produced gas.

To produce milk of good standard the feed for the animals kept for milk production is an important part in the work of quality. This makes it important to feed them with good forage, especially when feeding with silage. The process of making silage is very complex and requires a careful handling to be successful. The fundamental idea is to create an anaerobic environment in the herbage to favour the desirable micro-organisms, in this case the lactic acid bacteria. This environment is created by careful handlings were the importance is to pack the crop well and cover it as soon as possible to exclude oxygen.

Skogen är en förnyelsebar energikälla som möjliggör för ett minskat beroende av fossila bränslen. Ur ett politiskt perspektiv minskar såväl klimatpåverkan som beroendet av importerad energi från oroliga delar av världen genom att ta tillvara skogsbränsle lokalt. I Sverige är sågverkens biprodukter fullt utnyttjade och därför har skogsbränsle i from av grot (GRenar Och Toppar) en av de största potentialerna till ökat uttag.Barrträdens barr är en omstridd fråga i samband med tillvaratagandet av grot. Barren står för en liten del av biomassan, men för en stor del av näringen i ett bestånd. Därför är det önskvärt att så mycket som möjligt av barren lämnas på föryngringsytan.

I denna rapport undersöks hur mängden organiskt kol, TOC (Totalt organiskt kol), varierar i tid och rum i Mälarens avrinningsområde, samt vad det är som styr TOC-halten i Mälaren. Det är viktigt att förstå dynamiken hos TOC i Mälaren och i dess avrinningsområde eftersom ökat TOC i vattnet påverkar vattenkvaliteten och orsakar problem vid beredning av dricksvatten. TOC kan bland annat reagera med klor/UV-ljus och bilda cancerframkallande ämnen. Det kan också öka antal mikrober i vattnets distributionssystem.Arbetet omfattar analys av samband mellan elementen, transportberäkningar per ytenhet av elementen till Mälaren och en modelleringsansats för ett av avrinningsområdena. Rapporten innehåller även en jämförelse mellan de olika vattenföringsmodellerna samt uppmätt vattenföring för analys av eventuella systematiska skillnader mellan dessa som påverkar beräkningen av TOC och de andra elementens transport till Mälaren.Analysen av sambanden mellan variablerna TOC (mg/l), kaliumpermanganat förbrukning (KMnO4, mg/l), absorbans_F (F=filtrerad), järn (mg/l), mangan (mg/l) och SO4_IC (sulfat mätt med hjälp av jonkromatografi, mg/l), visade att vissa av dessa variabler är korrelerade med varandra.

Today there is a widespread opinion that the woodmarket and the forest industry are dominated by a traditional way of thinking and not adapted to the customers of today; a lot of products are produced purely on routine. Also, there is a demand for improving the quality of sawn woodproducts. AB Karl Hedin wants to sort this out by increasingly adapt their products to the demands of the market, i.e. through introducing a short wallstud of standard length, "Hedinregeln". At tirst, the wallstud will be produced in lengths of 2,70 m and of guaranteed quality.

Nematodes are perhaps the most common animals in the world. Nematode populations can reach densities up to several millions per square meter in the soil. There are many factors which affect nematode communities in arable soil with respect to diversity and population size. Factors like tillage, crop, fertilization, nutrient status and Moisture in the soil all have an impact on soil biology and in this way also have effects on the nematode community. This study is based on three different parts, soil samples taken in March 2012 and March 2013, soil samples taken monthly during the growth season of 2013 in bare fallow plots and a pot experiment.