Green manuring is a way of creating an organic fertilizer by growing a crop that is mowed down. Besides the fertilizing effect this method has been shown to have a positive influ-ence on soil organic matter as well as weed flora, and green manure is an important me-thod of weed control in organic farming in parts of Sweden. However, the release of nu-trients from the green manure varies and can therefore be difficult to control. Risks for losses of nutrients are also present. Although the area of organic farmland is increasing in Sweden, the use of green manure is decreasing.This report contains a literature study which compiles research on the functions of green manure in a cropping system and also how the crop can be used if harvested, for example to produce biogas.

Vi har under våren 2013 drivit ett fristående projekt för vårt examensarbete.Med inspiration från kommersiell livsmedelstillverkning och "Urban Gardening", konsten att odla utan jord, på limiterade ytor och med minimalt ljus ville vi skapa och utveckla en produkt riktad för det genomsnittliga hushållet och den gemene människan. Vi stöter på vårt problem i vardagen när vi lagar mat. Basilikan som hinner bli vissen tills nästa middag och rosmarinen som inte håller tills grillkvällen på fredag. Detta problem gav underlag för vår grundtanke som var att skapa en produkt som förlänger livstiden på färska kryddor, örter och plocksallat. Designad med fokus på hela produktcykeln, från inköp av material till återvinning formades en produkt helt olik från vad vi förväntat oss.

The background of this work is the media discussion about the effect of cultivation on peatsoils on greenhouse gas emissions. It has been argued that row sown and intensivelycultivated crops such as carrots are more likely to emit carbon dioxide than for example grassleys. The association KRAV (an association promoting organic farming) shall, from this yearadapt their environmental policy to be more climate smart and have asked the question if thecultivation of some crops is more climate smart than others? Carbon dioxide emissions fromsoil are due to degradation of organic material and the rate is controlled by microbial activity.The microbial activity is determined by a variety of factors such as temperature, soil organicmatter quality and water content. I have measured the carbon dioxide emission from fourdifferent crops at two different farms.

Changes in the environment are affecting the world market, and pressures from several stakeholders? are forcing different enterprises to adjust to the current situation. Farmers? difficult working conditions and environmental impacts of the conventional cotton production in India have been highlighted. The small-scale production that is characterising India?s cotton farmers implies an insufficient competition power.

The aim of this study was to examine if the predictions of the herbage quality in the software Grazemore Decision Support System (DSS) gives a reliable ground for milk production in the north of Scandinavia. Pasture samples from one research farm (Umeå) and one organic farm (Nordingrå) was analysed on crude protein and organic matter digestibility. The results were statistically compared to the predicted values. Measured and predicted herbage mass was compared and a control if the predictions of milk production improved if the predicted input were replaced by the values from the analysis, was made. The concentration of crude protein was underestimated by the model on both farms and the relationship between actual and predicted values was poor. Mean Prediction Error (MPE) was 24% and 31% respectively.

Opcon Powerbox is a product developed by Opcon together with the underlying company SRM (Svenska Rotor Maskiner) where surplus heat from the industry is used through an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)?process to produce electricity. An ORC-process is a thermodynamic circle process in which a refrigerant is used as the working fluid. The refrigerant makes it possible for the circle process to operate at lower temperatures than the conventional Rankine process.In this master?s thesis a data analysis software for the Opcon Powerbox has been developed in which measurement data is retrieved and handled from the Opcon Powerbox.

Aim of the thesis: The aim of this thesis is to describe and gain a deeper understanding of how companies use communication as a tool to overcome the gap between the company and the consumer. The aim is also to clarify some of the factors contributing to this gap.Method:  This thesis has been made from a qualitative approach with quantitative influences. The qualitative primary data collection was gathered through six in-depth interviews with companies in Gothenburg either selling organic and fair-trade produced clothes or marketing towards sustainable consumption. The quantitative part consists of a consumer questionnaire given to 100 women in the inner city of Gothenburg.  Frame of references: Related researches within the field of the subject are presented in the beginning of this chapter. Further theories presented are the consumer?s awareness and the consumer´s responsiveness to CSR.

Protecting the environment has with time grown to take a more central role in the society. Agriculture plays an important role in the society since this sector produces our food. More thorough research on how agriculture affects the environment is therefore motivated. This research can be used to improve the agricultural practice from an environmental point of view. This is something that both the farmers and the consumers can profit from. This study aims to form the basis for creating environmental indicators for use of nitrogen and energy on dairy farms. Twenty-three farmers in western Sweden have been interviewed about their farms, both organic and conventional. They produce milk with different intensity, defined as the amount of milk delivered (sold) per hectare of arable land.

This paper deals with prehistoric charred organic material, interpreted as bread, found in graves and in the underlying settlement at Kalvshälla, Järfälla parish in Uppland. The aim was to categorize the organic material morphologically and with the help of Fourier transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to see whether it was bread or not. Material from 13 graves (dated to Late Roman Iron Age until Viking Age) and 3 finds from the settlement have been analysed. Differences were noted both in shape, porosity and structure. Some of the material has been interpreted as cereal based foodstuff instead of bread due to morphological discrepancies.

Syftet med vår uppsats var att undersöka vilken kunskap den svenska konsumenten har om ekologisk bomull samt om de handlar kläder av ekologisk bomull. Vi genomförde en enkätstudie med både kvalitativa och kvantitativa inslag. Enkätundersökningen utfördes i centrala Göteborg vid fem tillfällen under april. Både män och kvinnor mellan 20-60 år tillfrågades. Vid analysen av enkäterna valde vi att ta ut statistik i diagram och tabeller.

With a growing population on earth the amount of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and other scrap steel increases. The European Directive 2000/53/CE? requires a minimum of 95 % reuse and recovery and 85 % re-use and recycling no later than 1 January 2015, for end-of life vehicles. This imposes a need for more efficient recycling and recovery. Despite this shredder residue (SR) is commonly land filled.This report investigated the magnetic fines residue generated at Stena Metall shredder facility in Halmstad, Sweden.

Pigs in Swedish organic production systems have been shown to have more findings of arthritis at slaughter, compared to pigs in conventional pig production. With this in mind a study was performed, to primary, investigate variation in exterior, gait and weight gain between sire breeds and, secondly, to investigate variation between herds, season, gender, age and assessment occasion on these recordings. Swedish commercial hybrids, crosses between Norwegian Landrace and Swedish Yorkshire were inseminated with either Hampshire or Duroc as terminal sire. All the pigs had known pedigree as each semen dose contained sperms from one individual boar. All piglets were individually tagged closely after birth, and exterior and gait assessment were performed at two separate occasions, early and late during the fattening period.

This master's theses was carried out on assignment from Stockholm Vatten AB as a part of a project developing new waste water treatment techniques. The goal of the theisis has been to evaluate an anaerobic membrane bioreactor for treatment of waste water from Hammarby Sjöstad. The bioreactor has not been heated and the main interest has been to study the gas production, power consumption and the reduction of organic matter and nutrients.The system has been completed with a reverse osmosis unit and a total of four batch runs have been made with good results. The use of reverse osmosis allows nutrient in the waste water to be reintroduced into circulation as the reverse osmosis concentrate can be used as crop nutrient.The membrane unit is of VSEP ("Vibratory Shear Enhanced Processing") type and an extensive membrane test has been conducted. This so called L-test helped determine the most suitable type of membrane for the system to allow a higher ±ux and thus lower power consumption.

The resting area is the most important place in the barn for the dairy cow, sometimes called the heart of the free stall system. Inadequate design of the lying area, and lack of or poor quality of bedding materials may reduce the hygiene of the stall. Poor management regarding the cleanliness of the resting area may lead to poor animal hygiene and increased bacterial growth. This in turn will lead to increased risk for environmental mastitis as well as impairing milk quality through contamination with spores. In this literature study the most commonly used bedding materials; straw, sawdust, wood shavings, clean sand, recycled sand, peat and recycled manure solids, are compared to one another with regards to their ability to resist bacterial growth. Effects of adding hydrated lime to bedding materials have also been studied. Most bacteria need humidity and prefer a quite high water activity to be able to grow.

With a growing population on earth the amount of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and other scrap steel increases. The European Directive 2000/53/CE? requires a minimum of 95 % reuse and recovery and 85 % re-use and recycling no later than 1 January 2015, for end-of life vehicles. This imposes a need for more efficient recycling and recovery. Despite this shredder residue (SR) is commonly land filled.This report investigated the magnetic fines residue generated at Stena Metall shredder facility in Halmstad, Sweden.