Project information
Project manager
Leteng Lin
Other project members
Rumbidzai Mugwira (PhD Candidate), Linnaeus University, Truong Nguyen (Lecturer), Umeå University
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University
Financier
Formas (annual open call 2022 – Research projects for early-career researchers)
Timetable
1st October 2023 to 30th September 2027
Subject
Bioenergy technology (Department of Built Environment and Energy Technology, Faculty of Technology)
More about the project
Dredging is periodically required to maintain coastal aquatic ecosystems. About100 to 200 million m3 of sediments is dredged annually in Europe. Conventional disposal methods such as dumping and landfilling are unsustainable, and could create negative environmental impacts in the long term. The recovery of valuables from sediments used as secondary raw materials can greatly reduce the mining of primary raw resources and contribute towards achieving sustainable goals and circular economies.
This project aims to minimize the adverse environmental impact and increase the optimal use of huge volumes of dredged coastal sediments as secondary resources in a beneficial way. Various recycling routes for dredged sediments to become useful materials will be experimentally investigated. The produced materials will be characterized and evaluated for their properties and long-term toxicity. Techno-economic analysis will be performed with assistance of process simulation to scale-up and optimize the concepts, followed by the life cycle assessment of sustainability and climate impacts.
The study will finally draft a cascading strategy for beneficially recycling dredged sediments with consideration of their composition, treatment technologies, final products, potential applications, environmental and climate impacts. The project will be carried out in close collaboration of academic partners and a network of societal partners.
The project is part of the research in the Bioresource Technology research group.
