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Projects
BACKLUND participates in
national and international projects and in networking and has
experiences with applications, management, reporting and presentation.
Research
Project "Science, Technology, Research & Innovation for the Environment"
(STRIVE).
BACKLUND take
part in the 3-year Research Project (2011 - 2013) in Ireland for the Irish
EPA.
Arne Backlund
is a member of the Project Team in co-operation with 3 Irish Universities and
contributes with Expert Knowledge about Willow Evapotranspiration Systems and
Sustainable Sanitation / Ecological Sanitation.
Appendix to
wastewater planning for Klinteby/Karrebækstorp. Assessment regarding willow
evapotranspiration systems regarding technology and economy. Project and
consultancy work for Niras A/S and Næstved municipality. 2010 - 2011.
Willow
Evapotranspiration Systems compared to Traditional Wastewater Sewage Systems for
rural houses as foreseen in the approved Appendix to current wastewater plans in
Næstved municipality from 2009.
The project was carried out for
NK-Spildevand A/S in co-operation with Nielsen & Risager A/S in 2009 - 2010 and
reported in: NK-Spildevand A/S, Nielsen &
Risager A/S, Backlund ApS 2010: Statement - Willow evapotranspiration systems as
an alternative to planned sewage systems in " Appendix to existing wastewater
planning" Naestved 2010 (In Danish).
BACKLUND
participation in Ecological Sanitation and Biomass Energy projects carried out for the Danish Environmental
Protection Agency (funded through the "Action Plan
for the Promotion of Ecological Urban Renewal and Wastewater Treatment"
and the European Union 1998 - 2003 (funded through the FAIR-programme).
Contact BACKLUND for further information and future co-operation in
international projects in developed as well as in developing countries.
M226-0121
Improved
Knowledge Concerning
Diverting Toilet
Technology
to Enable
Reuse of Energy
Ressources
and Nutrients
in Humane
Urine
and Human
Faeces
The project was initiated and
carried out 1998 – 2002 by BACKLUND
with Arne Backlund
as project manager.
Basis for the project is that diverting toilet technology contains interesting
system components for separate collection of urine and faeces. The system
components shall, however – be able to collect the residuals in a function
stable way and in a concentration suitable for treatment in e.g. biogas – and
wet composting plants as well as for use as fertilizer in agricultural
production.
The project reflects on the
historical development away from the use of diverted human residuals as being
merely an expressed reflex out of a removal paradigm rather than a reflected
development regarding recirculation of nutrients and organic material to
agriculture. There is need for qualitative modernisation within wastewater
handling. New technologies as well as new concepts
are needed to design the wanted human fertilizer products. There must be a
readiness in the social functional systems and institutions to eventually
redesign structural conditions like regulative and economical management for
this process when required.
Four
selected investigation areas are addressed. The first concerns investigation and
consideration regarding establishment of
a source
diverting vacuum toilet in a housing area in Hannover, Germany with 32 source
collecting vacuum toilets. The second is investigating the efficiency to
separate faeces and paper from water after using source collecting or source
diverting water-flushing toilets. The third area focuses on the functioning and
running of waterless urinals as an opportunity for collecting concentrated
urine. The fourth concerns risks of blockages in the urine collection system of
source diverting double flushing toilets and possibilities of avoiding or
solving these problems. The investigations, methods
and results are described in a report and in articles.
Backlund,
A. 2003: Improved Knowledge Concerning Diverting Toilet Technology to Enable
Reuse of Energy Resources and Nutrients in Humane Urine and Human Faeces.
Ecological Urban Renewal and Wastewater Treatment. The National
Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Sustainable Urban Renewal and
Wastewater Treatment no. 37, 2003.
On line publication. Report in Danish with an English summary.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2003/87-7972-734-4/html/default.htm
Backlund, A. 2003: New Knowledge
about Diverting and Separating Sanitary Technology.
The
Danish Environmental
Protection Agency.
Article in "New Knowledge" in Danish with an English summary.
M226-0024
Vacuum Toilets and Treatment of the Collected Material at Biogas Works or by Wet
Composting
The project was initiated and
carried out 1998 – 2002.
In the project in the
district of Nysted on Lolland,
Denmark,
two vacuum toilets of a new
design were established in
2000. The toilets were installed as part of a project meant for illustrating the
possibilities of recycling concentrations of "black" wastewater (wastewater from
water closets) for agricultural purposes.
The project
collected
experience from the new toilet systems for detached houses and from earlier
common vacuum systems in summer cottage areas on Lolland and Falster.
The new vacuum toilet systems for
detached houses, which are continuously developed, have very low water and
electricity consumptions. A great deal of the operating troubles connected to
the earlier vacuum systems has been surmounted. Examinations indicate that
vacuum toilets make it possible to collect a product applicable for co-treatment
at a biogas and wet composting works.
The
project also
included
experience from our neighbouring countries.
Storstrøm County has
initiated the project in co-operation with
BACKLUND.
The investigations,
methods and results are described in a report and in articles.
Holtze, A., Backlund, A. 2003: Vacuum Toilets and Treatment of the Collected Material at
Biogas Works or by Wet Composting. The National
Danish Agency of Environmental Protection. Denmark.
Sustainable Urban Renewal and
Wastewater Treatment no. 36, 2003.
On line publication. Report in Danish with an English summary.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2003/87-7972-736-0/html/default.htm
Holtze, A., Backlund, A. 2003:
Vacuum Toilets Enables the Use of Energy and Nutrient content in Human Excreta
after Treatment in Biogas or Wet Composting Plants.
The
Danish Environmental
Protection Agency.
Article in "New Knowledge" in Danish with an English summary.
M226-0029
Collection,
Storage and Application
of Urine
from
the "Møns
Museumsgård" (The museum
farmstead of Møn)
In order to
clarify how urine may be recycled in Denmark, the Møn Museum/the "Museumsgården",
The
Green Guide of Møn, Storstrøm County
and BACKLUND ( A & B BACKLUND ApS)
has initiated the project "Collection, storage and application of urine from the
Møns Museumsgård". Together they developed and planned the project. The project
was carried out from 1998 – 2002.
The
composition of the wastewater of the "Museumsgården" is a high quantity of urine
and a small quantity of an undistinguished substance of wastewater, which makes
the separation of urine by way of source segregation toilets and the utilization
of nutrients reasonable. Contrary to a private house, there will be many
different users of the toilets at a museum. This fact made
it possible to test a
diverting wastewater
system under somewhat difficult circumstances.
One of the
purposes of the project was
to collect experience in the installation and use of a source
diverting
toilet system, including a
waterless urinal, at the "Museumsgården" and to compare this to experience from
Sweden.
Another purpose
was
to examine the constituents of the urine, including whether the contents of
nutrients, heavy metals, micro organisms and organic substances alien to the
environment will change during storage.
Moreover,
the collected urine was
compared to other urine mixtures and fertilizers on the basis of these
parameters.
The toilet system of the "Museumsgården"
was established in April 1999. Experience from the installation and operation
has been collected during the opening seasons of 1999 and 2000, and partly
during 2001.
The investigations, methods and results
are described in a report and in articles.
Holtze, A., Backlund, A.
2002: Collection, Storage and Application of Urine from the Møn
Museumsgård. The National
Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Sustainable Urban Renewal and Wastewater
Treatment no. 23, 2002. On line publication. Report in Danish with an English summary. http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2003/87-7972-732-8/html/default.htm
Backlund, A., Holtze, A. 2002:
DIVERTING TOILET SYSTEMS – QUALITY OF COLLECTED URINE MIXTURE COMPARED TO
OTHER ORGANIC FERTILIZERS DIVERTING. Proceedings of KALMAR ECO-TECH´01 -
Leachate and Waste Water Treatment with High-Tech and Natural Systems. The 3rd
international conference on the establishment of cooperation between
companies/institutions in the Nordic Countries in the Baltic Sea Region November
26 to 28, 2001, Kalmar, Sweden. RVF´s UTVEKLINGSSATSNING DEPONERING Rapport nr.
2 2002.
Holtze, A., Backlund, A. 2003:
Success with diverting toilet system at the Møn Farmstead Museum.
The Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Article in "New Knowledge" in Danish with an English summary.
M226-0028
Composting
and Maturing
of Human
Residual
Products
Contained
in Drained
“Black” Wastewater
In the
autumn of 1998 The County of Storstrøm in a co-operation with
BACKLUND
and a family in the district of Stubbekøbing
initiated the project
"Composting and maturing of human residual products contained in drained "black"
wastewater" in
order
to illustrate how human residual products, through composting, can be re-cycled
in Denmark. Together they developed and planned the project.
One of
the objects of the project
was
to collect experience on establishing and using a source diverting compost
toilet system with water flush
in a one-family house. Another
object was
to collect experience on using a source uniting compost toilet system including
many users, experience from both operation staff and users. The intention
was
moreover to survey the composting process in the two toilet systems, e.g. in
order to assess the quality of the compost material.
In the
autumn of 1998, a new wastewater system was established in Stubbekøbing. The
system was
built up of system assemblies, commercially available in Denmark, but not yet
tested in this country. The examinations of the system have been made during the
period of November 1998 till October 2001.
The examination was
based
on interviews and supervision
and include the experience
gained from the installation and working of the source diversion.
Furthermore
measurements
were
made from samples from the
compost of the source diverting system.
The analyses focused
on the examination of the functionality and stability of the systems as well as
on the investigation
of the content of nutrients and special micro organisms in the compost material.The
investigations, methods and results are described in a report and in articles.
Holtze, A., Backlund, A.
2003: Composting and Maturing of Human Residual Products
contained in Drained "Black" Wastewater". The National
Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Sustainable
Urban Renewal and Wastewater Treatment no. 39, 2003.
On line publication. Report in
Danish with an English summary.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2003/87-7972-742-5/html/default.htm
Holtze, A., Backlund, A. 2003:
Composting - an alternative to conventional wastewater treatment in the
countryside. The Danish
Environmental Protection Agency.
Denmark. Article in "New Knowledge" in
Danish with an English summary.
M226-0057
Ecological
Handling
of
Urine,
Faeces
and
Greywater
from
Allotment Gardens by
means of Diverting
(No-Mix)
Toilet
Systems and
Evapotranspiration
Willow
Beds
The
project is the biggest ever carried out concerning
dry diverting
toilet systems in allotment gardens. It was initiated by the Danish Allotment
Garden Association and BACKLUND and carried out in
co-operation with Danish Technological University and the municipalities
Ballerup and Herlev with Arne Backlund from A & B BACKLUND
ApS as project manager in the period 1998 - 2002.
89
no-mix/diverting toilet systems without water flush were establish to test and
demonstrate
organic and
sustainable sanitation systems as alternatives to systems with chemicals or
water flushing closets in combination with collecting tanks or sewers.
Many Danish
gardeners have stopped using pesticides and wants to develop a more ecological
behaviour also in sanitation. Water flush toilets in combination with collection
tanks are very expensive resulting in economical and social problems. Trucks
collecting wastewater destroys the often primitive roads. Establishing sewage is
also very expensive and often resulting in different problems. Both solutions
with water flushing toilets also works against the idea of allotment gardens as
only being used half of the year and without some of the features known from
permanent living.
No mixing
toilets/diverting toilets were introduced to implement ecological and
sustainable behaviour with a high sanitary comfort.
Participation
were
free for organisations and members and the choice among a range of toilets and
containers are free. Information about the systems, the handling and the ideas
were
presented on arrangements. The participants
were
free to contact the project manager concerning questions. The participants
were
responsible themselves for mounting and running of the systems. Written
questionnaires played
a minor role. Information about among others expectations and experiences with
installation and running were
collected. All participants
were
personally interviewed by phone or at a visit. Many of the installations
were
inspected.
Samples of collected urine
were
taken from 10 allotment gardens and analysed for among others nutrients, heavy
metals, organic compounds and micro organisms. The participants delivering urine
were
especially interviewed concerning questions relevant for the quality of the
urine. Samples
of faeces/composted faeces
were
not taken and analysed in this but in another project.
The investigations, methods and results
are described in a report and in articles.
Backlund, A.,
Eilersen, A. M., Larsen, I., Hagelskjær,
M., Jensen, I.
2003: Ecological Handling of Urine and Faeces in Allotment Garden
Association by means of Diverting Toilet Systems without water flush. The National
Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Sustainable Urban Renewal and Wastewater
Treatment no. 34, 2003.
On line publication. Report in Danish with an English summary.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2003/87-7972-732-8/html/default.htm
Backlund, A., Eilersen, A. M., Larsen, I., Hagelskjær,
M., Jensen, I.
2003: Success with Diverting Toilets without Water Flush in Allotment
Gardens. The National
Danish Environmental Protection Agency). Article
in "Ny Viden"
06/2003 in Danish with an English
summary.
Bregnhøj, H., Eilersen A.M.,
von Krauss, M.K., Backlund, A. 2003: Experiences with Ecosan in Danish Allotment Gardens and in
Development Projects. Proceedings to 2nd International Symposium on ecological
sanitation "ecosan - closing the loop", April 7 to 11, 2003 Lübeck, Baltic Sea,
Germany. Page 29 - 36.
http://www.gtz.de/ecosan/download/ecosan-Symposium-Luebeck-session-b.pdf
Larsen I.,
Backlund A. 2001:
Ecological
Sanitation - Sustainable
Sanitation in
Allotment Gardens in Denmark.
Article in "The Hyphen" Nr. 27/2001.
Larsen I.,
Backlund A. 2003:
Ecological Sanitation
- Sustainable
Sanitation in Allotment Gardens in Denmark. Part one. Article
in "The Hyphen" Nr. 31/2003.
Larsen I.,
Backlund A. 2003:
Ecological Sanitation
- Sustainable
Sanitation in Allotment Gardens in Denmark. Part two. Article
in "The Hyphen" Nr. 31/2003.
Holtze, A., Backlund, A. 2001: Experience and
Investigations from a Willow Evapotranspiration Bed Without Outlet in
Tappernøje, Denmark. The National
Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Sustainable
Urban Renewal and Wastewater Treatment no. 17, 2001.
On line publication. Report in Danish with an English summary.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2001/87-7944-756-2/html/default.htm
Backlund, A., Holtze, A. 2002:
WILLOW EVAPOTRANSPIRATION BEDS WITHOUT DISCHARGE FOR HANDLING
OF HOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER AND BIOMASS SHORT ROTATION
WILLOW COPPICE FERTILISED WITH NUTRIENTS FROM
HUMAN URINE MIXTURE. Proceedings of KALMAR ECO-TECH´01 - Leachate and
Waste Water Treatment with High-Tech and Natural Systems. The 3rd international
conferance on the establish November 26 to 28, 2001, Kalmar, Sweden. RVF´s
UTVEKLINGSSATSNING DEPONERING Rapport nr. 2 2002.
Holtze, A., Backlund, A. 2002:
Denmarks oldest Willow Evapotranspiration Bed works excellent.
The Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Article in "Ny Viden" 02/2002 in Danish with an English summary.
M227-0029 Survival of indicator
organism in composting toilets and by simulized central composting og human
faeces
The project is
carried out in a co-operation between The Research Institution for Wood
and Landscape, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University
from 2000 - 2003.
13 composting
toilet systems are investigated, 7 in Denmark and 6 in Sweden. 5 of the systems
are big batch composting systems and 8 are big continous systems.
The user
experiences with the systems and there opinions are gathered in an
investigation. The function and ability to reduce pathogens are investigated
through measuring of temperature and microbiological
analysis from the compost material. The
investigations, methods and results are described in a report and in articles.
Møller, J., Backlund, A.,
Jørgensen, L.T., Forslund, A. og Dalsgaard, A. 2002: Survival of indicator
organism in composting toilets and by simulized central composting og human
faeces. The
National Danish Agency of Environmental Protection. Denmark.
Sustainable Urban Renewal and
Wastewater Treatment no. 56, 2005.
On line publication.
Report in Danish with an English summary.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publikationer/2005/87-7614-811-4/html/default.htm
FAIR-CT97-3947
Short-Rotation
Willow Biomass Plantations Irrigated and Fertilised
with Wastewaters
The project was carried out during
a 4-year period (1998-2002)
with financial support from the EU FAIR Programme
in the shape of field trials
with recycling of pre-treated wastewater and diverted human urine mixed with
water within plantations of willow species specifically selected for biomass
production.
Experimental sites were established
in Sweden (Roma), France (Orchies), Northern Ireland (Culmore) and Greece
(Larissa). BACKLUND
represented Denmark in the project and Arne Backlund was project manager for the
urine trials on Gotland, Sweden.
The
experimental sites were supplied with primary effluent from municipal treatment
plants (Culmore and Larissa), stored industrial effluent from a chicory
processing plant (Orchies), biologically treated and stored municipal wastewater
(Roma) and human urine mixture from diverting low-flush toilets mixed with water
(Roma). Application rates of the wastewaters or the urine mixture were
equivalent to the calculated evapotranspiration rate at each site. Wastewaters
were also applied up to three times this value to evaluate any possible negative
effects.
Estimations
and evaluations were carried out mainly concerning: biomass growth, potential
pest and diseases of the plantations, plant water requirements, fertilization
effects of the wastewater, plant uptake of nutrients and heavy metals from
applied wastewater, possible soil or groundwater impact, sanitary aspects, and
potentials for removal in the soil-plant filter of nutrients and biodegradable
organic material from applied wastewater.
The results
clearly indicated that biomass production in young willow plantations could be
enhanced substantially after recycling of wastewater resources. The impact on
soil and groundwater of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and heavy metals
(copper, zinc, lead and cadmium) was limited, even when the application of water
and nutrients exceeded the plant requirements.
Also, the
soil-plant system seemed to function as a natural treatment filter for
pre-treated (primary settled) wastewater, with a treatment rate fully comparable
to a tertiary effluent quality with regard to biodegradable organic material
and eutrophying nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus).
Introductory analyses of the costs of a wastewater irrigated willow plantation
for bio-fuel production indicate that the benefits of the wastewater treatment
per se appear to be greater than the benefits from the increased production of
wood chips. The risks of contamination via faecal microorganisms of animals and
humans seem possible to reduce or eliminate if proper precautions are taken.
The gathered
opinion from the members of the multidisciplinary project team is that the
concept of recycling wastewater or fractions of wastewater within willow
plantations for combined energy production and wastewater treatment would be
worth developing on a wider scale. Experiences from few full-scale facilities in
Sweden are well in accordance with the findings outlined in this project.
The fact that
wastewater could be treated at reasonable costs might encourage the municipal
sector as well as the energy and agricultural industry in Europe to further
expand the concept with increased willow plantation areas as a consequence.
This would increase the opportunities for an over all better environment for
generations to come.
The
investigations, methods and results are described in a report and in articles.
Backlund, A., Holtze, A. 2002:
WILLOW EVAPOTRANSPIRATION BEDS WITHOUT DISCHARGE FOR HANDLING
OF HOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER AND BIOMASS SHORT ROTATION
WILLOW COPPICE FERTILISED WITH NUTRIENTS FROM
HUMAN URINE MIXTURE. Proceedings of KALMAR ECO-TECH´01 - Leachate and
Waste Water Treatment with High-Tech and Natural Systems. The 3rd international
conferance on the establish November 26 to 28, 2001, Kalmar, Sweden. RVF´s
UTVEKLINGSSATSNING DEPONERING Rapport nr. 2 2002.
Project group FAIR5-CT97-3947, 2003:
Short-rotation Willow Biomass
Plantations Irrigated and Fertilised
with Wastewaters - Results from a 4-year
multidisciplinary field project in Sweden, France, Northern Ireland and Greece
supported by the EU-FAIR
Programme.
The National
Danish Agency of Environmental Protection. Denmark.
Sustainable Urban Renewal and
Wastewater Treatment no. 37, 2003.
On line publication. Report in English.
http://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2003/87-7972-744-1/html/default_eng.htm
Backlund, A. 2004:
The Wastewater Is Treated While The Willow Grow. The National
Danish Environmental Protection
Agency. Denmark.
Article in "Ny Viden" 01/2004 in Danish with an English summary.
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