1,4-Dioxane has been identified as a "contaminant of emerging concern" following its detection in drinking water sources internationally. In Sweden, the substance has received limited attention and has been analyzed to a small extent. 1,4-Dioxane has been used as an additive in 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) and trichloroethylene (TCE).

The aim of the investigation was to map the potential presence of 1,4-dioxane in areas contaminated with TCA and/or TCE in Sweden, and to examine the concentrations at which the substance occurs. 

The goal was to assess whether there may be a need to include 1,4-dioxane in the investigation of such areas in Sweden.

Nine sites were selected for the study: four with confirmed contamination by both TCA and TCE, and five with TCE only.

1,4-Dioxane was detected in groundwater at six of the nine sites. In surface water samples, 1,4-dioxane was not detected at any location. The reporting limit for 1,4‑dioxane varied between 0.07 and 2 µg/L. The highest concentrations of 1,4-dioxane at each of the sites contaminated with both TCA and TCE ranged between 11.9 and 105 µg/L.

The investigations indicate a clear correlation between TCA and 1,4-dioxane, and a weaker correlation between TCE and 1,4-dioxane.

Based on the results, it is recommended that 1,4-dioxane be included in the investigation of areas contaminated with TCA. For areas contaminated with TCE, it is generally not considered justified to investigate the presence of 1,4-dioxane, but it may be relevant in certain cases, such as in proximity to drinking water wells.

The Swedish geotechnical institute, SGI, has the mandate to prevent and minimize the negative impact of landslides, erosion and contaminated sites. SGI work to minimize the risks for landslides and to reduce the effects of such events, which includes giving geotechnical support to local Rescue Services. This article presents two examples. The first example highlights the ongoing work along the Göta River Valley aimed at minimizing the landslide hazards. This area is one of the areas in Sweden most prone to landslides, which can affect both society and individuals. Moreover, the prerequisites of landslides will most likely increase with the changing climate. As a result of the mapping of landslide risks carried out by SGI in 2009-2011 [1], there are about 160 identified sub-areas along the river that need further investigation and possible mitigation measures. Many of the areas include quick clay. The Swedish Government has given SGI the task of reducing the risk of landslides along the Göta River Valley. This work is being done together with the Delegation for the Göta River, which consists of members from the municipalities affected, organisations and other government agencies. Since the start in 2018 SGI has built up an organisation to support the municipalities in the work of preventing landslides. The second example highlights SGI’s effort to support local Rescue Services, specifically the intervention following the quick clay landslide that occurred on 23rd September 2023 at the northern entrance to Stenungsund on the E6 motorway [2]. At 02.16 the on-call officer (geotechnical engineer) at SGI was contacted by SOS Alarm. Both southbound and northbound traffic were affected by the landslide. SGI decided that two geotechnicians should assist the rescue services at the site and that two geotechnicians should act as internal support to produce documentation, make assessments, and handle internal and external information requirements.

This report addresses odour issues associated with waste management facilities, with particular emphasis on landfill gas and its impact on the surrounding environment and nearby residents. Odour emissions from waste treatment can cause significant nuisance for local communities and are therefore a central aspect in environmental assessments and regulatory supervision. The report describes key sources of odour, including biological degradation processes, handling of organic material, and emissions from landfills. Special attention is given to the characterisation of emissions and their atmospheric dispersion.

To assess the extent and spread of odour, several methods are applied, such as field measurements, chemical analyses, and atmospheric dispersion modelling. These are complemented by calculations of odour threshold values and comparisons with existing guidelines. The results indicate that odour issues are highly dependent on local conditions such as meteorology, topography, and the technical design of the facility. The study also highlights the challenge of quantifying odour in a consistent manner, as both subjective and objective methods have their limitations.

The report presents examples of possible measures to reduce odour disturbances, including technical solutions for gas collection, covering of waste surfaces, and improved operational routines and monitoring. Furthermore, it discusses the need for clearer regulatory guidance on odour and the importance of continued development of measurement and assessment methods.

In conclusion, odour from waste facilities represents a complex environmental issue that requires a combination of technical measures, regulatory frameworks, and dialogue with stakeholders. The report contributes knowledge that can support planning, permitting, and operation of waste facilities with the aim of reducing the risk of odour nuisance.

In the Kingdom of Crystal (Glasriket), there are approximately 50 glassworks sites with landfills containing leaded glass. This glass leaches lead, which can spread to vegetation and watercourses, posing risks to both humans and animals. Instead of transporting the contaminated glass to an approved landfill during remediation, this project has explored the possibility of recirculating the excavated glass as raw material for new lead and glass production—an approach referred to as innovative remediation.

The project has verified a method for identifying glass-rich zones within landfills, with the aim of streamlining excavation for recycling. After a cleaning process, the glass underwent separation through industrial-scale test melts (50–100 kg of glass). Previous projects have demonstrated that lead can be separated from glass at laboratory and pilot scale. Although the separation was less efficient at the larger scale, prototypes of glass panels for bathrooms, kitchens, and facades were successfully produced using recycled and detoxified glass.

Two independent studies have previously shown that innovative remediation of deposited glass is socioeconomically viable. This project also assessed the commercial potential—specifically, whether a private actor could profitably take over and recycle the glass-rich waste. An investment analysis indicates that recycling originally lead-free glass may be economically feasible. However, investments in technology to separate lead from glass are currently not considered commercially viable.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are commonly found in leachate from municipal landfills due to their widespread use in society and resistance to degradation. Contaminated landfill leachate is typically a highly complex matrix to treat, as it generally contains not only pollutants such as PFAS but also large amounts of organic matter, ammonia-nitrogen, and heavy metals. 

This laboratory study evaluated the potential of thermally driven membrane distillation (MD) for the removal and concentration of 24 different PFAS compounds in leachate from a landfill. It also assessed the feasibility of recovering process water suitable for industrial use or discharge into water bodies. 

The results showed that the overall removal rate for most PFAS compounds was above 99%. The corresponding recovery yield of permeate water was over 80%. The performance results reported here highlight the potential and robustness of the MD process.

However, cost sensitivity analyses indicated that the possibility of waste heat recovery and the cost of thermal energy had a significant impact on the cost of PFAS removal and the production cost of MD permeate. The economic assessment suggests that thermal integration of a commercial facility with PFAS treatment capacity for landfill leachate at an industrial scale using MD could be economically feasible.

With increasingly stringent discharge requirements for landfill leachate, membrane-based treatments may become a viable alternative to the conventional physico-chemical methods often used today. This study opens up new avenues for PFAS removal from contaminated water through concentration, which is relevant for landfill leachate or surface water.

Kemisk djupstabilisering med kalk och cement används i stor skala i Skandinavien för att reducera sättningar och öka stabilitet i anläggningskonstruktioner. Utvecklingen mot mer krävande tillämpningar, såsom slänt- och bankstabilisering, ställer höga krav på pelarnas kvalitet och bindemedelsfördelning. Trots lång erfarenhet är kunskapen om de grundläggande mekanismerna i blandningsprocessen begränsad.

Projektet inom Svensk Djupstabilisering syftar till att öka förståelsen för blandningsmekanismer och därmed stödja entreprenörers och maskintillverkares utveckling. En omfattande litteraturstudie från processindustrin visar att blandning av partikelsuspensioner präglas av komplexa reologiska egenskaper, särskilt vid lersuspensioner med bindemedel. Forskningen på området är ännu fragmentarisk.

Uppsatsen betonar att spridningen av bindemedel i jord är en avgörande delprocess vid pelarstabilisering. Studier av fält- och laboratorieförsök samt prover från kalkcementpelare visar att blandningsindex kan användas för att bedöma kvaliteten, men resultaten påverkas starkt av provstorlek och variation längs pelarna. För att förbättra metoden krävs ökad förståelse för bindemedelsfördelning och blandningsförlopp.

Svensk Djupstabilisering (SD) har varit ett branschgemensamt centrum för forskning och utveckling inom djupstabilisering med kalkcementpelare under perioden 1995–2006. Verksamheten har syftat till att ge säkerhetsmässiga, funktionsmässiga och ekonomiska vinster som tillgodoser svenska intressen hos samhället och industrin. Medlemmar har varit myndigheter, bindemedelsleverantörer, entreprenörer, konsulter, forskningsinstitut samt högskolor och universitet. Det har varit den hittills största branschgemensamma FoU-satsningen i Sverige inom geoteknik. Den totala omslutningen har varit drygt 46 miljoner kronor.

SD:s verksamhet har medfört ett kunskapslyft som bland annat ökar möjligheterna för en fortsatt hög användning av djupstabilisering med bindemedelsstabiliserade pelare och masstabilisering inom infrastrukturbyggandet.

Denna rapport sammanfattar den omfattande verksamheten och syftar till att sprida de kunskaper som tagits fram och de erfarenheter som gjorts. Tillämpningar och marknad för djupstabilisering med kalkcementpelare beskrivs, liksom fortsatt samverkan och utvecklingsbehov. Dessutom delges erfarenheter av att bedriva en så stor branschgemensam FoU-verksamhet. Framkomna kunskaper presenteras i kortfattade beskrivningar av flertalet utförda projekt med hänvisningar till de fullständiga rapporterna.

Djupstabilisering av lös jord enligt kalkpelarmetodens grundkoncept har blivit en allt vanligare förstärkningsmetod inom mark- och trafikledsbyggande. Användningsområdet omfattar också grundläggning av mindre byggnader samt jordförstärkning vid olika typer av stabilitetsproblem. Bland fördelarna med metoden märks främst möjligheten att genom anpassning av installationsmönster, pelaravstånd, pelardjup och pelardiameter skräddarsy förstärkningen efter det aktuella problemet. Möjlighet finns också att stabilisera hela jordmassan. Metoden ger ofta god ekonomi jämfört med andra åtgärder. Livscykelanalyser visar också att bindemedelsstabilisering av lös jord ofta är fördelaktigt jämfört med andra metoder med hänsyn till transporter och energiåtgång (Rydberg och Andersson, SD Rapport 11).

Ursprungskonceptet med kalk som stabiliseringsmedel har numera kompletterats med ett stort antal bindemedelsblandningar med kalk och/eller cement som huvudingrediens beroende på aktuell jordart och i viss mån på önskade egenskaper hos den stabiliserade jorden. Enbart cement används också, men då främst vid masstabilisering av organisk jord.

Antalet aktörer bland beställare, projektörer, entreprenörer och kontrollanter är stort och utvecklingen går fort. Behovet av en fortlöpande uppdatering av sammanfattningar om metodens möjligheter och begränsningar, fällor och fel vid projektering och utförande samt kontrollbehov och aktuell teknik är därför stort.

Denna skrift sammanfattar dagens (vid årsskiftet 2005/2006) mer etablerade och allmänt accepterade kunskap inom projektering – utförande – kontroll. Materialet är hämtat från tidigare handledningar och senare tids litteratur inom området. Den samlade litteraturen inom området är mycket omfattande och endast det som är relevant för de metoder och tillämpningsområden som används i Sverige har medtagits. Rapporten är uppdelad på en huvuddel och ett antal appendix där olika aspekter på bindemedel, tillverkning, tekniska egenskaper hos bindemedelsstabiliserad jord, provning och kvalitetskontroll, beräkningsmetoder behandlas samt exempel på dimensionering ges.

The Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) is tasked with reducing the risk for landslides, rockfalls, and erosion, when destructive to society and its infrastructure. As part of this work, SGI aim to better assess erosion along watercourses in Sweden. Assessing the potential for erosion in watercourses has so far been challenging and has been based on visual assessments on-site. The underlying hypothesis for the work presented in this report is that erosion investigations and streamlining a qualitative assessment can be supported by an index.

An Erosion Index (EI) can be developed in various ways using different methods to identify sections along the watercourses that are particularly susceptible to erosion. The need to develop knowledge about erosion as a basis for monitoring slope stability and landslide protection measures along the Göta River has been the starting point for this work. However, the large size of the Göta River was less suitable for the development work in this phase. Thus, this report presents a manual method tested on Säveån and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) method tested on Viskan. The goal of the task is to present two different methods for developing an erosion index (EI) for a watercourse.

It is important to identify stretches along watercourses that may be especially vulnerable to erosion at an early stage, which potentially could lead to instability of slopes with time. The report describes various erosion indicators as well as the calculation process for developing an erosion index.

With the help of GIS, the geometry of the watercourse can be identified, such as curvature, bank spread, slope angle, and watercourse width. One of the challenges in the GIS method was analyzing the slope of the water surface. The slope is used as an indicator for the potential energy in the watercourse.

Viskan, a medium-sized watercourse, was chosen for the development of the GIS method, and the somewhat smaller Säveån for the manual method. Both watercourses are sensitive to erosion and have conditions conducive to landslides. Images from the Viskan site visit and descriptions of the geology and hydrology of Viskan and Säveån are provided in the appendices.

The report concludes with several recommendations that could further contribute to increased knowledge and understanding of the work involved in assessing the erosion index.

There is a need for effective and cost-efficient PFAS remediation methods both in Sweden and internationally. Phytoremediation could be a potential alternative, but it has so far been explored in relatively few scientific studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate and optimize the performance of poplar (Populus trichocarpa) and willow (Salix miyabeana), which are particularly suitable for phytoremediation of PFAS. The goal was to manipulate and optimize PFAS extraction from soil via plants through the addition of, among other things, hormones and microbes (bacteria and mycorrhiza)

The highest PFAS concentrations observed in this study were found in the leaves of both poplar (Populus trichocarpa) and willow (Salix miyabeana). PFAS concentrations were 30–40 times higher in leaves compared to stems and roots, based on concentration levels. In leaves and stems, short-chain PFAS (PFBA, PFPeA, PFHxA) dominated, while long-chain PFAS were more prevalent in the roots of both species.

For willow, microbes and hormones contributed to a slightly higher PFAS uptake compared to untreated plants, although this requires further investigation. The shoot concentration factor (SCF) and shoot-to-root transfer factor (TF) showed high uptake rates for short-chain PFAS, indicating that poplar and willow have potential to be used as a phytoremediation method for PFAS-contaminated sites. Phytoremediation relies on several mechanisms (e.g., phytoextraction and phytostabilization), and the choice of additives, cultivation design, and harvest management all influence the effectiveness of PFAS treatment in soil and groundwater.