Sara Heimersson

Researcher at Environmental Systems Analysis

Sara’s research is focusing on life cycle assessment (LCA) applied on wastewater and sewage sludge treatment. This means for example that she uses LCA to compare scenarios where wastewater and sludge treatment and sludge management is handled in different ways. Sara also performs LCA method development within the area, for example on questions arising in connection to utilisation of resources from wastewater or sludge.

Sara defended her doctoral thesis ”Improved methods and practices in life cycle assessment of wastewater and sludge management”, in April 2016. Her post-doc project is focusing on how benefits of sludge utilisation, e.g. on arable land, can be assessed in a relevant way in LCAs.

Source: chalmers.se

Contact Details

Publications (29)
Projects (1)

Showing 29 publications

2019

Opportunities of consequential and attributional modelling in life cycle assessment of wastewater and sludge management

Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström, Tomas Ekvall

Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 222, p. 242-251

Journal article

Show project

2017

Improved life cycle modelling of benefits from sewage sludge anaerobic digestion and land application

Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström, Christel Cederberg et al

Resources, Conservation and Recycling. Vol. 122, p. 126-134

Journal article

2017

A comparative techno-economic-environmental assessment of full-scale CAS vs MBR technologies

Giorgio Bertanza, Matteo Canato, Giuseppe Laera et al

Other

2017

A comparison between two full-scale MBR and CAS municipal wastewater treatment plants: techno-economic-environmental assessment

Giorgio Bertanza, Matteo Canato, Giuseppe Laera et al

Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Vol. 24 (21), p. 17383-17393

Journal article

2017

Generating LCA partitioning factors for sewage sludge management using a Delphi procedure

Magdalena Svanström, Sara Heimersson, Tomas Ekvall

Conference contribution

2017

Upgrading small wastewater treatment plants with the sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor technology: Techno-economic and environmental assessment

C. Di Iaconi, G. Del Moro, G. Bertanza et al

Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 148, p. 606-615

Journal article

2017

Life cycle assessment of sludge management with phosphorus utilisation and improved hygienisation in Sweden

Magdalena Svanström, Sara Heimersson, Gregory Peters et al

Water Science and Technology. Vol. 75 (9), p. 2013-2024

Journal article

2016

Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment of Upgrading Alternatives for Sludge Stabilization in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Maria Concetta Tomei, Giorgio Bertanza, Matteo Canato et al

Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 112 (4), p. 3106-3115

Journal article

2016

Techno-environmental assessment of integrating polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production with services of municipal wastewater treatment

Fernando Morgan-Sagastume, Sara Heimersson, Giuseppe Laera et al

Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 137, p. 1368-1381

Journal article

2016

Improved methods and practices in life cycle assessment of wastewater and sludge management

Sara Heimersson

Doctoral thesis

2016

Life cycle inventory practices for major nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon flows in wastewater and sludge management systems

Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström, Giuseppe Laera et al

International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. Vol. 21 (8), p. 1197-1212

Journal article

2015

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of sewage sludge wet oxidation

Giorgio Bertanza, Matteo Canato, Sara Heimersson et al

Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Vol. 22 (10), p. 7327-38

Journal article

2015

Problem or resource - why it is important for the environment to keep track of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in wastewater and sludge management

Magdalena Svanström, Giuseppe Laera, Sara Heimersson

Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Vol. 5, p. 200-

Journal article

Show project

2015

Upgrading a wastewater treatment plant with thermophilic digestion of thermally pre-treated secondary sludge: techno-economic and environmental assessment

A. Gianico, G. Bertanza, C. M. Braguglia et al

Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 102, p. 353-361

Journal article

2015

Global and local health burden trade-off through the hybridisation of Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment to aid water management

Yumi Kobayashi, Gregory Peters, NJ Ashbolt et al

Water Research. Vol. 79, p. 26-38

Journal article

2014

Methodological issues in life cycle assessment of mixed-culture polyhydroxyalkanoate production utilising waste as feedstock

Sara Heimersson, F Morgan-Sagastume, Gregory Peters et al

New Biotechnology (4), p. 383-393

Journal article

2014

Including Pathogen Risk in Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Management. 2. Quantitative Comparison of Pathogen Risk to Other Impacts on Human Health

Sara Heimersson, Robin Harder, Gregory Peters et al

Environmental Science & Technology. Vol. 48 (16), p. 9446-9453

Journal article

Show project

2014

Method for Technical, Economic and Environmental Assessment of Advanced Sludge Processing Routes

Magdalena Svanström, Giorgio Bertanza, David Bolzonella et al

Water Science and Technology. Vol. 69 (12), p. 2407-2416

Journal article

2014

Technical, economic and environmental assessment of wastewater and sludge management solutions designed to overcome common issues

Magdalena Svanström, Giorgio Bertanza, Giuseppe Laera et al

Proceedings to ECSM 2014 – 4th European Conference on Sludge Management, Izmir, Turkey, May 26-27 2014

Conference contribution

2014

Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of Wastewater and Sludge Management Solutions Designed to Overcome Common Issues

Magdalena Svanström, G. Bertanza, G. Laera et al

Journal of Residuals Science and Technology. Vol. 11 (1), p. 15-20

Journal article

2014

Making the most of LCA in technical inter-organisational R&D projects

Gustav A Sandin, Gunilla Clancy, Sara Heimersson et al

Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 70, p. 97-104

Journal article

2014

Including Pathogen Risk in Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Management. 1. Estimating the Burden of Disease Associated with Pathogens

Robin Harder, Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström et al

Environmental Science & Technology. Vol. 48 (16), p. 9438-9445

Journal article

Show project

2014

Improved life cycle assessment of wastewater and sludge management with resource recovery

Sara Heimersson

Licentiate thesis

2014

How the fate of N, P and C affects the environmental life cycle performance of wastewater and sludge management

Magdalena Svanström, Giuseppe Laera, Sara Heimersson

Proceedings to ECSM 2014 – 4th European Conference on Sludge Management, Izmir, Turkey, May 26-27 2014

Conference contribution

2013

Methodological issues in LCA of wastewater treatment combined with PHA biopolymer production

Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström, Fernando Morgan-Sagastume et al

The proceedings of The 6th International Conference on Life Cycle Management

Conference contribution

2013

Life cycle assessment of sludge processing

Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström, Gregory Peters

Effective Sewage Sludge Management, Minimization, recycling of materials, enhanced stabilization, disposal after recovery, pp. 225-243, Ed. G Mininni, CNR edizioni, Rome, 2013

Book chapter

2013

Technical, economic and environmental benchmarking of advanced sludge processing routes

Magdalena Svanström, Giorgio Bertanza, David Bolzonella et al

The proceedings of The 1st International IWA Conference on Holistic Sludge Management 6-8 May 2013 in Västerås, Sweden

Paper in proceedings

2012

Environmental performance of new wastewater and sludge treatment routes compared to conventional approaches

Sara Heimersson, Magdalena Svanström, Gregory Peters

The proceedings of The 6th European Waste Water Conference & Exhibition, 8-10 October 2013

Conference contribution

2012