Our vital water

IVL Swedish Environmental Institute has a strong collective water expertise. Get help from us when you need a holistic view of water issues, or when preparing for the water challenges of the future.

Research and assignments for clean water and blue economy

IVL has broad expertise in water-related matters. We work with everything from advanced water treatment technology to the development of the blue economy. Research into environmental impacts and analyses are fundamental to our operations.

Studies and analyses

On behalf of municipalities, county administrative boards, and businesses, IVL conducts risk assessments, inventories and environmental studies into how various operations affect our ground water, watercourses, lakes and marine ecosystems. We produce recommendations and decision support, aimed at achieving the smallest possible environmental impact.

Circular water treatment

At Hammarby Sjöstadsverk, our unique pilot and demonstration facility, we develop world-leading technologies for reusing and utilizing treated wastewater, in close collaboration with industry. Together with Region Gotland and several other actors, we are developing technology to make use of rainwater.

Sustainable blue economy

For several years, IVL has had extensive marine operations at Kristineberg Center, a research station near Lysekil on the Swedish west coast. Together with local and regional actors, we develop methods and technologies for sustainable aquaculture, marine technology and ecosystem management.

IVL's fields of expertise in water

Water treatment

We develop the future of resource-efficient, circular and digital water treatment, both in Sweden and abroad.

Aquaculture

IVL has deep and broad expertise in sustainable and circular aquaculture, both on land and at sea.

Water supply

Water is a rare commodity. We develop technologies and methods for making use of fresh water and preventing water shortages.

Take a digital tour of the Sjöstadsverket Water Innovation Centre

In this digital tour, you get to see the inside of our Sjöstadsverket test facility, and to meet some of the people who work there. You can also see the film here. External link, opens in new window.

Water in ecosystems

IVL's research contributes to detecting risks and threats to our marine environments – we work just as much with averting these threats.

Water treatment

Clean water in Mumbai

IVL's work focused on SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation – continues in India. Currently, IVL is working as an environmental consultant in several projects related to clean water in Mumbai, for example the Mithi River Rejuvenation Projects, which aim to reduce the pollution load of the river and restore it to its original state.

Marine micro-debris

Micro-debris is small particles of plastic, textiles, rubber, asphalt, and various incineration particles. There is still a lack of comprehensive knowledge of the risks posed by micro-debris in the environment – which means further investigation is important.

Emissions

Oil spills and emissions

Oil is increasingly transported on the seas, leading to a greater risk of oil spills. IVL has experience from numerous oil spills, and has conducted several large environmental follow-ups.

Tonnes of fishing gear is lost at sea

On behalf of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, IVL has calculated how much fishing gear is lost annually in the Nordic countries. The study points to a huge environmental challenge, where knowledge is generally low.

"As well as fish and other organisms getting caught in ghost nets, fishing gear increases volumes of litter and pollution from macro- and microplastics, and hazardous chemicals", says IVL researcher Mikaela Boltenstern.

Sustainable blue economy

IVL works for a sustainable blue economy, which means that ocean-based operations such as marine transport, tourism and fishing are conducted sustainably.

Kristineberg Center

Collaboration for marine research and innovation

Chalmers, the University of Gothenburg, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and RISE are joining forces to operate the Kristineberg Center for Marine Research and Innovation. The objective is for the centre to become one of Europe’s leading marine research and innovation environments.

Sustainable aquaculture around the Atlantic

Aquaculture is currently limited to a small number of highly sought-after species. Greater diversity and a stronger stock are needed to reduce disease vulnerability. IVL's researchers will develop techniques for growing both domestic oysters and the alien Pacific oysters in a transatlantic EU project.

Dynamic managment of Pacific oyster

In the DynamO project, we are working to develop a dynamic management model that can be used by authorities to manage the invasive but also commercially valuable Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) in Sweden.

Services offered by IVL in the field of water

IVL helps you develop solutions that help foster sustainable operations and a sustainable society. Everything we do rests on a scientific foundation, and if you engage us as a consultant, you get all our research as part of the deal.

Management of marine ecosystems

Water analysis

Analysis of wastewater

Analysis of biota

Water surveillance

Water purification

Underwater noise

Test beds, pilot plants and demonstrators

Sustainable procurement

Sustainable harbours and marinas

See more services

In search of salamanders with environmental DNA

Around the world, biodiversity is in decline. Actions to preserve or recreate ecosystems with high biodiversity are high on the global agenda.

But how does one measure biodiversity in the aquatic environment? Researchers at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute are exploring what is possible within the new research field of environmental DNA.