Anita Pettersson

Anita Pettersson is a Researcher and research manager for the Combustion and Thermal Processes research group within the Resource Recovery research area at the University of Borås. She works at the Department of Resource Recycling and Community Development, part of the Academy of Textiles, Technology and Economics. She serves as Program Manager for the Master's Program in Resource Recovery - Sustainable Energy Technology Processes and coordinates three international master's programs until the end of 2022/2023.

Her research focuses on municipal sewage sludge treatment to recover phosphorus while preventing harmful substances like PFAS, microplastics, dioxins, and cadmium from entering food or waterways. She also investigates thermal treatment of biomass and agricultural side streams, material recycling (particularly zinc from ashes), waste incineration, ash management, and innovative processing of ash and coal with added nitrogen to create fertilizer products.

Dr. Pettersson is deeply committed to circular economy principles, stating: "We know that there is no such thing as 'waste' and all materials are resources, we just have to find the right uses or processes to bring it into the circular society!" She is affiliated with the Swedish Center for Resource Recovery and has contributed to research on the "Risk of mud mountains in Sweden."

She supervises doctoral students Shahin Shamim and Naeimeh Vali, as well as master's students across various research projects. She also coordinates the EU-funded ME3+ international double degree program involving universities in France, Hungary, and Italy, and teaches in the energy engineering program.

Dr. Pettersson earned her PhD in Combustion Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology in collaboration with the University of Borås in October 2008, following her studies in Electrical Power and Heating (predecessor to the Energy Engineering Program) at the University of Borås.