A new electrolyte to make better Lithium-ion batteries
Researchers at NTNU are searching for materials that could be used to make Li-ion batteries with a higher energy density.
Materials
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The aluminium in your old car should be recycled into a new car, not something else
Unless we acquire greater knowledge about what happens at the atomic and molecular scale during materials recycling, progress towards a truly circular economy will grind to a halt.
3D printing – a revolution in manufacturing technology
In recent years, 3D printing has exploded in popularity, and may open a new era of faster and more climate-friendly manufacturing. But is it really the manufacturing method of the future?
Solid-state batteries could soon make electric cars safer and better
Solid-state batteries may be the perfect solution for electric cars of the future. Researchers in Norway are making these batteries better.
Need to know much more about deep sea mining
The Norwegian government has proposed opening an area of the continental shelf to deep sea mining. NTNU researchers have worked for more than a decade on this issue. They say we have much to learn before Norway can decide if this can become a viable industry.
Winter salting caused the crash – not the steel
Speciality steels made the headlines in 2021 following a serious car accident. Normally, alloys of this type corrode very slowly, but they must not be used to construct barriers along roads that are salted in winter. At other places on the road network, the same steels offer long lifetimes and cost savings.
Snow-repelling solar cell panels could boost generation in Norway
Norway has seen an increase in solar power capacity in recent years, but in winter solar panels face a big problem: snow. Researchers modelled how much extra electricity could be generated if solar panel surfaces were designed to repel snow and ice.
An artificial lava for sealing oil and gas wells has passed its lab tests
Norwegian oil and gas companies are now plugging and abandoning production wells using an artificial ‘lava’. So far, the results have been excellent. Recent laboratory results indicate that the same method can be used to seal subsurface CO2 storage reservoirs.
Green production of silicon is just around the corner
“We see no technical obstacles to being able to produce silicon without CO2 emissions within the next two to three years,” says Maria Wallin at NTNU.
Breathing new life into waste industrial marine plastics
The fisheries and aquaculture sectors are major users of plastics. A research project has recently been launched to investigate how these plastics can be recycled and made into new products.
A gamechanger for aluminium component production in the car industry
A new Norwegian technology is enabling the removal of an entire process stage from car component production lines. It makes the cars less expensive, more eco-friendly and faster to manufacture.
Philosophers and technologists join forces to develop a common computer language that can crack some unsolved mysteries
Linguistic logic rooted in classical philosophy can help us in our search for future eco-friendly materials.
Easier to recycle agricultural plastics
Researchers are currently working to improve the recycling system for agricultural plastics. Their aim is that more plastic shall be recovered and recycling made simpler and more effective.
Influenza or a cold? A new technology can help you
Smart gadgets in the home might soon be able to tell you what’s wrong with you. But the technology is good news for a lot of other things too.
Innovative recovery of valuable raw materials from ‘red mud’
Waste slags from the metallurgy industries often contain valuable materials, but in very small concentrations. This means that large areas of valuable land are used to accommodate reservoirs filled with what is sometimes toxic waste. We now want to use hydrogen to convert this waste into a resource.
A new reuse guide seeks to reduce material waste
How to know whether building materials are fit for reuse? A new guide can tell.
Atomic-level 3D models show us how gadgets work
New research on semiconductors using microscopes that provide 3-D models at an atomic level could one day have an impact on your electronic gadgets.
Climate-friendly metal production – why is it difficult?
Most people know that metals are made from ore, but how do we make gold from gravel? That’s the process we must understand to be able to make the metal industry climate friendly. Here are some alternatives for CO2-free metal production.
Hydrogen production and carbon capture – in a single step
A team of Norwegian researchers has succeeded in producing hydrogen using a far more efficient method than is currently in use. The technology was ready as early as in 2017. The team has also demonstrated that the process can be scaled up for commercial application.
Can lightweight metal help the green shift?
The climate will benefit if we shift to using aluminium in more and more construction. Buyers need to look past the procurement costs and consider the total life cycle costs instead.
Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe and the $6 billion deal
How the unlikely combination of WWII Germany, a modest English engineer who created a worker’s paradise, an ambitious industrialist prosecuted as a traitor and a hardworking PhD helped build modern Norway, one aluminium ingot at a time.
Demand for rare minerals and metals creates eco-dilemma
The world is crying out for rare minerals for the manufacture of electric cars, wind turbines and other technologies that we simply need more of. But how can we guarantee access to these resources without threatening the natural world and mankind as we know it?
The benefits of keeping concrete warm during transport in arctic conditions
Keeping concrete warm during transport between the mixing plant and construction site results in a better, cheaper and more eco-friendly product. A new type of concrete mixer truck can result in less wastage and better quality of this important building material.
New ultra-high material efficient, low-cost solar cells — using nanowires
A new method using nanowires can make solar panels much more efficient and much cheaper than today.