When will we see a ‘Spotify’ for spare parts?
Vessel components are being transported all around the world when just a simple datafile would suffice.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Responsible Consumption and Production
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Must we sacrifice nature to mitigate climate change?
The magnets in wind turbines come from China, and the materials in our electric car batteries are for the most part sourced from Congo. Today, key minerals and metals are being transported to Europe from politically unstable countries far away. Is it possible to safeguard access to these raw materials here in Norway? In this article, we present three research-based strategies for addressing the problem.
Cultivating salad plants that can be grown on the Moon
NASA has finished its planning and is ready to go. Humans will soon be returning to the Moon – this time in a manned base. But, if this project is to succeed, astronauts must be able to grow their own food. Norwegian researchers are in the process of making this possible.
What exactly is the EU taxonomy?
Perhaps you’ve heard about it and are wondering exactly what the EU taxonomy is – and what it really means. SINTEF researcher Mathias Irgens is ready with an explanation.
How researchers halved a bed’s carbon footprint
Researchers calculated the total carbon footprint of a bed. Then they discovered it was possible to halve it.
New concrete from old buildings
Christian John Engelsen at SINTEF is teaching the world to recycle demolition rubble to make new concrete. Anything and everything can be recycled, he says. What takes time is getting people on board.
A new approach to waste incineration removes CO2 from the atmosphere
There are plans in Årdal to build a waste incineration plant based on a new technology that captures and stores CO2, thus removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
Recycling snuff boxes to make new products
Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed them. Empty snuff boxes littered all over our streets and parks. But instead of being just rubbish, they can now be recycled to make new products.
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.
In search of a smarter grid
The Norwegian government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent by 2030. This will involve dramatic changes to the electricity grid system.
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.
World’s food production footprint on climate and environment
Cattle farming has often been portrayed as having the most detrimental environmental impact because it takes the most grazing land, uses a lot of water and has large methane emissions. But it’s not the worst. And is locally produced food always best for the environment?
New solar panels from solar panel waste
Solar energy is good news for planet Earth – but solar panels are not as climate-friendly as they should be. Researcher Martin Bellmann is using what he calls the ‘black gold’ waste materials from solar panel manufacture to make new panels.
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.
Sustainability and animal welfare concern young people the most
What are people’s attitudes towards food, sustainability, new foods and food additives? Researchers have found some answers.
Miniscule signals can prevent major accidents
By listening to electric machines’ magnetic fields, faults can be detected that could prevent potential disasters with electric vehicles. The new method could also save power producers large sums of money.
Data is never objective. Sometimes we must also give free rein to experience and intuition
Blind faith in data as a perfect reflection of reality is causing many businesses to make decisions on false premises.
A new reuse guide seeks to reduce material waste
How to know whether building materials are fit for reuse? A new guide can tell.
“It is by no means impossible to repair major pipeline damage on the seabed”
Norway has developed subsea technologies that you may never have heard of to ensure the safe operation of Norwegian oil and gas installations. Our experts are ready and waiting to assist in the Baltic Sea.
Crowding-induced stress gives mackerel the blues
Researchers have succeeded in showing that mackerel turn blue when under stress. This new knowledge will better enable our fisheries to safeguard fish welfare and will optimise catch quality into the bargain.
Will Industry 5.0 herald the revenge of the humans?
The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) put automation, digitalisation and robotisation very much in the driving seat. But something was missing. The introduction of Industry 5.0 will hand control back to you and me.
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.
Why there is still hope for our planet
Is it too late to save our planet? Professor Jianguo Liu is the newest winner of The Gunnerus Award in Sustainability Science. He offers us some hope.