Sweden

Video: Swedish rare earth discovery calls attention to mining’s effects on Sámi reindeer herders

By Lisa McDonald / February 22, 2023

In January 2023, Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB announced that it had identified more than 1 million tonnes of rare earth oxides near the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. Though mining this deposit may reduce reliance on China for rare earths, the impacts of a new mine on Kiruna residents and the indigenous Sámi people cannot be overlooked.

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Video: Cement production in Sweden

By Lisa McDonald / July 21, 2021

Despite concrete being the second most consumed material in the world, the global construction industry currently is experiencing a cement shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn how a recent decision by the Swedish Supreme Land and Environmental Court may complicate Sweden’s cement production further in the coming months and years.

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Flexible electronic ‘paper’ display color spectrum rivals LED and uses less energy

By Stephanie Liverani / October 18, 2016

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden, developed a new electronic “paper” that is bendable, ultra thin, and transmits the same rich color spectrum of a typical LED display—but it requires ten times less energy to power it than a Kindle e-reader.

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Transparent wood windows could be key to better energy efficiency

By Stephanie Liverani / August 19, 2016

Engineers at the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland say that windows made of transparent wood might provide more even and consistent natural lighting and better energy efficiency compared to glass.

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Watch for splinters—Will transparent wood replace glass in solar cells and windows?

By Stephanie Liverani / April 1, 2016

When it comes to developing the latest solar energy solutions, a few materials seem to get most of the press—logical materials like perovskites, silicon, and glass. But what if the next superstar solar cell material defies traditional logic?

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SwimCity: Floating housing project uses recycled concrete and 3D printing for sustainable solutions

By April Gocha / December 16, 2014

An experimental studio of Swiss architectural firm Belatchew Arkitekter, called Belatchew Labs, has unveiled a new project that envisions floating housing complexes that are sustainable, save land, and provide living space to young adults.

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New ceramic thermal barrier coating is long, strong, and down to get the friction on

By April Gocha / March 23, 2014

Swedish scientists have improved yttria stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings with a columnar microstructure to allow jet engines to run hotter, longer, and more efficiently.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By Eileen De Guire / March 5, 2013

Here’s what we are reading about: Man-made material pushes the bounds of superconductivity A multi-university team of researchers has artificially engineered a unique multilayer material that could lead to breakthroughs…

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