Sustainability Issue #2 April 2012

This is printed from sustainability.formas.se, last updated 3/14/2012 5:42:49 PM

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Focus: Economy based on plants Read more »

Bioeconomy has brought about large changes in socio-economics, agriculture, energy and technology. Read more »

Lignin can be used in chemical building blocks, some of which, in turn, are used for perfumes, medicines and additives in food. Read more »

Lena Ek: - I am a strong defender of the work done by Formas and Mistra and the research which is given support in this way. Read more »

Society is facing serious challenges in counteracting and adapting to climate changes. There are hopes now for a sustainable use of renewable products and energy that can replace finite fossil resources. Read more »

Conventional oil-based plastics can be replaced. Read more »

...clears the way for a biobased society. Read more »

Forest and economy in balance. Can this be achieved? Read more »

Uptake by plants of different forms of nitrogen is much more complex and also includes nitrogen in organic form. Read more »

Can heavy rain and bursts in water mains give us gastric ailments? Read more »

Small children are particularly exposed. Read more »

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Sustainability April 2012

Focus presentation

Economy based on plants Sweden must use natural resources more effectively, and the economy must be based on renewable raw materials that are produced through a sustainable use of ecosystem...

Focus articles

Reinvigorated economy is growing again Society is facing serious challenges in counteracting and adapting to climate changes. There are hopes now for a sustainable use of renewable products and energy tha... It’s the bio-economy, stupid! The bio-economy represents a significant shift in socio-economic, agricultural, energy and technical systems. The concept of the bio-economy – also called the bio-ba... Forest biotechnology clears the way for a biobased society During the war years in the 1940s, different chemicals could already be synthesised from ethanol. We must perhaps rediscover some of this old knowledge and at the sa... Replace plastics and aluminium Conventional oil-based plastics can be replaced. Not least in packaging where a good barrier against e.g. oxygen or water extends shelf life and helps preserve the f... Lignin – the future source of fine chemicals Environmental gains today – growth in the long run. The transition from petroleum based chemical processes to bioprocesses based on renewable raw materials provides... Plants take up organic nitrogen Is this the time to rewrite textbooks? Many people write about nitrate and ammonium as the two nitrogen compounds which plants take up through their roots and use fo... Bioenergy, climate and economy Forest and economy in balance. Can this be achieved? What changes can be expected in forestry if the forest is to sequestrate more carbon dioxide? Does the change fr...

The Interview

Lena Ek: Research key to successful environmental policy –I feel so full of energy when I meet people who are working in research and development. This is how Minister of Environment Lena Ek concluded this interview where,...

More articles

Gastric ailments because of the water? Can heavy rain and bursts in water mains give us gastric ailments? This is being investigated at present by researchers at Umeå and Göteborg. They have already found... Sewage treatment plants reveal how we use chemicals Sewage treatment plants reveal how we use chemicals. Chemicals can load the environment via the treated water or sewage sludge. A recent thesis at Umeå University sh... Large climatic differences between biofuels When biofuels are burned, the carbon dioxide that was at one time bound in the tree is emitted into the atmosphere. Bioenergy is therefore often described as carbon ... This is how biogas can be produced better It is known that the addition of trace metals can improve biogas production. A recent thesis at Linköping University shows which metals these are and how to apply t... Development of “green coal” from biomass Torrefaction means that biomass is heated to a temperature of 250-350°C in the absence of oxygen. This is being studied by a research team at Umeå University which h... Make more use of wave power The oceans of the world offer a renewable source of electric power that is measured in terawatt, which is 1012 watt, i.e. 1000 gigawatt. Surface gravity waves are co... Environmentally labelled fish launches a new era Bycatch is reduced, and more marine protected areas are created. These are some of the results which environmental labelling of fish and fisheries have provided. Environmental toxins indoors We spend about 90 per cent of our time indoors. New research from Stockholm University shows that we are exposed to environmental toxins to a higher degree in our ho... Computer models complement animal experiments A thesis in Chemistry at Umeå University shows the potential of using computer models as tools in obtaining information for the hazard assessment of industrial chemi... Sustainable towns all round Sweden More than 200 people filled the dance floor at Nalen at 74 Regeringsgatan in Stockholm one winter day in 2012. But it was not a dance but a gathering of engaged peop...

In brief

Ozone contaminates crops all over the world Almost seven million tonnes of wheat. More than eleven million tonnes of rice. This is what is destroyed annually in South-East Asia because of the contamination cau... The viviparous blenny acts as a warning signal for the Baltic Sea The little viviparous blenny is the new warning signal for the Baltic Sea. It plays an important part in monitoring the state of the sea. One of the results of recen... This is why British thoroughbreds are fastest Genetic data from Shetland ponies was the piece of puzzle that was missing. Researchers now understand why British thoroughbreds run so much faster and longer than o... Recovery of phosphorus from algae Algae that have been washed up onto land may become useful. In February 2012, Swedish Environmental Research Institute IVL began a full scale pilot project at Trelle... Let animals graze Many factors affect the appearance of the landscape. New research from Stockholm University shows that the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity demands clear... Live longer with fewer calories By eating fewer calories, we can slow down ageing, and age related diseases such as cancer and Type 2 diabetes can be put off. The earlier we reduce the intake of ca...

People and News

The latest from the field of environmental researchNew appointments, prestigious awards, new research institutes – all the latest from the field of environmental research.
5
MOST READ
articles from this
and past issues
1.The role of microbes in nature 2.Office environment affects health, wellbeing and work 3.Sweden values happy pigs 4.Food is of key importance in a sustainable society 5.Nanotech in our homes - great opportunities, unknown risks

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