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Sustainability

Sustainability

The world faces a wide range of challenges. At the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, we want to contribute to and create solutions to society's challenges. We do this through our research and research-based educations, which reflect the core activities the department works within, and which are all relevant to ensure a sustainable future.

AAU researcher behind groundbreaking plastic upcycling project

Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste is incinerated or landfilled because there is no economic way to recycle it. Now, Associate Professor Cristiano Varrone from the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience heads an innovative new project that not only aims to recycle plastic waste but aims to upcycle it to valuable new – and easier recyclable – plastic materials.

Mapping the biodiversity of Vejlerne nature preserve

The large nature reserve Vejlerne in the northwest of Denmark is the largest bird sanctuary in Northern Europe. In 2017, a research group headed by Associate Professor Dan Bruhn set out to provide a holistic overview of the area with regards to botanical, insect, bird and mammal biodiversity.

Developing new innovative methods for recycling wind turbine blades

Over the last decades, the use of wind turbines has rapidly increased all over the world. By now, many of the first turbines are worn out, but no one has yet discovered an efficient way of recycling the massive blades, leading to huge deposits of blades left to deteriorate on remote fields. Now, researchers at the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience may have a solution.

Sustainability in education, research and collaboration

Sustainability and the UN's sustainability goals are incorporated into all our core activities and the Departments strategy. We see ourselves as an active player in the green transition. We work based on the 17 sustainability goals where we believe we can make a difference. Our efforts revolve around the following themes in particular: Stop hunger (2), Quality education (4), Clean water and sanitation (6), Sustainable energy (7), Responsible consumption and production (12), Climate action (13), Life in the sea (14) and Life in the Country (15). Via the cases below, you can read about some of the projects the institute has been and is involved in with a focus on sustainability and based on the global goals.

Regional, national and international

The solution to the climate challenges and the desire for a sustainable future calls for interdisciplinary solutions and efforts across national borders. Therefore, in our research and education, we focus on collaboration that extends beyond our own professional boundaries and geography.