THE EDIT
Your monthly briefing on the journey to fossil freedom
Issue #23, The matter of materials, May 2025
Photo: Adobe Stock
The AI tool turning buildings into goldmines
What to know: Construction and demolition of buildings generate nearly a third of all waste in the EU. At the same time, the energy transition is fuelling a sharp rise in demand for metals, timber and minerals – from copper in electric cars to steel in wind turbine towers and foundations.
Researcher Josie Harrison wants to change how we deal with what’s already built. At Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, she’s developing an AI tool that scans buildings using images, radio waves and infrared to detect what’s hiding inside—from bricks to beams. The goal? Make reuse easier, and build a smarter material economy from the walls around us.
Why it matters: Urban mining could help meet rising material demand without digging deeper into nature. Harrison’s AI-powered maps don’t just reduce waste—they help architects, property owners and builders see buildings as future sources of reusable materials. “This can lead to smarter, more accurate material maps that grow over time with real input from users,” she says.
Photo: Cemvision
Testing the future of near-zero cement
Cement currently accounts for 8 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, but that is about to change. In Vattenfall’s laboratory in Älvkarleby the researchers are working to understand how to produce the material with an extremely low carbon footprint while still performing as well as “traditional” cement.
Rapid rise for radical emission cuts
The EU will invest €22.5 billion to boost self-sufficiency in critical raw materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite. By 2030, the aim is to meet 10 per cent of demand through extraction, 40 per cent through processing, and 25 per cent through recycling – starting from today’s heavy reliance on imports, according to the Critical Raw Materials Act.
How 3D printing is keeping Sweden’s nuclear power running
Photo: Fredrik Andreasson
As the operating life of Sweden's nuclear reactors is being extended to 80 years, access to spare parts becomes crucial. Now, 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, could be the key to independent supply chains for these high performance applications. Björn Forssgren at Ringhals R&D explains the challenges – and the solution
News flash
3 x quick updates from the energy world
Going up country
The EU targets a 55 per cent emissions cut by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Rural areas, covering 80 per cent of the EU, hold most of the untapped renewable energy potential needed to get there.(theconversation.com)
On the right track
The latest report from energy think tank Ember, shows that 40 per cent of global energy in 2024 came from non-fossil sources. Solar power is the fastest-growing source and has doubled over the last three years. (theguardian.com)
Troubling cycle for a cooler life
While data centers get the headlines, the rise in use of air conditioners are the real energy beast. MIT Technology Review explains why cooling demand is the bigger challenge for the grid. (technologyreview.com)
And finally …
Marketing is everything
Back in 1900, more cars were actually powered by electricity than by steam engines. So what changed? The Conversation argues that gender roles in marketing strategies may have been significant in delaying the EV revolution by more than 100 years. In ads back then electric cars were referred to as “women’s cars”.
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