blog posts

• A new recycling process for silicones could greatly reduce the sector's environmental impacts

  by Laura BarnesJun 5, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: CNRS, 4/24/25

  A study describes a new method of recycling silicone waste (caulk, sealants, gels, adhesives, cosmetics, etc.). It has the potential to significantly reduce the sector's environmental impacts. This is the first universal recycling process that brings any type of used silicone material back to an earlier state in its life cycle where each molecule has only one silicon atom. And there is no need for the raw materials currently used to design new silicones. Moreover, since it is chemical and not mechanical recycling, the reuse of the material can be carried out infinitely. 

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• Plant-based plastics could help reduce the millions of tonnes of medical waste hospitals generate each year

  by Laura BarnesJun 4, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: The Conversation, 3/13/25

  There’s a growing push to find eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics. Bioplastics, such polylactic acid (PLA), may be promising alternatives to the plastics used in medical products.

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• Personality traits shape our prosocial behavior

  by Laura BarnesJun 3, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: University of Zurich, 4/28/25

  Why do some people do more for the community than others? A new study now shows that personality traits such as extraversion and agreeableness correlate with volunteering and charitable giving.

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• Behind Keurig’s bid to make coffee pods without plastic

  by Laura BarnesJun 2, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: Trellis, 4/30/25

  Years of persistence and experimentation led to a biodegradable coffee pod that improves brewing performance. Keurig Dr Pepper backed the innovation once it proved both sustainable and appealing to consumers. Collaborating with customers and potential competitors were key for development.

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• New study tracks air pollution and CO2 emissions across thousands of cities worldwide

  by Joy ScrogumMay 30, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: George Washington University, 5/7/25

  In a sweeping new study of more than 13,000 urban areas worldwide, researchers have mapped air pollution levels and carbon dioxide emissions, providing comprehensive global analysis of urban environmental quality. The research led by George Washington University, in collaboration with scientists from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, used data from satellite observations, ground-based measurements and computer models to measure city-level air pollution and the average amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere in 13,189 urban areas globally. The study, which highlights regional disparities, focused on the years spanning from 2005-2019. 

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• Breakthrough in fuel cell recycling turns ‘forever chemicals’ into renewable resources

  by Joy ScrogumMay 29, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: University of Leicester, 5/2/25

  A new technique that uses soundwaves to separate materials for recycling could help prevent potentially harmful chemicals leaching into the environment.  Researchers at the University of Leicester have achieved a major milestone in fuel cell recycling, advancing techniques to efficiently separate valuable catalyst materials and fluorinated polymer membranes (PFAS) from catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs). 

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• Affordable, efficient, HoLDI-MS will facilitate global monitoring of plastic pollution

  by Joy ScrogumMay 28, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: McGill University, 5/1/25

  A team of McGill University researchers has developed a cost-effective, high-throughput technology for detecting nanoplastics and microplastics in the environment. These particles are pervasive, posing health and environmental risks, yet detecting them at the nanoscale has been difficult. The 3D-printed HoLDI-MS test platform overcomes the limitations of traditional mass spectrometry by enabling direct analysis of samples without requiring complex sample preparation. The researchers say it also will work for detection of waterborne plastic particles. HoLDI-MS stands for hollow-laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. According to Chemistry Professor Parisa Ariya, who led the study published last month in Nature’s Communications Chemistry, “It requires little energy, is recyclable and costs only a few dollars per sample."

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• Okra, fenugreek extracts remove most microplastics from water

  by Joy ScrogumMay 27, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: American Chemical Society, 5/6/25

  The substances behind the slimy strings from okra and the gel from fenugreek seeds could trap microplastics better than a commonly used synthetic polymer. Previously, researchers proposed using these sticky natural polymers to clean up water. Now, they report in ACS Omega that okra and/or fenugreek extracts attracted and removed up to 90% of microplastics in ocean water, freshwater and groundwater.   

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• Study of velvet worm slime could revolutionize sustainable material design

  by Joy ScrogumMay 26, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: McGill University, 3/19/25

  A new discovery about the slime ejected by velvet worms could revolutionize sustainable material design, according to a study by McGill University researchers. Their findings outline how a naturally occurring protein structure, conserved across species from Australia, Singapore and Barbados over nearly 400 million years of evolution, enables the slime’s transformation from liquid to fibre and back again. It’s a discovery that could inspire next-generation recyclable bioplastics. 

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• Stained, warped and terroir rich: the global and shockingly sustainable lives of wine barrels

  by Laura BarnesMay 23, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: The Guardian, 5/12/25

  In the alcohol industry, when ageing liquor can easily take decades, the vessels that house them can also become more covetable over the years. In an age of disposable materials and dire news of plastics polluting our environment, reused wooden barrels exist in stark contrast. The lives of barrels are long, shockingly sustainable and currently imperiled by trade war.

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