blog posts

• Recycling the unrecyclable: Reclaiming materials from epoxy resins and composites

  Mar 6, 2025 12:30 pm

  Source: University of Tokyo, 2/6/25

  Epoxy resins are coatings and adhesives used in a broad range of familiar applications, such as construction, engineering and manufacturing. However, they often present a challenge to recycle or dispose of responsibly. Now a team of researchers has developed a method to efficiently reclaim materials from a range of epoxy products for reuse by using a novel solid catalyst.

• Nanoscale tin catalyst discovery paves the way for sustainable CO2 conversion

  Mar 4, 2025 5:00 pm

  Source: University of Nottingham, 2/10/25

  Researchers have developed a sustainable catalyst that increases its activity during use while converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable products. This discovery offers a blueprint for designing next-generation electrocatalysts.

• Novel carbon-based materials to remove hazardous 'forever chemicals' in water

  Mar 3, 2025 4:00 pm

  Source: Institute of Science, Tokyo, 2/19/25

  New research has emerged on the development of a novel membrane distillation system and an adsorbent (a substance that can trap chemicals on its surface) for the removal of hazardous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Scientists from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, utilized carbon-based materials to successfully remove PFAS from water. This innovative approach could contribute to sustainable purification technologies in the future.

• Scientists create tiny, water-based reactors for green chemistry

  Feb 20, 2025 3:15 pm

  Source: Rice University, 2/10/25

  Researchers at Rice University have developed a new method for performing chemical reactions using water instead of toxic solvents. The scientists created microscopic reactors capable of driving light-powered chemical processes by designing metal complex surfactants (MeCSs) that self-assemble into nanoscale spheres called micelles. This innovation could drastically reduce pollution in industries including pharmaceuticals and materials science, where harmful organic solvents are often necessary. 

• Air pollution clouds the mind and makes everyday tasks challenging

  Feb 19, 2025 4:15 pm

  Source: University of Birmingham, 2/6/25

  People's ability to interpret emotions or focus on performing a task is reduced by short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution, potentially making everyday activities, such as the weekly supermarket shop, more challenging.

• Micro-nano plastics make other pollutants more dangerous to plants and intestinal cells

  Feb 18, 2025 12:15 pm

  Source: Rutgers University, 2/11/25

  Micro- and nanoscale plastic particles in soil and water can significantly increase how much toxic chemicals plants and human intestinal cells absorb, according to two new studies from Rutgers Health that raise fresh concerns about food safety from plastic pollution.

• New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals

  Feb 7, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: University of Michigan, 1/20/25
  
  Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking water. A study describing the new technology has been published in Nature Water by engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University.

• New standard will provide road map for PFAS assessment for consumer products

  Feb 5, 2025 9:15 am

  Source: ASTM International, 1/7/25

  A new ASTM International standard will provide users with a road map for planning and executing assessments of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products and articles. The new standard, which will soon be published as F3700, was developed by ASTM’s consumer products committee (F15). PFAS are a group of chemicals resistant to heat, grease, oil, and water. PFAS are used in many consumer products and do not break down in the environment. Some PFAS have been linked to serious health effects in living things.

• Bacteria found to eat forever chemicals — and even some of their toxic byproducts

  Feb 3, 2025 12:45 pm

  Source: University of Buffalo, 1/23/25

  Most remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) involves adsorbing and trapping them, but certain microbes can actually break apart the strong chemical bonds that allow these chemicals to persist for so long in the environment. Now, a University at Buffalo-led team has identified a strain of bacteria that can break down and transform at least three types of PFAS, and, perhaps even more crucially, some of the toxic byproducts of the bond-breaking process.

• Campus microgrids with small modular reactors reduce carbon emissions

  Jan 16, 2025 4:00 pm

  Source: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity, 1/13/25

  The Office of Electricity’s (OE’s) Microgrid Program recently concluded a scoping study of the campus microgrid at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a focus on integrating a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) into the generation mix. SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit (about one-third the size of traditional nuclear power reactors). The nuclear power industry is rapidly innovating to meet the energy demands of a decarbonizing world.  Advanced technologies, such as SMRs, can be deployed as electricity producers on the grid or in tightly integrated energy systems, such as campus microgrids, to provide reliable, dispatchable carbon-free power.