blog posts

• New water microcleaners self-disperse, capture microplastics and float up for removal

  May 7, 2025 9:45 am

  Source: North Carolina State University, 3/26/25

  In a new paper, researchers at North Carolina State University show proof of concept for a system that, in a single cycle, actively removes microplastics from water. The findings, described in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, hold the potential for advances in cleansing oceans and other bodies of water of tiny plastics that may harm human health and the environment.

• USGS research on 6PPD-quinone: Where the rubber meets the road

  May 7, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: U.S. Geological Survey, 2/28/25

  Stormwater and road runoff are recognized forms of pollution that can contain chemicals harmful to fish and other aquatic animals. This includes 6PPD-quinone, the oxidized form of the chemical compound 6PPD that is used to prevent tires from degrading and cracking, ensuring driver safety. As 6PPD-quinone sheds from tires during normal wear it can enter streams in stormwater runoff. This page provides an overview of current research and future directions by the USGS Environmental Health Program.

• FAU joins first global effort to map microplastics in ocean systems

  May 1, 2025 5:45 pm

  Source: Florida Atlantic University, 4/30/25

  For the first time, scientists have mapped microplastic distribution from the surface to the deep sea at a global scale – revealing not only where plastics accumulate, but how they infiltrate critical ocean systems. For the study, researchers synthesized depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to map microplastic distribution patterns by size and polymer type, while also evaluating potential transport mechanisms.              

  Results, published in Nature, reveal that microplastics are not just surface pollutants – they’re deeply embedded in the ocean’s structure. Ranging from a few to thousands of particles per cubic meter, their size determines how they move: smaller microplastics (1 to 100 micrometers) spread more evenly and penetrate deeper, while larger ones (100 to 5,000 micrometers) concentrate near the surface, especially within the top 100 meters of gyres. Gyres act like massive, slow-moving whirlpools that trap and concentrate floating debris – especially plastic.  

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

  May 1, 2025 5:00 pm

  Source: Trellis, 4/30/25

  Years of persistence and experimentation led to a biodegradable coffee pod that improves brewing performance. Inspired by baristas tamping down grounds for espresso, the Keurig team sought to compact the coffee tightly enough to maintain its patty shape without a container. Along the way, the new format also yielded a stronger brew. However, the team realized those naked coffee pods would not survive distribution. They tried beeswax before landing on an algae-based coating that kept the pods intact. Their prototyping advanced in 2021 in the company lab with a small pilot line of coffee pods. The team used a hand crank to encapsulate roasted and ground coffee in a layer of alginate. This coating was found to tolerate pressure levels up to approximately 200 pounds per square inch, meaning the pods could be used to brew espresso. Today, about 200 consumers are beta-testing the pods, called K-Rounds, in their homes, providing daily data that helps with product refinement.

• Heart disease deaths worldwide linked to chemical widely used in plastics

  Apr 30, 2025 4:45 pm

  Source: NYU Langone Health, 4/29/25

  Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to the more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease that occurred in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the current study focused on a kind of phthalate called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make food containers, medical equipment, and other plastic items softer and more flexible. A report on the findings was published online April 29 in the journal Lancet eBioMedicine.

• Microplastics: What’s Trapping the Emerging Threat in Our Streams?

  Apr 28, 2025 3:30 pm

  Source: University of Arkansas, 4/21/25

  Microplastics, tiny plastic particles found in everyday products from face wash to toothpaste, are an emerging threat to health and ecology, prompting a research team to identify what keeps them trapped in stream ecosystems. The research team’s study, “Transport and retention of microplastic fibers in streams are impacted by benthic algae, discharge, and substrate,” was published in Limnology and Oceanography in February.

• Micronanoplastics found in artery-clogging plaque in the neck

  Apr 28, 2025 1:00 pm

  Source: American Heart Association, 4/22/25

  A small study found that fatty buildup in the blood vessels of the neck (carotid arteries) may contain 50 times or more micronanoplastics -- minuscule bits of plastic -- compared to arteries free of plaque buildup.

  Note: The study featured in this news release is a research abstract. Abstracts presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published as full manuscripts in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

• Rice scientists pioneer method to tackle ‘forever chemicals’

  Apr 22, 2025 4:30 pm

  Source: Rice University, 3/21/25

  Rice University researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.” A study led by James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate student  Phelecia Scotland unveils a method that not only eliminates PFAS from water systems but also transforms waste into high-value graphene, offering a cost-effective and sustainable approach to environmental remediation. This research was published March 31  in Nature Water. 

• Researchers recycle wind turbine blade materials to make improved plastics

  Apr 17, 2025 3:30 pm

  Source: Washington State University, 4/3/25

  A new method to recycle wind turbine blades without using harsh chemicals resulted in the recovery of high-strength glass fibers and resins that allowed researchers to re-purpose the materials to create stronger plastics. The innovation provides a simple and environmentally friendly way to recycle wind turbine blades to create useful products. 

• Waste not, want not: turning food waste into fertile soil for sustainable growth

  Apr 17, 2025 3:30 pm

  Source: Horizon Magazine, 12/3/24

  EU-funded researchers are turning food processing waste into a valuable resource, transforming discarded biomaterials into natural fertilizers.
  

• Carbon capture technology to produce clean fuel from air

  Apr 17, 2025 3:30 pm

  Source: University of Surrey, 4/3/25

  A unique carbon capture technology could offer a more cost-effective way to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and turn it into clean, synthetic fuel.
  

• Poor air quality increases depression risk

  Apr 17, 2025 3:30 pm

  Source: The Hill, 4/5/25

  A new study indicates that long-term exposure to air pollutants could directly correlate to an increased risk for depression. The study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology and conducted by Harbin Medical University and Cranfield University examined the link to depressive symptoms in a Chinese adult population and six common air pollutants over 7 years.

• Artificial reefs can mitigate coastal erosion in the Great Lakes. Will cities agree to adopt them?

  Apr 17, 2025 3:15 pm

  Source: Inside Climate News, 4/5/25

  Some researchers are proposing a naturally sourced solution to the issue of coastal erosion, which they say will keep sediment moving and cost less.

• New method for detecting nanoplastics in body fluids

  Apr 16, 2025 5:45 pm

  Graz University of Technology, 4/14/25

  Microplastics and the much smaller nanoplastics enter the human body in various ways, for example through food or the air we breathe. A large proportion is excreted, but a certain amount remains in organs, blood and other body fluids. In the FFG bridge project Nano-VISION, which was launched two years ago together with the start-up BRAVE Analytics, a team led by Harald Fitzek from the Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and an ophthalmologist from Graz addressed the question of whether nanoplastics also play a role in ophthalmology. The project partners have now been able to develop a method for detecting and quantifying nanoplastics in transparent body fluids and determining their chemical composition. As an exemplary application of the method, the research team is investigating whether intraocular lenses release nanoplastics. There have been no such studies to date, and initial results have already been submitted to a scientific journal. 

• We know nanoplastics are a threat -- this new tool can help us figure out just how bad they are

  Apr 14, 2025 5:45 pm

  Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst, 4/1/25

  While the threat that microplastics pose to human and ecological health has been richly documented and is well known, nanoplastics, which are smaller than one micrometer (1/50th the thickness of an average human hair), are far more reactive, far more mobile and vastly more capable of crossing biological membranes. Yet, because they are so tiny and so mobile, researchers don't yet have an accurate understanding of just how toxic these particles are. The first step to understanding the toxicology of nanoplastics is to build a reliable, efficient and flexible tool that can not only quantify their concentration in a given sample, but also analyze which specific plastics that sample contains.

  An international team of scientists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced in Nature Water the development of a new tool, known as the OM-SERS setup, which can do all of these things and can furthermore be used to detect particular nanoplastic concentrations and polymer types in solid samples, such as soils, body tissues and plants.

• Study finds using everyday products during pregnancy can affect newborn’s metabolism, brain development

  Apr 14, 2025 5:30 pm

  Source: Emory University, 4/2/25

  A newly published study by researchers from Emory University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Columbia University found that a mother’s exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can affect their newborn’s metabolism and brain development. Phthalates are a group of widely used plasticizers commonly found in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products, such as shampoos, soaps and detergents, as well as plastic food and beverage containers. Previous research showed phthalates can affect hormones and suggested they may be linked to health effects in mothers and babies.

• Federal researchers find new ways to recycle minerals from electronics

  Apr 4, 2025 4:30 pm

  Forbes, 3/30/25

  Federal researchers are making gains in experiments to ease the process of harvesting recyclable materials in electronic waste from discarded cellphones and computers. 

  Two new methods developed by Richland, Wash.-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists may hold the keys for how to better salvage critical minerals in e-waste. Traditional methods are time consuming, require a great deal of energy and involve handling hazardous chemicals. 

  Scientists at Illinois-based Argonne National Laboratory spearheaded a project to make and recycle luminescent polymers in semiconductor materials that light up such electronics as computer screens and car dashboard navigation displays.

• New Evidence Links Microplastics with Chronic Disease

  Apr 4, 2025 11:30 am

  Source: American College of Cardiology, 3/25/25

  Tiny fragments of plastic have become ubiquitous in our environment and our bodies. Higher exposure to these microplastics, which can be inadvertently consumed or inhaled, is associated with a heightened prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases, according to new research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).

• Chewing gum can shed microplastics into saliva, pilot study finds

  Mar 31, 2025 2:45 pm

  Source: American Chemical Society, 3/25/25

  Plastic is everywhere. And many products we use in everyday life, such as cutting boards, clothes and cleaning sponges, can expose people to tiny, micrometer-wide plastic particles called microplastics. Now, chewing gum could be added to the list. In a pilot study, researchers found that chewing gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece into saliva and potentially be ingested.

• New water microcleaners self-disperse, capture microplastics and float up for removal

  Mar 31, 2025 8:30 am

  Source: North Carolina State University, 3/26/25

  In a new paper, researchers at North Carolina State University show proof of concept for a system that, in a single cycle, actively removes microplastics from water. The findings, described in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, hold the potential for advances in cleansing oceans and other bodies of water of tiny plastics that may harm human health and the environment.

• From high school science project to $18.3M: AI-accelerated enzymes are coming for fast fashion’s plastic waste

  Mar 25, 2025 2:00 pm

  Source: TechCrunch, 3/5/25

  A U.K. startup, originating from founder Jacob Nathan’s high school science project on using enzymes to break down plastic waste, has secured an oversubscribed $18.3 million in Series A funding.

• Chicago considers new approaches for PFAS management

  Mar 24, 2025 4:15 pm

  Source: Inside Climate News, 3/15/25

  Controlling the source of the so-called forever chemicals can make the clean-up process more sustainable, according to a new member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

• Do-it-yourself box filter clears the air of indoor pollutants

  Mar 24, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: American Chemical Society, 3/24/25

  When wildfires threaten communities, human health can be impacted as smoke distributes on the breeze, infiltrating various structures. To help people protect themselves and their families, researchers have developed a low-cost, durable, do-it-yourself air filtration system that works as well as more expensive HEPA filters to clear indoor air pollutants such as smoke -- or possibly limit the impact of airborne disease spread. 

• How 2 startups are turning imperfect clothes into a business opportunity

  Mar 21, 2025 3:00 pm

  Source: Trellis, 3/21/25

  Alternew and Revive are partnering with fashion brands to profit from repairs and alterations while keeping clothes out of closets, warehouses and landfills.

• Plastic recycling gets a breath of fresh air

  Mar 17, 2025 5:00 pm

  Source: Northwestern University, 3/11/25

  Harnessing moisture from air, Northwestern University chemists have developed a simple new method for breaking down plastic waste. The non-toxic, environmentally friendly, solvent-free process first uses an inexpensive catalyst to break apart the bonds in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in the polyester family. Then, the researchers merely expose the broken pieces to ambient air. Leveraging the trace amounts of moisture in air, the broken-down PET is converted into monomers — the crucial building blocks for plastics. From there, the researchers envision the monomers could be recycled into new PET products or other, more valuable materials. Safer, cleaner, cheaper and more sustainable than current plastic recycling methods, the new technique, published in the journal Green Chemistry, offers a promising path toward creating a circular economy for plastics.

• This sponge soaks up pollutants but saves valuable minerals

  Mar 17, 2025 4:45 pm

  Source: Northwestern University, 2/5/25

  Northwestern researchers have developed a specialized sponge that slurps up pollutants, offering a reusable and cost-effective solution to water contamination. As more waterways contend with algae blooms and pollution caused by minerals from agricultural runoff and industrial manufacturing processes, new methods to remove pollutants like phosphate, copper and zinc are emerging across fields. While solutions exist, they tend to be costly and can be used just once. The sponge, coated with nanoparticles that have an affinity for pollutants, can collect metals like zinc and copper, as well as phosphate, and in previous iterations has successfully pulled lead from water, and microplastics and oil from lakes and oceans. It then releases these valuable resources when it is exposed to different pHs. 

  See https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsestwater.4c01234 for the study describing this research.

• Microplastics could be fueling antibiotic resistance, BU study finds

  Mar 14, 2025 5:15 pm

  Source: Boston University, 3/11/25

  In a startling discovery, a team of Boston University researchers found that bacteria exposed to microplastics became resistant to multiple types of antibiotics commonly used to treat infections. They say this is especially concerning for people in high-density, impoverished areas like refugee settlements, where discarded plastic piles up and bacterial infections spread easily. The study is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

• Medical infusion bags can release microplastics, study shows

  Mar 14, 2025 4:00 pm

  Source: American Chemical Society, 3/11/25

  Microplastics have been found almost everywhere that scientists have looked for them. Now, according to research published in the ACS partner journal Environment & Health, these bits of plastic — from 1 to 62 micrometers long — are present in the filtered solutions used for medical intravenous (IV) infusions. The researchers estimate that thousands of plastic particles could be delivered directly to a person’s bloodstream from a single 8.4-ounce (250-milliliter) bag of infusion fluid.

• A novel approach to PFAS removal and awareness efforts

  Mar 12, 2025 9:00 am

  Source; Universities of Wisconsin, 3/12/25

  When it comes to PFAS research and education, Seyed Javad Amirfakhri is professionally and personally invested. Amirfakhri is an Assistant Professor of Paper science and Chemical Engineering at UW-Stevens Point who is conducting innovative PFAS removal research. He also has five children and wants to make sure drinking water is safe for them and others.

• 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.

• What’s that microplastic? Advances in machine learning are making identifying plastics in the environment more reliable

  Mar 6, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: The Conversation, 3/6/25

  Ambuj Tewari, a machine learning researcher at the University of Michigan, collaborated with a team of scientists to develop a tool to more reliably identify microplastics using their unique chemical compositions.

• 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.

• Climate Connection: Libraries host climate cafés to help patrons process feelings about a changing world

  Mar 3, 2025 3:00 pm

  Source: American Libraries, 3/3/25

  The Kansas City Public Library and a local non-profit organization began facilitating virtual climate cafés to help communities express their anxieties about climate change and connect with like-minded individuals without the pressure to turn sessions into activism.

• 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.   

• Nature’s puzzle: cracking walnuts for a greener tomorrow

  Dec 24, 2024 4:00 pm

  Source: Horizon Magazine, 12/24/24

  EU-funded researchers are exploring how to make strong and sustainable new materials from hard-to-crack nutshells.        

• Game, Set, Mouse | Meet the beneficiaries of Wimbledon’s recycled tennis balls

  Aug 8, 2024 9:00 am

  Source: Great Big Story, 8/8/24

  Harvest mice are the smallest mammals in Britain. They are only about the size of your thumb, and live in tall grass across the countryside, usually in small nests. But with their habitat infringed upon, animal conservationists found an object that makes for a perfect harvest mouse home: the tennis ball.

• A Greener Way to Read: Summer reading program helps the community—and the earth

  Jun 3, 2024 4:00 pm

  Source: American Libraries, 6/3/24

  Summer reading program prizes are a fun way to spark children’s participation. But those prizes often consist of nonrecyclable plastic items that—once the fun has worn off—end up as trash. Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries recently chose a greener, more community-focused way to get kids excited about books during their summer break.