Prairie Research Institute

blog posts

• Team determines how estrogens persist in dairy farm wastewater

  Jun 5, 2012 9:00 am

• Sewage lagoons remove most - but not all - pharmaceuticals

  Feb 14, 2013 9:00 am

• Team uses forest waste to develop cheaper, greener supercapacitors

  Oct 23, 2013 9:00 am

• Biomedical breakthrough: Carbon nanoparticles you can make at home

  Jun 18, 2015 1:30 pm

• Nurturing a market for waste CO2

  Jan 20, 2016 10:45 am
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  Microplastic contamination found in common source of groundwater, researchers report

  Jan 25, 2019 1:30 pm
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  ISTC project informs California school’s food waste diversion pilot program

  Mar 15, 2019 1:30 pm
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  ISTC research included in new report on developing circular supply chains for plastics

  Apr 16, 2019 1:15 pm

  A report recently released by the Center for the Circular Economy, a project of Closed Loop Partners, surveys current landscape of research focused on converting waste plastics into safe and high-quality materials, as well as the scale of opportunity for these technologies to meet demand.

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  ISTC Technical Assistance Program helps Spraying Systems Co. communicate sustainability goals

  Apr 30, 2019 1:15 pm

  ISTC’s Technical Assistance Program led a project at Spraying Systems Co. to help them define and communicate their sustainability goals using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards.

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  Plastic shopping bags make a fine diesel fuel, researchers report

  Sep 16, 2019 2:30 pm
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  Safer sanitation in food and beverage manufacturing and processing

  Nov 11, 2019 2:30 pm
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  Microplastics may increase the risk of PFAS entering the Lake Michigan food web

  Jan 7, 2020 10:00 am

  ISTC researcher John Scott led a team of researchers to understand the extent to which PFAS and other contaminants attach to microplastics in waterways.

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  Institutional Water Treatment program now tests for bacterium causing Legionnaires’ disease

  Jan 27, 2020 9:00 am

  ISTC's Institutional Water Treatment (IWT) program now offers testing of water sources for Legionella, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease. 

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  ISTC develops greener biofuels process

  Jan 31, 2020 9:45 am

  Kirtika Kohli and BK Sharma have been busy in the lab creating a greener delignification method for biofuels refinery processes. Many see biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil fuels because they are renewable and can reduce carbon emissions through plant growth. However, biomass needs to be processed before it can be converted to biofuels.

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  ISTC delivers Contaminants of Emerging Concern Report to Illinois General Assembly

  Feb 11, 2020 2:00 pm
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  ISTC scientists visit the UK to collaborate on emerging contaminant research

  Feb 11, 2020 2:15 pm
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  Team is scaling up biochar system for Fulton County field test

  Feb 28, 2020 2:00 pm

  Illinois Sustainable Technology Center scientist Wei Zheng and colleagues are creating a designer carbon-based biochar that captures phosphorus from tile drain runoff water and recycles it in soils to improve crop growth.

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  Could Legionnaires' bacteria lurk in idled buildings?

  May 1, 2020 5:00 pm

  Many businesses are closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and some building managers have shut off water and air conditioning to conserve resources. Warmth and lack of clean water flow can contribute to the growth of potentially dangerous microbes, including the bacteria that contribute to Legionnaires’ disease. ISTC chemist and industrial water treatment specialist Jeremy Overmann spoke with the News Bureau's Diana Yates about the problem and potential solutions.

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  How to safely flush plumbing systems and re-open facilities after shut-down

  May 28, 2020 11:45 am

  The domestic plumbing systems in any building or part of a building that has been shut down or has experienced reduced use due to COVID-19 policies are at risk for causing disease and death due to the effects of increased water age, including corrosion and growth of bacteria. Before re-opening any such building, take steps to minimize these risks.

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  Carbon capture collaborations lead clean energy drive

  Jun 30, 2020 8:00 am

  The Prairie Research Institute — is leading a drive to implement CO2 removal strategies, an essential step to a clean-energy future. 

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  New project is set to find ways to manage emerging contaminants

  Aug 17, 2020 11:45 am

  Scientists at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) are tackling the issue of pharmaceutical contaminants from irrigation with rural sewage effluents in a newly funded project.

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  New project: biochar used to absorb excess nutrients from tile drainage

  Aug 18, 2020 11:30 am

  In a new $1 million three-year project, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) researchers will develop a bioreactor and biochar-sorption-channel treatment system to remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from title drainage water, thereby reducing nutrient loss from crop fields to local waterways.

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  Free assessment helps Caseyville Wastewater Treatment Plant save energy, money

  Oct 1, 2020 5:15 pm

  The Caseyville Township Water Reclamation Facility recently received a free facility assessment through Illinois EPA’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Assessment Program. The program is a partnership between Illinois EPA, ISTC, and the University of Illinois’ Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC).

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  EPA awards $400,000 to ISTC for assistance to Illinois manufacturers

  Oct 29, 2020 1:30 pm

  The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center as been awarded over $400,000 in EPA grants to assist manufacturers with greening their operations. 

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  ISGS combines innovation and expertise in carbon storage

  Nov 3, 2020 8:00 am

  For almost 20 years, PRI’s geologists and engineers have been developing methods for the safe capture, storage, and utilization of CO2 from power plants and industrial operations. This has been in response to federal and state laws requiring reductions in CO2 emissions, as this byproduct of power generation has a direct link to atmospheric greenhouse gasses and climate change. 

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  DOE awards $25 million to PRI for design of innovative power plant

  Nov 11, 2020 12:45 pm

  The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $25 million to a three-year project led by the Prairie Research Institute that will design a next-generation power plant in Springfield, Illinois. The innovative plant design combines multiple techniques to both reduce emissions and capture and re-use carbon dioxide.

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  New plan links north Chicago communities with walking and biking trail

  Jan 4, 2021 9:45 am

  A multi-institution team has released a plan to build a 109-mile walking and biking trail connecting five communities along the lakeshore in northern Illinois to promote safer, healthier, and friendlier neighborhoods and allow better access to Lake Michigan beaches and parks.

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  DOE funds new technologies in plastic recycling

  Jan 25, 2021 2:30 pm

  The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is part of a national team to develop artificial intelligence technologies to sort non-recyclable plastics so they can be reused for fuels. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the team $2.5 million to complete the three-year project.

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  Sustainable Technology Center collaborates to connect surplus food with hunger relief agencies

  Feb 2, 2021 7:00 am

  The University of Illinois, Feeding Illinois, the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, and the Illinois Farm Bureau are collaborating to collect and collate information on the locations, types, and quantities of “surplus” specialty crops in Illinois, including potential acquisition costs. Through a producer survey, a series of focus groups, and implementation of pilots across the state the team looks to uncover the optimal mix of incentives and program interventions to overcome the current barriers to efficient flows of fresh food produced in Illinois, to Illinois residents, with as little waste as possible.

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  ‘Plastics don’t ever go away’—ISTC scientist John Scott studies impact of microplastics

  Feb 16, 2021 3:45 pm

  Plastic products permeate our environment and over time they break down. The microscopic size of particles, how long they last, and what is associated with them raise health concerns. Although the health effects are still largely uncertain, recent research at the Illinois Sustainability Technology Center (ISTC) has provided some insight into what happens to plastics once they’re used and thrown away.

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  Farm to food bank survey extended to end of March

  Mar 12, 2021 8:00 am

  Farmers throughout Illinois are encouraged to complete a short online survey that will help identify the mix of incentives and program interventions to overcome the current barriers to efficient flows of fresh food produced in Illinois, to Illinois residents, with as little waste as possible. The survey closes March 30.

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  DOE-funded project to find beneficial uses for coal combustion wastes

  Mar 23, 2021 10:00 am

  Scientists at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) are beginning a $1 million, two-year project to find new and value-added uses for fly ash, a powdery remnant of burning coal. Confining the ash in vegetable oil will potentially reduce the amount of fly ash waste and lessen the risk of heavy metals from waste piles leaching into surface and groundwater. 

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  Three new DOE-funded PRI projects set to design energy storage systems for power plants

  May 7, 2021 10:15 am

  It is challenging to integrate renewable resources into the distribution grid of fossil-fueled power plants when energy is most needed. The results are often intermittent and unpredictable, which makes it difficult to match energy demand with supply.

  In three new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded projects, scientists in the Prairie Research Institute will design systems and explore the feasibility of combining the use of renewable and fossil energy sources to ensure both short and long-term reliability in electric power delivery.

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  DOE awards $47 million to PRI and collaborators for carbon capture project

  May 10, 2021 3:45 pm

  The team will build and operate a 10 MWe slipstream of the Linde/BASF post-combustion carbon capture technology at City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) in Springfield, Illinois. The successful construction and operation of this plant will provide a means to demonstrate an economically attractive and transformational capture technology. 

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  ISTC program marks big savings for Illinois wastewater treatment plants

  Jul 12, 2021 2:15 pm

  Illinois municipalities hoping to save money on energy costs for wastewater treatment turn to the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Technical Assistance Program (TAP) for advice. The Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Assistance Program started in 2018 with funding from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Partnering with the University of Illinois’ Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), the TAP team visits publicly owned wastewater treatment plants across the state and drafts no-cost assessments with specific recommendations on how to lower energy costs.

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  Understanding water’s role in decarbonization

  Jul 27, 2021 4:45 pm

  ISTC researchers needed to find adequate and reliable water sources to keep a carbon capture system running without compromising fragile aquatic ecosystems, local economies, and nearby communities’ water supply. Fortunately, ISTC knew the right expertise was close at hand in another unit within its parent Prairie Research Institute – The Water Survey’s Watershed Science team.

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  Teamwork and expertise drive success with major decarbonization projects

  Aug 10, 2021 10:30 am

  From 2018 to 2020, ISTC submitted over 200 proposals for technology R&D projects, winning more than 60 percent of those projects and bringing in more than $84 million in external funding. Major partners include the U.S.  Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state of Illinois.

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  Farmers show interest in Farm to Food Bank Program

  Sep 14, 2021 3:30 pm

  The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), Feeding Illinois, and other organizations are partnering to explore new, viable ways to connect farmers directly with food banks to increase the state’s food supply for the food insecure and reduce waste.

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  ISTC program looks ahead to renewable energy waste issues

  Oct 15, 2021 9:30 am

  As renewable energy is poised to replace fossil fuels long term in Illinois, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center is delving into a looming issue: what to do with solar modules, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries that are no longer used. Keeping these products out of landfills is the primary goal.

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  ISTC-led team to design large-scale system for direct air capture and storage of carbon dioxide in the U.S.

  Oct 20, 2021 8:00 am

  The U.S. Department of Energy has partnered with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center in a nearly $2.5 million project to develop preliminary designs and determine feasibility for the first commercial-scale direct air capture and storage system for carbon dioxide removal in the United States.

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  U.S. Department of Energy announces investment to further develop carbon capture technology via FEED study

  Nov 1, 2021 11:00 am

  The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE-NETL) selected the University of Illinois for $4 million in funding, in addition to cost share contributions by LafargeHolcim and Air Liquide, for research and development to support a front-end engineering design (FEED) study of a carbon capture retrofit at an industrial facility in Missouri. 

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  Illinois Farm to Food Bank Project connects specialty growers with food banks

  Dec 2, 2021 9:00 am

  This fall, the Illinois Farm to Food Bank program wrapped up its pilot project with Rendleman and Flamm Orchards in Union County. Nearly 375,000 pounds of peaches and nectarines were distributed to food banks throughout Illinois.

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  New project uses flue gas and wastewater to make algae

  Dec 6, 2021 3:30 pm

  A three-year, $2.5 million Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) engineering-scale project will be one of the first and largest to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) from a coal-fired power plant with nutrients from wastewater treatment plants to cultivate algae for animal feeds. 

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  U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm tours PRI carbon management projects

  Dec 10, 2021 8:30 am

  On Dec. 9, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm toured several U of I sustainable energy projects, including PRI’s carbon capture efforts at Abbott Power Plant. During the visit she also heard about PRI's extensive work in carbon sequestration.

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  Scientists study ways to reduce PPCPs transferred from soils to food plants

  Jan 18, 2022 9:45 am

  The debate continues: how much risk to human health is the transfer of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) through soils to food plants when biosolids, sewage effluents, and animal wastes are applied to fields? As scientists speculate and study the factors that affect risk, researchers at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) are finding innovative solutions to remove PPCPs before they contaminate the vegetables and fruits we consume.

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  TAP project helps Rendleman Orchard get surplus fruit to food banks

  Jan 21, 2022 10:45 am

  Through a grant from USDA, ISTC and Feeding Illinois partnered with Rendleman Orchards during the 2021 growing season to ensure no fruit went to waste. 

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  PRI offers applied science internships for summer 2022

  Jan 28, 2022 8:00 am

  PRI is offering hands-on summer internships that will enable undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in graduate study at Illinois to explore careers in applied science. There are opportunities in atmospheric science and climate; biology, ecology, and environmental science; geology; sustainable energy; and water supply and safety. To see all of the internship options and to apply, visit https://go.illinois.edu/PRI-interns

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  Protecting the environment and public health through hazardous waste research and education

  Feb 4, 2022 1:45 pm

  PRI applies the state's Hazardous Waste Research Fund (HWRF) to studies that benefit public health and support pollution prevention and the preservation of natural resource preservation. One current project is assessing the health risk of Legionella in private wells, while another is evaluating the amount of microplastics in landfill leachate.

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  PRI chemist John Scott answers PFAS questions

  Feb 10, 2022 12:00 pm

  Following action by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois is investigating the occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in community water supplies across the state, with an eye toward developing policies to reduce their use. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to increased risk of certain cancers and potential developmental problems in children. John Scott, a senior chemist with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, offers perspective on this issue. 

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  Divert and convert: Campus project takes plastic from waste stream for fuel production

  Feb 18, 2022 10:30 am

  A new Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) pilot project is gearing up to remove 200 pounds of non-recyclable plastics from campus trash daily and convert it to 140 pounds of crude oil to power university vehicles. The project will demonstrate its benefits to the environment and campus and present unique learning opportunities for students.