Prairie Research Institute News

Waste plastic can improve sustainable aviation fuel, researchers find

Sep 16, 2024 8:00 am

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center scientists at the Prairie Research Institute have found that waste plastic can be used to improve sustainable aviation fuel.

Kevin OBrien, Stephanie Brownstein, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, Susan Martinis, and Jeff Stein stand outside Abbott Power Plant

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.

stream flanked by tree with orange and brown leaves

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.

Aerial view of fully installed submerged rubble ridges

Underwater innovation at Illinois Beach State Park to help mitigate coastal erosion

Feb 18, 2022 4:00 pm

This past summer, with funding from the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a US Army Corps of Engineers crane carefully placed over 10,000 tons of stone five hundred feet offshore of Illinois Beach State Park (ISBP) and Hosah Park, a Zion Park District property wedged between the north and south units of IBSP. These stones form three “rubble ridges” that are intended to work in concert to lessen storm waves and protect the eroding beach and unique terrestrial ecosystem in the dunes while preserving views and enhancing fish habitat.

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.

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.

Technology to absorb CO₂ at power plants is promising

Apr 22, 2022 9:00 am

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) researchers have given the thumbs up to an innovative biphasic solvent system for its efficiency and effectiveness in absorbing CO₂ from flue gas in a coal-fired power plant at the University of Illinois (U of I).

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.

Team uses forest waste to develop cheaper, greener supercapacitors

Oct 23, 2013 9:00 am

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.

Team determines how estrogens persist in dairy farm wastewater

Jun 5, 2012 9:00 am

Rendleman Orchards worker loads boxes onto a truck for delivery to a food bank (photo credit: Zach Samaras)

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.

carrots, corn, and other produce in plastic bins

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.

Hands hold up a jar and a petrie dish containing samples of microplastics recovered from Illinois wastewater treatment plants.

Study tracks PFAS, microplastics through landfills and wastewater treatment plants

Nov 19, 2024 10:15 am

Scientists analyzed the liquid waste, or leachate, released by four Illinois landfills and the inflows and outflows of associated wastewater treatment plants to determine the fate of two contaminants: microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The findings are reported in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Study tracks emerging contaminants from landfill to treatment plant to application

Feb 6, 2024 9:30 am

In a recent study published in an Illinois Sustainable Technology Center report, John Scott, analytical chemist at ISTC in the University of Illinois, studied the fate of microplastics and PFAS as they moved from landfill leachate, or water that filters though the mound of trash, to wastewater treatment plants and beyond.

Hongxu Zhou adjusts woodchip bioreactor equipment in the lab

Study combines woodchips and biochar to clean water of pharmaceuticals, nutrients

Oct 21, 2024 10:45 am

In a new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study, PRI and ACES researchers show how a simple system using woodchips and a bit of glorified sawdust can dramatically reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and multiple common drugs in wastewater.

Small food businesses in Chicago tackle food waste

Jan 4, 2024 3:00 pm

In an Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) pilot project, a few small food businesses in Chicago learned that there are other, feasible options for handling wasted food than throwing it away. Composting, for one, works well for businesses that have access to compost hauling services.

Sewage lagoons remove most - but not all - pharmaceuticals

Feb 14, 2013 9:00 am

A group of people stand outdoors, listening to a person in an orange shirt giving a presentation in front of a large poster on a wooden board, with green trees and blue sky in the background.

Scientists tackle farm nutrient pollution with sustainable, affordable designer biochar pellets

Nov 5, 2024 12:15 pm

What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money? In a first-of-its-kind field study, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers show it’s possible and economical.

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.

Scientists study how a diabetes drug affects soils

Aug 9, 2023 9:30 am

In a recent study, ISTC environmental chemist Wei Zheng and colleagues investigated the adsorption of sitagliptin in soils treated with sewage wastewater.

Safer sanitation in food and beverage manufacturing and processing

Nov 11, 2019 2:30 pm

glass of water against a teal background

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.

direct air capture technology from Carbon Capture

PRI to lead direct air capture FEED study at U. S. Steel’s Gary Works

Jun 22, 2022 10:00 am

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory has selected the Prairie Research Institute to lead a front-end engineering design study of a carbon dioxide direct air capture and utilization system. By using waste heat and energy from U. S. Steel’s Gary Works in Gary, Indiana, the project's energy and transportation costs can be minimized.

PRI tapped to lead feasibility studies for three regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs

Oct 5, 2023 8:00 am

This once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure will support efforts to build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves a zero-carbon energy system by 2035 and to put the United States on a path to strengthen energy prosperity and achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050.

PRI is specifically tasked with executing feasibility and pre-feasibility studies of potential DAC Hub locations, ownership structures, business models, CO2 storage/utilization option(s), and technology partner(s) outlined in the following stage 1 of potential multi-stage projects in Illlinois, Colorado, and Florida.

PRI selected to lead feasibility studies for three Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs

Aug 15, 2023 8:00 am

PRI was selected to lead an effort to promote promising technologies that can capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it underground at three different sites in Illinois, Colorado, and Florida. Read the full announcement from the Department of Energy (DOE) here.

a hand clad in a purple latex glove holds a small snake against a grassy backdrop

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

PRI joins prestigious Direct Air Capture Coalition

Aug 29, 2023 9:00 am

Following an unprecedented win of Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs earlier this month, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), part of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was invited to join the Direct Air Capture Coalition (DAC Coalition), in part, due to the commercial success of its point-source carbon capture and its decades of experience in permanently storing CO₂ underground at a commercial scale.

John Scott wears a white lab coat and stands in front of chemical analysis equipment

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.

People gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a construction site with large industrial structures and cranes in the background. The event appears to celebrate a significant milestone, with attendees dressed in business attire, smiling and holding ceremonial scissors

PRI announces operation phase of world's largest carbon capture pilot

Jul 1, 2024 2:45 pm

The Phase III pilot, retrofitting Dallman 4, is the largest of its kind globally. This $80 million initiative is designed to position Illinois as a leader in carbon capture technology.

Doug Brown, CWLP, Chief Engineer 2. State Senator Sally Turner 3. State Senator Doris Turner 4. Alderman Ralph Hanauer 5. President Timothy Killeen, U of I 6. Mayor Jim Langfelder of Springfield 7. Lynn Brickett, DOE HQ, Point Source Carbon Capture Director 8. Dr. Praveen Kumar, U of I, Prairie Research Institute, Executive Director 9. Todd Spengeman, BASF, Director of Standard Amines & Gas Treatment 10. Susan Martinis 11. Domonic Cianchetti, Linde (engineering for capture system), Senior Vice President 12. Dr. Kevin OBrien, Director Illinois Sustainable Technology Center & Illinois State Water Survey (Principal Investigator), U of I

Prairie Research Institute breaks ground for carbon capture pilot at CWLP

Dec 19, 2022 8:00 am

Officials from the University of Illinois, the City of Springfield, the State of Illinois, and the U.S. Department of Energy for a groundbreaking ceremony for a 10-megawatt carbon capture project at City, Water, Light, and Power’s (CWLP) in Springfield, Ill. The post-combustion carbon capture system is recognized as one of the world’s largest carbon capture pilots.

Brajendra Kumar Sharma, Dheeptha Murali, and Jennifer Deluher

Plastic shopping bags make a fine diesel fuel, researchers report

Sep 16, 2019 2:30 pm

‘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.

Nurturing a market for waste CO2

Jan 20, 2016 10:45 am

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.

Shampoo and personal products bottles on a shelf (top left), assorted pills (top right), farm field drainage ditch (bottom)

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.

Corn field bisected by water filled drainage ditch

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.

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.

New law fosters farmers’ fresh produce donations to Illinois food banks

Aug 16, 2023 8:45 am

With Governor JB Pritzker’s signature on House Bill 2879, the Farm to Food Bank Program has been established in Illinois. The program helps farmers donate their surplus produce to local food banks and assists more than 1 million Illinoisans facing food insecurity. An ongoing three-year Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) effort, which includes a feasibility study and pilot projects, has proven that the program can be successful in Illinois.

Microplastics on the move: research projects detect microplastics in water and on land

Mar 14, 2022 8:00 am

At the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), researcher John Scott is studying microplastics in landfills, rural streams, and city drinking water to further understand where they are coming from and how they move in the environment.

Maggie Oudsema and John Scott lower microplastic samples into Muskegon Lake

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.

Microplastic contamination found in common source of groundwater, researchers report

Jan 25, 2019 1:30 pm

Joy Scrogum recognized as P2 Ambassador by National Pollution Prevention Roundtable

Sep 22, 2022 3:45 pm

The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) has recognized ISTC assistant sustainability scientist Joy Scrogum as the recipient of the 2022 Fred Granek Memorial P2 Ambassador Award.

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.

ISTC TAP offers free sustainability training for Illinois manufacturers

Mar 15, 2023 3:30 pm

ISTC TAP recently launched an innovative training program focused on increasing the competitiveness of Illinois manufacturers by reducing environmental impacts and costs. The project is funded by a grant from U.S. EPA.

ISTC seeks partner for USDA composting and food waste reduction project

Jul 5, 2022 1:30 pm

ISTC seeks an eligible organization to be the lead applicant on a collaborative proposal through the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production's Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) pilot program. ISTC's TAP staff will provide support on the cooperative agreement through zero waste technical assistance, education, and outreach. Contact TAP to learn more about this partnership opportunity.

ISTC scientists visit the UK to collaborate on emerging contaminant research

Feb 11, 2020 2:15 pm

ISTC scientists study PFAS in the food chain as part of EPA grant

Nov 22, 2024 10:00 am

Prairie Research Institute scientists are leading a cross-disciplinary team awarded a $1.6 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant to investigate crop plant uptake of forever chemicals and develop innovative techniques to reduce their entry into the food chain.

ISTC scientist John Scott featured in new video, "The Plastic Problem"

Oct 17, 2022 12:00 pm

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center's John Scott is featured in a new video, "The Plastic Problem," developed by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. The video is an excellent introduction to the plastic issue and is just a three-minute watch.

ISTC scientist is set to develop technology addressing water contaminated with PFAS

Feb 6, 2023 8:45 am

Man-made per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” withstand many treatment options and bioaccumulate in the environment, posing serious environmental and health concerns. With a three-year, nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (SERDP), Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) scientists are developing a new technology to remove and destroy PFAS from contaminated water using a designer biochar produced from woody biomass or agricultural residues such as corn stalks and cobs.

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