New Zealand to ban "forever chemicals" in make-up
New Zealand is set to become one of the first countries to ban harmful "forever chemicals" from cosmetic products, environment watchdogs said Wednesday......»»
Study show dry-cleaning fluid holds promise for sustainable organic synthesis
The widely used dry-cleaning and degreasing solvent perc can be converted to useful chemicals by a new, clean, safe, and inexpensive procedure. The Kobe University discovery using on-demand UV activation may open the path to upcycling perc and thus c.....»»
PFAS flow equally between Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, study finds
The frigid Arctic Ocean is far removed from the places most people live, but even so, "forever chemicals" reach this remote landscape. Now, research in Environmental Science & Technology Letters suggests that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS.....»»
Exploring developments and challenges in electrochemical nitrate reduction for ammonia synthesis
Ammonia is a necessary feedstock to produce nitrogen-based fertilizers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and polymers. To date, about 80% of global ammonia is used to produce nitrogen-based fertilizers which relates to 50% of global food production......»»
Targeted household cleaning can reduce toxic chemicals post-wildfire, research shows
After the last embers of a campfire dim, the musky smell of smoke remains. Whiffs of that distinct smokey smell may serve as a pleasant reminder of the evening prior, but in the wake of a wildfire, that smell comes with ongoing health risks......»»
Reusing plastic waste to kickstart radical chain reactions, improving process safety and efficiency
Single-use plastics are a major environmental concern, but now, rather than being disposed of as garbage, used plastic bags from the grocery store could be utilized to carry out a reaction that can detoxify hazardous chemicals......»»
Live Christmas trees affect indoor air chemistry, researchers find
Every holiday season, Americans buy nearly 30 million live Christmas trees. Many families enjoy not only having a live tree inside their homes but also smelling the fresh fragrance it creates. That smell comes from chemicals called volatile organic c.....»»
Mapping magma chambers under the Hunga volcano before and after the 2022 eruption
A small team of geologists, volcanologists and Earth scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, in the U.S., the GNS Science, Wairakei Research Center, in New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology, in New.....»»
Researchers: Planting pine or native forest for carbon capture isn"t the only choice—New Zealand can have best of both
New Zealand's per-capita contribution to carbon emissions is very high by international comparison. But so too is its potential to mitigate climate change by planting forests to quickly sequester large amounts of carbon......»»
Electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion advancing toward large-scale deployment
Global CO2 emissions continue to grow, reaching 36.1 Gt in 2022, stimulating the implementation of carbon taxes and impacting energy use. The electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to produce high value-added chemicals and liquid fuels contr.....»»
Toxic chemicals found in oil spills and wildfire smoke detected in killer whales
Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg's killer whales......»»
Rocket Lab launches a Japanese satellite from the space company"s complex in New Zealand
California-based Rocket Lab, which specializes in putting small satellites into orbit, launched a Japanese satellite on Friday from the space company's complex on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula......»»
The NZ aviation industry is making bold climate claims—and risking anti-greenwashing litigation
On the same day last week that Air New Zealand announced the purchase of its first fully electric aircraft, Christchurch Airport announced it had reached "a new standard for decarbonization". On the face of it, great news for reducing aviation emissi.....»»
A new bioimaging method for speeding up and simplifying chemicals identification in tissues
Scientists associated with the international software project MZmine, led by Dr. Robin Schmid and Dr. Tomáš Pluskal from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, have come up with a new piece of software.....»»
How to assess the carbon footprint of a war
We know that war is bad for the environment, with toxic chemicals left polluting the soil and water for decades after fighting ceases. Much less obvious are the carbon emissions from armed conflicts and their long-term impacts on the climate......»»
Model shows New Zealand should expect 15-meter tsunami every 580 years
A team of geographers, Earth scientists and environmental scientists affiliated with several institutions in New Zealand, working with that country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, has found that it is possible to model the num.....»»
Zapping manure with special electrode promises an efficient method to produce fertilizers, other chemicals
An interdisciplinary team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists has developed a new technique that could help farmers extract useful nutrients such as ammonia and potassium from livestock manure to efficiently make fertilizer and other.....»»
Polyethylene waste could be a thing of the past
An international team of experts undertaking fundamental research has developed a way of using polyethylene waste (PE) as a feedstock and converted it into valuable chemicals, via light-driven photocatalysis......»»
Environmental engineers suggest that anaerobic digestion could be used to clean cattle manure, produce fuel
Chemicals—from antibiotics used to keep livestock healthy to pesticides that shield crops from insects and other pests—play an important role in modern agriculture. However, many of these substances accumulate in cow manure used as fertilizer, wh.....»»
Sexual orientation and earnings appear to be linked, patterns differ for NZ men and women
New Zealand has made substantial progress on promoting LGBTQ+ rights over the past 20 years, including legalizing same-sex civil unions in 2004, legalizing same-sex marriage in 2013, and banning conversion practices in 2022......»»
"Forever chemicals" found in freshwater fish, yet most states don"t warn residents
Bill Eisenman has always fished. "Growing up, we ate whatever we caught—catfish, carp, freshwater drum," he said. "That was the only real source of fish in our diet as a family, and we ate a lot of it.".....»»