Plastic is blowing in the wind
As the plastic in our oceans breaks up into smaller and smaller bits without breaking down chemically, the resulting microplastics are becoming a serious ecological problem. A new study at the Weizmann Institute of Science reveals a troubling aspect.....»»
Column: Toyota spent a bunch to build batteries. It could have spent more to make its own electricity
Toyota is spending $13.9 billion to build EV batteries in rural N.C. It should have spent more to add on-site solar, wind generation from the get-go......»»
Study shows how avocado pruning residues can be used produce more sustainable food packaging
Although plastic allows food to be packaged safely and hygienically, its extensive use constitutes a significant environmental challenge due to its limited recyclability and short shelf life. Thus, industry and the scientific community have been look.....»»
Non-photosynthetic vegetation helps improve accuracy of wind erosion impact assessment
The process of soil wind erosion is influenced by vegetation cover. From a functional point of view, vegetation can be divided into photosynthetic vegetation (PV) and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV). The NPV represents dormant and dead vegetation.....»»
Tiny pieces of plastic pose one of the biggest threats to Chicago River wildlife and water quality
Wendella engineer Miguel Chavez climbed down a ladder and over a small dock to pull up a trap floating in the Chicago River near the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The size of a standard garbage can, the trap is designed to collect trash and can hold up to.....»»
Analyst on Starlink’s rapid rise: “Nothing short of mind-blowing”
Starlink's estimated free cash flow this year is about $600 million. Enlarge / 60 Starlink satellites stacked for launch at SpaceX facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2019. (credit: SpaceX) According to the research.....»»
Turning trash into treasure: Exploring biotic and abiotic methods for PET plastic upcycling
A paper published in Eco-Environment & Health introduces innovative biotic and abiotic methods for recycling and upcycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The review delves into sustainable strategies that improve the processing and utility of PET.....»»
Apple’s plastic-free packaging means pack-in logo stickers are going away
Pack-in Apple stickers go back at least as far as 1977’s Apple II. Enlarge / Many different Apple stickers from many different products and eras. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) As a noted sticker enthusiast, I’m alway.....»»
Is Manor Lords on console?
Manor Lords is really blowing up on Steam right now, but if you're wondering whether you can play it on consoles, we've got some mixed news......»»
What are nanoplastics? An engineer explains concerns about particles too small to see
It's become common to read that microplastics—little bits of plastic, smaller than a pencil eraser—are turning up everywhere and in everything, including the ocean, farmland, food and human bodies. Now a new term is gaining attention: nanoplastic.....»»
A global plastic treaty will only work if it caps production, modeling shows
An international agreement to end plastic pollution is due to be sealed this year in Busan, South Korea. At the penultimate round of negotiations, held in Ottawa, Canada, Rwanda and Peru proposed a target to cut the weight of primary plastics produce.....»»
"Everywhere we looked, we found evidence": Microplastics expert on 20 years of pollution research
Thirty years ago, while counting barnacles, limpets and seaweeds along rocky shores, I started noticing a daily tide of litter, mostly plastic. As a marine biology Ph.D. student at Liverpool University, I kept removing it, but the next day, there'd b.....»»
New research investigates how climate change amplifies severity of combined wind-rain extremes over the UK and Ireland
Climate change will cause an increase in extreme winter storms combining strong winds and heavy rainfall over the UK and Ireland, new research has shown......»»
Cold sintering may rescue plastic, ceramics, battery components from landfills
Recycling does not necessarily prevent an item from eventually ending up in a landfill, according to Enrique Gomez, interim associate dean for equity and inclusion and professor of chemical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering. Instea.....»»
New process tackles pollution on dual fronts of plastic waste and fuel emissions
What if we could help the global plastic waste problem and the transportation industry with the same technology?.....»»
Kids study in overheated slum as Philippines shuts schools
Fourth-grader Ella Araza sat on a tiny plastic box in her Manila slum home, trying to finish her homework before the afternoon sun sent temperatures soaring to unbearable levels......»»
Storing energy with compressed air is about to have its moment of truth
Technology will be used to store wind and solar energy for use later. Enlarge / A rendering of Silver City Energy Centre, a compressed air energy storage plant to be built by Hydrostor in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia......»»
Researchers make a plastic that includes bacteria that can digest it
Bacterial spores strengthen the plastic, then revive to digest it in landfills. Enlarge (credit: Han Sol Kim) One reason plastic waste persists in the environment is because there's not much that can eat it. The chemical.....»»
Plastic pollution talks move closer to world-first pact
A fourth and penultimate round of UN-led negotiations to solve global plastic pollution wrapped up in Ottawa early on Tuesday with a world-first pact said to be within reach by year's end but without a cap on the production of polymers......»»
Details of hurricane Ian"s aftermath captured with new remote sensing method
Category 4 Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida's Lee County on Sept. 28 2022, battering the region with wind speeds of 155 miles per hour and storm surge up to 13 feet—the highest storm surge documented in Southwest Florida in the past 150 years.....»»
If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10%—and we"re set for a huge surge in production
In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon emissions budget......»»