Using electrified spatiotemporal heating to depolymerize plastics
A team of engineers and materials scientists affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S., has developed a new way to depolymerize plastics using electrified spatiotemporal heating. In their paper, published in the journal Nature, the group desc.....»»
Study shows paper cups are just as toxic to aquatic midge larvae as plastic cups
Reports of plastics pollution contaminating all parts of the Earth and in all living things has accelerated a shift to alternative materials. The coffee latte you take with you from the kiosk on the corner now comes in paper cups, sometimes even with.....»»
5G home internet comparison: T-Mobile vs Verizon vs AT&T on price, speed, incentives
5G home internet competition in the US is heating up with T-Mobile and Verizon offering some big incentives to attract customers. And now AT&T has entered the market. Follow along for speed, pricing, and all the fine details for each provider in our.....»»
Could microplastics in soil introduce drug-resistant superbugs to the food supply?
Like every industry, modern farming relies heavily on plastics. Think plastic mulch lining vegetable beds, PVC pipes draining water from fields, polyethylene covering high tunnels, and plastic seed, fertilizer, and herbicide packaging, to name a few......»»
Line-scan Raman micro-spectroscopy provides rapid method for micro and nanoplastics detection
Microplastics—plastics particles smaller than 5 mm in size—have caused an environmental pollution issue that cannot be ignored by our society. Raman spectroscopy technology, with its non-contact, non-destructive and chemical-specific characterist.....»»
Plastic waste can be used as raw material for detergents, thanks to an improved catalytic method
We've managed to accumulate so much plastic trash that it's daunting to think about what could be done with the tons upon tons of nonbiodegradable waste. And as much as we are trying to scale back our dependence on single-use plastics, we continue to.....»»
Transforming flies into degradable plastics
Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later—with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than you might expect. Researchers describe their progress to date, including i.....»»
India was a tree planting laboratory for 200 years. Here are the results
Allowing forests to regenerate on their own has been championed as a strategy for reducing planet-heating carbon in the atmosphere while also boosting biodiversity, the benefits ecosystems offer and even the fruitfulness of livelihoods......»»
Recycling study demonstrates new possibilities for a circular plastics economy powered by renewable energy
Despite efforts across the globe to move toward a circular plastics economy, more than three quarters of the 400 metric tons of plastic produced worldwide each year still ends up as waste......»»
New recycling process could find markets for "junk" plastic waste
Although many Americans deposit their plastic trash into the appropriate bins each week, many of those materials, including flexible films, multilayer materials and a lot of colored plastics, are not recyclable using conventional mechanical recycling.....»»
Best Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals: Save $300 on multiple models
Laptop deals are heating up right now, and we've rounded up the best deals taking place if you're in the market for a new Microsoft Surface......»»
Researchers develop method for upcycling plastic waste into soap
A team led by Virginia Tech researchers has developed a new method for upcycling plastics into high-value chemicals known as surfactants, which are used to create soap, detergent, and more. The work was published in Science......»»
Breakthrough polymer research promises to revolutionize recycling
A team of researchers led by Brent Sumerlin, the George B. Butler Professor in the University of Florida Department of Chemistry, has made a breakthrough with the potential to transform how we recycle plastics. Their innovative approach to working wi.....»»
Putting starch into bio-based polymer makes bioplastics more compostable
Researchers from Michigan State University's top-ranked School of Packaging have developed a way to make a promising, sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics more biodegradable......»»
This Quantum Fluid Freezes When Heated
Physicists finally understand why heating a supercold quantum fluid freezes it into a solid.....»»
Exploring an eco-friendly enzyme to create key chemical building blocks
Using energy from light to activate natural enzymes can help scientists create new-to-nature enzymatic reactions that support eco-friendly biomanufacturing—the production of fuels, plastics, and valuable chemicals from plants or other biological sy.....»»
Development of atactic C-C main chain polymer with a high melting point
Polymers with carbon–carbon (C-C) bonds (C-C polymers) in the main chain skeleton such as polyethylene and polypropylene are important industrial materials and are utilized as common plastics......»»
Making renewable, infinitely recyclable plastics using bacteria
Plastic waste is a problem. Most plastics can't be recycled, and many use finite, polluting petrochemicals as the basic ingredients. But that's changing. In a study published in Nature Sustainability, researchers successfully engineered microbes to m.....»»
Scientists observe driver of chemical reaction in plastics industry for first time
Now, here is a strange thing. One of the most important drivers of perhaps the largest industrial chemical reaction has never been observed in over 100 years of study......»»
New method of recycling colored plastics offers possible solution to "huge environmental challenge"
A new method for recycling colored plastics has been developed by scientists at Cardiff University......»»
New study sheds light on awareness and preferences for bioplastics in Japan
Non-biodegradable plastics are major contributors to land and marine pollution, destroying habitats and causing harm to both flora and fauna. Hence, the switch to bioplastics is imperative to ensure sustainability. The success of environmental initia.....»»