Using microbes to get more out of mining waste
Researchers have developed a new mining technique which uses microbes to recover metals and store carbon in the waste produced by mining. Adopting this technique of reusing mining waste, called tailings, could transform the mining industry and create.....»»
Sand mining in Vietnam"s Mekong Delta sinks homes, livelihoods
One summer morning, Le Thi Hong Mai's home collapsed into a river in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, where shoreline erosion caused by sand mining and hydropower dams threatens hundreds of thousands of people......»»
Researchers describe a more sustainable process to recycle biobased polycarbonates
A month ago, the European Union banned glitter. This action was part of an effort that aims to reduce the presence of microplastics in our environment by 30%. Waste plastics are a serious problem for our ecosystems, and the push for recycling plastic.....»»
From waste to wealth: Transforming biomass into humic acid with two-step hydrothermal process via hydrochar
Humic acid (HA) is a macromolecular organic substance that is widely used in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, chemical industry, building materials, medicine, environmental protection, and a number of other fields. However, the production of.....»»
Researchers predict climate change-driven reduction in beneficial plant microbes
Bacteria that benefit plants are thought to be a critical contributor to crops and other ecosystems, but climate change may reduce their numbers, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. They have published their findings in.....»»
Food waste study: 18 billion animals a year die, but never end up on our plate
Each year, a staggering 18 billion chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, and cows either die or are killed without making it onto someone's plate. Environmental scientists Juliane Klaura, Laura Scherer, and Gerard Breeman were the first to calculate.....»»
Putting an end to plastic separation anxiety
Bio-based plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) were invented to help solve the plastic waste crisis, but they often end up making waste management more challenging......»»
Q&A: Report explores the challenge of ending food waste and food insecurity in Australia
Australia produces more than enough food to feed our population. Yet a third of all the food we produce is currently ending up in the dump, and food insecurity is on the rise......»»
Listen to the seismic sounds as Iceland braces for likely volcanic eruption
"The activity is formidable, exciting, and scary." Enlarge / The Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland is mostly a barren waste of lava fields. (credit: Vincent van Zeijst/CC BY 3.0) Intensifying seismic activity these past fe.....»»
Asia Pacific"s waste disposal a burning question
As waste-to-energy incinerators—a mainstay of garbage disposal in economically advanced countries—find their way into the developing countries of the Asia Pacific, questions are being asked about their suitability for the region......»»
New report outlines microbial solutions to mediate methane emissions
The American Academy of Microbiology has released a new report, The Role of Microbes in Mediating Methane Emissions. The report highlights recommendations to further the scientific community's understanding of microbial processes of methane productio.....»»
Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers
Production of chemical fertilizers accounts for about 1.5% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. MIT chemists hope to help reduce that carbon footprint by replacing some chemical fertilizer with a more sustainable source—bacteria......»»
Engineering bacteria to biosynthesize intricate protein complexes
Protein cages found within microbes help its contents weather the harsh intracellular environment—an observation that has many bioengineering applications. Tokyo Tech researchers have recently developed an innovative bioengineering approach that us.....»»
What"s behind the toxic levels of mercury in tropical birds? Gold mining, study shows
The tropics are home to more than 75% of all species and are projected to support 50% of the world's human population by mid-century, but little is known about mercury pollution in these life-filled regions......»»
How waste from the mining industry has perpetuated apartheid-like policies in South Africa
While apartheid—South Africa's brutal racial segregation laws of the 20th century—officially came to an end in the early 1990s, its harmful effects persist today, says Stanford historian Gabrielle Hecht in her new book, "Residual Governance: How.....»»
A sweet solution: Turning winery waste into jelly
Researchers in Turkey have proposed a new sustainable solution for winery waste. In a new study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture they have demonstrated how one of the most significant by-products from the winemaking ind.....»»
Chemist unlocks plastic alternatives using proteins and clothing scraps
Every year, 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated worldwide. Between 19 and 23 million tons of that plastic waste makes its way into aquatic ecosystems, and the remaining goes into the ground. An additional 92 million tons of cloth waste is.....»»
Don’t waste your money. These are the best GPUs to buy on a budget
GPUs continue to get expensive, but the best budget GPUs still deliver excellent performance at a reasonable price......»»
Fly larvae: Costa Rica"s sustainable protein for animal feed
Raised in vertical farms and stuffed with fruit waste, fly larvae have been turned into animal feed, as a new Costa Rican venture in sustainability is demonstrating......»»
Adding oxygen to a lake to explore methane emissions
Lakes around the world emit methane to the atmosphere, accounting for up to 19% of total global emissions of this potent greenhouse gas. Most of the methane in lakes comes from microbes in the lake bed that consume dissolved organic matter for susten.....»»
Deep-sea pressure found to preserve food for microbes in the abyss
A new study from the Danish Center for Hadal Research reports on a series of experiments with exposing marine snow to increasing pressure—up to 1000 bar, which corresponds to the pressure at the bottom of some of the world's deep-sea trenches, 10 k.....»»