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.....»»
Asteroid mining: A potential trillion-dollar industry
Earth's newest celestial neighbor has finally arrived. Astronomers using a powerful telescope in Sutherland, South Africa, first detected the 33-foot-long asteroid in August, reporting their discovery in Research Notes of the American Astronomical So.....»»
Researchers find Norway"s waste policy falls short of goals
Norway's waste policy falls short of its goals because of inaccurate measurement methods, unreliable data and a lack of transparency about where Norwegian waste ends up, researchers say......»»
Low-temperature synthesis technique uses upcycled textile waste to create green, safe waterproof coating
A new technique could create waterproof coatings for clothes from discarded textiles—far safer for humans and the environment than current coatings, which are typically made with harsh chemicals and carcinogens......»»
The transition to a circular bioeconomy requires getting prices right, study says
Conventional food and agricultural production systems employ a linear "take, make, waste" approach: taking natural resources from the Earth to make food and fuel, generating waste that contaminates the soil and water, and emitting harmful pollutants......»»
Turkey"s plan to recycle more has made life hard for its informal waste pickers
Turkey's 500,000 or so informal waste pickers carry out around 80% of the recycling in the country. These workers, who are also known as çekçekçi, are essential for separating out waste in a country where this is rarely done at source......»»
Fisker"s abandoned HQ left in disarray with hazardous waste, clay models, landlord says
The bankrupt automaker's landlord says it faces "tens of thousands of dollars" in cleanup costs and damage repair......»»
How accessible is titanium on the moon?
Mining the moon to extract its resources is a critical step on humanity's path into the solar system. One of the most common resources on the moon is considered relatively valuable here on Earth—titanium......»»
Residual impurities affect the stability of hydrogen atoms in irradiated gibbsite: Study
During Cold War-era plutonium production at what is now the Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington State, aluminum was used extensively as fuel cladding material. The waste products generated by fuel processing are currently stored in unde.....»»
Meet the microbes that transform toxic carbon monoxide into valuable biofuel
Microbes are hungry, all the time. They live everywhere, in enormous numbers. We might not see them with the naked eye, but they are in soils, lakes, oceans, hydrothermal vents, our homes, and even in and on our own bodies. And they don't just hang o.....»»
2-billion-year-old rock could help understand very early life on Earth and the hunt for evidence of life on Mars
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in a 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is the oldest example of living.....»»
More consumption, more demand for resources, more waste: Why urban mining"s time has come
Pollution and waste, climate change and biodiversity loss are creating a triple planetary crisis. In response, UN Environment Program executive director Inger Andersen has called for waste to be redefined as a valuable resource instead of a problem......»»
Wastewater bacteria can break down plastic for food, yielding new possibilities for cleaning up plastic waste
Researchers have long observed that a common family of environmental bacteria, Comamonadacae, grow on plastics littered throughout urban rivers and wastewater systems. But exactly what these Comamonas bacteria are doing has remained a mystery......»»
Decades-long research reveals new understanding of how climate change may impact caches of Arctic soil carbon
Utilizing one of the longest-running ecosystem experiments in the Arctic, a Colorado State University-led team of researchers has developed a better understanding of the interplay among plants, microbes and soil nutrients—findings that offer new in.....»»
Bacteria-derived enzyme shows potential for polyethylene biodegradation
Every year, 400 million tons of plastic products are produced worldwide, half of which are single-use items discarded within a year. In particular, non-biodegradable plastic waste, which takes over 500 years to decompose naturally, is mostly treated.....»»
Scientists Figured Out How to Recycle Plastic by Vaporizing It
A new technique could prevent tons of waste in the future—if it can scale......»»
The biodiversity jukebox: How sound can boost beneficial soil microbes to heal nature
In a race against time, scientists are exploring new ways to restore natural systems. Alongside traditional methods such as planting trees, reducing pollution and reintroducing native species, a surprising new tool is emerging: sound. Ecologists can.....»»
Poor countries recycle far more imported plastic than previously thought—but it"s not enough
Countries like Malaysia import many metric tons of plastic waste from Europe each year, paying a few pennies per kilo. This might seem strange, but according to Kai Li, it makes sense......»»
Q&A: Using a new approach to shine a light on hidden plant microbes
Despite there being more microbes on Earth than stars in our galaxy, only a tiny fraction have been discovered. An approach called metagenomics—a type of DNA sequencing—may help scientists learn more about these elusive organisms, according to Pe.....»»
Madagascar"s mining rush has caused no more deforestation than farming, study finds
If tens of thousands of miners turned up in the middle of a protected rainforest to mine for sapphires, you might expect that to cause lots of deforestation and harm local wildlife......»»
Farm waste can filter microplastics in surface runoff, prevent pollution
Using treated plant waste as a filter reduced the presence of harmful microplastics in agricultural runoff by more than 92%, according to a new study authored by a University of Mississippi research team......»»