News
Toronto chemist saw her son jump on the couch, spurring her to uncover toxins in everyday items
1+ day, 3+ hour ago (399+ words) A routine moment at home became a scientific question for Miriam Diamond, an environmental chemist and professor of Earth sciences at the University of Toronto. Seeing her young son jump on the living room couch made her think about what…...
UK team turns plastic waste into hydrogen using sunlight, and it works outside the lab
1+ week, 6+ day ago (498+ words) The latest reactor measures about one square meter, a significant increase. Unlike many early-stage energy devices, this solar-powered reactor has already been tested outside the lab. In those trials, it converted discarded plastic into hydrogen fuel — a cleaner way of…...
Penn State turns plastic bottles into battery graphite that outperforms natural samples
2+ week, 1+ day ago (442+ words) If the approach can be scaled, an everyday waste stream might turn into something valuable. A used plastic bottle might have another life beyond the recycling bin. Researchers at Penn State say discarded plastic of that kind could eventually contribute…...
In Austria, scientists found a way to turn captured CO2 and water into climate-neutral methane
2+ week, 1+ day ago (368+ words) The surplus power could be stored by converting it into fuel instead of wasting it. Researchers in Austria report that methane can be produced through an unanticipated process that combines captured carbon dioxide and water, a result that could offer…...
Polish scientists compare five kombuchas, and the tea in each changes far more than flavor
3+ week, 1+ day ago (379+ words) "The most surprising aspect was the scale of changes occurring during fermentation." Kombucha can taste tangy, floral, earthy, or lightly fizzy, but the tea behind it may influence more than flavor alone. When researchers brewed kombucha under the same conditions…...
UK researchers scale up sunlight reactor that turns plastic waste into clean hydrogen
3+ week, 1+ day ago (410+ words) This type of technology could help cities and companies manage plastic waste while producing a useful fuel at the same time. A U.K. research team says it has scaled up a solar-driven system aimed at two stubborn problems at once. The…...
South Korean researchers turn wet coffee grounds into coal-like fuel in 90 seconds
3+ week, 1+ day ago (408+ words) The water trapped inside quickly becomes steam, building pressure within the particles. Despite coffee's popularity, the used grounds left after brewing are typically treated as waste. Now, researchers in South Korea say those waterlogged leftovers can be quickly converted into…...
New beads made from dairy and tofu waste pull CO2 from thin air
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (452+ words) "The materials we use for this process are non-toxic and are food-grade." Food industry leftovers may have found an unexpected second life. At ETH Zurich, scientists say byproducts from dairy and tofu production can be converted into porous beads that…...
Ozone-protecting substances are quietly raining a PFAS 'forever chemical' onto Earth
1+ mon, 4+ day ago (490+ words) "It is widespread, highly persistent, and levels are increasing." A chemical introduced into the atmosphere to help protect the ozone layer may have created a different environmental concern. Scientists have said some of the substitute gases have created "forever chemicals…...
New artificial photosynthesis system adapts to sunlight on its own, ditching batteries
1+ mon, 4+ day ago (291+ words) "This self-regulating behavior helps keep fuel production more stable throughout the day." Rather than depending on separate equipment to manage changes in sunlight, the device is built to respond to those shifts by itself. A major challenge for these artificial…...