Recycling and Waste News

April 17, 2025

Top Headlines

Microbes in Brooklyn Superfund Site Teach Lessons on Fighting Industrial Pollution

Apr. 16, 2025 — Using advanced DNA sequence analysis, a research team has discovered that tiny organisms in Brooklyn's highly contaminated Gowanus Canal have developed a comprehensive collection of ...

Making Desalination More Eco-Friendly: New Membranes Could Help Eliminate Brine Waste

Apr. 15, 2025 — Desalination plants, a major and growing source of freshwater in dry regions, could produce less harmful waste using electricity and new ...

Corn Leads to Improved Performance in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Apr. 15, 2025 — Researchers have demonstrated a way to use corn protein to improve the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries, a finding that holds promise for expanding the use of the high-energy, lighter-weight batteries in electric vehicles, renewable energy ...

Global EV Adoption Fails to Cut CO2

Apr. 10, 2025 — The transition to electric vehicles won't reduce carbon emissions unless countries clean up their electricity ...

Latest Headlines

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Deep-Sea Mining Risks Leads Study to Urge Shift to Circular Solutions

Apr. 14, 2025 — Deep sea mining operations are expected to increase the negative impact on environmental indicators by up to 13 per cent, a change categorized as having 'great' significance, relative to the ...

Coral Reefs Exude Myriad Chemicals, Fueling Dynamic Microbial Recycling of Nutrients

Apr. 9, 2025 — New research revealed the remarkable chemical diversity of substances exuded by coral reefs and demonstrated that thousands of different chemicals ...

Bio-Oils for Greener Industrial Applications

Apr. 9, 2025 — New technology could enable more sustainable and cheaper production of bio-oils to replace petroleum-based products in electronic, construction and automotive applications. The technology, known as ...

Potable Water Happy Byproduct of Low-Cost Green Hydrogen Technology

Apr. 9, 2025 — Engineers have hit the trifecta of sustainability technology: A group has developed a low-cost method to produce carbon-free 'green' hydrogen via solar-powered electrolysis of seawater. A happy ...

Electrochemical Method Supports Nitrogen Circular Economy

Apr. 3, 2025 — Imagine a world where industrial waste isn't just reduced, it's turned into something useful. This kind of circular economy is already in the works for carbon. Now, researchers in energy, ...

Researchers Recycle Wind Turbine Blade Materials to Make Improved Plastics

Apr. 3, 2025 — A new method to recycle wind turbine blades without using harsh chemicals resulted in the recovery of high-strength glass fibers and resins that allowed researchers to re-purpose the materials to ...

Electrochemical Process Separates Valuable Industrial Chemicals from Animal Waste

Apr. 2, 2025 — A collaboration between chemical engineers and animal scientists has created a system for recovering valuable industrial chemicals from animal waste, ...

Surprising Number of Environmental Pollutants in Hedgehogs

Apr. 1, 2025 — Lead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers found when they collected dead hedgehogs to investigate ...

Study Shows Groundwater Gains in Arizona Yet Climate Risks Still Threaten Water Supply

Mar. 31, 2025 — A combination of water management practices has contributed to notable groundwater gains in Central Arizona despite the region dealing with long-term ...

Scientists Pioneer Method to Tackle 'Forever Chemicals'

Mar. 31, 2025 — Researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called 'forever chemicals.' A new ...

Multi-Virus Wastewater Surveillance Shows Promise at Smaller, Site-Specific Scales

Apr. 9, 2025 — In a new study, wastewater surveillance for multiple pathogens at five different sites identified local trends that were not captured in larger surveillance programs, and some sites used the data to ...

Biodegradable Fake Fingernails Make Manicures More Sustainable

Apr. 2, 2025 — A new kind of press-on nails come in all shapes and colors -- and when you're done with them, you can melt them down and reuse the materials to make your next ...

Human Urine, a Valuable Resource as Fertilizer for Sustainable Urban Agriculture, Study Concludes

Mar. 27, 2025 — The reuse of human urine would allow for the production of sustainable fertilizers for urban agriculture, with significant environmental benefits, a new study concludes. The research evaluates the ...

A Cleaner Future for Tires: Scientists Pioneer Chemical Process to Repurpose Rubber Waste

Mar. 26, 2025 — Every year, millions of tires end up in landfills, creating an environmental crisis with far-reaching consequences. In the United States alone, over 274 million tires were scrapped in 2021, with ...

Cleaning Microplastics

Mar. 26, 2025 — Proof-of-concept work uses unique, safe particles to remove microplastics in a single ...

Eco-Friendly, Nylon-Like Plastic Using Microorganisms

Mar. 25, 2025 — Using microorganisms, researchers have successfully developed a new bio-based plastic to replace conventional ...

Recycled Cements Drive Down Emissions Without Slacking on Strength

Mar. 20, 2025 — Engineers have developed an approach for recycling cement waste into a sustainable, low-carbon alternative that is comparable in performance to the industry ...

Quantum Light Source for Eco-Friendly Production of Biogas

Mar. 18, 2025 — Biomass can be converted into valuable gases. But in order to control this process, the amount of water vapor has to be measured. This is notoriously hard, because other components of the gas can ...

How Industrial Waste Gases Could Replace Fossil Fuels in Everyday Consumer Products

Mar. 13, 2025 — Industrial waste gases, long seen as a major contributor to climate change, could soon be captured and repurposed into everyday household products such as shampoo, detergent, and even ...

Scientists Develop Solar-Powered Method to Convert Sewage Sludge Into Green Hydrogen and Animal Feed

Mar. 12, 2025 — Scientists have developed an innovative solar-powered method to transform sewage sludge -- a by-product of wastewater treatment -- into green hydrogen for clean energy and single-cell protein for ...

Amino Acid Assists in Recycling Rechargeable Batteries

Mar. 11, 2025 — A new strategy for recycling spent lithium-ion batteries is based on a hydrometallurgical process in neutral solution. This allows for the extraction of lithium and other valuable metals in an ...

Plastic Recycling Gets a Breath of Fresh Air

Mar. 11, 2025 — Current methods to recycle plastics often use expensive catalysts, harsh conditions and produce toxic byproducts. New process converts PET plastic into monomer building blocks, which can be recycled ...

Highly Radioactive Nuclear Waste: How to Keep It from Oblivion

Mar. 6, 2025 — Sweden's radioactive nuclear waste will be stored in a sealed bedrock repository for 100,000 years. It will be hazardous for a very long time. So how can we ensure that humanity does not forget ...

Concrete Evidence: Japanese Buildings Absorb 14% of Cement Production's Carbon Footprint

Mar. 5, 2025 — Concrete structures in Japan capture and store about 14% of the CO2 emissions released during cement production, according to a new study. Their findings provide crucial insights for offsetting CO2 ...

Researchers Develop Enhanced Method for Wastewater Surveillance of Antibiotic Resistance

Mar. 3, 2025 — Antibiotic resistance is a global concern that threatens our ability to prevent and treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. To better monitor the emergence and spread of resistance, ...

Turning Waste Organic Compound Into Useful Pharmaceuticals and Energy Using a Technique Inspired by Photosynthesis

Feb. 27, 2025 — A team has shown that artificial photosynthesis is feasible using organic materials. Using the technique, they successfully synthesized useful organic compounds, including pharmaceutical materials, ...

Influencer Marketing Can Help Tourism Industry Mitigate Waste, Pollution

Feb. 26, 2025 — Social media influencers who are passionate about environmental causes can help the tourism industry inspire tourists to engage in pro-environmental behavior to help mitigate waste and pollution, ...

Environmental Impact of Unexploded Ordnance in the Baltic Sea

Feb. 26, 2025 — The south-western Baltic Sea has about 3,000 kilograms of dissolved toxic chemicals released from unexploded ordnance, according to a new study. The substances were detected in almost all water ...

Microbiologist Calls for Public Vigilance and Urgent Action on the Danger of Raw Sewage in UK Seas

Feb. 26, 2025 — A microbiologist has written an article on the dangers posed by raw sewage in the seas around the ...

Microplastics in Ocean Linked to Disabilities for Coastal Residents

Feb. 26, 2025 — Tiny bits of plastic found in the ocean may be tied to a higher risk of disability for people who live in coastal areas with high levels, according to a preliminary study. The study looked at ...