In the future, small electronics could be powered by fallen leaves, shed fur, and other waste materials found in nature.
Bacteria in wastewater could be breaking plastics down for food
A common bacteria found growing on plastic in urban wastewater could provide new bioengineering solutions to clean up plastic waste.
Turning industrial waste into clean hydrogen fuel
New technique uses waste metal shavings to catalyze hydrogen production, turning nothing but trash and water into clean, renewable fuel.
Fluorine helps make PET plastic waste easier to recycle
Pre-activation of plastics with fluorine-containing molecules disrupts their stability, making them easier to break down and upcycle.
Cleaning up toxic dyes in wastewater with gold nanoparticles
Gold nanoparticle clusters boosted the efficiency of titanium dioxide in degrading a toxic dye called methyl orange.
Avocado tree waste used to make sustainable food packaging
A material derived from avocado pruning waste and bio-polyethylene combines high strength with biodegradability.
Tackling e-waste by making electronics compostable and recyclable
Researchers are tackling the growing problem of electronic waste by designing wearable electronics from sustainable and recyclable materials.
Algae-based microrobots clean up plastic waste
Swarms of iron-clad algae have been built to sweep through bodies of water to collect elusive bits of micro- and nanoplastics.
Solar wastewater treatment could bring clean water to remote places
This cost-effective solar evaporation device could supplant lengthy and expensive filtration systems normally used in wastewater treatment.
Turning plastic waste into low-cost hydrogen fuels
A flash heating technique breaks down plastic waste and converts it to pure hydrogen and graphene with significantly less emissions and at a low cost.