Feature Channels: Pollution

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Catalysts are key to turning carbon dioxide into useful fuel products such as hydrocarbons, but most catalysts for this process are either costly or require large amounts of energy. A team of researchers investigated a catalyst made of di-tungsten carbide.

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Chemistry graduate student Oliver Solares is working toward finding solutions for clean energy and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

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The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been selected to lead an Energy Earthshot Research Center, or EERC, focused on developing chemical processes that use sustainable methods instead of burning fossil fuels to radically reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions to stem climate change and limit the crisis of a rapidly warming planet.

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The DOE recently announced $19 million in funding for Argonne to lead the Center for Steel Electrification by Electrosynthesis. The center's aim is to develop a cost-effective process for steel making that would greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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ASU BIOS research unveils zooplankton's vital role in carbon sequestration, crucial for mitigating climate change and preserving ocean health.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists will lead and co-lead projects in support of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) new Energy Earthshot program.

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New research suggests that ultrasound may have potential in treating a group of harmful chemicals known as PFAS to eliminate them from contaminated groundwater.

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Using light instead of heat, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers found a way to release carbon dioxide from a solvent used in direct air capture to trap this greenhouse gas.

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Scientists have demonstrated “multielement ink” – the first “high-entropy” semiconductor that can be processed at low-temperature or room temperature. The new material could enable cost-effective and energy-efficient semiconductor manufacturing.

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Short-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, according to a meta-analysis published in the September 27, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Short-term exposure was defined as occurring within five days of the stroke.

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MSU has been awarded a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, to better understand the amount of pathogens, such as Legionella, and disinfection byproducts in drinking water distribution systems and to assess associated health risks.

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In two recent papers, Saint Louis University researchers report finding high concentrations of microplastics present in a Missouri cave system that had been closed to human visitors for 30 years.

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Scientist Xiaohan Yang’s research at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory focuses on transforming plants to make them better sources of renewable energy and carbon storage.

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Coatings made from a wood by-product can keep our glasses and windshields clear

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The 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused the release and deposition of radionuclides, resulting in an increase in air dose rates in the forests of Fukushima Prefecture.

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Significant quantities of microplastic particles are being trapped in riverbed sediments or carried through the air along major river systems, a new study has shown.

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A new study, modeling the potential of solar-powered vehicles in the urban context in 100 cities across the world, shows that solar energy provides a range between 11 and 29 km per day, reducing charging needs by half.

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What chemicals are we exposed to on a daily basis? That is the central question of ‘non-targeted analysis’ or NTA, an emerging field of analytical science that aims to identify all chemicals around us.

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A new Cornell University-led project aims to use carbon dioxide emissions and residue from aluminum recycling – a carbon-heavy process – to produce high value products.

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A groundbreaking study, published today in Science, has provided new insights into the extensive impact of metal mining contamination on rivers and floodplains across the world, with an estimated 23 million people believed to be affected by potentially dangerous concentrations of toxic waste.

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With coral reefs worldwide undergoing unprecedented stressors due to climate change and other human pressures, a large-scale application of innovative techniques shows promise for detecting the health condition of reefs.

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Almost 80% of plastic in the waste stream ends up in landfills or accumulates in the environment. Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have developed a technology that converts a conventionally unrecyclable mixture of plastic waste into useful chemicals, presenting a new strategy in the toolkit to combat global plastic waste.

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The bright lights of big cities could be causing an evolutionary adaptation for smaller eyes in some birds, a new study indicates.

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The world’s first study of the increase in pollution from landscape fires across the globe over the past two decades reveals that over 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially health-impacting environmental hazard annually – a figure that has increased by 6.8 per cent in the last ten years.

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If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) and the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) have signed an agreement to collaborate on advanced and clean-energy technologies, research opportunities and community partnerships that have the potential to shape the future of energy in the state and bring high-quality jobs to the region.

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Working with IIASA researchers, Ghana has adopted a citizen science approach to addressing the problem of plastic pollution in marine environments.

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Performance studies of recycled plastics with polypropylene yield strong findings, suggesting sustainable efficiencies for beverage bottles and food packaging.

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As smoke from Canada's historic wildfires triggers poor air quality alerts across the country, many parents worry about the impact on their child’s health, a new national poll suggests.

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A new discovery by PNNL researchers has illuminated a previously unknown key mechanism that could inform the development of new, more effective catalysts for abating NOx emissions from combustion-engines burning diesel or low carbon fuel.

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Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Northeastern University modeled how extreme conditions in a changing climate affect the land’s ability to absorb atmospheric carbon — a key process for mitigating human-caused emissions.

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A new study led by Cambridge University confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children’s exposure to traffic-related particle pollution.

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Aquatic insects can pass mercury in contaminated waterways along to the spiders that feed on them.

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Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to new research in Nature Communications journal.

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Artificial light at night has a profound effect land-based life--from birds to fireflies to humans. But a new study suggests we need to widen our view to include light pollution's effect on coastal marine ecosystems, impacting everything from whales to fish, coral to plankton.

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A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the scent.

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Researchers developed a new battery material called disordered rock salt (DRX) that could pave the way for replacing gasoline vehicles with electric vehicles at a faster rate. DRX cathodes could be ready to commercialize in just a few years.

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In the race to draw down greenhouse gas emissions around the world, scientists at MIT are looking to carbon-capture technologies to decarbonize the most stubborn industrial emitters.

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Researchers at Michigan State University have shown that table salt outperforms other expensive catalysts being explored for the chemical recycling of polyolefin polymers, which account for 60% of plastic waste.

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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers are among the 17 projects that have been awarded funding by NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program on behalf of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP).

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As the Earth’s human population grows, greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s food system are on track to expand. A new study demonstrates that state-of-the-art agricultural technology and management can not only reduce that growth but eliminate it altogether by generating net negative emissions – reducing more greenhouse gas than food systems add.

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Global, population-weighted PM2.5 exposure -- related to both pollution levels and population size -- increased from 1998 to a peak in 2011, then decreased steadily from 2011 to 2019, largely driven by exposure reduction in China and slower growth in other regions, new research shows.

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This paper summarizes the health effects of fossil fuel-driven air pollution and climate change on children and the consequent effect on human capital stemming from these early health damages.

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Rubber seals inside some plumbing devices contain additives that contribute to their flexibility and durability, but these potentially harmful compounds can leak into drinking water, according to a small-scale study in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters.