A Reusable Chip for Particulate Matter Sensing | Newswise
[ad_1] Newswise — Fine airborne particles are especially challenging to monitor because particle size affects both how long they remain suspended in air and how deeply they can penetrate into the respiratory system. PM2.5 is of particular concern because of its association with adverse health effects. Existing techniques, including beta-ray absorption, gravimetric methods, and light-scattering […]
Industrial Chemicals Delay Recovery of the Ozone Layer | Newswise
[ad_1] BYLINE: Manuel Martin Newswise — Although ozone-depleting chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) or certain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are no longer used in refrigerators and foams, they continue to serve as feedstocks in industrial processes for the production of modern refrigerants and plastics. Until now, these so-called feedstock chemicals have flown under the radar of […]
Recycling Plants’ Plastic-Cleaning Process May Pose Water Contamination Risks | Newswise
[ad_1] Newswise — AMES, Iowa – Potentially harmful chemicals can contaminate untreated water used in recycling plants to clean plastics before they’re processed into new products, according to a new study by an Iowa State University research group. Researchers from Iowa State’s Polymer and Food Protection Consortium tested common industrial plastic-washing practices and found that […]
Sandia Researchers Develop Rapid PFAS Detector | Newswise
[ad_1] Newswise — ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —When Sandia scientists Ryan Davis and Nathan Bays set out to find a better way to absorb and degrade PFAS in water sources, they kept running into the same issue: Detecting the chemicals in samples took too long. So, they came up with their own solution. They’ve developed a faster, […]
Tiny flow chips, faster clean catalysis | Newswise
[ad_1] Catalytic treatment of industrial pollutants has long faced a practical bottleneck. Noble metal nanoparticles are highly active, but they often tend to aggregate, reducing the number of active usable reaction sites. Traditional methods for producing polymer-supported catalysts can also be slow, multistep, and dependent on toxic reagents, surfactants, or poorly controlled batch conditions. Meanwhile, […]
Turning Toxic Marine Mud Into Safe Construction Fill | Newswise
[ad_1] Newswise — Marine mud is generated in large quantities during dredging, coastal development, land reclamation, and marine construction. In fast-growing urban regions, this sediment can become a major waste-management burden because it is wet, sticky, difficult to handle, and often contaminated with heavy metals. Conventional stabilization methods usually rely heavily on Portland cement, which […]
How Antibiotic-Degrading Bacteria Shield Microbial Communities From Collapse | Newswise
[ad_1] Newswise — By comparing natural microbial adaptation with targeted bioaugmentation using an antibiotic-degrading strain, the study reveals how biodegradation capacity fundamentally reshapes microbial succession, stability, and resilience under sustained antibiotic exposure. Environmental risk assessments often judge antibiotics solely by concentration and intrinsic toxicity, assuming uniform microbial responses. However, microbial communities actively shape contaminant fate, […]
Woman who married river shares how she keeps romance alive on wedding anniversary: ‘I am committed’
[ad_1] A woman is celebrating her third wedding anniversary after marrying a river. Mrs. Meg Avon, 29, was blessed in holy matrimony with the River Avon in the South West of England. The Bristol-born researcher, activist, and writer explains how she and her “darling” still keep their romance alive as they celebrate their third anniversary. […]
Sulfuric Acid Method Improves Accuracy of Nitrogen Isotope Tracking for Atmospheric Ammonia | Newswise
[ad_1] Newswise — By comparing sulfuric and boric acid absorption systems, they found sulfuric acid delivers higher recovery rates and reduces isotope fractionation, even at low concentrations. Field applications successfully distinguished emissions from cropland, livestock, orchards, and vegetables, improving the accuracy of ammonia source identification. NH₃ is the most important alkaline gas in the atmosphere […]
Measuring Pollutant-Destroying Molecules Used in Water Treatment
[ad_1] Newswise — From brightly colored textile dyes to persistent pesticides and antibiotics, many modern pollutants dissolved in water — such as Bisphenol A — resist traditional treatment methods. A promising approach uses electricity to power chemical reactions in water over an electrode surface. Much like in a battery, electrodes send and receive electrical current […]