Environment

Recycling wind turbine blades is hard because they're built to weather the elements for decades. Researchers have devised a way to use discarded blades to create strong and durable plastics – without resorting to the use of harsh chemicals.

Step aside, golden beaches – New Zealand has stretches of sand sparkling with real gold. And with this, scientists have been able to assemble the world's first atlas of highly detailed beach gold found along the country's South Island coastline.

Wouldn't it be great if there were a way of chasing down waterborne microplastic particles and catching them for removal, as opposed to just passively filtering them out of water bodies? Well, new "microcleaners" can reportedly do that very thing.

When crude oil is processed, a lot of grungy byproducts are left over. A new study indicates that a couple of those substances can be used to make low-cost carbon fibers, which could in turn find use in less costly carbon fiber composites.

Solar cells are subjected to a lot of harmful ultraviolet light, as they're typically placed for maximum sunlight exposure. A new eco-friendly coating could help protect them from those UV rays, and its active ingredient is extracted from onion skin.

The first satellite in a constellation designed specifically to locate wildfires early and precisely anywhere on the planet has now reached Earth's orbit, and it could forever change how we tackle unplanned infernos.

It's both challenging and crucial to recycle wind turbine blades, because they are built to last decades and don't degrade quickly in landfills. An Australian firm has hit upon a radical solution: it's turning those old fins into surfboards.

Old, discarded wind turbine blades don't biodegrade. They do, however, float if sealed. Finnish startup Reverlast is capitalizing on that fact, by taking end-of-use blades and converting them into stylish floating docks.

Singapore's Tuas mega port has now successfully handled 10 million containers since it kicked off operations in September 2022, and is expected to handle 65 million shipping containers a year in the 2040s when its development is complete.

Stanford researchers have found a way to activate commonly found rocks so they capture CO2 out of the air at room temperature. The team believes it could be relatively inexpensive, and can easily scale to help sort our emissions problem worldwide.

While it's great that many types of paper can now be recycled, textile waste is still mostly dumped or burned. A new technique could change that by combining the two materials, using discarded cotton clothing to boost the strength of packaging paper.

Using scented products indoors changes the chemistry of the air, producing as much air pollution as car exhaust does outside, according to a new study. Researchers say that breathing in these nanosized particles could have serious health implications.

As much as wind turbines are great for producing clean energy, disposing of them when the time comes can be challenging. Researchers in China have hit upon a clever way to use discarded blades to build long-lasting roads.

Methylmercury is an extremely toxic compound, and unfortunately it's often present in the fish that we eat. Scientists are now developing a method of removing it from the environment, utilizing engineered fish and flies that take up the compound and neutralize it.

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are increasingly showing up in the environment, our food and drinking water, and our bodies. But we might have a new weapon: scientists have identified a bacterium that can eat these chemicals, as well as their byproducts.