Pollution

Scientists are ramping up their efforts to better break down dangerous PFAS "forever chemicals" before they can cause harm, and a new breakthrough demonstrates how this might be done in a matter of hours using UV light.

Engineers in the US and Mexico have developed a way to use soot from emissions to improve solar thermal devices. The coatings are not only cheaper to produce but more efficient than using materials like graphene, while reducing pollution.

If you've ever eaten okra, then you'll know that the stuff can be pretty … gooey. According to new research, that quality could allow a compound from the plant to be used in a less toxic method of removing microplastics from drinking water.

Industrial piping has a hard life, as it's constantly exposed to liquids that can damage its inner surface over time. A new polymer coating could help protect such pipes, while removing toxic metals from the liquids as it does so.

In what is being hailed as a historic day, global leaders at the UN Environmental Assembly have endorsed a first-of-a-kind resolution that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, with the goal of reducing its growing impacts on the natural world.

Marine debris is a huge problem, both when it's floating at sea and when it gets washed up on the shore. In order to locate the latter for removal, scientists are developing AI-enabled drones which will spot human-made beach trash from the air.

Manufacturing of chemicals has grown so rapidly that governments are now unable to assess, let alone control the risks to Earth's ecosystems, taking us beyond a safe "planetary boundary" and endangering the planet's stability.

It's possible that someday in the future, sunlight-powered robots may be able to swim across marine oil spills, soaking up the oil as they go. A tiny prototype has already been created, and it was inspired by both the steam engine and an insect.

Wastewater treatment plants generally aren't known for their nice smell, and they have to be monitored in order to ensure that they're not becoming too stinky. An experimental new system uses an "e-nose" and a drone to do the job better.

Because many cyclists ride all over town, they encounter a wide range of air quality – more so than could be monitored by stationary sensors. The bar-mounted Air was designed with that in mind, as it measures the air quality while its user pedals.

Even though it's vitally important to check drinking water sources for pollutants, some places lack the facilities for performing such tests. A new system could help, as it uses a smartphone camera to check up on tiny aquatic organisms.

We've been hearing a lot lately about how disintegrated waterborne trash is one of the main sources of ocean microplastics pollution. A new study, however, suggests that aging maritime rope could also be making a significant contribution.