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Comparing the Biodegradability of Petroleum-based Plastic with a Novel, Sustainable Bio-plastic Alternative

Van Note et al. | Dec 02, 2020

Comparing the Biodegradability of Petroleum-based Plastic with a Novel, Sustainable Bio-plastic Alternative

In this research, a novel bioplastic inclusive of bamboo tannins and chitosan is selected from more than 60 trial formula variations based on resulting strength, fatigue, and transparency attributes. The biodegradability of the finalized bioplastic is compared to that of conventional polyethylene, in addition to investigating its solubility and water absorbance. This research displays the potential of a legitimate, fully biodegradable plastic alternative to current marketplace bioplastics.

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Investigating Lemna minor and microorganisms for the phytoremediation of nanosilver and microplastics

Iyer et al. | Apr 01, 2024

Investigating <i>Lemna minor</i> and microorganisms for the phytoremediation of nanosilver and microplastics

The authors looked at phytoremediation, the process by which plants are used to remove pollutants from our environment, and the ability of Lemna minor to perform phytoremediation in various simulated polluted environments. The authors found that L. minor could remove pollutants from the environment and that the addition of bacteria increased this removal.

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A potentially underestimated source of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in agriculture

Corcimaru et al. | May 18, 2022

A potentially underestimated source of CO<sub>2</sub> and other greenhouse gases in agriculture

Here the authors investigated the role of agricultural fertilizers as potential contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast to the typical investigations that consider microbiological processes, the authors considered purely chemical processes. Based on their results they found that as much as 20.41% of all CO2 emission from land-based activities could be a result of mineral nitrogen fertilizers.

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Comparative life cycle analysis: Solvent recycling and improved dewatering scenarios in PHB plastic production

Chiu et al. | Jun 13, 2025

Comparative life cycle analysis: Solvent recycling and improved dewatering scenarios in PHB plastic production

The authors looked at alternative production processes for PHB plastic in an effort to reduce environmental impact. They found that no alternative process was able to significantly decrease the environmental impact of PHB production, but that optimizing dewatering steps during production could lead to the largest improvement on environmental impact.

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Friend or Foe: Investigating the Relationship between a Corn Crop and a Native Ragweed Population

Wainwright et al. | May 07, 2014

Friend or Foe: Investigating the Relationship between a Corn Crop and a Native Ragweed Population

Farmers will need to increase crop yields to feed the world's growing population efficiently. The authors here investigate the effects of growing corn in the presence or absence of ragweed, an invasive weed found in many fields and gardens. Surprisingly, the authors found that corn grown in the presence of weeds grew taller and were more productive than corn that had weeds removed. This may help gardeners rethink the necessity of weeding, and may point a way to improve farm yields in the future.

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Utilizing sorbitol to improve properties of cellulose-based biodegradable hydrogels

Adler et al. | Jan 06, 2025

Utilizing sorbitol to improve properties of cellulose-based biodegradable hydrogels

Hydrogels are commonly used in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Hydrogels absorb water by swelling and re-release this water by diffusion. This study sought to synthesize a biodegradable, cellulose-based hydrogel that is more effective at absorbing and re-releasing water than those produced by current methods. We tested the compressive strength of both the dry and swollen gels and the tensile strength of the swollen gels to elucidate the gel structure.

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