Filtering microplastics like a giant manta ray
26.03.2025
Taking nature as a model to solve specific problems in science is nothing new. Velcro, for example, was developed thanks to the Velcro plant. So it pays to walk through nature with open eyes! Researchers also did this under the surface of the sea - and came across the giant manta ray. Its gills are said to help filter microparticles.
Microplastic Degradation by Engineered Bacteria
04.02.2025
Microplastic pollution is a growing environmental issue, as even modern wastewater treatment plants cannot completely remove it. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a solution: they genetically modified natural bacteria from wastewater facilities to break down microplastics.
Making Blister Packaging More Sustainable
21.08.2024
During the last allergy season, they may have ended up in your garbage once again: Blister packs. And you may have noticed how few tablets there are in a comparatively large pack. Not particularly sustainable, is it? That's what Olivia Falconnier Williams thought, too, and she set about researching how the packaging could be made more resource-efficient.
Boosting PET recycling with higher standards for laboratory experiments
12.01.2024
In a study, Gert Weber, Uwe Bornscheuer and Alain Marty have identified standards for laboratory experiments with enzymes for PET recycling. It emphasizes difficulties in upscaling and highlights the promising enzyme LCC-ICCG, which converts 98% of PET in 24 hours, is economically more efficient and proposes new standards for laboratory research on PET recycling.