Chemicals

Earning themselves the moniker of "forever chemicals" due to their ability to persist for a long time in the environment, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are increasingly being shown to pose serious risks to human health. In light of this improved awareness scientists are ramping up their efforts to better break them down before they can cause harm, and a new breakthrough demonstrates how it might be done in a matter of hours using UV light.PFAS are a group of chemicals consisting of more than 4,000…

Waste carbon from farms, sewage and other sources can be processed into high-grade bio-based fuels more easily with a new PNNL-developed flow cell. In this animation, the flow cell receives biocrude and wastewater from a hydrothermal liquefaction process. It then removes carbon from wastewater, allowing the clean water to be reused. The system even generates hydrogen, a valuable fuel that can be captured, reducing the cost of the whole operation. Credit: Sara Levine | Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryPatent-pending…

New research shows many children’s products, including those with green certifications, contain harmful PFAS chemicals that were not listed on the label.Clothing, bedding, and furniture labeled as water- or stain-resistant are most likely to contain PFAS.With more consumers demanding products free of toxic ingredients, determining which ones might be harmful and which ones are safe is difficult. A new research study shows many children’s products, including those with green certifications, contain harmful PFAS chemicals…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Don Myron is probably best known as the guy who survived one of the deadliest fires in Oregon's history by sheltering overnight in a river with a patio chair. So there was never any question that Myron would rebuild his home in Oregon's Santiam Canyon after the house was destroyed in the Labor Day wildfires of 2020.…

Startups marketing alternative crop fertilizers said they are gaining traction among U.S. farmers and investors, pitching themselves as a potentially cheaper option as prices for traditional fertilizers surge.Companies such as Pivot Bio, Kula Bio and Anuvia are pushing development of farm fertilizers by harnessing microbes or plant-based products to deliver nutrients that corn and other crops need. They aim to replace traditional fertilizers produced from natural gas or mined underground, prices of which have hit records…