Plastic bottles easier to recycle with new degradable glue

University of Reading

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A new type of adhesive that can be cleanly removed from plastic bottles and packaging before disposal could lead to better-quality recycled plastic, a new study has shown.  

The adhesives used to stick labels onto plastic bottles and packaging often leave behind a detrimental residue that limits how the plastic can be recycled and reused.  

A research team from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading has created a new polymer adhesive that breaks down when treated with basic or alkaline solutions. This means labels can stay firmly stuck to bottles during normal use but can be easily removed as part of the recycling process.  

Matthew Hyder, lead author of the research, said: “Existing commercial adhesives can prove extremely difficult to remove from plastic surfaces because of their chemical composition. Our new polymer adhesive has been designed so that it can be removed from a plastic surface when exposed to basic or alkaline solutions. By making labels that can be removed completely, we are helping improve the quality of recycled plastic and usefulness in its next life."   

Multiple uses 

Published last month in the journal Macromolecules, the study describes how researchers designed and generated a polyurethane that incorporated sulfonyl ethyl urethane units, which act as a chemical switch when exposed to certain substances. In tests, treating the polymer adhesive with basic or alkaline solutions triggered this switch, making it lose up to 65% of its sticking power on a range of surfaces.   

During everyday use, these adhesives have the potential to work just as well as current commercial alternatives. When tested, they proved strong enough at different temperatures on both glass and aluminium surfaces, making them suitable for everything from food containers to shipping packages to electronic appliances.  

This development, sponsored by Domino Printing Sciences PLC in conjunction with the University of Reading, could transform how waste is handled across many industries. By making it easier to separate different materials during recycling, the quality of recycled materials could significantly improve, reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill. 

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Journal

Macromolecules

DOI

10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02775 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Thermally and Base-Triggered "Debond-on-Demand" Chain-Extended Polyurethane Adhesives

 

Restoring grasslands led to fewer human-wildlife conflicts in Kenya, research finds

Conservation International

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ARLINGTON, Va. (Feb. 18 2025) – A new study led by Conservation International scientists and published today has found that grassland restoration can reduce human-wildlife conflict and social conflicts in communities facing resource scarcity.

Grasslands, vital ecosystems for livelihoods and biodiversity, are under increasing pressure from climate change and human activity. The Chyulu Hills region of Kenya exemplifies these challenges, as it is home to iconic wildlife such as African elephants and black rhinos, which share the land with pastoral Maasai communities. This coexistence often leads to competition over limited water, land and pasture, sparking conflicts between humans and wildlife, and within the community itself.

The study, published in Frontiers in Environmental Science, was conducted over 16 months in Chyulu Hills to assess how restoring degraded grasslands influences conflict dynamics among local Maasai people and wildlife. Data collected from over 1,500 households indicate a significant correlation between the expansion of restored grassland areas and a reduction in human-wildlife and social conflicts.

Key findings include:

• A decrease in human-wildlife and social conflicts as grassland restoration progressed, suggesting that enhanced resource availability reduces competition and tension.
• A decline in reported feelings of insecurity among community members over time, corresponding with the benefits of restored ecosystems.
• Identification of gender-specific conflict patterns, with women-led households experiencing higher rates of social conflicts, emphasizing the need for tailored solutions.

“We know now that the number of reported human-wildlife conflicts decreased as the restored areas increased, showing that grassland restoration is likely to play some role in reducing human-wildlife conflicts,” said Camila Donatti, lead researcher and senior director for climate change adaptation at Conservation International’s Moore Center for Science. “We already knew that lack of healthy grasslands increases instances of conflict, but the potential of restored grasslands to reverse this trend had not been widely explored. It's heartening to see that repairing environmental damage can improve overall quality of life, protect wildlife and undo some of the less visible impacts of climate change.

Grassland restoration (and protection) is a nature-based climate solution that can help communities better adapt to a changing climate.  Conservation International’s work in Chyulu Hills an effort, supported by Apple, that has restored 11,000 hectares of degraded rangeland to date.  The project aims to restore 20,000 hectares by 2027.

Conservation International’s work in Chyulu Hills also includes a carbon credit project that raises funding for forest protection, livelihood support, and improved grassland health. 

“Grassland restoration is helping to restore balance to our land and our people,” said Samson Parashina, Chairman of Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. “With healthier pastures, we see fewer conflicts—both with wildlife and within our own community. While challenges remain, having more grazing land means less competition, making it easier for people and wildlife to share the land without constant struggle.”

Donatti added, “Our findings are very promising, and we want to continue exploring the potential of grassland restoration for climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity. We recommend continuing to track human-wildlife conflicts in the restored grassland areas, as well as the status of restored grasslands, while also scaling up habitat restoration efforts in new areas experiencing concerning human-wildlife conflict trends, like Chyulu Hills. There’s so much potential to foster human security and consequently protect wildlife through grassland restoration.”

For more about Conservation International’s work in the Chyulu Hills and Maasai Mara region of Kenya:

• The giving trees: In Kenya, forests keep communities from the brink
• When COVID halted wildlife tourism in Kenya, one area weathered the storm
• In Kenya, global crises sparked ‘a new way to do conservation’
• Chyulu Hills Carbon Project Impact Report

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About Conservation International: Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, for biodiversity and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples and local communities to help people and nature thrive together. Go to Conservation.org for more, and follow our work on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

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Journal

Frontiers in Environmental Science

DOI

10.3389/fenvs.2024.1431316 

Article Title

Grassland Restoration Impacts human-wildlife and social conflicts in the Chyulu Hills, Kenya

Article Publication Date

18-Feb-2025

 

Pepper plants get a chill pill: the science behind cold tolerance

Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science

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Proposed model through which CaMYB80 enhanced the cold tolerance of pepper by directly targeting CaPOA1.

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Credit: Horticulture Research

A new study reveals how the CaMYB80 transcription factor enhances cold tolerance in pepper plants, a crucial step toward developing crops that can thrive in cooler environments. Researchers have found that low temperatures activate CaMYB80, which in turn targets the CaPOA1 gene responsible for producing a peroxidase enzyme. This interaction boosts antioxidant activity, fortifying plants against the damaging effects of cold stress. The findings not only shed light on the molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance in pepper plants but also hold promise for breeding cold-resistant crops, an essential strategy in combating the challenges posed by climate change.

Cold stress represents a significant threat to global agriculture, contributing to substantial yield losses in crops such as pepper. Exposure to low temperatures disrupts plant metabolism, leading to oxidative damage and stunted growth. As the climate continues to change, with more frequent and severe cold events, the need to develop cold-resistant crops has become urgent. Understanding the genetic foundations of plant cold tolerance is essential for mitigating these impacts. This study provides critical insights into how specific genes, such as CaMYB80, can enhance cold resistance, offering potential applications not only for peppers but for other crops as well.

In a recent study (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae219) published in Horticulture Research, on August 6, 2024, a team from Sichuan Agricultural University revealed how the CaMYB80 transcription factor enhances cold tolerance in pepper plants. This pioneering research uncovers the molecular pathways involved and suggests novel strategies for breeding crops that can endure colder climates.

The study provides a detailed exploration of the role CaMYB80 plays in helping pepper plants withstand cold stress. Researchers discovered that when exposed to low temperatures, CaMYB80 is activated and directly targets the CaPOA1 gene, which encodes a peroxidase enzyme crucial for combating oxidative damage. By overexpressing CaMYB80 in pepper plants, the team was able to significantly increase the plants' cold tolerance, while silencing the gene reduced their ability to resist cold stress. Further analysis revealed that CaMYB80 enhances the activity of key antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), which help neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during cold exposure. Additionally, CaMYB80 upregulates genes in the ICE-CBF-COR regulatory network, a pathway essential for cold acclimation. These findings demonstrate how CaMYB80 regulates both antioxidant defenses and cold-responsive genes, providing a multifaceted approach to improving cold tolerance in pepper plants.

Dr. Huanxiu Li, the lead researcher on the study, emphasized the importance of these findings: "Our research provides a comprehensive understanding of how CaMYB80 enhances cold tolerance in pepper plants. This insight lays the groundwork for developing new crop varieties that can better withstand cold stress, which is vital for ensuring sustainable agriculture in a rapidly changing climate."

The discovery of CaMYB80's role in cold tolerance opens exciting possibilities for genetic engineering and crop breeding. By boosting the expression of CaMYB80 or its target genes, scientists can develop pepper varieties that flourish in colder climates. This breakthrough could also be applied to other crops, helping to reduce yield losses due to cold stress and contributing to global food security. In an era of unpredictable weather patterns, these advancements could be pivotal in shaping the future of agriculture.

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References

DOI

10.1093/hr/uhae219

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae219

Funding information

This work was supported by breeding research in vegetables (2021YFYZ0022).

About Horticulture Research

Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2022. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.

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Journal

Horticulture Research

DOI

10.1093/hr/uhae219 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

CaMYB80 enhances the cold tolerance of pepper by directly targeting CaPOA1

 

New £4.25m project to investigate climate ‘tipping points’ in marine ecosystems

University of East Anglia

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A major £4.25m project will aim to understand and predict ‘tipping points’ in marine ecosystems, and their consequences and opportunities for the UK, particularly for the fishing industry.

Led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), the work has been awarded a grant by the UK Government’s Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), an R&D funding agency created to pursue research at the edge of what is scientifically and technologically possible and to unlock breakthroughs that benefit everyone.

The project - ‘Forecasting Tipping points In Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Responses’ (TiMBER) - is a collaboration between UEA, Cefas, the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS) at the University of Cambridge, and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).

They are one of 27 international teams awarded funding under ARIA’s £81m Forecasting Tipping Points programme, a five-year effort to detect the earliest signs of climate tipping points - the key thresholds that, when crossed, lead to large, accelerating and practically irreversible changes in the climate system.

The consequences of climate tipping points could be devastating, potentially exposing half a billion people globally to annual flooding events, and triggering severe repercussions for our biodiversity, food security, agriculture, and more.

TiMBER will focus on the North Atlantic, which is known to be vulnerable to physical climate tipping points. Little is known about tipping points in marine ecosystems, but they would have profound socio-economic implications for the UK, especially for the fishing industry. 

Tipping points in marine ecosystems have occurred in the past and are expected in the future, for example in response to industrialised cod overfishing in the North West Atlantic in the 1980s, or in response to changing climate conditions during the geological past. 

TiMBER’s lead R&D Creator Corinne Le Quéré, Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science at UEA, said: “Given the serious implications of tipping points, our research is both timely and necessary and we welcome the opportunity provided by this grant. By helping the UK anticipate, prepare for and respond to marine changes, TiMBER will support sustainable and resilient fisheries.  

“Here we bring together a world-class team of researchers from different disciplines including experienced policy advisors, to develop the tools and understanding necessary to assess the risks of tipping points in marine ecosystems and their consequences and opportunities for the UK.

“Tackling the challenges of climate change requires novel approaches and thinking differently about what might be possible. This is what we aim to do through TiMBER.”

Co-led by Programme Directors Gemma Bale and Sarah Bohndiek, ARIA’s Forecasting Tipping Points programme looks to create an early warning system capable of equipping us with the information, understanding and time we need to accelerate proactive climate adaptation and mitigation.

As part of this, and building on the UK’s strong modelling capability, TiMBER will develop an Ocean Systems Model and apply it, together with new and existing data from ARIA and AI methods, to assess the risks of tipping points in marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry. 

It will identify early warning indicators for ‘sentinel’ marine species - those that are sensitive to climate or to changes in ecosystems - and recommend strategies for cost-effective monitoring networks and for adaptation. 
TiMBER will also quantify the implications of tipping points on the ocean’s uptake of carbon emissions from human activities. 

Dr Bryony Townhill, Principal Climate Change Scientist at Cefas said: “Cefas is excited to be collaborating with our partners on TiMBER. This project provides a great opportunity to combine and build on our modelling tools to predict potential risks in the North Atlantic. 

“By bringing together our expertise across different aspects of marine ecosystem and biogeochemistry to understand the potential impacts and opportunities in the UK, we hope to translate that into practical advice to support the fisheries and aquaculture sectors adapt to the impacts of climate change.”

The grant, of which UEA will receive £1.62m, is the university’s first under the ARIA initiative, with the project due to start on April 1. This funding is subject to final contract negotiation.

Professor Julian Blow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at UEA, said: “I’m delighted that our expertise in climate science research has been recognised with the awarding of this grant, in collaboration with key partners who are also leaders in their respective fields. 

“Working together, this fundamental project aims to contribute significant insights that will hopefully underpin much-needed action on climate adaptation and mitigation.”

 

Peptides to clean up microplastics

PNAS Nexus

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Researchers have identified peptides that can help remove microplastics from the environment by combining biophysical modeling, molecular dynamics, quantum computing, and reinforcement learning. The ultimate goal of the work is peptide-based technologies that can find, capture, and destroy microscopically tiny plastic particles. 

Microplastics, plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are ubiquitous pollutants, found everywhere from human breastmilk to Antarctic snow. Fengqi You and colleagues used a range of tools to identify peptides able to capture and hold microplastics, which could be used to remove the tiny particles from various environments. The authors used biophysical modeling to predict peptide-plastic interactions at atomic resolution, then validated the results with molecular dynamics simulations. The process was optimized with the addition of quantum annealing and reinforcement learning—specifically a method known as proximal policy optimization. Using these tools, the authors identified a set of plastic-binding peptides with high affinities for polyethylene and polypropylene. According to the authors, the method, when paired with experimental approaches, could be used to develop peptide-based tools for detecting, capturing, and degrading microplastic pollution. 

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Journal

PNAS Nexus

Article Title

Integrating biophysical modeling, quantum computing, and AI to discover plastic-binding peptides that combat microplastic pollution

Article Publication Date

18-Feb-2025

Selective combustion provides energy-efficient alternative to remove pollutants from industrial processes

Understanding this process could help improve production of plastics, medications, and fuels

University of Minnesota

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This illustration depicts the combustion of small amounts of acetylene in mixtures with ethylene.

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Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/18/2024) — For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities discovered a new method by which a catalyst can be used to selectively burn one molecule in a mixture of hydrocarbons, which are compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms. 

This new method could help in the removal of pollutants and improve efficiency for industrial processes ranging from the production of fuels and medications to fertilizers and plastics

The research is published in Science, a premier multidisciplinary, international peer-reviewed scientific journal.

By using a bismuth oxide catalyst—a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction—the researchers can selectively burn one molecule in a mixture of combustibles. The researchers showed that you can effectively combust even small amounts of acetylene in mixtures with ethylene. Removing acetylene is a crucial process to prevent poisoning of polymerization catalysts, which is vital for the production of polyethylene plastics, a market that exceeds 120 million metric tons annually.

“No one else has shown that you could combust one hydrocarbon present in low concentrations, in mixtures with others,” said Aditya Bhan, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and lead investigator on the paper. 

Conventionally, combustion processes are used to burn all hydrocarbon fuel mixtures at high temperatures to produce heat. The use of a catalyst allowed the researchers to tackle the challenge of burning one molecule but not the others. The bismuth oxide catalyst is unique as it provides its own oxygen during combustion, rather than using oxygen from an outside source, in a process called chemical looping.

“We were able to take oxygen out of the catalyst and put it back in multiple times, where the catalyst changes slightly, but its reactivity is not impacted. Operating in this chemical looping mode avoids flammability concerns,” said Matthew Jacob, a University of Minnesota chemical engineering Ph.D. candidate and first author on the paper.

Traditionally, eliminating small concentrations of contaminants is very challenging and energy-intensive, but this new method could provide a more energy-efficient alternative.

“You want to do this process selectively. Removing acetylene and other trace hydrocarbon contaminants in this manner could be more energy efficient,” said Matthew Neurock, a professor in Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and senior co-author on the paper. “You just want to be able to go into a gas mixture to remove some molecules without touching the rest of the molecules.”

The researchers said the long-term impact could be high because catalysts are used in just about anything we touch in modern society—from production of fuels and medications to fertilizers and plastics. Understanding how molecules combust—and don’t combust—on catalyst surfaces is valuable for making fuels and plastics production more efficient.

“If we can understand how a catalyst works, at a molecular atomic level, we can adapt it to any particular reaction,” said Simon Bare, a Distinguished Scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, and co-author of the study. “This can help us understand how catalysts, that produce fuels and chemicals needed in modern living, react to their environment.”

In addition to Bhan, Jacob, Neurock, and Bare, the University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science team included graduate students Rishi Raj and Huy Nguyen and Professor Andre Mkhoyan, along with Javier Garcia-Barriocanal from the University of Minnesota Characterization Facility. Additional team members included Jiyun Hong, Jorge E. Perez-Aguilar, and Adam S. Hoffman from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University.

This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The work was completed in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Characterization Facility and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.

Read the entire research paper titled, “Selective chemical looping combustion of acetylene in ethylene-rich streams,” visit the Science website.

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Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.ads3181 

Article Title

Selective chemical looping combustion of acetylene in ethylene-rich streams

Article Publication Date

18-Feb-2025