Montana State researchers aim to autonomously eliminate plant-killing bacteria from hydroponic farming systems

Montana State University

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BOZEMAN — Three researchers from Montana State University recently received a nearly $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a system that can autonomously detect and remove crop-killing microbes from hydroponic farms before they cause damage to plants. Hydroponic farming is a method of growing plants without soil by supplying nutrients through water.

“This work is important to maintain food safety for our growing world,” said Stephan Warnat, the project’s principal investigator and an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. Co-project directors are the engineering college’s interim Dean Christine Foreman, who is also a professor of chemical and biological engineering, and Stephanie McCalla, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering.

Certain crops, especially lettuces, tomatoes, strawberries and herbs, grow extremely well indoors hydroponically. Other benefits of hydroponic farming, compared to traditional soil-based agriculture, include higher water efficiency, faster plant growth, greater crop yield per square foot, year-round production, and control over the growing conditions, including nutrient levels and light exposure. Plus, hydroponic farms can thrive in environments inhospitable to traditional agriculture methods, including deserts and infertile land.

“A hydroponic system allows you to grow fresh produce all year round, which can be beneficial in harsh environments with cold winters,” Warnat said.

However, the challenges facing hydroponic farmers are substantial, including high startup costs and the fact that staple commodities such as wheat, corn and soybeans are considered far more economical to produce through traditional agriculture. The potential for toxic water-borne pathogens is another downside of hydroponic farming.

“The goal with this project is to keep pathogens out of the hydroponic system while allowing beneficial microbes to develop naturally,” Warnat said. “The challenge is that when you have a circulating water system with a microbial community, potentially some pathogens are developing and soon the entire harvest is dead.”

The team, Warnat said, plans to use electrochemical sensors to screen for harmful bacteria before they have a chance to harm the crops. The sensors are coated with aptamers, which are short, synthetic strands of DNA or RNA engineered to fold into a specific 3D shape. This unique shape allows it to act like a molecular “lock and key” to capture pathogens in the hydroponic systems. The electrochemical sensor changes its output based on the pathogen concentration. When they do, they trigger the release ofbiodegradable nanoparticles – made primarily from chitosan, a naturally occurring polymer – that have been engineered to capture bacteria, such as pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. When the chitosan binds to the harmful cells, it forms a larger agglomerate that can be removed by the hydroponic system's filtration equipment, protecting the harvest from pathogens.

The viability of the technologies involved in the three-step process – the detection, capture and removal of pathogens from a hydroponic farm – are each previously demonstrated to be effective. The system under development would combine the technologies in a way to automate the steps to protect hydroponic crops from harmful pathogens.

“The project addresses critical challenges faced by hydroponic farmers in Montana,” said Dilpreet Bajwa, head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. “It will enhance productivity, profitability and resilience of hydroponic operations while supporting local food production and strengthening the state's agricultural economy.”

Another benefit of early detection and eradication of harmful bacteria is it allows plant-nourishing microbes to develop into biofilms, which can be beneficial to the crops.

“Helpful biofilms can function as fertilizers,” Warnat said. “These biofilms are healthy for plants. But you have to be careful which kind of biofilm is forming. If the pathogen is inside the biofilm, then that can lead to a catastrophic event – meaning total crop loss.”

Examples of biofilms include plaque on teeth, the muck that sometimes grows inside plumbing fixtures, and the slippery coating commonly found on rocks in streams, rivers and lakes.

Foreman and Warnat are affiliated with MSU’s Center for Biofilm Engineering, which is the world’s first and largest biofilm research center.

The grant will fund two graduate students; one master’s student and one doctoral student. The grant provides funding through April 30, 2029.

-end-

This story is available on the Web at: http://www.montana.edu/news/25414

 

Research finds both rich and poor buy more counterfeits than the middle class

New study reveals that it’s the two ends of the economic spectrum responsible for most purchasing of counterfeit luxury goods

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences

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BALTIMORE, June 22, 2026 – Conventional wisdom suggests that counterfeit luxury goods are primarily purchased by consumers who cannot afford authentic products.

New research published in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science challenges that assumption, finding that both lower- and higher-income consumers are significantly more likely to purchase counterfeit goods than middle-income consumers.

The study, “Frontiers: The Demand for Counterfeits: A Descriptive Analysis,” by Nan Chen and Mengqi Xiang, both of the National University of Singapore, analyzed millions of counterfeit purchases made by American consumers through a major cross-border e-commerce platform.

Using large-scale transaction data spanning more than 24,000 U.S. ZIP codes, the researchers found that demand for counterfeit luxury goods was strongest at both ends of the income spectrum. Compared with middle-income households, both lower-income and higher-income consumers purchased more counterfeit products, bought them more frequently and showed stronger interest in premium counterfeit offerings.

“Our findings challenge the common assumption that counterfeit purchasing is primarily a budget-driven phenomenon,” said Chen. “Instead, demand appears to be strongest at both ends of the income spectrum, suggesting that social, psychological and status-related motivations play an important role.”

The findings suggest that counterfeit consumption is about more than affordability. For many consumers, purchasing counterfeit goods may also be tied to identity, aspiration and status.

The study found important differences between the two groups.

Lower-income consumers were more likely to purchase counterfeit versions of lower-tier luxury brands. Higher-income consumers, meanwhile, gravitated toward counterfeit versions of ultra-luxury brands such as Hermès and Chanel.

Perhaps most surprisingly, wealthier consumers were also more likely to purchase higher-priced counterfeit listings, suggesting a greater willingness to pay for higher-quality replicas rather than simply seeking the lowest-cost option.

The researchers also found that demand was strongest for counterfeit versions of iconic luxury products with broad brand recognition. Classic product lines such as the Hermès Birkin bag and Chanel Classic Flap generated stronger demand than newer or less recognizable collections.

Another unexpected finding involved product popularity.

The income-related demand pattern was even more pronounced for niche counterfeit products than for widely purchased items. This suggests that some consumers may be motivated not only by price or status, but also by the appeal of discovering products that feel distinctive or exclusive.

The findings carry implications for policymakers, intellectual property owners and luxury brands. Anti-counterfeiting efforts often focus on price-sensitive consumers, but the study suggests that counterfeit demand exists across very different income groups and may be driven by multiple motivations.

“For brand owners and enforcement agencies, understanding who buys counterfeits, and why they do, is essential,” said Xiang. “Strategies designed around a single consumer profile may overlook substantial counterfeit demand among both affluent and economically constrained consumers.”

The researchers note that the rise of cross-border e-commerce has dramatically expanded access to counterfeit goods, creating challenges for both regulators and luxury brands seeking to protect intellectual property and brand value.

The findings challenge a simple stereotype: counterfeit luxury goods are not primarily a lower-income phenomenon. Instead, demand appears to be strongest at both ends of the economic spectrum, suggesting that the motivations behind counterfeit purchasing are more complex than many brands and policymakers assume.

Read the study in full here.

About INFORMS and Marketing Science

INFORMS is the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research, AI, analytics, data science and related disciplines, serving as a global authority in advancing cutting-edge practices and fostering an interdisciplinary community of innovation. Marketing Science, a leading journal published by INFORMS, publishes research on quantitative marketing, consumer behavior, pricing, and strategy that informs managerial and policy decisions. INFORMS empowers its community to improve organizational performance and drive data-driven decision-making through its journals, conferences and resources. Learn more at www.informs.org or @informs.

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Journal

Marketing Science

DOI

10.1287/mksc.2025.0565 

Article Title

Frontiers: The Demand for Counterfeits: A Descriptive Analysis

 

California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes, first-ever comprehensive assessment reveals

University of California - Santa Barbara

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(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — A study conducted by UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators has found that California has lost more than half of its coastal dune systems. The researchers’ assessment — the first of its kind for the California coast — estimates that 60% of dune systems that existed from 1850, due to a combination of urban development, land-use changes and erosion.

“There are major implications of this loss for the California coast, including reduced habitats for plants, insects and other invertebrates, birds and small mammals,” said the paper’s lead author, postdoctoral researcher and physical geographer Tim Baxter. “Importantly, we also lose coastal protections against storms and sea level rise.”

This assessment, one of the largest and most detailed inventories of coastal sand dunes ever produced, is published in the journal Earth’s Future.

California’s coastal dunes through time

According to the study, around the time California emerged as the U.S.’s 31st state, it had about 739 km2 (about 285 square miles) of coastal dunes. After 165 years these dune fields, which capture and supply sand to nearby beaches, have dwindled in area to almost 300 km2 (about 116 square miles). That is mostly due to human activity, including migration and settlement, which started as early as the Gold Rush (1848), and subsequent development. While a small amount — roughly 18 km2 (seven square miles) — was lost through natural processes, including erosion at estuaries and rivermouths, the vast majority of dune loss is the result of human activity, including the development of roads and other infrastructure, agriculture and the introduction of invasive plants.

The biggest losses, according to the researchers, were in the areas of densest urban development.

“The thing that surprised me most was the scale of loss in San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said co-author Kyle Emery of UCSB’s Marine Science Institute. More than 95% (or 108 km2 or 42 square miles) of sand dunes that originally existed in those locations were removed to make room for roads, city infrastructure, housing and commercial buildings and other development. Meanwhile, Central California was also found to have lost 60% (331 km2 or about 128 square miles) of its coastal  dunes. Approximately half of what’s left of California’s coastal dune systems are isolated — cut off from coastal processes by infrastructure and transportation networks. Through the study, the researchers also document some dune growth in southern California, including places where dune restoration is taking place.

As communities up and down the California coast contend with the fate of their shores amidst sea level rise, dune systems have become an attractive restoration option, providing sustainable, self-healing protections against the encroaching ocean.

However, sand dunes may not be the best solution for every shrinking beach. A variety of factors, including cost, space, location and the priorities of municipalities that are making their plans for sea level rise, will dictate whether dunes are an effective investment. This uncertainty, coupled with the highly diverse, dynamic environment of the California coast highlighted deficiencies in the understanding of these sand dunes. It also prompted the researchers to take on the challenge of characterizing these coastal landforms, the forces that make them and the places that could host them.

“Coastal sand dunes are really challenging to map,” Baxter said. “It required months of careful analysis using a variety of analytical methods — historical archive analysis, machine learning tools, site visits — and datasets, including historical maps, high resolution aerial photographs, and LiDAR.” In the process, the researchers could see the evolution of California’s coastal dune systems in a wide variety of settings and conditions through time.

The method, according to researchers, can be applied to other areas in the world that are contending with sea level rise, and are considering dune systems as a defense.

“Our methods provide a framework for assessing large-scale habitat change that could be extended to coasts around the world to aid identification and prioritization of suitable restoration sites, helping to offset past dune losses and mitigate future climate change impacts.”

This work was funded by the UC Office of the President Climate Action Research Initiative.

Research in this paper was also conducted by Ian J. Walker (PI), Jenifer E. Dugan, David M. Hubbard, Karina K. Johnston, Sarah Smith, Dakota R. Fee and Dan Willett at UCSB; Laura Engeman and Jenna Wisniewski at UC San Diego, Sean Vitousek at the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, and Andrea J. Pickart at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Journal

Earth's Future

Article Title

Significant Coastal Dune Loss Challenges California's Climate Resilience and Biodiversity Goals

Article Publication Date

22-Jun-2026

 

Using less, living better: Demand-side climate action wins public support

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

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Climate strategies are still judged largely across two dimensions: how much they cost and how many tonnes of CO₂ they save. A new study published in Communications Sustainability argues that this narrow lens overlooks much of what is at stake – and much of what the public actually cares about.

An international team led by IIASA within the Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS) network assessed how six climate mitigation strategies in buildings, transport, and industry affect six dimensions of quality of life, from household income and jobs, to health, energy security, and fairness. Using energy-system simulations for 18 countries, the researchers compared supply-side strategies (cleaner fuels and technologies, including heat pumps, electric vehicles, and hydrogen substitution) with demand-side strategies (using less energy and materials through insulation and thermostat adjustments in buildings, modal shifts in transport, and greater material efficiency in industry). Each strategy was designed to deliver an identical 10% cut in greenhouse gas emissions.

The study is among the first to combine these objective modeling results with evidence from public surveys using the same strategies and impact data, allowing researchers to compare quantified quality-of-life benefits with citizens’ perceptions.

"Mitigating climate change is too often framed as a burden, when in fact it can raise people's quality of life," says study lead Arnulf Grubler, Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar at IIASA. "Strategies that reduce how much energy and materials we use deliver benefits across a remarkably broad range, including cleaner air, greater energy security, and fairer outcomes for poorer households, yet these gains remain consistently undervalued in policy debates."

All six strategies improved quality of life, but demand-side options scored slightly higher across a wider set of dimensions. Among the demand-side measures examined, improvements in building efficiency through insulation and modest thermostat adjustments emerged as the most robust performer across the study’s sensitivity tests. The authors caution that their estimates, if anything, understate the true benefits, since the analysis could not capture the full spectrum of wellbeing effects.

"By modeling supply- and demand-side strategies that achieve exactly the same emissions cut across 18 very different countries, we could compare them on a level playing field," says coauthor Nuno Bento of the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL), who developed the simulation tool. "What stands out is how widely the benefits are shared – both higher- and lower-income countries stand to gain, which matters for international climate negotiations."

The team then tested a widespread assumption: that people reject demand-side measures because these require personal effort, time, and money. Representative surveys in the Netherlands, Brazil, and China – countries with different income levels and positions in the climate debate – found the opposite.

"People expected both supply and demand-side strategies to improve their lives and found them acceptable in all three countries," note coauthors Linda Steg (University of Groningen) and Anne van Valkengoed (Wageningen University), who designed the surveys. "And simply showing people the evidence made their views more positive, highlighting the importance of assessing and communicating climate action beyond emissions reductions and economic costs."

The results challenge the common assumption that demand-side climate action is unpopular and suggest that communicating wider quality-of-life benefits could strengthen public support. The findings also carry clear messages for policy.

“Demand-side strategies deserve more weight in policy portfolios than they currently receive, and transparently communicating their quality-of-life benefits can build public support,” notes coauthor Benigna Boza-Kiss, a Research Scholar in the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program and EDITS network coordinator. “The fact that both richer and poorer countries gain could help break the ‘developed versus developing’ stalemate in climate talks,” she concludes.

The study was carried out under the Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS) network, "Well-with-Low" fast-track project, coordinated by RITE and IIASA and funded by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI).

Reference

Grubler, A., Steg, L., Bento, N., Boza-Kiss, B., De Stercke, S., McCollum, D., Nick, S., Pachauri, S., Van Valkengoed, A., Zimm, C., Louro Alves, T., & Qin, C. (2026). The undervalued quality-of-life benefits of demand-side energy and climate strategies. Nature Communications Sustainability DOI: 10.1038/s44458-026-00101-2

 

About IIASA:

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international scientific institute that conducts research into the critical issues of global environmental, economic, technological, and social change that we face in the twenty-first century. Our findings provide valuable options to policymakers to shape the future of our changing world. IIASA is independent and funded by prestigious research funding agencies in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. www.iiasa.ac.at

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Journal

Communications Sustainability

DOI

10.1038/s44458-026-00101-2 

Article Title

The undervalued quality-of-life benefits of demand-side energy and climate strategies

Article Publication Date

15-Jun-2026

 

Smarter control for cleaner residential microgrids

Maximum Academic Press

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Using a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, the study found that coordinated sizing and dispatch of distributed energy resources can substantially reduce system cost, diesel dependence, and carbon dioxide emissions. Compared with the HOMER simulation platform, the PSO-based method reduced Net Present Cost (NPC), Cost of Energy (COE), diesel fuel consumption, and CO₂ emissions by 12.01%, 16.09%, 50%, and 17.65%, respectively.

Residential microgrids are increasingly viewed as an important solution for integrating renewable energy into homes and communities, especially as countries seek to reduce emissions from electricity generation. Solar and wind resources can lower dependence on fossil fuels, while distributed energy resources make power systems more flexible and locally responsive. However, renewable generation is intermittent, and residential demand changes throughout the day. Without proper storage, backup generation, and dispatch rules, microgrids may face high operating costs, energy waste, unstable supply, and continued dependence on diesel generators. These challenges make optimized energy management essential for balancing reliability, affordability, and environmental performance.

A study (DOI: 10.48130/een-0026-0005) published in Energy & Environment Nexus on 10 April 2026 by Richard Oladayo Olarewaju’s team, University of Ibadan, shows that a PSO-based optimization strategy can improve the economic and environmental performance of a hybrid residential microgrid integrating PV, wind, diesel generation, and battery storage.

The researchers first built mathematical models for each component of the hybrid microgrid, including wind turbine output, PV power generation, diesel generator fuel consumption, and battery charging and discharging behavior. Hourly residential load demand, solar irradiance, and wind speed data were generated using stochastic models to represent realistic but non-site-specific operating conditions. The study then formulated an objective function to minimize the total NPC, including capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, replacement cost, fuel cost, emission cost, and penalties for unmet load. The PSO algorithm, implemented in MATLAB, was used to search for the optimal size and operation of each distributed energy resource. The energy management strategy prioritized renewable energy at all times. When renewable output exceeded demand, surplus energy was stored in the battery before any energy was dumped. When renewable output was insufficient, the battery was dispatched first, and the diesel generator was activated only when both renewable generation and stored energy could not meet the load. The strategy also prevented simultaneous battery charging and discharging, unnecessary load curtailment, and avoidable diesel operation. Six configurations were tested: diesel generator only, diesel plus wind, diesel plus PV, wind plus battery, PV plus battery, and the full PV/wind/diesel/battery system. The diesel-only case had the highest cost, fuel use, and emissions. PV-only or wind-only combinations improved performance but remained limited by intermittency or lack of storage. The full hybrid configuration performed best, achieving an NPC of US$85.54 million, COE of US$0.73/kWh, diesel consumption of 2.1 million L/year, and CO₂ emissions of 8.4 million kg/year. Compared with the diesel-only scenario, battery storage reduced diesel fuel consumption by 74.44%, CO₂ emissions by 80.81%, and COE by 46.34%. Against HOMER, the PSO approach also delivered lower NPC, lower COE, lower fuel use, and lower emissions, although it required more fine-tuning and computational effort.

Overall, the study demonstrates that intelligent optimization can help residential microgrids make better use of renewable energy while maintaining reliable power supply. By combining solar, wind, diesel backup, and battery storage under a coordinated dispatch strategy, the proposed PSO-based method reduces both economic and environmental burdens. The results highlight the importance of battery storage in smoothing renewable variability, cutting diesel runtime, and improving the long-term viability of hybrid microgrids. Such strategies could support future residential energy planning, especially in communities seeking cleaner, more resilient, and cost-effective electricity systems.

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References

DOI

10.48130/een-0026-0005

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.48130/een-0026-0005

Funding Information

The authors did not receive any support from any organization for the submitted work.

About Energy & Environment Nexus

Energy & Environment Nexus is a multidisciplinary journal for communicating advances in the science, technology and engineering of energy, environment and their Nexus.

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DOI

10.48130/een-0026-0005 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Optimal energy management of distributed energy resources for a hybrid residential microgrid

 

Reheating unlocks more power from LNG cold energy

Maximum Academic Press

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The study found that a two-stage Rankine cycle using hexafluoroethane (R116) in the upper cycle and ethane (R170) in the lower cycle could generate 7.5 MW of net power with 24.1% thermal efficiency. When reheating was added, the best configuration increased output to 9.2 MW, representing a 22% improvement over the optimal single-fluid design. These findings provide a practical pathway for LNG terminals to convert otherwise wasted cryogenic energy into useful power.

LNG is transported at extremely low temperatures, around −162 °C, allowing natural gas to be stored and shipped efficiently across long distances. However, before it enters pipeline networks, LNG must be warmed and regasified. In conventional terminals, much of this valuable cold energy is released to seawater or ambient air, resulting in a major loss of usable exergy. Previous studies have explored direct expansion, Rankine, Brayton, and mixed-fluid cycles, but many designs either show limited efficiency, rely on narrow operating conditions, or lack systematic optimization across both working fluids and cycle structures. Therefore, improving working-fluid matching and cycle configuration remains essential for efficient LNG cold energy recovery.

A study (DOI: 10.48130/een-0026-0007) published in Energy & Environment Nexus on 11 May 2026 by Shing-hon Wong’s team, The University of Western Australia, reports that reheated two-stage Rankine cycles offer the most effective configuration for maximizing LNG cold energy power generation.

The researchers developed a systematic process simulation and optimization framework to evaluate LNG cold energy recovery under representative terminal conditions, using an LNG receiving capacity of 216 t·h−1. They first constructed a baseline two-stage Rankine cycle, in which the upper and lower cycles each operated with independent working fluids. The upper cycle was heated by seawater, the lower cycle was cooled by LNG, and an intermediate heat exchanger linked the two stages. This two-stage arrangement reduced temperature mismatch across the wide span between LNG and ambient conditions. To identify optimal working fluids, the team screened 30 single-fluid combinations and 49 binary-mixture combinations. Genetic algorithms were coupled with Aspen HYSYS simulations to optimize evaporation pressure, condensation pressure, intermediate temperature, mixture composition, and other cycle parameters. For single fluids, R116 consistently performed best in the upper cycle because its dry-fluid behavior and non-isothermal heat rejection improved heat transfer to the lower cycle. R170 and R1150 were strong lower-cycle candidates, with R116–R170 delivering 7.5 MW net power. The researchers then assessed mixed working fluids, which can evaporate and condense over a temperature range, better matching LNG’s non-isothermal warming curve. Binary mixtures improved performance consistency, with R116-based upper-cycle combinations showing less than 5% variation among leading candidates. The best mixed-fluid baseline produced 7.7 MW, only modestly higher than the single-fluid case. Finally, four advanced configurations were tested: Rankine-regeneration, Rankine-reheating, Kalina-regeneration, and Kalina-reheating. Reheating delivered the strongest improvement because it allowed higher pressure expansion in the upper cycle while maintaining favorable exhaust temperatures for the lower cycle. The optimal Rankine-reheating configuration, using R116 in the upper cycle and an R1150–R170 mixture in the lower cycle, generated 9.2 MW. In contrast, regeneration and Kalina integration offered little or no performance benefit.

Overall, the study shows that the efficiency of LNG cold energy recovery depends not only on selecting high-performing working fluids, but also on integrating them into the right cycle architecture. While binary mixtures can improve thermal matching, the largest gain came from reheating, which enhanced both upper- and lower-cycle power production. The findings suggest that reheated two-stage Rankine systems may offer LNG terminals a technically feasible strategy to recover wasted cold energy, reduce energy losses during regasification, and support cleaner power generation from existing LNG infrastructure.

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References

DOI

10.48130/een-0026-0007

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.48130/een-0026-0007

Funding Information

The first author (Shing-hon Wong) received a PhD stipend scholarship from the Future Energy Exports CRC (www.fenex.org.au). This work has received partial support from the Australian Research Council under the Discovery Projects Scheme (DP210103766 and DP220100116). FEnEx CRC Document 2025/21.RP1.0072.PHD-FNX-MILE0861.

About Energy & Environment Nexus

Energy & Environment Nexus is a multidisciplinary journal for communicating advances in the science, technology and engineering of energy, environment and their Nexus.

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DOI

10.48130/een-0026-0007 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Enhancements and optimization of LNG cold energy recovery via advanced binary working fluid power cycle systems