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February 23, 2017 | Green Biz
Perceptions of a company’s environmental record are intertwined with perceptions of a product and play a role in whether many of us buy Brand X or Brand Y. That begs the question: What is it that consumers want to see companies doing that would demonstrate that they’re environmentally friendly good guys?
Naturally Occurring Nanoparticles in Fertilizer Reduces Agricultural Runoff
February 22, 2017 | C&EN
Nitrogen fertilizers—used to grow crops around the globe—have a problem. After they’re applied to soil, more than three-quarters of their nutrients get washed away before plants can absorb them. That wastes money and creates environmental messes downstream. Now, researchers have used nanoparticles to create a potential solution: a fertilizer that releases nutrients over a week, giving crops more time to absorb them, reducing waste and toxic runoff.
Google and Healthy Building Network Create Green Materials Database
February 21, 2017 | The Fifth Estate
Tech giant Google has joined forces with the US-based Healthy Building Network to launch a web-based materials analysis tool that promises to advance healthy materials use, accelerate access to high-quality and comparable data, and connect supply with demand. Stacy Glass, of Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, said it also outlines key steps manufacturers need to take to achieve healthy materials – inventory, screening, assessment, optimization and transparency.
More Natural Approaches to Catalysis
February 20, 2017 | C&EN
To make chemical processing more sustainable, chemists turn to animal, vegetable, and mineral sources for catalytic materials, such as earthworms, red mud and “bio-ore”.
University of Malta Department of Pharmacy Developing Greener Processes Laboratory
February 19, 2017 | Times of Malta
The University of Malta’s Department of Pharmacy is contributing to the development of green processes by establishing a dedicated state-of-the-art laboratory. The collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and academia will contribute to further develop sustainable environmentally friendly processes.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Camston Wrather | The Nexus Blog
The prior installment of this series (Part 1) touched on the consumption and disposal volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) and its impacts. This article will cover a technical overview of current resource recovery methods, both formal and informal.
Critical Elements Series: Helium Shortage to Occur in the Next 25-50 Years
ACS Green Chemistry Institute | The Nexus Blog
As the second most abundant element in the universe, it seems strange to think of helium as endangered. The gas has a wide variety of uses, from cryogenics (think super-cooling MRI magnets) to SCUBA diving equipment. The problem: Unlike most other elements, helium is so light, it escapes the Earth’s atmosphere with ease, and thus the supply is being constantly depleted.
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