Recycling news: 2026

Research & science Chip-sized optical amplifier can intensify light 100-fold with minimal energy Light does a lot of work in the modern world, enabling all types of information technology, from TVs to satellites to fiber-optic cables that carry the internet across oceans. Stanford physicists recently found a way to make that light work even harder with an optical amplifier that requires low amounts of energy without any loss of bandwidth, all on a device the size of a fingertip. Phys.org — 'battery recycling' search feed · 28 Jan 2026 Research & science Modification of Layered Double Hydroxides Using First-Row Transition Metals for Superior UV-Vis-NIR Absorption and the Influence of the Synthesis Method Used - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 27 Jan 2026 Research & science Scientists finally explain Earth’s strangest fossils The Ediacara Biota are some of the strangest fossils ever found—soft-bodied organisms preserved in remarkable detail where preservation shouldn’t be possible. Scientists now think their survival in sandstone came from unusual ancient seawater chemistry that created clay “cements” around their bodies after burial. This process captured delicate shapes that would normally vanish. The finding help… ScienceDaily — Recycling and Waste · 27 Jan 2026 Research & science How political leanings affect views on academic freedom – new research Right-leaning respondents were consistently more supportive of academic freedom. Brunel University of London — The Conversation institution feed · 26 Jan 2026 Research & science Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) programme - joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) news · 26 Jan 2026 Research & science Jobs at the JRC - joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) news · 26 Jan 2026 Research & science Soft Hardware, Flowing Software: Reconfigurable Microfluidics for Adaptable Chemical Computation - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 26 Jan 2026 Research & science Vacuum-Field Catalysis: Accelerated Reactions by Vibrational Ultra Strong Coupling - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 26 Jan 2026 Research & science Infinitene: A Helically Twisted Figure-Eight [12]Circulene Topoisomer - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 25 Jan 2026 Research & science The future of self-driving laboratories: From Human in the Loop Interactive AI to Gamification - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 24 Jan 2026 Research & science Deep Reinforcement Learning for Multiparameter Optimization in de novo Drug Design - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 24 Jan 2026 Research & science Highly Disordered Nanoporous Carbons for Enhanced Energy Storage in Supercapacitors - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science Quantifying the additionality of cookstove carbon projects Volume 17, Issue 1, December 2026 . Carbon Management (Taylor & Francis) · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science Rare rocks beneath Australia reveal the origins of a critical metal Rare rocks buried deep in central Australia have revealed how a valuable niobium deposit formed during the breakup of an ancient supercontinent. More than 800 million years ago, tectonic rifting opened pathways that allowed metal-rich magma to rise from the mantle. These unusual rocks contain niobium, a key ingredient in high-strength steel, electric vehicles, and emerging energy technologies. … ScienceDaily — Recycling and Waste · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science Engineering combination nanomedicines to overcome cancer resistance - The Royal Society of Chemistry Green Chemistry (RSC) · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science Dr Caroline Howe appointed Fellow of the British Ecological Society - Imperial College London Imperial College London News · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science How assumptions shape sustainability – a scenario-based life cycle Assessment of delivery drones Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science Identification of cast and extruded PMMA for sustainable recycling and using terahertz time domain spectrometer Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 23 Jan 2026 Research & science Persistent Homology for Virtual Screening - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Atmospheric removal of trifluoroacetic acid by dry and wet deposition: a multi year analysis in Toronto - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Three-dimensional lithium metal anodes in solid-state batteries - The Royal Society of Chemistry Green Chemistry (RSC) · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Solvated Electrons! The Missing Link in Highly Reducing Photocatalysis - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Compressive strength and cost-effectiveness of confined waste plastic bottle brick masonry walls Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Alkali-Ion-Modified Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Glasses - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Minisci C-H Alkylation of Heteroarenes Enabled by Dual Photoredox/bromide Catalysis in Micellar Solutions - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Skeletal Metalation of Lactams through Carbonyl-to-Nickel Exchange Logic - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Nature-Inspired Continuous N-C Chain Elongation Enables Sustainable Peptide Synthesis - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Machine-Learning Methods for pH-Dependent Aqueous-Solubility Prediction - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science Waste Management in the Middle East and North Africa dc.title: Waste Management in the Middle East and North Africa; إدارة النفايات يف منطقة الرشق األوسط وشامل افريقيا - نظرة عامة; Gestion des Déchets dans la Région Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord - Apercu dc.contributor.author: World Bank dc.description.abstract: This report provides a high-level overview of the key findings and insights contained in the report, “Waste Management in the Middle E… World Bank Open Knowledge Repository — 'circular economy' search · 22 Jan 2026 Research & science About - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 21 Jan 2026 Research & science FAQs - ChemRxiv ChemRxiv preprints · 21 Jan 2026 Research & science Optimised fluoride adsorption from water using functionalised rice straw: a response surface methodology approach Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 21 Jan 2026 Research & science Solar bias enables cuprite deposition on ITO in a bioelectrochemical cell for copper recovery Volume 19, Issue 1, December 2026 . International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (Taylor & Francis) · 21 Jan 2026 Research & science Smart clothing coming sooner than you think and Rice engineers are helping build it - Rice University Rice University News · 20 Jan 2026 Research & science The Global Sanitation Crisis: A Systems Approach to Resilient Citywide Inclusive Sanitation dc.title: The Global Sanitation Crisis: A Systems Approach to Resilient Citywide Inclusive Sanitation dc.contributor.author: Hyde-Smith, Leonie; Gambrill, Martin P. dc.description.abstract: This background paper highlights the urgent need for climate‑resilient sanitation systems as cities face increasing climate‑related pressures. The growing impacts of extreme weather events expose the deep in… World Bank Open Knowledge Repository — 'circular economy' search · 20 Jan 2026 Research & science Scientists trace fertilizer microplastics from fields to beaches Plastic-coated fertilizers used on farms are emerging as a major but hidden source of ocean microplastics. A new study found that only a tiny fraction reaches beaches through rivers, while direct drainage from fields to the sea sends far more plastic back onto shore. Once there, waves and tides briefly trap the particles on beaches before many vanish again. This helps explain why so much plasti… ScienceDaily — Sustainability · 19 Jan 2026 Research & science Microplastics are undermining the ocean’s power to absorb carbon Tiny plastic particles drifting through the oceans may be quietly weakening one of Earth’s most powerful climate defenses. New research suggests microplastics are disrupting marine life that helps oceans absorb carbon dioxide, while also releasing greenhouse gases as they break down. By interfering with plankton, microbes, and natural carbon cycles, these pollutants reduce the ocean’s ability t… ScienceDaily — Sustainability · 18 Jan 2026 Research & science Concentrated declines, distributed growth, and the challenges of balancing the green energy transition in the US by Stephen Stack, Dara O’Rourke The clean energy transition, while critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, poses a threat to regions specialized in fossil fuel extraction. Advocates point to the development of green industries in those places as a solution. However, it is not clear that these industries will emerge in the same regions as fossil fuel extraction. This paper maps the chang… PLOS Sustainability and Transformation · 16 Jan 2026 Research & science A deadly chemical frozen in ice may have sparked life on Earth Hydrogen cyanide, a toxic chemical, may have helped spark the chemistry that led to life. When frozen, it forms crystals with highly reactive surfaces that can drive unusual chemical reactions, even in extreme cold. These reactions could produce more reactive molecules that pave the way for life’s basic ingredients. The findings suggest frozen worlds may be more chemically active than once thou… ScienceDaily — Hazardous Waste · 16 Jan 2026 Research & science Scientists found the soil secret that doubles forest regrowth New research shows tropical forests can recover twice as fast after deforestation when their soils contain enough nitrogen. Scientists followed forest regrowth across Central America for decades and found that nitrogen plays a decisive role in how quickly trees return. Faster regrowth also means more carbon captured from the atmosphere. The study points to smarter reforestation strategies that … ScienceDaily — Sustainability · 16 Jan 2026