Recycling news: 2026

Research & science Indigenous plant-based disease management practices among smallholder farmers in Madibeng Local Municipality, South Africa Annually, food commodity losses are reported worldwide due to pests and diseases affecting plants. Due to the high cost, most smallholder farmers cannot afford chemical treatments and often rely on botanical extracts as an alternative. In response to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) including #1 (no poverty), #2 (zero hunger), #3 (good health and well-being) and #15 (life … Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Carrageenan–sodium alginate biodegradable films enriched with rosemary oil for active food packaging and shelf-life extension of apricot This study aimed to develop and characterize biodegradable food packaging films composed of carrageenan and sodium alginate. To enhance the films, rosemary oil (RMO), extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction with hexane as the solvent, was incorporated into the formulation. Five formulations were prepared: S0 (control), S1 (0.25 mL), S2 (0.50 mL), S3 (0.75 mL), and S4 (1.00… Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Indigenous knowledge and cultural resilience of Enset legacies for food security among the Sadan Liban Oromo of Ethiopia While the Maccaa Oromo are traditionally associated with cereal-based agriculture, the Sadan Liban Oromo represent a distinct cultural and agricultural divergence. This study explores the historical evolution of Enset (Ensete ventricosum) cultivation within this community, examining how it became a foundational element of their socio-economic fabric. Despite extensive literature on Enset in sou… Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Concentrating solar power technologies for energy generation technology principles mathematical modeling industrial applications and energy markets Concentrating solar power (CSP) with parabolic trough collectors (PTC) remains one of the most mature and commercially viable technologies for medium- to high-temperature solar energy conversion. This review provides a comprehensive examination of PTC systems, covering their fundamental principles, geometrical design, optical and thermal mathematical modelling, component materials (mirrors, rec… Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Corporate tax behavior and sustainability with African insights and Ethiopian sectoral perspectives This study provides a systematic review of the literature on corporate tax behavior and sustainability, with a specific focus on African institutional contexts and sectoral challenges in Ethiopia. Following the PRISMA 2020 framework, the review synthesizes empirical and conceptual studies to examine how governance structures, regulatory frameworks, and institutional environments shape corporate… Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Microalgae-derived biochar from residual biomass as a sustainable support for lipase immobilization and enzymatic biodiesel production This study investigates the valorization of residual microalgal biomass into functional biochar for lipase immobilization and enzymatic biodiesel production. Microalgal residue remaining after pigment and lipid extraction underwent pyrolysis at different temperatures and treatment strategies, and the most suitable support was obtained by pyrolysis at 500 °C followed by nitric acid modifica… Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Genotoxic effects of association of the biogenic amines cadaverine and putrescine on the Xenopus tropicalis fibroblast cell line During cadaveric decomposition, necro-leachate is released into the surrounding environment, containing organic compounds such as the biogenic amines cadaverine (CAD) and putrescine (PUT). In this study, we performed the first integrated assessment of the genotoxic effects of CAD and PUT combinations at different concentrations (CAD: 0.3 × 10⁻ 3 , 0.6 × 10⁻ 3 , and 1.1 × 10⁻ 3  mol/L; PUT:… Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Ecological integration protection and social welfare: evidence from China’s Shan-Shui initiative Social welfare improvement, which integrates the enhancement of residents’ living quality and the realization of social equity, is the core goal of ecological integration protection and regional development. It is of great significance to promote the sustainable development of county areas. As a systematic ecological governance initiative, China’s Shan-Shui Initiative (SSI) serves as an innovat… Frontiers in Environmental Science · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Editorial: Green and sustainable remediation: advances in microbial technologies for legacy and emerging contaminants Frontiers in Environmental Science · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Cost-sharing eco-compensation for transboundary pollution control: a differential game under alternative leadership structures Transboundary pollution creates a governance problem in which the region controlling emissions does not fully bear the resulting environmental damage, while the affected region suffers pollution exposure without direct control over source-side decisions. This study examines whether cost-sharing eco-compensation can mitigate this incentive mismatch under decentralized environmental governance. A… Frontiers in Environmental Science · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Driving corporate sustainability in Ghanaian SMEs: the role of knowledge-oriented leadership and knowledge processes Corporate sustainability has become a strategic imperative for organizations, balancing economic viability with long-term social and environmental responsibilities. Although prior studies have highlighted the importance of leadership and knowledge management in organizational success, limited attention has been devoted to how knowledge-oriented leadership fosters corporate sustainability throug… Frontiers in Sustainability · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Digital infrastructure construction and industrial chain resilience: empirical evidence from high-tech industry in China IntroductionCurrently, China’s high-tech industrial chain faces a “dual challenge” both internally and externally. Enhancing high-tech industrial chain resilience (HCR) has become a critical issue for safeguarding China’s industrial security. As a crucial foundation for the digital era, digital infrastructure construction (DIC) provides significant support for improving HCR.MethodsBased on pane… Frontiers in Sustainability · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Energy poverty and agricultural productivity in SAARC economies: a panel data analysis This paper examines the association between energy poverty indicators and agricultural productivity in five SAARC countries—Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—over the period 2000–2023. Specifically, it investigates how access to clean cooking fuels, electricity, rural electricity, urban electricity, renewable energy consumption, renewable electricity output, and financial develo… Frontiers in Sustainability · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Integrating construction and solar expansion can reduce disposal and dependency Nature subject feed — Sustainability · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Intergenerational Knowledge Exchange in Japanese Biosphere Reserves: Community Perceptions from Aya and Mount Hakusan This study explores community perception of how traditional knowledge is transmitted across generations within two Japanese UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs): Aya and Mount Hakusan. Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews with elders, youth, community leaders, and local entrepreneurs, the research examines how respondents perceive intergenerational exchange as a support fo… Environmental Management (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Cost–benefit and econometric analyses of biogas technology for economic sustainability of milk processing SMEs in Northern Tanzania The linkage between energy utilization and sustainability is gaining substantial attention in the literature. Nevertheless, little attention has been given to understanding biogas energy utilization and sustainability in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. This study examines the cost–benefit dynamics of biogas technology adoption and their implications for the economic… Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Assessing the role of green finance in reducing carbon emissions from dairy production in China The dairy industry, one of the major sources of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, faces the challenge of achieving an in-depth low-carbon transformation while satisfying the ever-growing demand. Green finance, as a vital instrument to channel capital into environmentally sustainable activities, is increasingly recognized as a key measure to drive this transformation. However, empirical evi… Discover Sustainability (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Towards an aligned nutritional and environmental impact assessment: a state-of-the-art review Purpose While nutritional life cycle assessment (n-LCA) aims to integrate health and environmental sustainability, the compatibility of underlying data and methodological choices remains unclear. So, this study critically evaluates whether nutritional and environmental dimensions are methodologically adequate and aligned in n-LCAs. We assessed the consistency of functional units, system boundar… The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Evaluating river water quality in Europe: a novel methodology for tracking human impact and sustainable development goals alignment Nutrient inputs and organic matter indicate human pressure on freshwater systems and are key contributors to damaging river water quality. This study evaluates the current state of European river water quality by analysing phosphate and Biochemical Oxygen Demand data from Eurostat over seven years. The new applied methodology established a composite indicator (Human Pressure on River Ecosystems… Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Springer) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Author Correction: Spatial assessment of tap-water safety in China Nature Sustainability · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science The hydrological asymmetric signature of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on global water storage Communications Earth & Environment (Nature Portfolio) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Projected future warming induces a long-term loss in global dissolved organic carbon pool Communications Earth & Environment (Nature Portfolio) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Elevation-dependent warming at high altitudes in the westerlies-dominated Tibetan Plateau Communications Earth & Environment (Nature Portfolio) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Diversity and distinctive characteristics of the global RNA virome in urban and peri-urban environments - Nature Nature subject feed — Environmental Sciences · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Food trade, chemical exposure, and responsibility Food trade has reshaped global food systems by decoupling where food is produced from where it is consumed, raising concerns about how chemical exposure and responsibility are redistributed across borders. We review research at this intersection, drawing on studies that span multiple chemical classes, food commodities, spatial scales, and disciplinary traditions. The evidence base is rapidly ex… Environmental Research Letters (IOP) · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science On the importance of satellite measurements for accurate monitoring of soil moisture in Tropical Africa It is well accepted that numerical models are improving constantly and deliver valuable information about the Earth environment, to the point that outputs are sometimes considered as ‘measurements’. Although this can be considered as a good approximation in some cases, there are still areas where models do not provide accurate estimates. In those situations, reliance on actual measurements is c… Environmental Research Letters (IOP) · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Adapting cities to heat: an umbrella review of the effectiveness of urban cooling measures across climates Urbanisation and global warming have increased heat in cities. Adaptation measures such as green (e.g. parks, street trees, green walls), blue (e.g. water bodies, misting), and grey (e.g. reflective materials, urban design) infrastructures can reduce urban air temperatures. However, their effectiveness depends on the surrounding climate. Here we conduct an umbrella review of 64 systematic revie… Environmental Research Letters (IOP) · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Quantifying heat vs drought-induced yield decline of German cropping systems and the mitigating potential of irrigation Accurately quantifying crop yield reductions from heat and drought stress is essential for predicting how a changing climate will impact future crop production. Here, we assess the relative contributions of heat and drought stress on crop yield losses across Germany using the process-based ecosystem model LandscapeDNDC. This is achieved via a two-step calibration process, in which key model par… Environmental Research Letters (IOP) · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science UCL professors honoured as new British Academy Fellows | UCL News - UCL – University College London - UCL | University College London UCL News · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Solar windows could harvest energy from sun and indoor light - UCL | University College London UCL News · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Justice - UCL | University College London UCL News · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Methods - UCL | University College London UCL News · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Algae fed by farm waste carpet Italy's warm River Po Rowers on the River Po in Turin are battling vast blooms of algae, as high temperatures in northwest Italy and runoff from farms create ideal conditions for rampant plant growth. Phys.org — Environment tag feed · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Photocatalytic Denitrative Homo- and Cross-Coupling of Nitroalkanes toward the Synthesis of Alkenes - ACS Publications ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (ACS) · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science AlphaGEM enables precise genome-scale metabolic modelling by integrating protein structure alignment with deep-learning-based dark metabolism mining - Nature Nature subject feed — Environmental Sciences · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Researching Education, Media, Arts, and Play - UCL | University College London UCL News · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Yes, breathing wildfire smoke can harm your health – here’s what you can do to protect yourself When you breathe in wildfire smoke, harmful particles can travel deep into your body. The Conversation US — Environment · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Single fission experiment maps excess gamma rays from more than a dozen unstable nuclei In a single experiment, physicists have measured the "excess" emission of high-energy gamma rays from more than a dozen heavy, unstable atomic nuclei. Mapping the gamma-ray emissions of so many isotopes produced in nuclear fission marks an important step toward a better understanding of one of the key phenomena in modern nuclear physics: the fission process itself. Phys.org — 'waste' search feed · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science Photo-Stitching of Nitroalkanes via Cross-Denitrative Olefination - ACS Publications ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (ACS) · 16 Jul 2026 Research & science ‘Explosive diarrhoea’ outbreak grips US: how researchers are hunting its source - Nature Nature subject feed — Environmental Sciences · 16 Jul 2026