An MSU College of Engineering researcher has received national media exposure for her expertise in solar panels and renewable energy. Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Annick Anctil was recently featured in Inside Climate News for a story entitled “A Reality Check About Solar Panel Waste and the Effects on Human Health.” Anctil said science shows that solar panels …
Compostability certification of polymers is time-consuming and expensive. Approaches to accelerating the biodegradation of these polymers in simulated composting conditions can facilitate and speed up evaluating potential compostable polymers. Biodegradation of polymers in composting conditions is an alternative end-of-life scenario for contaminated materials collected through the municipal solid waste management system, mainly when mechanical or …
Updated from an original article written by Rafael Auras. Hydrolytic degradation of poly(lactic acid): Unraveling correlations between temperature and the three-phase structures Polymer Degradation & Stability, 2023, (217) 110537 Hydrolysis significantly influences both the properties and degradability of poly(lactic acid), PLA. This work investigates the hydrolysis kinetics of PLA films as affected by degree …
A team of FRIB scientists has received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) to address challenges in nuclear physics via the development of more efficient and powerful quantum computing algorithms. The work of Dean Lee, professor of physics at FRIB and in Michigan State University’s Department of Physics and …
In plants, the jasmonate, or JA, signaling pathway helps plants control their defense responses to environmental stresses. Like the human body, plants respond differently to individual threats. Just as people wouldn’t get a fever due to a sprained ankle, plants deal with harmful elements in particular ways. A study from the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory …
A team of Michigan State University researchers believes in a future when homes and other buildings can be constructed using low-cost, sustainable materials that also can repair themselves and capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, there is strong demand in sustainable materials,” said Jinxing Li, who …
Lansmont Corporation is investing in packaging durability research and testing by donating some of its technology to the MSU School of Packaging. EAST LANSING, MICH. — Lansmont Corporation, part of the Physical Properties Testers (PPT) Group, is extending its investment in packaging durability testing and research by donating some of their test and measurement technologies to …
Blending PLA with thermoplastic starch promotes sustainable biodegradation of PLA under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions without creating microplastics. Breaking It Down: How Thermoplastic Starch Enhances Poly(lactic acid) Biodegradation in Compost─A Comparative Analysis of Reactive Blends Pooja C. Mayekar, , Wanwarang Limsukon, Anibal Bher, and Rafael Auras* School of Packaging, Michigan State University, 448 Wilson Road, …
“Ask the Expert” articles provide information and insights from MSU scientists, researchers and scholars about national and global issues, complex research and general-interest subjects based on their areas of academic expertise and study. They may feature historical information, background, research findings, or offer tips. David Ortega, food economist and associate professor in the Department of …
Michigan State University researchers received a $12 million, four-year federal grant from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, or IARPA, under its Biometric Recognition and Identification at Altitude and Range, or BRIAR, program. The IARPA BRIAR program is a 48-month effort to deliver end-to-end software systems capable of detecting individuals at severe imaging conditions, extracting …
