In the 2024 Quacquarelli Symonds Sustainability Ranking, Michigan State University placed in the top 3% in the world — or No. 41 — among participating schools. The university is also in the top 3% in the nation, ranked at No. 6. The QS Sustainability Rankings measure how well universities are addressing the world’s greatest environmental, social …
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 …
Spartans are innovating batteries, electronics, composite materials and more to push electric vehicles farther while training the nation’s future workforce This July, the United States Army announced a new $9 million initiative it’s pursuing with Michigan State University to make electric autonomous vehicles safer, smarter and more dependable. With support from the Army’s Ground Vehicle …
Michigan State University researcher Bruno Basso suggests that advanced plant sensors can provide farmers with real-time data on soil, crops, and weather. However, their uptake remains slow due to high costs and complexity. Furthermore, extreme weather events driven by climate change are decreasing yields. While sensors could and would help farmers adapt to the new …
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, …
The Michigan State University (MSU) School of Packaging (SoP) announces a new partnership with Trayak, Inc. to supply the EcoImpact-COMPASS software licenses for use by SoP faculty, staff, and students. East Lansing, MI — The Michigan State University (MSU) School of Packaging (SoP) is proud to announce a new partnership with Trayak, Inc. to supply the …
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $8,492,000 in grant funding to four institutions for research on the occurrence and concentration of pathogens and disinfection by-products and the environmental conditions favorable to their growth in drinking water distribution systems. “New strategies for monitoring and controlling contaminants in drinking water will help ensure that science …
One of the next climate change solutions might be found at your local dairy farm. A team of MSU researchers is studying ways to generate renewable energy from dairy farm waste to charge electric vehicles (EVs). Wei Liao, a professor in MSU’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) and the director of MSU’s Anaerobic Digestion …
MSU emerges as technology leader at Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center It is no secret that our use of fossil fuels is damaging the planet. As scientists continue to search for alternative sources of energy to decrease our reliance on petroleum and petroleum-based products, Michigan State University (MSU) is leading the way in the development …
Researchers from Michigan State University’s top-ranked School of Packaging have developed a way to make a promising, sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics more biodegradable. A team led by Rafael Auras has made a bio-based polymer blend that’s compostable in both home and industrial settings. The work is published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & …
