Page 116 - Berkeley Lab News Today

President Joe Biden announced an ambitious new national climate target at the world leaders’ climate summit on April 22. He pledged to cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by the end of this decade - a drop of 50-52% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels - and aim for net zero emissions by 2050. Please share this article - Go to very top of page, right hand side, for social media buttons. The new goal is a big deal because it formally brings together the many different ideas on infrastructure, the bud...

Apr 23, 2021 03:22 PM EDT Plastics are a part of almost every product we make use of daily. The average person in the U.S. produces about 100 kg of plastic waste every year, most of which goes directly to a landfill. A team headed by Jay Keasling, Brett Helms, Kristin Persson, and Corinne Scown at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) developed a plastic known as Polydiketoenamine, which can help solve the waste crisis.  (Photo : Getty Images) Poly(diketoenamine) or PDK  Not mo...

University of California April 22, 2021 The University of California today shared the details of a proposed policy on COVID-19 vaccination as part of an expected return of students, faculty, academic appointees and staff to in-person instruction across the state this fall. UC shared this FAQ for employees so they could better understand what is being proposed and how the policy would work. 1. Why is UC sharing a proposed policy? When will a final policy be ready? The university is engaging its ...

Apr 23, 2021 This one in honor of Earth Day! Most biodegradable plastics take months to break down and form microplastics when they do that can end up in oceans and animal bodies. Scientists at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have invented an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics from polluting the earth and shows great promise for plastic upcycling. “In the wild, enzymes are what nature uses to break things down—and even when we die, enzymes cause our bodi...

Apr 23, 2021 This one in honor of Earth Day! Most biodegradable plastics take months to break down and form microplastics when they do that can end up in oceans and animal bodies. Scientists at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have invented an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics from polluting the earth and shows great promise for plastic upcycling. “In the wild, enzymes are what nature uses to break things down—and even when we die, enzymes cause our bodi...

Apr 23, 2021 This one in honor of Earth Day! Most biodegradable plastics take months to break down and form microplastics when they do that can end up in oceans and animal bodies. Scientists at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have invented an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics from polluting the earth and shows great promise for plastic upcycling. “In the wild, enzymes are what nature uses to break things down—and even when we die, enzymes cause our bodi...

Apr 23, 2021 This one in honor of Earth Day! Most biodegradable plastics take months to break down and form microplastics when they do that can end up in oceans and animal bodies. Scientists at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have invented an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics from polluting the earth and shows great promise for plastic upcycling. “In the wild, enzymes are what nature uses to break things down—and even when we die, enzymes cause our bodi...

Apr 23, 2021 This one in honor of Earth Day! Most biodegradable plastics take months to break down and form microplastics when they do that can end up in oceans and animal bodies. Scientists at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have invented an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics from polluting the earth and shows great promise for plastic upcycling. “In the wild, enzymes are what nature uses to break things down—and even when we die, enzymes cause our bodi...

Credit: (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab) Plastics are a part of nearly every product we use on a daily basis. The average person in the U.S. generates about 100 kg of plastic waste per year, most of which goes straight to a landfill. A team led by Corinne Scown, Brett Helms, Jay Keasling, and Kristin Persson at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) set out to change that. Less than two years ago, Helms announced the invention of a new plastic that could tackle the waste crisis ...

Date Time To Design Truly Compostable Plastic, Scientists Take Cues From Nature Ivan Jayapurna, a UC Berkeley materials science and engineering graduate student, preparing a sample film of a new biodegradable plastic. (Credit: Adam Lau/UC Berkeley) Despite our efforts to sort and recycle, less than 9% of plastic gets recycled in the U.S., and most ends up in landfill or the environment. Biodegradable plastic bags and containers could help, but if they’re not properly sorted, they can contamin...