India will soon be severely water-stressed as the supply is expected to fall to 40%-50% of demand by 2030
‘50% of plastics packaging now in circulation could be profitably recycled, given improvements in design and waste management, but without fundamental redesign, much of the remainder is destined for landfill or incineration. While forecasting a potential €900bn economic boost to Europe if recycling targets were met, [Dame Ellen] MacArthur said she saw “no reason why such business investment cannot be extended globally
Speciality chemicals are very special indeed. They enable industry and society to operate at all levels and touch almost every human activity. Unlike fine chemicals, where purity at the molecular level is crucial to their efficacy, especially for pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals, the sale of a speciality product is nearly always made on the basis of performance as much as composition.
Biotech firms put on a brave performance while presenting their case for funding at the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology event’s first-ever ‘Pitchfest’ in Glasgow in October 2016. Cath O’Driscoll reports
With the world’s population estimated to reach 10bn by 2050, WHO predicts that food production will need to increase by 70%. Maria Burke finds out if cellular agriculture – a move away from a reliance on livestock – might provide a more sustainable alternative
… for Alzheimer’s reach. While early stage trial results of two novel Alzheimer’s drugs have been hailed as the ‘best news’ in dementia research for 25 years, elsewhere other trial results are less encouraging, Jasmin Fox-Skelly reports
Analysing the chemicals present in sewage sludge and wastewater is providing researchers with valuable data concerning the general health and well-being of city dwellers, Jon Evans reports
Farmers could soon have a new environmentally-friendly approach to protecting crop health thanks to a topical spray – BoClay – that exploits the plant’s own defence mechanism. Researchers who developed BoClay from the universities of Surrey, UK, and the University of Queensland, Australia, believe it could be available in just five years.