In a study published in Nature Chemistry, Rutgers chemist Yuwei Gu and a team of Rutgers scientists have shown that by borrowing a principle from nature, they can create plastics that break down under everyday conditions without heat or harsh chemicals.

Denitrification is essential to remove toxic nitric oxide from industrial emissions and polluted water. So far, the industrial process has involved high temperatures. Professor Kitagishi’s group accidentally stumbled upon a new chemical mechanism of denitrification at room temperature and in aqueous solution. They report hemoCD-I/P supramolecules that bind nitric oxide and release nitrogen when in acidic glycine-containing solution. This pioneering finding will aid industrial denitrification and accelerate efforts to protect the environment.

Scientists have developed plant-based decomposable plastics using phenylpropanoids, compounds from essential oils. These high-biomass polymers are heat-resistant, durable and recyclable, capable of breaking down under mild conditions for use in chemical recycling or upcycling. They offer a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics, reducing environmental impact and supporting a circular economy.

Carbon dioxide energy storage (CES) is an emerging compressed gas energy storage technology which offers high energy storage efficiency, flexibility in location, and low overall costs. This study focuses on a CES system that incorporates a high-temperature graded heat storage structure, utilizing multiple heat exchange working fluids. Unlike traditional CES systems that utilize a single thermal storage at low to medium temperatures, this system significantly optimizes the heat transfer performance of the system, thereby improving its cycle efficiency. Under typical design conditions, the round-trip efficiency of the system is found to be 76.4%, with an output power of 334 kW/(kg·s−1) per unit mass flow rate, through mathematical modeling. Performance analysis shows that increasing the total pressure ratio, reducing the heat transfer temperature difference, improving the heat exchanger efficiency, and lowering the ambient temperature can enhance cycle efficiency. Additionally, this paper proposes a universal and theoretical CES thermodynamic intrinsic cycle construction method and performance prediction evaluation method for CES systems, providing a more standardized and accurate approach for optimizing CES system design.