On July 22, ISTC researcher John Scott was featured on the Blue Earth podcast in an episode entitled “Consuming Plastic: How the Same Stuff That Pollutes Our Water Pollutes Your Body.”
Plastic panic in the pandemic: How single use items meant to protect us will harm the planet
ISTC’s John Scott was interviewed by Zack Fishman of Medill Reports, an online news service of Northwestern University, for an article about the increase of single-use plastic waste during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CWLP could become world’s largest carbon capture research station
The Springfield Journal- Register recently ran a story about ISTC’s carbon capture project at City Water, Power, and Light’s Dallman unit 4.
The project was also highlighted by Public Power Magazine, a publication of the American Public Power Association.
The DOE-funded project is currently in the design phase. The phase three proposal, which will fund construction, is due in January. If DOE selects ISTC’s Phase Three proposal, construction would probably begin next May or June, kicking off the five-year project.
Chemical Hitchhikers: Great Lakes microplastics may increase risk of PFAS contaminants in food web
ISTC analytical chemist John Scott is featured in this story from Great Lakes Now about how microplastics increase the risk of PFAS contamination in the food web.
In Rural Illinois, It Takes Green To Go Green
ISTC’s Shantanu Pai is featured in this story from WNIJ about how towns in rural Illinois are struggling to offer recycling services to their residents.
Special Report: ‘Forever chemicals’ in Rantoul groundwater
Fox 55/27 News interviewed ISTC senior chemist John Scott in this story about PFAS found on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul.
Shining a light on solar panel recycling
ISTC’s Jennifer Martin is quoted in this Recycling Today article about the current solar panel recycling landscape.
A Water Quality Activist Tests Missouri Waters For Tiny Pieces Of Plastic
Read the full story from NPR. ISTC researchers are analyzing the samples for this project.
Missouri waters are polluted with microplastics, small pieces of plastic smaller than a pencil eraser.
Microplastics can come from large pieces of plastic that degrade into smaller pieces and consumer products, like toothpaste and cosmetics, that contain microbeads. While research has shown that plastic pollution can threaten aquatic life, scientists are still trying to understand how microplastics could affect human health.
Understanding the impact of microplastics starts by knowing how much is in local waters, said Rachel Bartels, co-founder of the nonprofit Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper.
Collaborative microplastics research from ISTC, ISGS, and ISWS referenced in Sun-Times editorial
A Sun-Times editorial published on August 7, “A glass of cold, clear — plastic? No thanks,” references collaborative research by scientists from ISTC, the Illinois State Geological Survey, and the Illinois State Water Survey.
ISTC researcher demonstrates nutrient reduction project at Fulton County Field Day
On July 16, farmers and researchers came together at Fulton County Field Day. The event allowed researchers to showcase peer-reviewed applied science and demonstrate to working farmers that these conservation practices work. Individual farmers could then take aspects of what they learned and apply it in on their land.
ISTC researcher Wei Zheng demonstrated the system he has developed for using biochar to recycle nutrients from tile drainage systems. The project is funded through a grant from the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council (NREC).
The event was hosted by the Illinois Farm Bureau, Fulton County Farm Bureau, Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Prairie Research Institute and University of Illinois Extension. Read more about the event in FarmWeek.
