News

Ammonia plant
Energy-Environment, Research

CSE researchers part of $10M DOE grant to improve ammonia production

Posted

University of Minnesota researchers in the College of Science and Engineering’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials science are part of a new $10 million research project aimed at developing and demonstrating novel processes to produce ammonia from intermittent renewable energy.

Mixed plastic waste piled together
Energy-Environment, Research

Recycling mixed plastics is about to get a lot easier

Posted

University of Minnesota researchers invented a polymer technology that enables two of the most common types of plastic to be recycled together, eliminating the need for recycling facilities to sort them.

Delaware River
Energy-Environment, Research

New machine learning methods could improve environmental predictions

Posted

A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh, and U.S. Geological Survey have developed a new machine learning technique that could improve environmental predictions.

A microscope image of quartz samples discovered at a meteor impact site in Minnesota
Energy-Environment, Research

U of M geologists discover first-ever Minnesota meteor crash site

Posted

Researchers with CSE’s Geological Survey of Minnesota have identified an underground crater from an ancient meteorite impact near the Twin Cities area.

A submersible claw picking up a piece of limestone underwater
Energy-Environment, Research

Ocean bacteria release carbon into the atmosphere

Posted

A study led by CSE researchers discovered that deep-sea bacteria dissolve carbon-containing rocks, releasing excess carbon into the ocean and atmosphere.

A cartoon drawing of a nanoparticle with a broken phone near a lake
Energy-Environment, Nanotechnology, Students

How to use nanotechnology responsibly

Posted

Graduate students in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology partner with Lifeology, a science communication company, to explain the environmental impact of nanoparticles to non-scientists.

A hand taking a tube of cells out of cryopreservation
Energy-Environment, Medical-Health Technology, Research

CSE startups win top prizes at 2020 MN Cup

Posted

BlueCube Bio took home the $50,000 grand prize, and CounterFlow Technologies was named the runner-up—both companies are fueled by CSE research.

Field of soybeans and corn
Energy-Environment

Crop rotations improve environmental outcomes while keeping farms profitable

Posted

A new study from researchers at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University finds that diversifying crop rotations can greatly reduce negative environmental and health impacts, while maintaining profitability for farmers. 

zeolite image
Research, Energy-Environment

Breaking molecular traffic jams with finned nanoporous materials

Posted

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are part of an international team that has invented an entirely new class of porous catalysts using unique fins to speed up chemical reactions.

PlasticScore founder and CSE alumnus Mladen Gajic with his co-founders
Digital Technology, Energy-Environment, People-Profiles

More taste, less waste

Posted

College of Science and Engineering alum Mladen Gajic recently launched PlasticScore, an app that crowdsources reviews to give restaurants zero-waste sustainability ratings.