New process makes ‘biodegradable’ plastics truly compostable
04/21/21 — Ting Xu's lab has embedded polymer-eating enzymes in plastic to allow programmed degradation after the plastic's useful life is over
Sustainability & environment
10 years after Fukushima, Berkeley monitoring still in use
03/11/21 Berkeley Lab — Response to earthquake, nuclear plant disaster led Kai Vetter and colleagues to new programs and technologies
Upcycling: Turning plastic bags into adhesives
12/17/20 — New catalytic process can stick polyethylene to metal or other materials, potentially boosting the economics of recycling
Clean Air Car Race turns 50
11/05/20 — In 1970, two teams of engineering students participated in a cross-country car race to test technologies that reduced automobile emissions.
How SCET director is protecting trees needed for a COVID vaccine
10/23/20 — A compound in Chilean soapbark trees is a key ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine; Ricardo San Martin wants to ensure that the bark is sustainably harvested.
Super sand
04/14/20 — Engineers have developed a mineral-coated sand that can soak up toxic metals from water, cleaning up stormwater as it replenishes aquifers.
Environmental engineering students win $25K grant from the EPA
02/20/20 — The team, supervised by Professor Ashok Gadgil, will use the money to develop ways to remove arsenic from drinking water in California.
Sustainable sand gives pollution a one-two punch
12/05/19 — Berkeley engineers have developed a mineral-coated sand that can soak up toxic metals like lead and cadmium from water.
Berkeley researchers help secure water future
09/27/19 — The National Alliance for Water Innovation , which includes researchers from Berkeley Engineering, has been awarded a five-year, $100 million Energy-Water Desalination Hub by the U.S. Department of Energy to address water security issues in the United States.
Making the invisible visible
07/22/19 Berkeley Lab — Berkeley researchers have developed a new type of sensor network that is affordable and capable of tracking soot (black carbon). With more than 100 custom-built sensors installed across West Oakland for 100 days, the team created the largest black carbon monitoring network deployed in a single city.
Berkeley engineers propose solutions for reaching U.N. development goals
05/28/19 — Three UC Berkeley undergrads attended the U.N. Environmental Assembly in Kenya and saw their proposals included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Falling levels of air pollution drove decline in California’s tule fog
04/10/19 — The Central Valley's heavy wintertime tule fog – known for snarling traffic and closing schools - has been on the decline over the past 30 years, and falling levels of air pollution are the cause, says a new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley.
Berkeley research makes lead pipes safe
04/03/19 American Chemical Society — UC Berkeley researchers develop a rapid, cost-effective method to make lead pipes safe.
Modern technologies needed to prevent wildfires
01/23/19 Daily Californian — In an op-ed, mechanical engineering professor Tarek Zohdi writes about his new Fire Research Group's focus on actions needed to combat fire emergencies in both wildland and urban environments.
Greener days ahead for carbon fuels
12/18/18 Berkeley Lab — Researchers led by Joel Ager, MSE adjunct professor, have discovered copper's potential as a catalyst for turning carbon dioxide into sustainable chemicals and fuels without wasteful byproducts.
This innovation removes deadly arsenic from India’s water
12/12/18 The Better India — Everyday, tens of millions of people drink water that significantly increases their risk of cancer and other deadly diseases. UC Berkeley professor Ashok Gadgil amd Asian Institute of Technology's Joyashree Roy hope to fix that with an efficient and cost-effective system called Electrochemical Arsenic Remediation (ECAR) for removing arsenic contamination from drinking water.
New group to explore engineering solutions for wildfires
11/16/18 Fung Institute — The newly formed Fire Research Group, led by mechanical engineering professor Tarek Zohdi, brings together scientists from UC Berkeley, the Space Sciences Lab and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to find more effective engineering solutions for uncontrolled wildfires.
Fire & water
11/14/18 — Restoring natural fire regimes to California's mountains could be a win-win-win: more water, improved biodiversity and a reduced risk of catastrophic fires.
Can the world change course on climate change?
10/15/18 — In an episode of the Knowledge@Wharton podcast, Berkeley professor of energy Daniel Kammen and Wharton's Brian Berkey discusses a new United Nations report warning that severe impacts of global warming are likely to occur by 2040.
Algorithm provides early warning system for groundwater contamination
08/30/18 Berkeley Lab — National laboratory researchers led by Berkeley Lab's Haruko Wainwright, a new associate adjunct professor of nuclear engineering at UC Berkeley, have developed a low-cost method for real-time monitoring of groundwater pollutants using commonly available sensors.