From coal to chemicals: Breakthrough syngas catalysis powers green industrial future
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Jul-2025 23:11 ET (30-Jul-2025 03:11 GMT/UTC)
Researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics have advanced syngas conversion by integrating Fischer–Tropsch synthesis with heterogeneous hydroformylation. By designing Co–Co₂C and Rh single-atom catalysts, the team achieved efficient, selective, and scalable production of alcohols and α-olefins. Their technologies have already entered industrial use and continue to evolve toward high-value product chains, laying the foundation for greener chemical manufacturing to realize China’s carbon neutrality goals.
Many soil microbes play a vital role in ecosystems, as they help plants access nutrients and water and assist in stress tolerance such as during drought and to defend against pathogens. One such group of soil microbes are arbuscular mycorrhizal, aka AM, fungi, which are associated with the roots of approximately 70% of plant species on land. new Dartmouth-led study reports on how global climate conditions affect AM fungal spore traits and the species biogeographic patterns. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
University of Missouri researchers have devised a more efficient and precise method for manufacturing computer chips: ultraviolet-enabled atomic layer deposition (UV-ALD). It uses UV light to precisely control where a thin layer of material — often a metal oxide — is applied during fabrication. The metal oxide coatings help direct the flow of electricity through each transistor, improving the overall efficiency of the chip. This targeted approach could reduce manufacturing steps, saving both time and materials.
Since March 2022, the global community has been negotiating a global plastics treaty within the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – but no agreement has been reached so far. From 5 to 14 August, the next round of negotiations in Geneva (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) 5.2) will make another attempt to reach a legally binding agreement aimed at ending global plastic pollution. Plastic pollution harms not only the environment and human health but also the climate. Environmental chemist Prof. Dr Annika Jahnke and ecotoxicologist Dr Dana Kühnel from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) are advocating cooperation between the scientific, regulatory, industrial, and civil society sectors in order to achieve far-reaching improvements in pollution levels as quickly as possible. Within the INC 5.2 negotiations, they will support the “Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty” and the German delegation.