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Turning plastic waste into useful products through chemical recycling is one strategy for addressing Earth's growing plastic pollution problem. A new study may improve the ability of one method, called pyrolysis, to process hard-to-recycle mixed plastics — like multilayer food packaging — and generate fuel as a byproduct, the scientists said.

Governments and societies around the world face increasing urgency in responding to climate change by accelerating the transition to a low-carbon energy system but differing views remain on the combination of energy technologies that will best achieve this goal. Identifying technological pathways is complicated by wide uncertainties in economic and technological factors.

A recent gift of a Thermotron humidity chamber from energy company Aramco Americas will support numerous research projects in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

Sara Andreoli, a postdoctoral researcher who recently completed her appointment with the Earth and Mineral Sciences Energy Institute at Penn State, received the esteemed 2022 EMS Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award.

Russell Johns, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at Penn State, was selected to receive the 2022 Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) Pioneer Award from the International Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The SPE IOR Pioneer Award is presented to select individuals who have made significant advancements over the years in improved oil recovery technology.

Thermally regenerative ammonia batteries can produce electricity on demand from low-grade waste heat. A new process for creating these batteries improves their stability and affordability and may help address the country’s growing grid-scale energy storage problem, according to a team led by Penn State researchers.

The following is a list of non-tenure-line faculty promotions at Penn State, effective July 1, 2022. The University announced promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty earlier this year. 

Porous materials can be found everywhere from the concrete in our buildings to the bones in our bodies. In buildings, lightweight, high-strength porous materials help conserve energy, insulate acoustics and bear higher loads. In armored vehicles and airplanes, they reduce fuel consumption. Porous rocks are used to mitigate climate change by serving as a medium for carbon dioxide storage and geothermal heat extraction. Despite the proliferation and broad applications of porous materials, very little is understood about how cracks form inside their microstructure and how they eventually fail.

Angelique Adams, CEO of Angelique Adams Media Solutions, LLC, was awarded the 2022 Charles L. Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal by Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The award was established in 1992 to recognize the very highest levels of intellectual achievement or academic service attained by those educated in the college. The award is named in honor of Charles L. Hosler, former dean of the college, senior vice president for research, dean of The Graduate School, and professor of meteorology emeritus and Penn State Distinguished Alumnus.

Upcycling plastic waste into graphite, used in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, could positively contribute to the global economy, preserving resources, saving energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, according to Penn State researchers.