News

Trace gases play unseen role in cloud droplet formation

David Danelski — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0800

UCR-led study finds that tiny, invisible gases long thought to be irrelevant in cloud formation appear to play a major role in determining whether clouds form—and possibly whether it rains. This realization runs counter to more than a century of assumptions about the physics behind cloud droplet formation.

UCR launches study of ship emissions off SoCal coast

David Danelski — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0700

A team of UC Riverside environmental engineers are embarking on a $3.5 million study of air pollution from massive oceangoing vessels that frequent the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—one of the region’s largest sources of toxic air pollution.

$7.5 million project to curb greenhouse gas emissions

David Danelski — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0800

UC Riverside engineering associate professor Fudong Liu will oversee a multidisciplinary team spanning academia and industry that has been awarded a $6 million federal grant to develop advanced catalytic technology to reduce Earth-warming methane pollution in the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG). With additional financial support from the participating universities and companies, the project will total $7.5 million.

$1.4 million grant awarded to spur water recycling technology

David Danelski — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

The University of California system has awarded a $1.4 million grant to UC Riverside chemical and environmental engineering professor Haizhou Liu and a collaborative team from several UC campuses to combat water scarcity by developing strategies to clean and reuse water for agriculture.

AI’s deadly air pollution toll

David Danelski — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Computer processing demands for artificial intelligence, or AI, are spurring increasing levels of deadly air pollution from power plants and backup diesel generators that continuously supply electricity to the fast-growing number of computer processing centers. This air pollution, a new UCR and Caltech study estimates, is expected to result in as many as 1,300 premature deaths a year by 2030 in the United States and bring health costs to nearly $20 billion a year.

UCR scientists cut harmful pollution from hydrogen engines

David Danelski — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

UC Riverside scientists have discovered a low-cost method to significantly reduce nitrogen oxides pollution from hydrogen engines by improving the efficiency of their catalytic converters. As reported in the journal Nature Communications

NSF grants $22 million for 'extreme microbe' lab collaboration

David Danelski — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The National Science Foundation has announced a $22 million grant to establish a “BioFoundry” laboratory for the study of extreme microorganisms with collaborating facilities at UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and Cal Poly Pomona.

Microbes found to destroy certain ‘forever chemicals’

David Danelski — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700

A UC Riverside environmental engineering team has discovered that specific bacterial species can cleave the strong fluorine-to-carbon bond certain kinds of “forever chemical" water pollutants, offering promise for low-cost treatments of contaminated drinking water.

‘Forever chemical’ discovery can aid drinking water cleanups

David Danelski — Thu, 30 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

A UC Riverside team discovered a chemical process that allows high levels of salt normally found in wastewater from water treatment plants to act as a catalyst that facilitates the breakup of "forever chemical" pollutants. Normally, salt in wastewater impedes the cleanup of chemical pollutants.

New ‘forever chemical’ cleanup strategy discovered

David Danelski — Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cracks down on insidious “forever chemical” pollution in the environment, military and commercial aviation officials are seeking ways to clean up such pollution from decades of use of fire suppressant foams at military air bases and commercial airports.

Plants transformed into detectors of dangerous chemicals

Jules Bernstein — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0700

What if your house plant could tell you your water isn’t safe? Scientists are closer to realizing this vision, having engineered a plant to turn beet red in the presence of a banned, toxic pesticide.

Process turns harmful pollutants into harmless substances

David Danelski — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0700

UCR scientist discover chemical reaction pathways that destroy certain toxic water pollutants and render them into harmless substances.

Biological cleanup discovered for certain “forever chemicals”

David Danelski — Wed, 31 May 2023 00:00:00 -0700

University of California, Riverside, chemical and environmental engineering scientists have identified two species of bacteria found in soil that break down a class of stubborn “forever chemicals,” giving hope for low-cost biological cleanup of industrial pollutants.

Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine

Holly Ober — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Scientists are developing artificial photosynthesis to help make food production more energy-efficient here on Earth, and one day possibly on Mars

Microbes can degrade the toughest PFAS

Holly Ober — Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Under anaerobic conditions, common microbial communities can break the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond

PFAS chemicals do not last forever

Holly Ober — Thu, 19 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

The use of sulfite and iodide under ultraviolet light can destroy PFAS in water in a few hours

Insights from algae genes unlock mysteries of plant growth and health

Holly Ober — Mon, 09 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

The discovery will improve biofuel production from algae and help develop heat-tolerant crops.

How drones can help dairy farms manage methane emissions

Holly Ober — Fri, 06 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Accurate atmospheric measurements directly over their farm can help farmers fight climate change

Discovery about coral-algal symbiosis could help coral reefs recover after bleaching events

Holly Ober — Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Algae’s ability to establish symbiosis in coral without photosynthesis could help fight coral bleaching

Fighting climate change with carbon capture and utilization technologies

Holly Ober — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Two UC Riverside experts explain how carbon capture and utilization technologies work, and what needs to improve for them to deliver on their promise