In Malaysia, one of the world’s top producers of palm oil, millions of tons of oil palm ash (OPA) are left behind as agricultural waste every year—a disposal challenge that could soon become a climate solution. Now, groundbreaking research from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) shows that this humble byproduct can be transformed into a powerful, eco-friendly material capable of capturing carbon dioxide from the air. Published on August 18, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this innovative study was led by Dr. Azam Taufik Mohd Din from the School of Chemical Engineering at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Engineering Campus in Nibong Tebal, Penang. The team didn’t just repurpose waste—they engineered it. By treating raw oil palm ash with acid, then subjecting it to carbonization and chemical activation using potassium hydroxide (KOH), they created a new material dubbed OPA-KOH(1:2). The result? A tailor-made adsorbent with a highly optimized mesoporous structure—pores so precisely shaped that they allow CO₂ molecules to flow in easily and stick effectively. Despite having a modest surface area of 30.95 m²/g—far lower than many commercial activated carbons—the material achieved an impressive CO₂ adsorption capacity of 2.9 mmol/g. That performance rivals or even exceeds more expensive materials with much higher surface areas, proving that pore architecture matters more than size alone. “This isn’t just recycling—it’s upcycling at the molecular level,” says Dr. Mohd Din. “We’re taking a waste product that often ends up in landfills and turning it into a high-performance tool for carbon capture.”

Africa’s agrifood system emits nearly 2.9 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent every year—more than a quarter of global sector emissions. An international study compares Africa’s trajectory with China’s and proposes concrete solutions—from water management in rice paddies to modernizing logistics chains—to produce more food without worsening the climate.

Researchers recreated a nearly forgotten yogurt recipe that was once was once common across the Balkans and Turkey—using ants. Reporting in the Cell Press journal iScience on October 3, the team shows that bacteria, acids, and enzymes in ants can kickstart the fermentation process that turns milk into yogurt. The work highlights how traditional practices can inspire new approaches to food science and even add creativity to the dinner table. 

Harnessing quantum states that avoid thermalization enables energy harvesters to surpass traditional thermodynamic limits such as Carnot efficiency, report researchers from Japan. The team developed a new approach using a non-thermal Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to convert waste heat into electricity with higher efficiency than conventional approaches. These findings pave the way for more sustainable low-power electronics and quantum computing.  

Cobalt (Co)-exsolution is a promising technique for improving electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes made for Co-based rare-earth layered perovskite oxides. However, it has only been demonstrated in reducing atmospheres, reversing in actual oxidizing operating conditions of SOFCs. Now, a research team has presented the first experimental evidence of Co exsolution of SOFC cathodes in oxidizing atmospheres, presenting a new direction for developing stable and high performance SOFCs.

 A decade-long field study has revealed that biochar, a charcoal-like material made from plant residues, can significantly improve soil quality and boost soybean production in continuous cropping systems. The findings provide new evidence that biochar could be a powerful tool for making agriculture more sustainable.

It begins as a trickle high on the Tibetan Plateau—icy, remote, and pure. By the time it reaches the Three Gorges, the Yangtze River has grown into a force of nature, carrying not just water, but the chemical fingerprint of an entire continent. Now, a groundbreaking study from Peking University reveals the invisible story hidden in the river’s flow: the molecular evolution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) along a 3,500-kilometer stretch of the upper Yangtze—the world’s third-longest river. Published on August 11, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this research was led by Dr. Dongqiang Zhu from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and the Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Earth Surface Processes at Peking University, Beijing. Using a powerful suite of analytical tools—including fluorescence spectroscopy, lignin phenol markers, and ultra-high-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS)—Dr. Zhu’s team traced how organic carbon changes as it travels from the river’s high-altitude headwaters to its densely populated downstream reaches. And what they found is a dynamic, ever-changing mosaic of carbon chemistry shaped by glaciers, grasslands, wildfires, forests, and sunlight.