PFAS

New Method to Remove Short-Chain PFAS from Water

Short-chain per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS), such as perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), are increasingly entering the environment and contaminating groundwater and drinking water. Because they are highly mobile, they can only be removed with considerable effort. An UFZ-team has now developed a new technology using a two-stage electrochemical process. As the researchers write in the Chemical Engineering Journal, it is reliable, environmentally friendly and affordable.

Climate Change

Extreme Effects are Possible Even at 2°C Global Warming

Extreme climate impacts on people and the environment are often associated with very high levels of global warming, of three or four degrees Celsius. A study published in Nature and led by the UFZ shows that this assumption falls short. Even moderate warming of 2 degrees Celsius could pose considerable climate risks for sectors that are particularly important for society and the environment. This underlines the urgency of rapid climate mitigation measures to limit these risks. 

Plastic Pollution

Microbes in the Plastisphere

Plastic damages ecosystems, endangers animals and, in the form of nanoplastics, can have consequences for human health. However, plastic can also provide a habitat for bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae. Researchers from UFZ and GEOMAR have shown in a study that the genomes of microbes on plastic particles are larger and contain more gene copies for functional processes than those of marine plankton. This adaptation ensures their survival, they write in Environmental Pollution. 

Water Crisis

Drought, Growth, Inequality 

By 2050, almost half of the world’s urban population will be facing water shortages. A study involving the UFZ and using Pune, the 9^th largest city in India as a case study, shows that poor households in particular are severely disadvantaged in terms of water supply during prolonged droughts – despite numerous measures to improve the situation. The researchers analysed how policy measures affect access to water and costs, and published their findings in Earth’s Future.  

Helmholtz Water Initiative 

Water Safety for People and the Environment

Droughts and heatwaves, as well as floods and heavy rainfall, are altering the water cycle and having consequences for humans, the economy and nature. The Helmholtz Association is tackling these challenges and has launched the ‘Water Security for People and the Environment’ initiative, which is coordinated by the UFZ. In three Solution Labs, scientists from nine Helmholtz Centres are researching key aspects and testing potential solutions in consultation with local stakeholders. 

Weather Models

Physics-Based Weather Models Versus AI 

Modern AI weather models provide fast and energy-efficient forecasts and, under average weather conditions, often achieve an accuracy that is comparable to or even surpasses that of traditional, physics-based numerical models. However, for particularly severe, record-breaking extreme events, AI-based forecasts reach their limits and exhibit greater forecast errors. This is confirmed by a study published in Science Advances, in which the UFZ was also involved. 

Agriculture

BODIUM4Farmers: A Decision-Making Tool 

Farmers face many challenges: Climate change, EU agricultural policy (CAP) and rising expectations regarding environmental and resource protection clash with the need to remain economically viable and ensure food security. Against this background, scientists at the UFZ have developed the BODIUM4Farmers model tool and have now made it available for use. The practical tool is aimed at helping farmers reconcile long-term land use, healthy soils, and stable yields. 

Biotechnology

Wastewater as a Source of Energy and Raw Materials

Technologies that utilise electrochemically active microorganisms make it possible to extract not only clean water but also electricity and valuable nutrients from wastewater. An international team, including UFZ-researchers, demonstrates the significant environmental and resource-saving potential of these technologies in a review published in Frontiers in Science. Among other things, 7% of global phosphate and 11% of the demand for ammonium nitrogen could be recovered from wastewater. 

Climate Change and Urban Planning

“Making Cities Climate-resilient”

Against the background of increasing extreme weather events such as droughts and heavy rainfall, UFZ biotechnologist Prof Roland Müller is researching ways to make Germany’s cities more climate-resilient. In the Helmholtz podcast “Earth and Environment”, he discusses the need to plan cities differently than before, the added value of inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, the vision of digital twins for cities, and what makes Leipzig a model city for blue-green-red infrastructures.

Biodiversity and Health

“Healthy Biodiversity – Nature is Good for Us”

Spending time in nature is good for us. But why is that? And does it make a difference what kind of natural environment we’re in? Against the background of a sharp rise in mental illnesses, these questions are highly topical, says environmental psychologist Kevin Rozario (PhD student from UFZ, iDiv, Uni Jena). In the Deutschlandfunk Nova lecture hall podcast, he explains how nature affects the mind and how researchers measure these effects.