Science in Focus

Researchers Xin Sun and Xiaohua Li look at the life cycle of batteries, from raw materials to disposal at the end of battery life, and how to make recycling more effective and greener.

There is a small chance that rechargeable lithium batteries will ignite or even explode. Giuseppe Portale, associate professor in Polymer Chemistry at the University of Groningen, is working on safer batteries.

Edwin Otten is working on a battery that stores electric power in large containers of fluid.  To make such a battery effective and affordable, a lot more research is still needed.

An €800 million programme funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund aims to stimulate the Dutch battery ecosystem and make a global impact. Scientists from the University of Groningen contribute to this programme, designing and building the batteries of the future.

A great deal of research is required to develop the best or cleanest batteries. But how does a battery actually work?

Klaus Hubacek analyses the effects of various green solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions — such as planting more trees, sharing cars, or working less — to find out whether they realize their intended outcome. Spoiler: almost everything has a downside, yes, even planting trees in some cases.

‘Fortunately, seawater absorbs carbon dioxide (CO₂). If it didn’t, things would have been over and done with already,’ according to climate and ocean researchers Richard Bintanja and Rob Middag. But what actually happens to the ocean's carbon absorption as the climate changes?

Earth's natural carbon cycle becomes unbalanced if we, humans, continue to release extra carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere. In this overview article about the carbon cycle, you can find out how Earth generally keeps itself in balance and how we, humans, have upset this balance over the past two hundred years.

In the year 2000, Harro Meijer, Professor of Isotope Physics at the University of Groningen, set up the Lutjewad Measurement Station near Hornhuizen. There, researchers from Groningen are mapping where CO₂ in the atmosphere originates and where it ends up.

Looking only at disease-causing bacteria and genes is too limited in the battle against antimicrobial resistance, says microbiologist Marjon de Vos. It turns out that bacteria that were seen as innocent bystanders play an important role in the development of resistance. 

As bacteria become increasingly resistant to antimicrobial agents, it is essential to use these agents as sparingly as possible. Wiktor Szymanski, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Photopharmacology and Imaging, and his colleagues use light to localize and attack bacterial infections.

We need new antibiotics, as more and more bacterial species are becoming resistant to the existing drugs. University of Groningen scientists Dirk-Jan Scheffers and Marthe Walvoort work on novel ways to beat the resistance by punching holes in bacteria or otherwise weakening their cell wall. 

Farmers only grow a limited number of crops these days, which has significant consequences for the animals that live there. Raymond Klaassen researches what adjustments farmers could make to improve the conditions for the species most affected by modern agriculture, such as the skylark.

Kira Tiedge investigates the chemical substances that plants use to communicate with their environment, to select robust varieties that can better withstand challenging circumstances such as diseases or drought.

Healthy soil does not need chemical fertilizers, is more resilient against pests and diseases, and can take up more water and carbon. But what exactly constitutes healthy soil, and how do we bring it back once it has deteriorated? This is what Professor of Microbiology Joana Falcao Salles and postdoc Barbara Prack McCormick are studying.

Professor of Respiratory Immunology Barbro Melgert has discovered how microplastics affect the lungs and can explain how to reduce our exposure.

Edita Jurak is looking for bacteria and their enzymes that can help us recycle plastics and clean up the environment.

Scientists at the University of Groningen are working on new ways to recycle plastic waste into new, high-quality products.

University of Groningen scientists have developed new ways to make green plastics, but it is difficult to produce them at competitive prices.

A changing climate affects all sorts of things, from energy and food supplies to natural disasters such as floods. Researchers at the University of Groningen work on models to get a better grip on such changes, and to be able to make predictions.

Regional water authorities are sometimes forced to discharge waste water from our sewage system untreated. ‘It then ends up in a canal or a lake,’ computer scientist Dilek Düştegör explains. She collaborates with municipalities and regional water authorities to develop computer models to best manage wastewater flow.

Biotechnologists Gert-Jan Euverink and Tom Sleutels work on improving purification of wastewater to prevent pollutants being discharged into surface water.

Environmental scientist Winnie Leenes demonstrates that having enough drinking water is not the only thing that matters: instead, we should concern ourselves with the total consumption of freshwater, and how our consumption may damage the ecosystem.

From medical diagnoses to autonomous weapons in the Middle East: artificial intelligence (AI) is making more and more decisions on its own without a human involved. Rineke Verbrugge, Professor of Logic and Cognition at the University of Groningen, believes that has to change.