U of I study finds turning food waste into bioenergy can become a profitable industry
URBANA, Ill. — Food waste is a major problem around the world.
Poor soils lose carbon regardless of crop residue and nitrogen inputs
URBANA, Ill. — Let’s say you’re a corn grower farming on low-fertility soil. How do you go about making that soil healthier and more fertile? Many farmers think if they add plenty of nitrogen fertilizer, that nutrient, along with carbon, will be stored in the soil as organic matter when microbes decompose crop residue.
Cover crop management: Trade-off between carbon benefits, crop yield
A study led by researchers at the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign quantifies the soil organic carbon (SOC) benefits from cover crops in maize-soybean rotations in Midwestern U.S. agroecosystems.
Preserving Illinois forests, one landowner at a time
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – No matter how many times I do this, I always get nervous. I am demonstrating the proper use of a chainsaw to fell a tree and I want it to go well. After choosing the right tree, a medium-sized box elder, I walk through the steps out loud so that everyone in the class can hear me: One must assess any hazards, determine which way the tree is leaning and whether it might be rotten in the middle, find a safe escape route for when the tree starts falling.
DOE renews bioenergy center at Illinois
URBANA, Ill. -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed another round of funding to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to lead the second phase of its Bioenergy Research Center — one of four large-scale DOE-funded research centers focused on innovation in biofuels, bioproducts, and a clean energy future for the country.
U of I SMARTFARM researchers use novel AI to model GHG emissions
URBANA, Ill. -- University of Illinois researchers were part of a multi-institutional team that has significantly improved the performance of numerical predictions for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions using novel modeling that combines artificial intelligence and process-based knowledge.
Green roofs are worth the cost for urban residents
URBANA, Ill. – Plant-covered roofs have become a regular sight in Portland, Oregon. The city is a leader in incorporating green infrastructure for stormwater management, including free street trees, rebates for small residential housing footprints, and green roofs.
5 Questions: ACE student helps promote sustainability, combat food insecurity
This week’s 5 Questions Friday features Jenna Schaefer, ACE major with environmental science focus
Where did you grow up? Do you have an agriculture background? If so, please describe.
University of Illinois professor contributes to dire IPCC climate change report
URBANA, Ill. – Human-induced climate change is already causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world. The consequences will grow much worse with time unless more concerted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the expected changes start now.