{"id":271,"date":"2025-09-29T06:41:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T13:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?p=271"},"modified":"2025-09-29T06:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T13:41:26","slug":"maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/","title":{"rendered":"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a cluttered research lab in eastern China, a new kind of garbage disposal sits humming quietly. It doesn’t grind or incinerate. Instead, it farms millions of writhing black soldier fly larvae that consume rural food waste and transform themselves into high-protein animal feed. The contraption might sound like something from a science fiction novel, but it addresses a very real problem: what to do with the mountains of improperly sorted garbage piling up in China’s countryside.<\/p>\n

Researchers at Zhejiang University spent a full year studying rural food waste before designing what they call a “continuous self-separation reactor.” The device tackles a challenge that has frustrated waste management efforts in agricultural areas, where mixed garbage often contains materials too tough for larvae to break down efficiently. Previous attempts to use black soldier fly larvae for waste treatment worked well in controlled urban settings but stumbled when confronted with the messier reality of rural refuse.<\/p>\n

A System That Runs Itself<\/h2>\n

The reactor’s innovation lies in its automation. Adult flies naturally separate themselves from the system, eliminating the need for manual sorting. The design maintains optimal heat, collects liquid runoff, and allows continuous feeding without interruption. More importantly, it introduces beneficial microorganisms that work alongside the larvae to tackle stubborn organic materials the insects can’t handle alone.<\/p>\n

During testing, the single-batch operation mode ran for 10 days and reduced food waste wet weight by nearly 40%, while producing over 80 grams of larval biomass per kilogram of waste processed. The researchers then pushed further with a multi-batch continuous mode that operated for 32 days. As one team member noted in the published study:<\/p>\n

Operation for 32 d led to a 56.6% reduction in the wet weight of food waste, with a larval biomass yield of 64.7 g\/kg.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Those numbers might seem modest, but they represent consistent performance under real-world conditions with unsorted, difficult material. The larvae produced weren’t just waste reducers either. Analysis showed they contained high levels of both crude protein and crude fat, the exact nutritional profile needed for quality animal feed. In essence, the system converts garbage into a commodity.<\/p>\n

Microbes Make The Difference<\/h2>\n

A separate 24-hour consumption experiment revealed something the researchers hadn’t initially anticipated. The degradation of organic matter wasn’t solely the work of hungry larvae. Microorganisms played a significant collaborative role, breaking down materials the insects couldn’t tackle independently. This symbiotic relationship proved essential for processing the mixed, contaminated waste typical of rural areas.<\/p>\n

The findings matter beyond waste reduction. Rural China faces a dual challenge: managing increasing garbage volumes while simultaneously seeking sustainable protein sources for livestock. Traditional feed imports carry environmental costs and supply chain vulnerabilities. Black soldier fly larvae offer a circular economy solution, turning a disposal problem into a resource stream.<\/p>\n

The reactor’s space efficiency stands out as particularly relevant for village-scale implementation. Unlike composting operations that require extensive land area, this system operates in a compact footprint. The automated separation feature addresses labor constraints common in rural settings, where younger residents have largely migrated to cities.<\/p>\n

Similar systems have emerged globally as interest grows in insect-based waste processing and alternative proteins. However, most commercial operations focus on pre-sorted urban organic waste. The Zhejiang design specifically targets the messy, inconsistent material found in agricultural communities, where waste segregation infrastructure lags behind urban areas.<\/p>\n

The study authors suggest their reactor provides “key insights into the use of BSFL for food waste management,” though they stop short of declaring it a complete solution. Scaling challenges remain, particularly around maintaining optimal conditions across different climates and waste compositions. The microorganism component requires further research to understand which bacterial strains work best under varying conditions.<\/p>\n

Still, the research demonstrates that biological waste processing can function effectively outside controlled laboratory environments. As rural areas worldwide grapple with waste management, systems that harness natural processes rather than energy-intensive industrial solutions gain appeal. Whether maggot reactors become commonplace in Chinese villages remains to be seen, but the underlying principle proves sound: sometimes the best way to handle garbage is to let nature do what it does best, just with better engineering.<\/p>\n

Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering: 10.1007\/s11783-025-1963-1<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a cluttered research lab in eastern China, a new kind of garbage disposal sits humming quietly. It doesn’t grind or incinerate. Instead, it farms millions of writhing black soldier fly larvae that consume rural food waste and transform themselves into high-protein animal feed. The contraption might sound like something from a science fiction novel, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1299,"featured_media":272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-life-nonhumans","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"\nMaggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein - SciChi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a cluttered research lab in eastern China, a new kind of garbage disposal sits humming quietly. It doesn’t grind or incinerate. Instead, it farms millions of writhing black soldier fly larvae that consume rural food waste and transform themselves into high-protein animal feed. The contraption might sound like something from a science fiction novel, ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-29T13:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"554\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082\"},\"headline\":\"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-29T13:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":703,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/pic.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Environment\",\"Life & Nonhumans\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/\",\"name\":\"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein - SciChi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/pic.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-29T13:41:26+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/pic.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/pic.jpeg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":554,\"caption\":\"Graphical abstract\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/29\\\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"description\":\"Tracking Chinese Research\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg\",\"width\":796,\"height\":296,\"caption\":\"SciChi\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SciChi\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/author\\\/chinaresearch\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein - SciChi","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein","og_description":"In a cluttered research lab in eastern China, a new kind of garbage disposal sits humming quietly. It doesn’t grind or incinerate. Instead, it farms millions of writhing black soldier fly larvae that consume rural food waste and transform themselves into high-protein animal feed. The contraption might sound like something from a science fiction novel, ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/","og_site_name":"SciChi","article_published_time":"2025-09-29T13:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":554,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SciChi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SciChi","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/"},"author":{"name":"SciChi","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/person\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082"},"headline":"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein","datePublished":"2025-09-29T13:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/"},"wordCount":703,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg","articleSection":["Environment","Life & Nonhumans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/","name":"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein - SciChi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-09-29T13:41:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg","width":900,"height":554,"caption":"Graphical abstract"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/09\/29\/maggot-reactor-turns-rural-food-waste-into-protein\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maggot Reactor Turns Rural Food Waste Into Protein"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/","name":"SciChi","description":"Tracking Chinese Research","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization","name":"SciChi","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg","width":796,"height":296,"caption":"SciChi"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/person\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082","name":"SciChi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SciChi"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/author\/chinaresearch\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/09\/pic.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":198,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/06\/20\/bacteria-turn-steel-waste-into-carbon-capturing-cement\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":0},"title":"Bacteria Turn Steel Waste Into Carbon-Capturing Cement","author":"SciChi","date":"June 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Chinese researchers have developed a microbial system that transforms steel industry waste into useful construction materials while simultaneously capturing carbon dioxide from cement plant emissions. The technology addresses two major environmental challenges with a single biological solution. The study, published in Engineering, demonstrates how bacteria can accelerate the conversion of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cement powder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Energetically_Modified_Cement_EMC_Lulea_Sweden_08_2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Energetically_Modified_Cement_EMC_Lulea_Sweden_08_2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Energetically_Modified_Cement_EMC_Lulea_Sweden_08_2020.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Energetically_Modified_Cement_EMC_Lulea_Sweden_08_2020.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":352,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/01\/28\/the-fungus-munching-through-mountains-of-toxic-waste\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":1},"title":"The Fungus Munching Through Mountains Of Toxic Waste","author":"SciChi","date":"January 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In a laboratory at Nanjing Agricultural University, a common soil fungus is doing something chemical engineers have struggled with for decades. Aspergillus niger, the same organism that helps ferment soy sauce and produces citric acid for fizzy drinks, is quietly dissolving phosphorus from one of the world's most problematic industrial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"phosphorous infographic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/phosphorour-infographic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/phosphorour-infographic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/phosphorour-infographic.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/phosphorour-infographic.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":195,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/06\/12\/scientists-turn-co2-into-fuel-using-hot-water\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":2},"title":"Scientists Turn CO2 Into Fuel Using Hot Water","author":"SciChi","date":"June 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Chinese researchers have achieved complete conversion of carbon dioxide into methane using an inexpensive catalyst in hot water\u2014a process that mimics natural geological phenomena. The team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University developed a honeycomb-structured catalyst made from common metals that transforms 100% of CO2 into methane, a valuable fuel that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life & Nonhumans"","block_context":{"text":"Life & Nonhumans","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/life-nonhumans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CO2 conversion diagram","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/40820_2025_1711_Fig1_HTML-1.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/40820_2025_1711_Fig1_HTML-1.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/40820_2025_1711_Fig1_HTML-1.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":231,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/04\/from-sewers-to-evs-wastewater-sludge-powers-battery-revolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":3},"title":"From Sewers to EVs, Wastewater Sludge Powers Battery Revolution","author":"SciChi","date":"August 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A research team in Shenzhen has found a surprising new energy source hiding in our city sewage. By recovering phosphorus from municipal wastewater, the team has developed a cleaner, cheaper, and more sustainable way to manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, crucial components in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"graphical abstract of sludge to phosphorous process","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/1-s2.0-S2095809924003205-ga1_lrg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/1-s2.0-S2095809924003205-ga1_lrg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/1-s2.0-S2095809924003205-ga1_lrg.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/1-s2.0-S2095809924003205-ga1_lrg.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":342,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/01\/18\/the-cigarette-butt-supercapacitor\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":4},"title":"The Cigarette Butt Supercapacitor","author":"SciChi","date":"January 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Eight million tonnes of cigarette butts are tossed onto streets and into bins worldwide each year. Most decompose glacially slowly, leaching toxins as they go. But what if this ubiquitous waste could power your phone? Researchers in China have transformed discarded cigarette filters into carbon supercapacitors with performance that rivals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cigarette butts in sand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/pexels-mahide-hassan-2152149370-32346588-e1768749732311.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/pexels-mahide-hassan-2152149370-32346588-e1768749732311.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/pexels-mahide-hassan-2152149370-32346588-e1768749732311.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/pexels-mahide-hassan-2152149370-32346588-e1768749732311.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":330,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/01\/02\/chinas-fusion-reactor-breaks-density-ceiling-that-has-limited-tokamaks-for-decades\/","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":5},"title":"China’s Fusion Reactor Breaks Density Ceiling That Has Limited Tokamaks for Decades","author":"SciChi","date":"January 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Fusion plasmas have been hitting the same density wall for 40 years. Push the fuel concentration too high and the reactor fails within seconds, ending the shot in a cascade of instability. That empirical limit, known as the Greenwald density, has been one of fusion's most frustrating constraints, because the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Physics & Mathematics"","block_context":{"text":"Physics & Mathematics","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/physics-mathematics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"glow from tokamak","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/tokamak.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/tokamak.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/tokamak.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/tokamak.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/tokamak.webp?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions\/273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}