Over the next five years, Professor Bert Weckhuysen from Utrecht University will investigate how colorants in plastic bottles can be recycled more effectively. During the recycling process, colorants in plastics are often lost — a missed opportunity, according to Weckhuysen. "Colorants and other additives are precisely what give plastic bottles their value. We aim to find a way to recover and reuse these substances."

For this research, Weckhuysen has been awarded a grant from the Circular Plastics NL initiative, funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund. Learn more about this project.

Artificial intelligence allows researchers to better understand and model the complex climate system in ways that were not possible before. In a new article, researchers including Henk Dijkstra, Professor of Dynamical Oceanography at Utrecht University, show that artificial intelligence can help to fill in gaps in climate data, making datasets larger, more complete, and globally consistent.

Read more about the article here.

A new study from Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management reveals that many informal caregivers in the Netherlands experience an exceptionally low quality of life, with considerable impacts on their mental, physical, and financial well-being. The study's findings stress the urgent need for more robust support structures for caregivers.

Find out more about the study here.