Environmental Groups Sue EPA Over Less Stringent Than Expected Incinerator Emissions Rules: One Third of New York City’s Residential Trash is Incinerated

     A coalition of environmental groups, led by Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project, is suing the EPA over emissions rules for waste incinerators that are weaker than expected. The groups argue that the rule will allow continued harm to communities in Newark and elsewhere in New Jersey, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island.

     One focus of the lawsuit is the Reworld Essex facility in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, which burns nearly 1 million tons of trash each year and generates about 66 megawatts of electricity.

     The Cool Down reports:

“Alejandra Torres, the Ironbound Community Corporation's assistant director of advocacy and organizing, said that the Newark incinerator ranks second in New Jersey for emissions of arsenic, hydrogen chloride, mercury, and nitrogen oxide.”

“Residents have long reported foul odors and breathing problems in a neighborhood already surrounded by heavy industry, truck traffic, power plants, and flight paths from Newark Airport.”

     Data from 2024 show that about one-third of New York City’s residential trash—and all of Manhattan’s residential trash—is burned in incinerators. Of Manhattan’s total, 66% is burned at the Newark facility. Incinerator pollution can have serious health effects, including higher cancer risk, developmental harm, and respiratory disease. In Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, those risks are compounded by other pollution sources, including nearby factories, a sewage treatment plant, diesel truck traffic, and airport emissions. Nitrogen oxide, which contributes to smog, is emitted in greater quantities by the Newark incinerator than by any other source in the county. Community members have opposed the facility for years.

     The EPA’s new rule for municipal solid waste incinerators is stricter than the previous standard but less strict than the version proposed by the Biden administration.

     A lobbyist for the Waste-to-Energy Association defended less stringent rules in general:

“Waste-to-energy facilities serve a real public function: diverting millions of tons of material from landfills, reducing methane emissions and generating reliable electricity.”

     It seems to me that the main issue here is this specific incinerator, since each facility presents different risks depending on surrounding pollution sources, distance from residential areas, and the scale of its emissions. Residents have also long complained about foul odors, underscoring their lived experience of these impacts.

     The long-running debate between landfilling and incineration shows that both approaches have benefits and drawbacks. Because living near an incinerator increases exposure to well-known pollutants, proximity to residents should be a primary factor in permit decisions, emissions limits, and abatement requirements. In other words, allowable emissions should vary based on exposure risk.

 

References:

 

Coalition sues over EPA trash incinerator rules, says Newark families are breathing cancer-causing pollution. Brooklyn Smith. The Cool Down. May 24, 2026. Coalition sues over EPA trash incinerator rules, says Newark families are breathing cancer-causing pollution

Environmentalists hope lawsuit tightens polluting rules for Newark incinerator. Michael Sol Warren. Gothamist. May 17, 2026. Environmentalists hope lawsuit tightens polluting rules for Newark incinerator - Gothamist

IRONBOUND COMMUNITY CORPORATION, EAST YARD COMMUNITIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, FLORIDA RISING, SIERRA CLUB, and SOUTH BALTIMORE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, Petitioners, v. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY and LEE ZELDIN, in his official capacity as Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Respondents. U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. May 11, 2026. 2026-05-11-lmwc-rule-petition-for-review.pdf

Bangladesh Offers Better Terms in Offshore Oil & Gas Blocks Tender to Lure Investment Amid Shortages and High Costs of Imports: The Geology Shows Prospectivity

     Like many South Asian countries, Bangladesh has been strongly affected by the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, they have launched an international tender for oil and gas exploration in 27 offshore blocks in the Bay of Bengal, offering more attractive terms to foreign companies amid domestic gas shortages and reducing reliance on expensive LNG imports. State-run oil company Petrobangla has given a November 30 deadline for bid submissions.

“We have made the terms more attractive than before to encourage participation from international companies,” Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood told a press conference.

“The offshore tender is part of the government’s action plan to increase domestic gas supply and reduce import dependence.”

     An offshore licensing round in March 2024 failed to attract a single bid despite several multinational companies purchasing data packages. The tender includes 15 deep-water and 12 shallow-water blocks in the Bay of Bengal. A review conducted after the failed 2024 round showed that foreign companies had raised concerns over gas pricing, pipeline construction costs, and profit-sharing obligations.

     Bangladesh resolved offshore border disputes with India in 2012 and with Myanmar in 2014. However, Bangladesh has yet to make a significant offshore gas discovery. Pakistan, India, and Myanmar have made discoveries and are continuing to drill offshore. Previous offshore Bangladesh exploration was done by major international companies, including ConocoPhillips, Santos, POSCO Daewoo, and ONGC, before they exited the projects.

     According to the Dhaka Tribune:

“The draft contract stipulates a nine-year exploration period. During the first four years, companies must complete geological surveys and either two-dimensional or three-dimensional seismic surveys. Two years will then be allocated for drilling exploration wells, followed by three years to move into production.”

“Petrobangla said geological surveys will be mandatory for all contracted companies.”

“Petrobangla expects offshore exploration activities to begin by the end of 2027 after completing the tendering and contractual processes.”

     The Bay of Bengal is considered to be a frontier exploration basin, contains the world's largest deep marine, and remains mostly unexplored for hydrocarbons. However, gas fields in the fan have been established, and the petroleum system is considered quite valid. Elisabeth Gillbard has written about the potential of the Bay of Bengal and provides a geological summary below.

“The Bengal Fan is the largest submarine fan in the world, with a length of up to 3000 km, a width of 1200 km, and up to 16 km of sediment thickness (Curray et al., 2003)”

“The Bay of Bengal is a rifted passive margin initially established during the disintegration of Gondwana (e.g., Curray, 1982; Powell, 1988; Curray, 1994). Rifting was initiated during the early Jurassic (~180 Ma) period, with the first oceanic crust forming in the Lower Cretaceous (120-130 Ma) as a result of the separation of the Indian and Antarctica plates (e.g., Gopala Rao et al., 1997). As India drifted northwards, it started its collision with Asia around 59 Ma, initiating the Himalayan uplift. However, the full hard continent-continent collision did not begin until around 15 Ma, resulting in the main Himalayan Orogeny and the major increase in sedimentation, which resulted in the deposition of the Bengal Fan. The Sunda Subduction Zone and Indo-Burman accretionary prism mark the eastern extent of the Bay of Bengal, active since approximately 20 Ma. Compression from this margin is evident in the east part of the area of interest (AOI), with structural deformation decreasing westwards.”

     Direct hydrocarbon indicators (DHIs) are present in the seismic data. Clusters of prograding fluvial-deltaic channel sands are prospective in the shallow submarine fan system, and basin floor fans and isolated channels are prospective in the deeper waters. 

“All the recent discoveries within the Bengal Fan have been sourced from intraformational biogenic gas contemporaneous with the reservoirs (Shoup et al., 2017). However, there is also considerable evidence for several thermogenic systems. The gas source for the nearshore Sangu Field has been typed to Miocene interbedded shales, and equivalent sequences were drilled in the BODC and Bina wells further offshore, where they were found to be oil-prone Type III shales (Baric et al., 1977). Pre-fan, Late Eocene to Early Oligocene source rocks actively produce oil and gas in adjacent Myanmar. Meanwhile, analogue basins offshore East India yield oil-prone source rocks of Upper Cretaceous age. Gas hydrates and direct hydrocarbon indicators (DHIs) are very common within the seismic data, proving an active gas system.”

 

References:

 

Bangladesh offers sweetened terms in offshore tender to tackle energy crunch. Ruma Paul. Reuters. May 24, 2026. Bangladesh offers sweetened terms in offshore tender to tackle energy crunch

Bangladesh launches offshore oil and gas bidding round for 27 Bay blocks: Government offers export opportunities, tax incentives and duty exemptions to attract foreign investors and boost energy security. Dhaka Tribune. May 27, 2026. Bangladesh launches offshore oil and gas bidding round for 27 Bay blocks

Unveiling the petroleum potential of one of the world’s last frontier petroleum provinces: the Bengal Fan, offshore Bangladesh. Elisabeth Gillbard. TGS. First Break, Vol. 42, May 2024. 23604-FB24 May_08 ST Gillbard 04-12.pdf

Effects of Hypersaline Desalination Brine Discharges: There Are Environmental and Ecosystem Effects: The Arabian Gulf is Susceptible Due to Weak Waves and Less Freshwater Input

     Desalination plants produce waste brine, hypersaline (super-salty) water rich in chlorides and other components, including FeCl3, NaOCl, AlCl3, and H2SO4 (sulfuric acid). The different chemicals come from different processes of the plant. In most cases, the waste brine is simply released back into the sea. Typically, for every liter of freshwater produced, there is 1.5 liters of waste brine produced. The concentration of these brines is in the range of 60,000 to 70,000 parts per million (ppm). Desalination plants are common in the Middle East, where freshwater resources can be scarce. The Arabian Gulf is shallow and lacks strong currents, and freshwater flowing into it has been reduced due to upstream dams and diversions. Saltwater from the oil & gas industry also makes its way to the Arabian Sea. The Gulf is now about 25% saltier than typical seawater, with hotspots double or triple its regular salinity. This also means that desalination will have to work harder to remove the extra salts from the water, which will in turn create even saltier waste brine.

     Most desalination plants rely on reverse osmosis to remove the salts. The resulting waste brine also typically contains additives such as antiscalants and coagulants. It is denser than the seawater it is discharged into, which makes it sink to the bottom of the sea and spread out over the seafloor. This can have significant impacts on benthic organisms, including bacteria, seagrasses, polychaetes, and corals. Seagrass, which is normally salt-tolerant, is often killed by hypersaline water. This is not desirable since seagrass has well-known environmental benefits. The high salinity, as well as the antiscalants, can negatively affect corals, leading to partial bleaching. The symbiotic species that cling to coral are also reduced significantly by the waste brine.

     There are other environmental impacts of desalination plants, including the trapping of many aquatic organisms through the intakes. This adds to the waste brine effects to lower the richness of marine organisms near the plants. Benthic organisms may be significantly affected in coastal areas near the brine discharge outfalls.

     Rich countries like the UAE and Israel have the most desalination capacity. Multiple plants from the Gulf states can combine to degrade seawater quality in a region such as the Arabian Gulf.

     The article in Climate Compass notes that desalination projects are set to grow significantly over the coming years.

“The global desalination market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 9.8 percent, with an increase from US$15.2 billion in 2022 to US$22.5 billion in 2026. Investment is accelerating fast. The global water desalination market was recorded at USD 20.32 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach up to USD 44.57 billion in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.12 percent forecast for the period 2024 to 2032.”

     They note that site selection for discharge is a key factor for reducing impacts. They also note that more monitoring should be implemented to minimize environmental and ecosystem impacts.

“A clear consensus across many reviewed scientific articles is that discharge site selection is the primary factor that determines the extent of ecological impacts of desalination plants. Ecological monitoring studies have found variable effects ranging from no significant impacts to benthic communities, through to widespread alterations to community structure in seagrass, coral reef, and soft-sediment ecosystems when discharges are released to poorly flushed environments. The science is telling regulators exactly what they need to know.”

“The urgency of rethinking brine management is clear, with integrated approaches needed that balance water security with resource efficiency in a water-constrained world. The industry is growing faster than the rules designed to govern it, and the gap between the rate of expansion and the pace of environmental monitoring continues to widen in most of the world's most water-stressed regions.”

 

  

 

References:

 

Desalination's dark side: Why it might not be the silver bullet we hoped for. Jeff Blaumberg. Climate Compass. March 7, 2026. Desalination's dark side: Why it might not be the silver bullet we hoped for

The Atlantic Council’s Energy Sanction Dashboard Provides Data, Analysis, History, and Implications of Energy Sanctions

      I have previously posted on this blog some of Bloomberg’s very good analysis of the shadow fleet oil and LNG trade of sanctioned oil & gas, and who is buying it. The Atlantic Council also has a great tool for exploring energy sanctions, focusing specifically on Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil.

     The use of less detectable shadow fleets with deliberately opaque ownership and ship-to-ship transfers of oil to unsanctioned tankers has aided the shadow system to thrive. They note that the sanctioned shadow fleets and transshipment networks allowed China to save up to $28.8 million per day on imports at peak discount levels.

“US sanctions waivers, rising oil prices, and supply shortages following the conflict in Iran have boosted demand for Russian crude. Since the waivers were issued, Russia has supplied approximately 300 million barrels to the international market as of May 11, with India re-emerging as a major importer and Southeast Asia emerging as a new destination for Russian crude.”

“The Atlantic Council’s Energy Sanctions Dashboard, created by the Economic Statecraft Initiative and Global Energy Center,

1) assesses how sanctions have impacted global crude oil flows,

2) explores the unintended consequences for the global crude oil industry, and

3) analyzes lessons learned about the deployment of energy sanctions for achieving foreign policy objectives.”

     The currently unresolved, but hopefully soon-to-be resolved Strait of Hormuz disruption is considered to be the biggest energy market disruption in history, with Asia being the most affected region, followed by Europe.

     They note that after Lukoil and Rosneft were sanctioned in October 2025, China briefly stopped importing oil from Russia but resumed imports by shifting the destinations to smaller refiners, less exposed to sanctions enforcement actions. China was also able to import sanctioned Venezuelan oil at a nice discount in 2025. China also buys most of the sanctioned Iranian oil, including oil with unknown buyers, which are thought to be mostly Chinese buyers. In 2025, the discounts meant that sanctioned oil was selling at 10-15$ per barrel cheaper than non-sanctioned oil. However, since the Iran War broke out, Russia has been able to sell oil at $10 higher than the elevated Brent prices, giving Putin’s war machine a needed lifeline, unfortunately.

     The Atlantic Council does call for stricter sanctions enforcement. We saw some of that in late 2025 and early 2026 with the seizing of some tankers, but with temporary sanctions waivers, enforcement has dropped.

     It turns out China was wise to stockpile oil in 2025, which makes it less affected by the Iran situation. It is unfortunate, but other Southeast Asian countries, such as India and Indonesia, have made deals to import Russian oil under the sanctions waivers, but the Atlantic Council sees it also as diversifying their supply from the Middle East, and this may continue after the sanctions waivers are ended. It will take some time for the oil markets to get supply back up to pre-war levels. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka have also negotiated with Russia for some of that waiver oil. China has responded to U.S. efforts for:

“…secondary sanctions to target shadow fleets, foreign refiners, maritime and financial intermediaries, and overseas commercial and banking infrastructure, including intermediaries in China, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Iraq, and Oman. In response, China ordered its companies not to comply with US sanctions against Chinese refineries, deploying its “prohibition order” for the first time. The move marks a shift in Beijing’s response to US sanctions, from one where China would have rhetorically condemned US trade restrictions while allowing companies to comply, to a more confrontational approach.”

     The Atlantic Council recommends two important ways to tackle the long-established sanctions evasion networks, which they call the “Axis of Evasion.”

“To preserve energy sanctions as an effective tool of economic statecraft against Russia and Iran, the United States should focus on targeting two central elements of sanctions evasion networks: shadow fleet tankers and Chinese “teapot” refineries. These elements have facilitated Russia-Iran-China oil trade for years and were notably analyzed by Kimberly Donovan and Maia Nikoladze in their March 2024 “Axis of Evasion” article” 

 

 

References:

 

Energy Sanctions Dashboard: How the Iran Conflict is Reshaping Sanctioned Crude Oil Flows. The Atlantic Council. May 21, 2026. Energy Sanctions Dashboard - Atlantic Council

Komatsu’s PC9000 Hydraulic Mining Excavators are Being Used in Canada in Alberta Oil Sands Mining and Are Now Available Globally for a Variety of Surface Mining Applications

       In May 2025, Komatsu’s largest hydraulic mining excavator, the PC9000, delivered its first unit to Canada for deployment in Alberta’s oil sands mining region, specifically to Suncor’s Fort Hills Mine.  The PC9000 is a 900-ton piece of equipment and among the best of the 900-tonne class of mining excavators.

     According to Heavy Equipment Guide:

“Engineered as a five-pass match for Komatsu's 980E ultra-class haul trucks, this combination enables fast, double-sided loading to support autonomous haulage systems (AHS) — an increasingly common feature in modern mining operations.”

“With extended reach, higher digging forces, and an oversized bucket, significantly improving cycle times and lower cost-per-tonne performance — the PC9000 presents operational excellence for mining operations.”

     The PC9000 was developed by Komatsu’s Germany Mining Division (KGM). KGM has had a long and successful partnership with Canadian distributor SMS Equipment and Suncor.

“The Alberta oil sands present some of the harshest mining conditions in the world, defined by abrasive materials, extreme temperatures, and massive daily production volumes, even for large scale mining operations standards.”

     The PC9000-12 is the latest iteration and is available in a shovel or a backhoe configuration and as a diesel-powered version or an electric drive version. It can move 80 tons of material per pass, at a rate of more than 8,000 tons per hour of operation. That is a lot of rock and earth moved in an hour!

     Some of the features and capabilities of the PC9000 are given below:

     An article for Electrek extolls the features of the grid-connected electric drive version:

“The PC9000-12 sets a new benchmark for global surface mining operations,” explains Peter Buhles, Komatsu Vice President, Sales and Service. “With its versatile configurations – including face shovel and backhoe, as well as diesel and electric drive options – we can efficiently serve all major mining operations worldwide. The PC9000-12 delivers the power, performance and reliability our customers expect, while supporting higher productivity, lower emissions per ton and seamless integration with autonomous haulage systems.”

“The grid-connected excavator is just what it says on the tin, in that there’s a big, thick, high-voltage trailing cable that “plugs in” to available power, sending nearly 20 Tesla Superchargers’ worth of current to a pair of massive electric motors putting out a positively mind-bending 4 MW of power – that’s well over 5,300 hp to you and me, and worthy of its own substation, in many cases.”

     The PC9000 is now available globally for a wide variety of surface mining applications. Heavy Equipment Guide notes:

“For heavy equipment enthusiasts and mining professionals, the PC9000 represents more than a new model. It marks a shift in where surface mining technology is headed: toward bigger machines, better integration with autonomous systems, and smarter, more collaborative design processes.”

     The availability of an electric drive mining excavator that can be integrated with autonomous haulers, which may also be electric drive, makes sustainable, decarbonized mining more accessible.

    

 

References:

 

Komatsu’s largest hydraulic mining excavator arrives in Canada: The PC9000 has been delivered to Suncor’s Fort Hills mine, marking a milestone in ultra-class mining equipment deployment. Meghan Barton. Heavy Equipment Guide. May 1, 2025. Komatsu’s largest hydraulic mining excavator

Biggest ever Komatsu PC9000-12 electric excavator goes global. Jo Borrás. Electrek. April 4, 2026. Biggest ever Komatsu PC9000-12 electric excavator goes global

Meet the PC9000. Komatsu (website). Meet the PC9000 | PC9000

Research Breakthrough Suggests That Perovskite Solar Panels Can Reach Over 30% Efficiency If Manufacturing Issues Can Be Solved Via Chemically Guided Manufacturing

   

     Researchers from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported a research breakthrough that gives a potentially significant boost to the efficiency of perovskite solar panels. Solar energy technology has been defined over the years by incremental improvements, and if manufacturing issues can be worked out, this could become one of the biggest incremental improvements. The research paper was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

“The research team achieved a certified power conversion efficiency of 30.3% in rigid tandem solar cells and 28.0% in flexible versions, setting an important milestone for this rapidly developing technology.”

     Perovskite solar cells can be made using low-temperature solution processing, which could reduce manufacturing costs and allow lightweight, flexible solar panels to be produced more easily. “All-perovskite tandem” solar cells stack multiple layers of perovskite materials together so they can absorb different parts of sunlight more effectively than single-layer solar cells. Manufacturing them is challenging because the different ingredients inside the perovskite layers often crystallize at different speeds during manufacturing. This uneven crystal growth creates structural defects and unstable regions inside the material, reducing both efficiency and long-term durability.

     The Chinese Academy of Sciences explains how the problem was overcome in the lab:

“To solve this problem, the researchers developed a new strategy based on a chemistry concept called hard-soft acid-base theory, or HSAB theory. Using this approach, they carefully selected chemical additives that help guide how the perovskite materials crystallize.”

“For wide-bandgap perovskites, the team used an additive called difluoro(oxalato)borate, while narrow-bandgap perovskites used tetrafluoroborate. These additives helped synchronize crystal formation throughout the material, creating smoother and more uniform films.”

“The researchers found that the improved crystal growth reduced defects, prevented uneven distribution of chemical components, and lowered internal stress inside the solar cells. This led to major improvements in performance.”

“The efficiency of wide-bandgap solar cells increased from 18.5% to 20.1%, while narrow-bandgap devices improved from 21.6% to 23.3%.”

    The rigid solar cells retained 92% of their original efficiency after operating continuously for 1,000 hours. The flexible versions maintained more than 95% of their performance even after being bent 10,000 times.

     These kinds of improvements mean that one day in the near future it is likely that rooftop space could support more solar energy production as well as higher output and smaller land footprints for utility-scale solar deployments. Of course, higher efficiency also means lower production costs, less pollution, and fewer carbon emissions. For perovskite panels, the two main problems to be overcome are perovskite durability and how to design manufacturing to scale up production. The new breakthrough addresses both concerns, but especially the first, durability. It does this by solving the problems of asynchronous crystallization through a “generalizable additive design strategy guided by hard–soft acid–base principles to synchronize nucleation and crystal growth in both wide- and narrow-bandgap perovskites.”

 

References:

 

Scientists unveil low-cost solar breakthrough as next-gen cells hit record efficiency. Alex Corvin. The Cool Down. May 24, 2026. Scientists unveil low-cost solar breakthrough as next-gen cells hit record efficiency

New perovskite solar cell breakthrough pushes efficiency beyond 30%. Chinese Academy of Sciences -May 12, 2026. Knowridge. New perovskite solar cell breakthrough pushes efficiency beyond 30%

Chemical hardness engineering synchronizes crystallization in perovskite tandems. Ruijia Tian, Kexuan Sun, Yuanyuan Meng, Jiahan Xie, Yaohua Wang, Xiaoyi Lu, Jingnan Wang, Shujing Zhou, Ming Yang, Haibin Pan, Yang Bai, Zhenhua Song, Yingguo Yang, Quan Liu, Bin Han, Bencan Tang, Darren A. Walsh, Hainam Do, Chang Liu & Ziyi Ge. Nature Nanotechnology. (April 27, 2026). Chemical hardness engineering synchronizes crystallization in perovskite tandems | Nature Nanotechnology

 

 

 

Particle Physics and Mineral Exploration Geology Combined: Ideon’s Particle Detectors are Used to Map Subsurface Tomography at High Resolution Via Muons

     Subatomic particles are now being used to map the subsurface in the vicinity of mines. The technology can be employed in mines to map outward from mine shafts and tunnels. Currently, there is a very high demand for minerals, yet the time it takes to develop new mines is very long, usually a decade or more. As a result, more explorers are trying to optimize development in existing mines. Subatomic particles like cosmic rays are being used to do this.

     The article in Scientific American explains the process of block caving, which is being used to optimize the recovery of ores of lower concentration.

“Those massive timelines are driving mining companies to expand older “brownfield” surface mines by going underground, using a method called block caving—a brute-force technique that makes the need for subsurface intelligence more urgent than ever. Widely used in copper and gold mining, block caving is suited to lower-grade ore deposits that are more or less vertically oriented. It works a little like open-pit mining in reverse. Engineers dig underground tunnels, then blast an undercut below the ore body, forming an artificial cavern. Large rock funnels called drawbells are built below the undercut to channel rubble into loaders. Once the setup is complete, the undercut removes the ore body’s support, and the rock above starts to fracture and cave in under its own weight, crushing itself as it funnels into the drawbells.”

     Block caving is cheaper since it relies on gravity to break the ore free. It also keeps the disturbance underground, which reduces the surface impacts of mining. However, block caving is also risky since it can initiate collapses and water infiltration. Expensive infrastructure must be built before it is employed. Mapping the mine walls with subatomic particles can help to understand fracturing dynamics and rock stresses that will determine how the rocks break up when it is block caved.

“British Columbia start-up Ideon Technologies, a spin-off from TRIUMF—Canada’s national particle-accelerator center—has built its business around muon tomography. Gary Agnew, the company’s co-founder and CEO, describes the approach as “the first net new geophysical technique in literally decades.”

“Muons are subatomic particles produced when cosmic rays from supernova explosions interact with matter in Earth’s upper atmosphere. They rain down continuously, traveling at nearly the speed of light and penetrating up to 1.5 kilometers into Earth’s surface.”

     Particle detectors measure how fast the muons move through the rock, enabling the mapping of the density of the subsurface.

“The detectors themselves were once the size of a room, confined to government labs. Ideon has miniaturized its borehole sensors to roughly the diameter of a coffee cup and hardened them for field conditions. “We’ve kind of industrialized particle physics,” Agnew says. “The technology used to find hidden chambers in the pyramids is now working in mine sites a mile deep, under pressure, under temperature.”

     Below, it is explained that muon tomography offers a higher resolution, down to the sub-meter scale, that other subsurface imaging techniques, such as passive seismic, cannot do.

“Muon tomography offers resolution—from about 20 meters down to submeter scale—that competing techniques cannot match. Passive seismic sensing can go deeper than muons but generally offers resolution of only 50 to 100 meters. Many other subsurface-imaging techniques are limited to 2D outputs, showing a big blob on the surface where minerals might be. Critically, whereas other subsurface-imaging techniques are impacted by the operational noise of a working mine, “muons don’t care,” Agnew says.

     The muon tomography is integrated with other subsurface imaging techniques, including seismic, magnetic, gravity, and drill hole data. AI processing of data is also utilized. Large flat detectors can be mounted on mine tunnel walls, or smaller ones can be dropped down boreholes. The ones mounted on the mine walls can collect muons four to five times faster due to their larger surface area. Muon tomography, which, like passive seismic, does not require an external signal source, can map continuously in real-time, which can really help mitigate the risks of block caving. It aids both productivity and safety.

“The consequences of uncertainty can be severe. Last September a mudslide at the Grasberg Block Cave mine in Papua, Indonesia—the world’s largest underground block cave and second-largest copper mine—killed seven workers. Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan, which operates the mine, blamed the disaster on an uneven collapse that unleashed a flood of mud and rock. Although Ideon’s muon technology was only in a pilot phase at the mine at the time, the tragedy showed the exact kind of unseen hazard the sensors are designed to catch. Freeport said it plans to use an expanded array of muon detectors going forward to map the true shape of the cave and verify that the rock has stabilized before workers return.”

In October 2025, Ideon signed a five-year partnership with Rio Tinto to deploy muon tomography at six of the company’s largest operations. Ideon will apply its proprietary REVEAL subsurface intelligence platform in conjunction with Remote Operations Centres (ROCs) and automation.

“Our partnership goes far beyond technology trials,” added Agnew, “it’s about unlocking the future of mining through real enterprise integration that improves productivity, reduces cost, and increases confidence. By embedding our platform directly into Rio Tinto operations, we’re helping to re-engineer workflows, enabling faster, high confidence exploration and mining decisions. This is how long-term value will be generated in critical mineral exploration and development — scalable, intelligent, and highly integrated.”

     The technology was successfully deployed at Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Mine near Salt Lake City, which has been in operation since 1903. They also needed to map voids caused by past artisanal mining that can trap water and high-pressure air.

     Agnew also notes that the current rush for critical minerals is driving innovation, just like perceived shortages helped the U.S. oil & gas industry innovate from shortages to surpluses in natural gas and oil. Muon tomography does two very important things: increases the accuracy of production estimates and identifies potentially dangerous subsurface situations such as voids and fracturing weaknesses.

     Below is a link to a video from Ideon's website, which gives a nice, very visual overview of its muon detection mapping technology

     

Ideon REVEAL™ Platform | Technology Stack

References:

 

Mining companies are using cosmic rays to find critical minerals: As rich ore gets harder to find, the mining industry is using subatomic particles to map rock deep underground. Adam Bluestein, edited by Eric Sullivan. Scientific American. April 14, 2026. How cosmic rays are helping mining companies find critical minerals underground | Scientific American

Ideon and Rio Tinto Global Partnership Applies Next-Generation Subsurface Intelligence to Reduce Cost and Accelerate Critical Minerals Supply. Ideon. October 6, 2025. Ideon and Rio Tinto Global Partnership Applies Next-Generation Subsurface Intelligence to Reduce Cost and Accelerate Critical Minerals Supply - Ideon Technologies

Methylobacteria Propagating Inside Fog Metabolize and Neutralize Formaldehyde from Smog

 

     Researchers at Arizona State University discovered that bacteria propagating and thriving inside fog droplets break down formaldehyde, a toxic pollutant linked to smog and respiratory problems, at rates up to 200 times faster than bacteria in cloud water. Thus, one might say that fog cleans the air of formaldehyde. The study was published in the journal mBio. Researchers observed 32 fog events across two years in central Pennsylvania and revealed that fog droplets are teeming with bacterial life. According to Gadget Review:

“Post-fog air showed 45% higher bacterial counts, with researchers observing enlarged, dividing cells-clear evidence of reproduction inside the droplets. Lead researcher Thi Thuong Thuong Cao noted, “We observed them getting bigger and they’re dividing,” confirming fog as an active breeding ground rather than passive transport medium.”

“Methylobacterium, distinctive pink-pigmented bacteria, comprised nearly one-third of all fog microbes-far exceeding their presence in surrounding dry air. “When you take all of the droplets together, the concentration of bacteria is the same as in the ocean,” explained ASU’s Ferran Garcia-Pichel. These microbes specialize in detoxifying formaldehyde, achieving 95% biological breakdown through metabolic processes that neutralize rather than simply consume the pollutant.”

     The research also shows that there is a strong biological component to some atmospheric chemistry processes. The research also upends atmospheric modeling and must now be taken into account. Another implication of the study involves so-called fog-harvesting, where communities use fog nets for water collection in arid regions. When they do so, they are disrupting the bacteria’s work in breaking down formaldehyde. Methylobacterium is mostly harmless butsome strains pose some infection risks for immunocompromised individuals. The levels of bacteria found in fog were found to be very similar to the levels found in seawater, even though only 1% of the fog droplets contain bacteria.

     The authors noted that fog and its effects on the atmosphere have not been studied enough. More study is needed on the bacterial composition of fogs. Fog effectively becomes a habitat for bacteria. It is difficult to study fog since measurements are needed before, during, and after the fog develops and fades. The presence of wind makes that very difficult. Thus, the research here focused on “radiation fog, which forms on still, calm nights when the ground cools and the air just above it cools with it, until moisture condenses close to the surface.”

     According to earth.com:

“The bacteria were clearing the formaldehyde so fast, though, that simple eating didn’t fully explain it.”

“The team found that at high concentrations, formaldehyde becomes toxic to the bacteria themselves, so they break it down into carbon dioxide to keep their environment safe.”

“The bacteria are not just consuming a pollutant. They’re detoxifying the air as an act of self-preservation and in doing so, making it cleaner for everyone else too.”

     According to Phys.org:

"It's relatively new that people are starting to look at biological activities in clouds, so there's still a lot which we don't understand," adds Pierre Herckes, a co-author and professor in the School of Molecular Sciences. "At nighttime, for example, there isn't that much atmospheric chemistry going on. Chemistry is largely driven by the sun and by light. But if the bacteria are still doing their thing even during the nighttime, they can be important."

     Below, the paper explains why the detoxifying reaction mechanism for self-preservation makes up the bulk of the utilization of formaldehyde by the methylbacteria. The authors also consider that other volatile organic compounds could be utilized by bacteria as well, indicating an area for further study.

“Multiple lines of evidence, including increases in the aerobiome size with intervening fog events, its dependence on temperature, the presence of larger cells, and the high frequency of dividing cells, all speak for a fog water microbiome that is also capable of growth in nebula. While one could find alternative explanations for each of these phenomena separately, in situ growth remains the most parsimonious explanation for all concurrently. That the conditions for heterotrophic activity based on C1 compounds like formaldehyde that are available in the air lead to exceptionally high biodegradation rates in the fog water microbiome is consistent with that notion. However, only a fraction of the formaldehyde processed could be used directly for growth, and most of the activity must serve as a detoxification mechanism.”

References:

 

Scientists are stunned: Your local fog bank is eating toxic chemicals at "impossible" speeds. Nikshep Myle. Gadget Review. May 13, 2026. Scientists are stunned: Your local fog bank is eating toxic chemicals at "impossible" speeds

Fog is teeming with bacteria that eat pollutants and clean the air you breathe. India Today. May 17, 2026. Fog is teeming with bacteria that eat pollutants and clean the air you breathe - India Today

Growth and formaldehyde degradation of photoheterotrophic Methylobacterium within radiation fogs. Thi Thuong Thuong Cao, Pierre Herckes, Derek Straub, Soumyadev Sarkar, and Ferran Garcia-Pichel. Environmental Microbiology. Research Article. 11 May 2026. Growth and formaldehyde degradation of photoheterotrophic Methylobacterium within radiation fogs | mBio

The fog is alive: Droplets host bacteria that clear toxins from our air. Arizona State University. Phys.org. edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan. May 12, 2026. The fog is alive: Droplets host bacteria that clear toxins from our air

Fog is alive and quietly cleaning pollution from the air. Andrei Ionescu. Earth.com May 13, 2026. Fog is alive and quietly cleaning pollution from the air - Earth.com