For clean ammonia, MIT engineers propose going underground
Using the Earth itself as a chemical reactor could reduce the need for fossil-fuel-powered chemical plants.
Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact
Rapid development and deployment of powerful generative AI models comes with environmental consequences, including increased electricity demand and water consumption.
Designing tiny filters to solve big problems
By developing new materials for separating a mixture’s components, Zachary Smith hopes to reduce costs and environmental impact across many U.S. industries.
New filter captures and recycles aluminum from manufacturing waste
MIT engineers designed a nanofiltration process that could make aluminum production more efficient while reducing hazardous waste.
Helping students bring about decarbonization, from benchtop to global energy marketplace
Professor Jessika Trancik’s course helps students understand energy levers for addressing climate change at the macro and micro scales.
In a unique research collaboration, students make the case for less e-waste
SERC Scholars from around the MIT community examine the electronic hardware waste life cycle and climate justice.
Enabling a circular economy in the built environment
A better understanding of construction industry stakeholders’ motivations can lead to greater adoption of circular practices.
A new biodegradable material to replace certain microplastics
MIT chemical engineers designed an environmentally friendly alternative to the microbeads used in some health and beauty products.
A new catalyst can turn methane into something useful
MIT chemical engineers have devised a way to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and convert it into polymers.
Decarbonizing heavy industry with thermal batteries
MIT spinout Electrified Thermal Solutions has developed an electrically conductive firebrick that stores heat at high enough temperatures to power industrial processes.
A nonflammable battery to power a safer, decarbonized future
The startup Alsym Energy, co-founded by Professor Kripa Varanasi, is hoping its batteries can link renewables with the industrial sector and beyond.
Turning automotive engines into modular chemical plants to make green fuels
The MIT spinout Emvolon is placing its repurposed engines next to methane sources, to generate greener methanol and other chemicals.
Ensuring a durable transition
Progress on the energy transition depends on collective action benefiting all stakeholders, agreed participants in MITEI’s annual research conference.
Tackling the energy revolution, one sector at a time
A new study on techno-economic outlooks for zero-emission heavy-duty trucking underscores the need for cross-sector collaboration.
Startup turns mining waste into critical metals for the U.S.
Phoenix Tailings, co-founded by MIT alumni, is creating domestic supply chains for rare earth metals, key to the clean energy transition.