Bubble findings could unlock better electrode and electrolyzer designs

A new study of bubbles on electrode surfaces could help improve the efficiency of electrochemical processes that produce fuels, chemicals, and materials

14-Oct-2024 - Industrial electrochemical processes that use electrodes to produce fuels and chemical products are hampered by the formation of bubbles that block parts of the electrode surface, reducing the area available for the active reaction. Such blockage reduces the performance of the electrodes by ...

A recipe for zero-emissions fuel: Soda cans, seawater, and caffeine

MIT engineers have developed a fast and sustainable method for producing hydrogen fuel using aluminum, saltwater, and coffee grounds

01-Aug-2024 - A sustainable source for clean energy may lie in old soda cans and seawater. MIT engineers have found that when the aluminum in soda cans is exposed in its pure form and mixed with seawater, the solution bubbles up and naturally produces hydrogen — a gas that can be subsequently used to power an ...

Living materials

25-Mar-2014 - Inspired by natural materials such as bone — a matrix of minerals and other substances, including living cells — MIT engineers have coaxed bacterial cells to produce biofilms that can incorporate nonliving materials, such as gold nanoparticles and quantum dots. These "living materials" combine ...

Bionic plants

18-Mar-2014 - Plants have many valuable functions: They provide food and fuel, release the oxygen that we breathe, and add beauty to our surroundings. Now, a team of MIT researchers wants to make plants even more useful by augmenting them with nanomaterials that could enhance their energy production and give ...

Ethanol not a major factor in reducing gas prices

MIT economist finds that biofuels, contrary to claims, do not meaningfully affect what drivers pay at the pump

14-Oct-2013 - If you have stopped at a gas station recently, there is a good chance your auto has consumed fuel with ethanol blended into it. Yet the price of gasoline is not substantially affected by the volume of its ethanol content, according to a paper co-authored by an MIT economist. The study seeks to ...

MIT Study: conventional fossil fuels sometimes 'greener' than biofuels

A new analysis emphasizes the large variability in greenhouse gas emissions from alternative fuels

13-May-2011 - In an effort to combat soaring fuel prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions, the aviation industry is racing toward the use of biofuels. In 2008, Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly a plane on a blend of biofuel and petroleum. Since then, Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways and ...

Researchers find a stable way to store the sun's heat

Storing thermal energy in chemical could lead to advances in storage and portability

28-Oct-2010 - Researchers at MIT have revealed exactly how a molecule called fulvalene diruthenium, which was discovered in 1996, works to store and release heat on demand. This understanding, reported in a paper published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, should make it possible to find similar chemicals ...

MIT develops initial step toward carbon sequestration

23-Sep-2009 - Results: MIT researchers have developed designs for a new kind of coal-burning power plant, called a pressurized oxy-fuel combustion system, whose carbon-dioxide emissions are concentrated and pressurized so that they can be injected into deep geological formations. This system is a way to reduce ...