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MIT researchers boost efficiency of carbon capture and conversion systems

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Researchers at MIT have developed a method that could significantly boost the performance of carbon capture and conversion systems that use catalytic surfaces to enhance the rates of carbon-sequestering electrochemical reactions. The movement through water is sluggish, which slows the rate of conversion of the carbon dioxide.

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MIT researchers modify soil bacterium for biosynthesis of isobutanol using carbon

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Researchers at MIT have modified the soil bacterium Ralstonia eutropha to produce isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol (branched-chain higher alcohols). What it does is take whatever carbon is available, and stores it in the form of a polymer, which is similar in its properties to a lot of petroleum-based plastics. Earlier post.)

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MIT researchers propose mechanism for overcoming bottleneck in electroreduction of CO2

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Researchers at MIT have identified , quantified, and modeled a major reason for the poor performance of electroreduction processes to convert CO 2 to fuel or other useful chemicals. The findings could spur progress on developing a variety of materials and designs for electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion systems.

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Study finds the wettability of porous electrode surfaces is key to making efficient water-splitting or carbon-capturing systems

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Now, a study at MIT has for the first time analyzed and quantified how bubbles form on these porous electrodes. The work is described in the journal Joule , in a paper by MIT visiting scholar Ryuichi Iwata, graduate student Lenan Zhang, professors Evelyn Wang and Betar Gallant, and three others. —Beta Gallant.

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MIT researchers develop oxygen permeable membrane that converts CO2 to CO

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MIT researchers have developed a new system that could potentially be used for converting power plant emissions of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, and thence into useful fuels for cars, trucks, and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks for a wide variety of products.

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MIT researchers identify viable anode material for molten oxide electrolysis for lower CO2 steel production

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Researchers at MIT have identified inexpensive metal alloy materials that can serve as anodes for molten oxide electrolysis (MOE)—an electrometallurgical technique that enables the direct production of metal in the liquid state from oxide feedstock. A paper on their discovery is published in the journal Nature. billion tons per year.

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MIT Researchers Find That Elastic Energy Storage Systems Built With Carbon Nanotubes Could Match Li-ion Battery Energy Densities

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New research by MIT scientists suggests that carbon nanotubes could be used to create elastic energy storage systems with energy densities that could be three orders of magnitude higher than those of conventional steel springs, and comparable to Li-ion batteries with potentially more durability and reliability. Hill et al.