Professors Jonathan Fan, Juan Rivas-Davila, and Matthew Kana (Chemistry) have developed a new thermochemical reactor that can generate the immense heat needed for industrial processes using electricity instead of fossil fuels. 

Industrial processes in the U.S. account for approximately a third of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions – even more than the annual emissions from passenger vehicles, trucks, and airplanes combined. Decarbonizing this sector is a challenging but vital step in mitigating impacts on our future climate.

 

Researchers have designed and demonstrated a new type of thermochemical reactor that is capable of generating the immense amounts of heat required for many industrial processes using electricity instead of burning fossil fuels. The design, published Aug. 19 in Joule, is also smaller, cheaper, and more efficient than existing fossil fuel technology.