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MIT researchers develop optimized sulfidation separation process for rare earth and other key metals

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New processing methods developed by MIT researchers could help ease looming shortages of the essential metals that power everything from phones to automotive batteries by making it easier to separate these rare metals from mining ores and recycled materials. —Antoine Allanore.

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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 research was supported by Shell, through the MIT Energy Initiative. A paper on their work is published in the ACS journal Langmuir. —Soto et al.

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MIT researchers significantly increase lifetimes of solid oxide fuel cells by changing pH

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MIT researchers have found that changing the pH of the system can increase the lifetimes of a range of technologies including fuel cells. The MIT work essentially shows how to recover—and speed up—that ability by changing the surface acidity. They can also be made without using costly metals like platinum.

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MIT researchers propose subsea version of pumped hydro for renewable energy storage

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Researchers at MIT are proposing using a variation on pumped hydroelectric systems for storage of electricity produced by offshore wind farms. The key to this Ocean Renewable Energy Storage (ORES) system is the placement of 30-meter-diameter hollow concrete spheres on the seafloor under the wind turbines. Earlier post.).

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NREL, MIT, WSU team develops process to convert lignin to aromatic blendstock for 100% sustainable aviation fuel

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By using lignin, an abundant, renewable biopolymer that has traditionally been underutilized due to its chemical recalcitrance, an aromatic SAF blendstock could be generated. As the largest source of renewable aromatics in nature, lignin could hold the answer to achieving a complete bio-based jet fuel. —Stone et al.

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MIT just released directions for commercializing perovskite solar cells

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Photo: Kyoto University An MIT-led team revealed a “guidebook” for how to tune surface properties of perovskites, a silicon alternative – here’s why that’s huge for solar. Enter the new breakthrough paper from a team of researchers led by MIT, in collaboration with scientists from around the globe. Get started here. –

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MIT team engineers yeast to be more tolerant to toxic byproducts, boosting biofuels production; “tolerance module”

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To try to expand biofuels’ potential impact, a team of MIT engineers has now found a way to expand the use of a wider range of nonfood feedstocks to produce such fuels. The MIT researchers developed a way to circumvent that toxicity, making it feasible to use those sources, which are much more plentiful, to produce biofuels.

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