For many years, researchers have been working to build devices that can mimic photosynthesis—the process by which plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to make their fuel. These artificial leaves use sunlight to separate water into oxygen and hydrogen, which could then be used to fuel cars or generate electricity. Now a research team from the University of Cambridge has taken aim at creating more energy-dense fuels.
The group’s device produces ethylene and ethane, proving that artificial leaves can create hydrocarbons. The development could offer a cheaper, cleaner way to make fuels, chemicals, and plastics—with the ultimate goal of creating fuels that don’t leave a harmful carbon footprint after they’re burned. Read the full story.
—Carly Kay
This startup just hit a big milestone for green steel production
Green-steel startup Boston Metal just showed that it has all the ingredients needed to make steel without emitting gobs of greenhouse gases. The company successfully ran its largest reactor yet to make steel, producing over a ton of metal, MIT Technology Review can exclusively report.
The latest milestone means that Boston Metal just got one step closer to commercializing its technology. And while there are still a lot of milestones left before reaching the scale needed to make a dent in the steel industry, the latest run shows that the company can scale up its process. Read the full story.
—Casey Crownhart
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