Making the chemicals that power modern life takes a LOT of energy – more than you’d think. And all that energy usually comes from fossil fuels, pumping out greenhouse gases. Not exactly great for the planet.
But what if there was a cleaner way? That’s what researchers at West Virginia University are trying to figure out.
Led by Professor John Hu, the team just secured $3 million from the Department of Energy to develop a new type of chemical reactor. One powered by microwaves.
Now I know what you’re thinking – microwaves? Like the one that heats up leftover pizza? Well, yes and no. These are specialized microwave reactors that allow crazy precise control over chemical reactions. And that precision means the reactor can run at lower temperatures but crank out MORE chemicals with fewer nasty byproducts.
It’s all about breaking chemical bonds using energy waves instead of brute heat from coal or gas. The reactor can zip back and forth between making different products, which cuts down on steps too.
For example, the hydrogen freed up during one reaction can then be fed right into making ammonia instead of starting that process from scratch. Less starts and stops equals major efficiency gains.
This microwave trick could slash energy use by 85%! Not too shabby. And when industry guzzles less power, fewer greenhouse gases get belched out alongside. The process itself also traps carbon, helping claw back emissions.
Now, WVU isn’t stopping there. The engineers want to soup up their reactor by lacing it with some artificial intelligence tech too. Machine learning algorithms will monitor conditions and optimize stuff in real-time. Because why not leverage some AI along with those perfectly-timed microwaves!
