Technology developed by MIT engineers makes pesticides stick to plant leaves. With the new system, farmers could significantly cut their use of pesticides and fertilizers, saving money and reducing runoff.

The California Solar Canal Initiative will engage the public and private sectors to identify optimal locations to generate renewable energy, save water and conserve land statewide. The California Solar Canal Initiative will engage the public and private sectors to identify optimal locations to generate renewable energy, save water and conserve land statewide.

SAN ANTONIO — March 25, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has launched the newest iteration of its industry-supported Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine consortium, H₂-ICE2.

While hydrogen production technologies are gaining attraction for a sustainable energy transition, traditional water electrolysis is challenged by its high voltage requirements. To overcome this limitation, chemical water-assisted electrolysis is emerging as a promising alternative. This technology replaces the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of traditional water electrolysis with various chemical oxidation reactions to produce hydrogen at lower voltages. In addition, it can generate high-value products or remove pollutants in the process, enabling simultaneous energy production and environmental improvement.

However, compared to the thermodynamic potential, the actual driving potential is still high due to overpotential problems. This review presents the latest catalyst design strategies aimed at addressing the high overpotential issues associated with five chemical water-assisted electrolysis reactions, including ammonia, alcohol, urea, hydrazine, and biomass. These strategies contribute to reducing overpotential while simultaneously enhancing long-term stability, demonstrating potential as a clean hydrogen production technology. This work was published on February 24, 2025, in Industrial Chemistry & Materials.

Researchers have determined that six gas valves provide the best protection against plasma disruptions in SPARC, a next-generation, experimental fusion system. By refining the setup for the fusion vessel’s massive gas injection system, researchers are ensuring that disruptions — sudden jets of plasma that can damage the fusion vessel’s inner walls — are controlled efficiently, paving the way for safer, more robust fusion power plants.