DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

First device to monitor transplanted organs detects early signs of rejection

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Northwestern Researchers Receive $750K DOE Grant in Sustainability and Energy Catalysis

Northwestern University researchers Tobin Marks and Michael Bedzyk have been awarded a $750,000 three-year grant from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance understanding of sustainability and energy catalysis. The grant will allow Northwestern to remain at the forefront of cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in catalysis and to enhance the long-term sustainability of catalytic processes. 

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Hybrid catalyst produces critical fertilizer and cleans wastewater

Agriculture relies on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which is made using energy- and carbon-intensive processes and creates nitrate-containing runoff. Researchers have long sought solutions to reduce emissions from the industry that accounts for 3% of energy consumption each year.

A collaboration between Ted Sargent and Jennifer Dunn has found that producing the fertilizer urea using electrified synthesis could denitrify wastewater while enabling low-carbon-intensity urea production. The process, which includes converting carbon dioxide and waste nitrogen by using a hybrid catalyst made of zinc and copper, could benefit water treatment facilities by reducing their carbon footprint and supplying a potential revenue stream.

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