MIT professor and clean tech founder Yet-Ming Chiang discusses the physical engineering heuristics for deciding when to apply electrochemical versus thermal or biological processes.
Insight
Chiang: Producing acids and bases acts as chemical energy storage
“So, this idea of using low-cost electricity in an electrolyzer to produce acid and base allows you to produce acid and base for chemical reactions that then follow. And those chemical reactions can be done on a volume basis, and in fact, you can decouple in te…”
Insight
Chiang: Voltage tuning lets electrochemistry drive impossible thermal reactions for fuels
“Well, so SAFs, sustainable aviation fuels would be an example, and in particular, you know, CO₂ to fuels. That is a case where, you know, CO₂, you know, decomposing molecules is highly energetic, and that's where electrochemistry has that advantage that I refe…”
Insight
Chiang: Electrochemical plants require intermediate storage built in from day one
“The ability to, you know, run processes continuously downstream of that, that is where having some form of storage, I think, is, is important. That's what you have to think about doing from day one.”
Assertion Supported
Chiang: Room-temperature aqueous electrolysis can reduce iron oxide to solid iron
“We have iron oxide in an alkaline electrolyte. If we bring that in contact with a metal electrode, we can reduce solid iron oxide to solid Iron metal. And that that then, you know, brings down the thermal load tremendously.”
Insight
Chiang: Biological processes struggle with electrochemical current density due to bulk
“Well, a biological process, even if it has an electrochemical component to it, it's hard to get to high current density. Why is that? It's just that the molecules are large and bulky, right? And, you know, inorganic molecules tend to be compact by comparison, …”
Assertion Supported
Chiang: Chemist intuition has discovered more battery cathodes than AI models
“If you were to look at the number of, for example, lithium-ion battery cathodes that have been discovered, truly discovered through this process, compared to those that were still developed by a You know, good solid state chemist's intuition. I think that that…”