A major conversation subject at the top of Arpa -e was geological hydrogen – there is a ton of excitement as to efforts to find underground gas deposits, which can be used as fuel in a wide range of industries, including transport and heavy industry.
Last year, Arpa-e funded a handful of projects on the subject, including one in the laboratory of Iwnetim Abate at MIT. Abate is one of researchers who are not only intended to hunt hydrogen, but to really use underground conditions to help produce it. Earlier this year, his team published research showing that using common catalysts and conditions in the basement, scientists can produce hydrogen as well as other chemicals, such as ammonia. Abate co-founded a spin-out company, Addis Energyto market research, which has since also received ARPA-E funding.
All the rocks on the table, from the piece of dark and hard basalt to the softer talc, could be used to produce these chemicals.
An electric guitar powered by nitride magnets
The sound of music has derived from the magnetic Niron stand through the neighboring bridges. People wandering by stopping to test the company’s magnets in turn, in the form of an electric guitar.
Today, most of the magnets with high power contain neodymium – demand for them should skyrocket in the coming years, especially since the world built more electric and wind turbines. The supplies could extend and geopolitics is complicated because most of the supply comes from China.
Niron manufactures new magnets that do not contain rare land metals. Instead, Niron’s technology is based on more abundant materials: nitrogen and iron.
The guitar is a demonstration product – magnets, electric guitars generally contain aluminum, nickel and cobalt magnets which help translate the vibrations of steel channels in an electric signal which is diffused through an amplifier. Niron made an instrument using his iron nitride magnets instead. (See photos of the guitar of an event last year here.)
Niron opened a commercial pilot installation at the end of 2024 which has the capacity to produce 10 tonnes of magnets per year. Since we covered Niron last time, at the beginning of 2024The company has Announced plans For a large -scale factory, which will have an annual capacity of around 1,500 tonnes of magnets once it is fully increased.