Akshay Deshmukh

MIT

Solvent-Driven Water Extraction from Hypersaline Brines by Dimethyl Ether

Solvent-driven water extraction (SDWE) has promising applications in hypersaline brine desalination, including zero-liquid discharge processing for industrial wastewaters, and resource recovery, such as the extraction of lithium and rare earth elements from solution mining leachate. In this study, we develop a computational framework to analyze the liquid-liquid extraction of water from hypersaline brines using dimethyl ether (DME). We demonstrate that DME can effectively desalinate brines that are several times more concentrated than seawater and quantify the amount of DME required to reach zero-liquid discharge brine salinities. Our computational framework can be extended to analyze a range of promising solvents.

Justin Kunimune

PSFC

Towards Energy Gain from Inertial Confinement Fusion

Fusion is the fusing of two lighter elements into a heavier element, releasing energy in the process. Fusion power plants would be safe and environmentally friendly. Inertial Confinement Fusion is one of two major approaches to reach the very high temperatures required for fusion. Recent progress at the National Ignition Facility in September of 2021 has achieved 70% of ignition, making net fusion energy gain closer than ever to becoming a reality.

Michael Forsuelo

MIT

Design of a Hybrid Energy Storage System for Hyperloop Transportation

The Hyperloop clubs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Imperial College London are exploring powertrain technologies for Hyperloop. Hyperloop is a promising form of high-speed transportation. Passenger or cargo pods are envisioned to propel through partial vacuum at speeds up to 760 mph. Hyperloop systems could be powered by sustainable energy sources. Our clubs will present investigations at the intersection of energy storage systems and machine learning.

Valerie Muldoon

MIT

Scalable Synthesis of Solid-State Electrolytes Using Flame-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis

Many notorious battery fires in cars and consumer electronics have emphasized the safety hazards posed by conventional Li-ion batteries due to the use of a flammable liquid electrolyte. Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) have been proposed as a replacement for liquid electrolytes to significantly improve the safety and performance of batteries, but SSEs are often costly and challenging to manufacture. We propose using an inexpensive, scalable, combustion-based synthesis method called flame-assisted spray pyrolysis (FASP) to manufacture nanoscale solid-state electrolyte powders with controlled particle size, morphology, and stoichiometry.