Materials – Cleaner crude

July 16, 2015 – Crude oil refinement can be an extremely costly chemical process. In an effort to reduce energy and cost demands, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers Anibal Ramirez-Cuesta and Stuart Campbell are collaborating with University of Nottingham (UK) researchers to develop metal-organic frameworks—substances that can catch and separate different gases during refinement. These porous metal-based compounds have potential applications across the chemical industry, and are produced with water-based solvents, rather than chemical solvents, making separation processes cleaner. The research team plans to collaborate with engineers in industry to bring this process closer to being used on the commercial level.