MIT researchers have developed an innovative membrane that could significantly reduce the energy required to separate crude oil into its components, such as gasoline, diesel, and heating oil. Traditional distillation methods rely on heating, accounting for approximately 6% of global CO₂ emissions. The new membrane operates by filtering oil components based on molecular size and shape, eliminating the need for energy-intensive boiling.
This membrane is a thin film resistant to swelling—a common issue in oil separation membranes—and can be manufactured using existing industrial techniques, facilitating potential large-scale adoption. The research, led by MIT Associate Professor Zachary P. Smith and former postdoc Taehoon Lee (now at Sungkyunkwan University), was published in Science on May 22, 2025.
By replacing traditional heat-based fractionation with this membrane technology, the oil industry could substantially lower its energy consumption and carbon footprint, marking a significant advancement in sustainable fuel processing.
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