Rice University team develops eco-friendly method to destroy 'forever chemicals' in water

clean water research

Rice University researchers have developed a new method for removing PFAS from water that works 100 times faster than traditional filters. Photo via Rice University.

Rice University researchers have teamed up with South Korean scientists to develop the first eco-friendly technology that captures and destroys toxic “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, in water.

PFAS have been linked to immune system disruption, certain cancers, liver damage and reproductive disorders. They can be found in water, soil and air, as well as in products like Teflon pans, waterproof clothing and food packaging. They do not degrade easily and are difficult to remove.

Thus far, PFAS cleanup methods have relied on adsorption, in which molecules cling to materials like activated carbon or ion-exchange resins. But these methods tend to have limited capacity, low efficiency, slow performance and can create additional waste.

The Rice-led study, published in the journal Advanced Materials, centered on a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material made from copper and aluminum that could rapidly capture PFAS and be used to destroy the chemicals.

The study was led by Rice professor Youngkun Chung, a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Michael S. Wong. It was conducted in collaboration with Seoktae Kang, professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Keon-Ham Kim, professor at Pukyung National University, who first discovered the LDH material.

The team evaluated the LDH material in river water, tap water and wastewater. And, according to Rice, that material’s unique copper-aluminum layers and charge imbalances created an ideal binding environment to capture PFAS molecules.

“To my astonishment, this LDH compound captured PFAS more than 1,000 times better than other materials,” Chung, lead author of the study and now a fellow at Rice’s WaTER (Water Technologies, Entrepreneurship and Research) Institute and Sustainability Institute, said in a news release. “It also worked incredibly fast, removing large amounts of PFAS within minutes, about 100 times faster than commercial carbon filters.”

Next, Chung, along with Rice professors Pedro Alvarez and James Tour, worked to develop an eco-friendly, sustainable method of thermally decomposing the PFAS captured on the LDH material. They heated saturated material with calcium carbonate, which eliminated more than half of the trapped PFAS without releasing toxic by-products.

The team believes the study’s results could potentially have large-scale applications in industrial cleanups and municipal water treatments.

“We are excited by the potential of this one-of-a-kind LDH-based technology to transform how PFAS-contaminated water sources are treated in the near future,” Wong added in the news release. “It’s the result of an extraordinary international collaboration and the creativity of young researchers.”

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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Decades of research have culminated in the creation of the Water Technologies Entrepreneurship and Research (WaTER) Institute at Rice University. Photo via Pexels

Rice University researchers pioneer climatetech breakthroughs in clean water nanotechnology

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Researchers at Rice University are making cleaner water through the use of nanotech.

Decades of research have culminated in the creation of the Water Technologies Entrepreneurship and Research (WaTER) Institute launched in January 2024 and its new Rice PFAS Alternatives and Remediation Center (R-PARC).

“Access to safe drinking water is a major limiting factor to human capacity, and providing access to clean water has the potential to save more lives than doctors,” Rice’s George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Pedro Alvarez says in a news release.

The WaTER Institute has made advancements in clean water technology research and applications established during a 10-year period of Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), which was funded by the National Science Foundation. R-PARC will use the institutional investments, which include an array of PFAS-dedicated advanced analytical equipment.

Alvarez currently serves as director of NEWT and the WaTER Institute. He’s joined by researchers that include Michael Wong, Rice’s Tina and Sunit Patel Professor in Molecular Nanotechnology, chair and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and leader of the WaTER Institute’s public health research thrust, and James Tour, Rice’s T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering.

“We are the leaders in water technologies using nano,” adds Wong. “Things that we’ve discovered within the NEWT Center, we’ve already started to realize will be great for real-world applications.”

The NEWT center plans to equip over 200 students to address water safety issues, and assist/launch startups.

“Across the world, we’re seeing more serious contamination by emerging chemical and biological pollutants, and climate change is exacerbating freshwater scarcity with more frequent droughts and uncertainty about water resources,” Alvarez said in a news release. “The Rice WaTER Institute is growing research and alliances in the water domain that were built by our NEWT Center.”

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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CERAWeek 2026 to bring energy leaders to Houston to discuss tech and geopolitics

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CERAWeek returns this month, March 23-27, and will once again bring leading energy executives and government officials to Houston.

The 44th annual event will again host U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

Wright will participate in a plenary session focused on energy policy with Daniel Yergin, conference chair and vice chairman of S&P Global, on March 23. The following day, he will be featured in the Celebrating 10 Years of U.S. LNG reception with Jack Fusso, president and CEO, of Cheniere Energy. Both events are part of the Executive Conference track.

Burgum will participate in a leadership dialogue plenary session with Yergin on March 25. It is also part of the Executive Conference track. Burgum is also chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council, established by President Trump in 2025.

Top energy executives, many of whom are based in Houston, will also be featured prominently at the week-long event. Other speakers include:

Bill Blevins, director of grid coordination for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)
Trevor Best, CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics
Marie Contour Carrere, executive director of the Rice Sustainability Institute
Ryan DuChanois, co-founder and CEO of Solidec
Reginald DesRoches, president of Rice University
Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs
Jim Fitterling, chair and CEO of Dow Inc.
Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corp.
Renu Katon, chancellor and president of the University of Houston
Ryan Lance, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips
Olivier Le Peuch, CEO of SLB
Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies SE
Adrian Tromel, chief innovation officer and interim VP for Innovation at Rice University
Bobby Tudor, founder and CEO of Artemis Energy Partners and chairman of HETI
Wael Sawan, CEO of Shell plc
Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes Co.
Mike Wirth, chairman and CEO of Chevron Corp.
Jeremy Pitts, managing director of Activate Houston
And many others

This year, CERAWeek will center around the theme of Convergence and Competition: Energy, Technology and Geopolitics.

"Change is inescapable," Yergin said in a news release. "The global energy landscape—and to a large extent the entire global economy—is being fundamentally reshaped by the dual forces of convergence and competition. The race for AI is fusing the energy and technology industries like never before, bringing into sharp relief the need to align energy expansion with sustainable economic growth."

"Yet, the potential for collaboration and innovation is increasingly matched by the risk for collision and conflict in a world marked by geopolitical rivalry, tariffs and fragmented supply chains," he continued. "Reconciling an increasingly complex world with the growing demand for energy that is stable, secure and affordable is a complex reality that CERAWeek 2026 will tackle when global energy leaders meet in Houston."

Key topics of discussion will include:

Politics, Economics, Trade and Supply Chains
Policy, Regulations and Stakeholders
Oil Value Chain
Power, Renewables, Generation and Grid
AI and Digital
Minerals and Mining
Electrification Technologies
Investment and Financing
Chemicals and Materials
Business Strategies
The Innovation Ecosystem
Managing Emissions
Low-Carbon Fuels and Mobility
Climate and Sustainability
Workforce Strategy

The CERAWeek Innovation Agora track, which is the program's deeper dive into technology and innovation, will feature thought leadership on "AI, decarbonization, low carbon fuels, cybersecurity, hydrogen, nuclear, mining and minerals, mobility, automation and more," according to the release.

Agora Hubs will return this year and be divided into three zones: new energies, carbon and climate, and AI. The hubs will feature amphitheater-style sessions and panels. Agora Pods will allow energy startups to showcase their ideas in 20- to 30-minute presentations.

Additionally, CERAWeek will introduce a new program this year on Friday, March 27. Known as Look Forward, it will focus on economics, politics and technology.

See the full agenda for the week here. Find more information and register for the event here.

Houston team unveils model to manage e-waste and more news to know

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Editor's note: The top energy transition news for March includes the "missing link" in scaling e-waste recycling and Houston's future as a leader in CCUS. Plus, we preview the teams pitching at the Energy Venture Day competition during CERAWeek. Here are the five most-read EnergyCapitalHTX stories from March 1-15:

1. Houston researchers propose model to scale e-waste recycling

Jian Shi, Chuyue Wang and Kailai Wang have developed a model that aims to make recycling e-waste economically viable and help recover critical minerals needed for EVs. Photo courtesy UH.

The “missing link” in critical minerals may have been in our junk drawers all along, according to new research from the University of Houston. Jian Shi, an associate professor in the UH Cullen College of Engineering, and his team have unveiled a new supply chain model that aims to make e-waste economically viable and could help make large-scale recycling possible. Continue reading.

2. Houston positioned to lead in Carbon Capture Utilization (CCU), study shows

Jane Stricker reflects on four years at HETI. Courtesy photo

With global demand for energy production while lowering emissions continues to grow, Houston and the Gulf Coast region are uniquely positioned to lead with carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS). A new study developed by the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting explores how the region can transform captured CO₂ into valuable products while supporting continued economic growth and industrial competitiveness. Continue reading.

3. Houston cleantech startup seeks $200M for superhot geothermal plant

Houston cleantech startup seeks $200M for superhot geothermal plant

Quaise Energy is developing Project Obsidian, a superhot geothermal plant in central Oregon. Rendering via quaise.com.

Houston-based Quaise Energy is looking to raise $200 million to support the development of a 50-megawatt superhot geothermal plant in Oregon. The company is seeking $100 million in Series B funding, plus an additional $100 million from grants, debt and project-level finance, a representative from the company tells EnergyCapital. Continue reading.

4. 40+ teams to pitch at annual CERAWeek clean energy competition

40+ teams to pitch at annual CERAWeek clean energy competition

Houston-based HEXASpec took home the top TEX-E prize and $25,000 at last year's Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition. Photo courtesy TEX-E.

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI), the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E) and the Ion have named the 30-plus energy ventures and teams that will pitch at the 2026 Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek this month. The selected ventures are "driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition," according to the Rice Alliance. Continue reading.

5. Texas data center boom could strain water supply, new report warns

A new report shows that Texas data centers used 25 billion gallons of water in 2025. Photo via HARC report.

As data centers continue to boom throughout Texas, a new report from the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) warns that the trend could strain the state’s water supply. HARC estimates Texas data centers used 25 billion gallons of water in 2025—and that the demand for water will continue to rise to meet the needs of the 464 data centers currently in Texas, as well as 70 additional sites currently under development. Continue reading.

Italian clean energy co. selects The Woodlands for North American HQ

new HQ

An Italian renewable energy company has picked The Woodlands for its North American headquarters.

AB Energy USA will occupy about 11,000 square feet in The Woodlands Towers at The Waterway. The company expects to add about 45 jobs in The Woodlands this year. Beginning in 2027, AB Energy USA will add another 30 jobs over a five-year period.

The new headquarters will be the corporate and governance hub for all of AB Energy’s North American subsidiaries. AB Energy, an arm of Italy-based AB, supplies renewable natural gas systems for industrial, commercial and data center customers. AB has operated in the U.S. since 2014.

“Establishing our North American headquarters in the Energy Capital of the World is a strategic step in AB’s long-term commitment to the U.S. market,” Paolo Ruggeri, North American CEO for AB Energy USA, said in a news release. “Houston gives us access to world-class engineering and energy talent, and strengthens our ability to attract and grow a high-performing team.”

Jevon Gibb, CEO of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership, said several markets competed for AB Energy’s North American headquarters.

“AB’s decision to establish its North American headquarters here demonstrates The Woodlands’ competitiveness for both international companies and energy sector leaders,” Gibb said.

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