Earth
Engineers Develop Nanofiltration Process to Capture and Recycle Aluminum from Manufacturing Waste
MIT Engineers Develop Membrane Technology to Reduce Waste and Improve Efficiency in Aluminum Production

Aluminum, the second-most-produced metal in the world after steel, is a crucial material in industries ranging from packaging to electronics and aerospace. With global demand projected to rise by 40 percent by the end of the decade, aluminum production is set to significantly increase, bringing with it heightened environmental concerns. A new breakthrough from MIT engineers aims to tackle one of the major challenges of aluminum production—waste.
The research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a novel nanofiltration membrane that could drastically reduce the hazardous waste generated during aluminum manufacturing. This membrane could potentially help aluminum plants recycle aluminum ions that would otherwise be lost in waste streams, enabling upcycling and reducing environmental impacts.
“Our membrane technology not only cuts down on hazardous waste but also enables a circular economy for aluminum by reducing the need for new mining,” said John Lienhard, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Water in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, according to a press release issued by MIT. He is also the director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS). “This offers a promising solution to address environmental concerns while meeting the growing demand for aluminum.”
In a study published this week in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, Lienhard and his colleagues demonstrated the membrane’s effectiveness in laboratory experiments. They found that the membrane was able to capture more than 99 percent of aluminum ions from solutions that closely mimicked the waste streams produced by aluminum plants.
If scaled up, this technology could reduce the amount of wasted aluminum and improve the overall environmental quality of the waste produced by these plants.
The Aluminum Production Problem
Aluminum production starts with the mining of bauxite, an ore rich in aluminum. The bauxite undergoes chemical processing to separate aluminum oxide (alumina) from other impurities. This alumina is then transported to refineries, where it is placed in electrolysis vats containing molten cryolite. Through electrolysis, alumina breaks down, and pure aluminum is separated out.
However, over time, the cryolite electrolyte accumulates impurities, including sodium, lithium, and potassium ions, which reduce its effectiveness in the process. When these impurities reach critical levels, the cryolite must be replaced, creating a hazardous sludge that contains residual aluminum and other pollutants. The amount of aluminum lost in this waste can be substantial.
“We learned that for a traditional aluminum plant, something like 2,800 tons of aluminum are wasted per year,” said Trent Lee, lead author of the study and an MIT mechanical engineering undergraduate. “We were looking at ways that the industry can be more efficient, and we found cryolite waste hadn’t been well-researched in terms of recycling some of its waste products.”
A Membrane for Efficiency
In their new work, Lienhard’s team developed a membrane capable of selectively filtering aluminum from cryolite waste. The goal was to recover aluminum ions while allowing other less problematic ions, such as sodium, to pass through. The captured aluminum could then be reused in the electrolysis process, reducing the need for new materials and increasing overall efficiency.
The new membrane technology is based on a design used in conventional water treatment plants. These membranes, made from polymer materials, are perforated with tiny pores that selectively allow certain ions and molecules to pass through. In collaboration with the Japanese membrane company Nitto Denko, the MIT team adapted this technology to capture aluminum ions specifically.
The aluminum ions in cryolite waste carry a higher positive charge than sodium and other cations, which makes them easier to isolate. By applying a thin, positively charged coating to the membrane, the researchers were able to create a barrier that repels aluminum ions while allowing the other, less positively charged ions to flow through.
“We found that the membrane consistently captured 99.5 percent of aluminum ions while allowing sodium and other cations to pass,” explained Zi Hao Foo, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-author of the study. “We also tested the membrane in solutions of varying pH levels, and it maintained its performance, even in highly acidic conditions.”
Scaling Up for Industry
The team’s experimental membrane is about the size of a playing card, but to treat cryolite waste in an industrial-scale aluminum production plant, they envision a scaled-up version similar to those used in desalination plants. In these plants, long sheets of membrane are rolled into spirals, allowing water to flow through them efficiently.
“This paper shows the viability of membranes for innovations in circular economies,” said Lee. “This membrane provides the dual benefit of upcycling aluminum while reducing hazardous waste.”
By applying this membrane technology, the aluminum industry could significantly cut down on waste and reduce its environmental footprint, all while improving efficiency and meeting the rising global demand for aluminum.
Looking Ahead
With their breakthrough in nanofiltration technology, MIT engineers have opened the door to a more sustainable and circular approach to aluminum production. By reclaiming valuable aluminum from waste streams, they are not only advancing the efficiency of aluminum manufacturing but also helping to address the environmental challenges posed by an industry poised for rapid growth in the coming years
Earth
Meltwater ponds might have sheltered life during earth’s deep freeze
During this time, the planet was believed to be encased in ice, with global temperatures plummeting to as low as -50°C

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists from MIT have proposed that shallow meltwater ponds may have provided critical refuges for early complex life during one of Earth’s most extreme ice ages — the “Snowball Earth” period, which occurred between 635 and 720 million years ago.
During this time, the planet was believed to be encased in ice, with global temperatures plummeting to as low as -50°C. Despite the harsh conditions, complex cellular life — known as eukaryotes — managed to survive. The new research suggests that these life forms could have found sanctuary in small, briny pools formed on the surface of equatorial ice sheets.
“Meltwater ponds are valid candidates for where early eukaryotes could have sheltered during these planet-wide glaciation events,” said lead author Fatima Husain, a graduate researcher in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, in a media statement. “This shows us that diversity is present and possible in these sorts of settings. It’s really a story of life’s resilience.”
The team drew parallels between ancient equatorial ice sheets and modern Antarctic conditions. They studied contemporary meltwater ponds on Antarctica’s McMurdo Ice Shelf — an area first dubbed “dirty ice” by explorers in the early 20th century. These ponds, formed by sun-warmed dark debris trapped within surface ice, provided a modern analog to the possible melt environments of the Cryogenian Period.
Samples taken from these Antarctic ponds revealed clear signatures of eukaryotic life. Using chemical and genetic analysis, including the identification of sterols and ribosomal RNA, the researchers detected algae, protists, and microscopic animals — all descendants of early eukaryotes. Each pond supported unique communities, with differences shaped largely by salinity levels.
“No two ponds were alike,” Husain noted. “There are repeating casts of characters, but they’re present in different abundances. We found diverse assemblages of eukaryotes from all the major groups in all the ponds studied.”
These findings suggest that meltwater ponds — overlooked in previous hypotheses — could have served as vital “above-ice oases” for survival and even diversification during Snowball Earth.
“There are many hypotheses for where life could have survived and sheltered during the Cryogenian, but we don’t have excellent analogs for all of them,” Husain explained. “Above-ice meltwater ponds occur on Earth today and are accessible, giving us the opportunity to really focus in on the eukaryotes which live in these environments.”
The study was co-authored by MIT’s Roger Summons, Thomas Evans (formerly MIT), Jasmin Millar of Cardiff University, Anne Jungblut of the Natural History Museum in London, and Ian Hawes of the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
By uncovering how life may have persisted through Earth’s frozen past, the research not only deepens understanding of our planet’s history — it may also help inform the search for life on icy worlds beyond Earth.
Earth
In ancient India, mushy earth made for perfume scent
Kannauj, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, offers a sustainable alternative in producing perfumes using traditional modes of distillation.

A sweet scent typically lingers around in the air at Kannauj, an ancient city in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. It’s an imprint of the countless occasions when it had rained, of roses that bloomed at dawn, and of sandalwood trees that once breathed centuries of calm.. Though mushy smells are not unique to Kannauj, the city utilized traditional distillation methods to make perfume out of these earthly scents.
Kannauj has had a longstanding tradition in perfume-making since four centuries ago. The city, colloquially known as the country’s ancient perfume capital, still uses rustic copper stills, wood-fired ovens, and bamboo pipes leading to sandalwood oil-filled vessels, or attar as it is colloquially known, to make their perfume. Though it gives a pre-industrial look, a closer peek would reveal an ecosystem of complex thermal regulation, plant chemistry, sustainability science, and hydro-distillation chemistry at work.
When synthetically-made but sustainable perfumes, and AI-generated ones share the spotlight today, Kannauj’s tryst with perfumes offer an alternative, sustainable model in traditional distillation, which is inherently low-carbon, zero-waste, and follow principles of a circular economy; all in alignment with sustainable development goals.
Traditional perfume-making is naturally sustainable
In industrial processing, hydro-distillation is a commonly done to separate substances with different boiling points. Heating the liquids produce vapors, which can later be liquefied in a separate chamber. Perfumers in Kannauj follow the same practice, except it promises to be more sustainable with the copper stills, a process colloquially known as dheg-bhakpa hydro-distillation.
There’s no alcohol or synthetic agents in use. Instead, they heat up raw botanicals – such as roses, vetiver roots, jasmine, or even sunbaked clay – to precise temperatures well short of burning, thereby producing fragrant vapor. The vapors are then guided into cooling chambers, where they condense and bond with a natural fixative, often sandalwood oil. Plant residue is the only byproduct, which finds use as organic compost to cultivate another generation of crops.

Trapping earthly scent to make perfume
In the past five years, Kannauj’s veteran perfumers noticed a quiet, but steady shift in their timely harvest and produce. Rose harvests have moved earlier by weeks. Vetiver roots grow shallower due to erratic rainfall. Jasmine yields are fluctuating wildly. The local Ganges river, which influences humidity levels essential for distillation timing, is no longer as predictable. For an entire natural aromatic economy built on seasonal synchrony, this uncertainty has rung alarm bells.
“The scent of a flower depends not just on the flower itself,” Vipin Dixit, a third-generation attar-maker whose family has distilled fragrance for decades, said to EdPublica.
“It depends on the weather the night before, on the heat at sunrise, on the moisture in the air. Even the soil has a scent-memory.”

As a result, perfumers in Kannauj have begun to adapt, applying traditional wisdom through a modern scientific lens. Local distillers are now working with botanists and environmental scientists to study soil microbiomes, measure scent compounds using chromatography, and develop community-based rainwater harvesting to ensure sustainable crop health.
One of the most surprising innovations is trapping petrichor — the scent of first rain — through earth attars. Clay is baked during extreme heat waves, mimicking summer conditions, then distilled to trap the scent of rain hitting dry soil. This aroma, called mitti attar, is one of the few scents in the world created from an environmental phenomenon; and not a flower.
At a time when the world is scrambling to save biodiversity, the humble attar may become a template for green chemistry — one that doesn’t just preserve scent, but also restores the relationship between science, nature, and soul.
Earth
A Region on the Edge: Ocean Heat, Island Peril, and a Global Wake-up Call
Real-world impacts in the South-West Pacific — from disappearing glaciers to cultural erosion in Fiji — illustrate what is at stake.

In a stark warning for the world, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its latest report in June first week, The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2024, painting a vivid picture of escalating climate extremes across ocean and land. The report, released to coincide with the 2025 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva and ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, warns that the South-West Pacific is already grappling with the climate future the rest of the world fears.
A record-breaking Year
2024 marked the warmest year on record for the region, driven by El Niño conditions and unprecedented ocean heating. Nearly 40 million square kilometers — over 10% of the global ocean surface — was scorched by marine heatwaves.
“2024 was the warmest year on record in the South-West Pacific region. Ocean heat and acidification combined to inflict long-lasting damage to marine ecosystems and economies. Sea-level rise is an existential threat to entire island nations. It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Celeste Saulo in a recent media statement.
The heat was not limited to oceans. Extreme temperatures shattered records in Australia and the Philippines, increasing health risks and straining already vulnerable infrastructure.
Storms, floods, and vanishing ice
The report recounts an unprecedented cyclone season in the Philippines: 12 storms in just three months, affecting over 13 million people and displacing 1.4 million. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s last tropical glacier in New Guinea may vanish by 2026. Satellite estimates show a 30-50% ice loss since 2022.
Precipitation patterns swung to extremes. While Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea faced above-average rainfall and floods, parts of Australia and New Zealand were parched by drought.
The ocean in crisis
The annual sea surface temperature in 2024 was the highest since records began in the early 1980s. Combined with acidification and deoxygenation, ocean warming is devastating marine life and altering storm patterns.
Worryingly, the South-West Pacific sea-level rise already exceeds the global average, threatening islands where over half the population lives within 500 meters of the coast.
Displacement and cultural loss
The Fijian island of Serua, battered by floods and eroding shores, exemplifies the dire choices communities must make.
Despite government offers to relocate, many residents resist because of their deep connection to the land, or “vanua,” a concept embedding identity, spirituality, and ancestry.
“On two separate occasions, the island experienced such extreme flooding that it was possible to cross the entire island by boat without encountering land,” the WMO report said.

Hope in anticipation: Early warnings save lives
Not all is bleak. A case study from the Philippines showcased how early warning systems and anticipatory action helped mitigate the toll of the 2024 cyclone season. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s anticipatory action teams helped relocate fishing boats and distribute cash aid ahead of the storms.
“While the frequency of tropical cyclones may decrease, their intensity will rise. Building resilience is essential,” the report warns.
A Global Response: UNOC3 Signals Change, But Action Must Follow
As the WMO’s warnings echoed, the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) concluded in Nice, France (June 9-13, 2025), providing a parallel platform of hope and accountability.
- The High Seas Treaty reached 49 ratifications, nearing the 60 needed for enforcement.
- Nearly $10 billion in funding was pledged for ocean health, though experts note that the real need is $175 billion annually.
- Countries endorsed the 30×30 conservation goal and backed measures against deep-sea mining and plastic pollution.
“We must move from plunder to protection,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his closing address.
These developments reinforce the urgency of the WMO findings. Real-world impacts in the South-West Pacific — from disappearing glaciers to cultural erosion in Fiji — illustrate what is at stake.
The South-West Pacific is not a distant front line. It is the epicenter of an unfolding climate reality. With international mechanisms like the High Seas Treaty nearing activation and early warning systems proving effective, the question is no longer whether we can respond — but whether we will act in time.
As the seas rise and the clock ticks, it’s not just islands at risk. It’s the future of global climate stability.
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