· 3 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: Nobel Prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi claims to have found viable solutions to both the global water scarcity and carbon crises through metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) — a class of porous crystalline materials he pioneered
• Alongside co-laureates Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson, Yaghi was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his foundational work in reticular chemistry
• His company, Atoco, is now developing MOF-based technologies capable of extracting drinking water and capturing CO₂ directly from the air
🔭 The context: MOFs, often described as “molecular Lego,” have immense internal surface areas that allow them to trap gases at high efficiency
• First synthesized in the late 1990s, MOFs are now being translated from academic novelty into real-world applications
• Water scarcity affects two-thirds of the world’s population for at least one month each year, while carbon capture technologies have faced barriers due to cost, energy intensity, and technical limitations — all challenges MOFs are designed to address
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: MOFs could offer scalable, off-grid solutions to two of the planet’s most pressing resource challenges
• Atmospheric water harvesters powered by ambient energy like sunlight could provide clean water to remote and drought-stricken areas without relying on traditional infrastructure
• Meanwhile, MOF-enabled carbon capture requires far less energy than existing technologies and can operate under humid conditions, making it suitable for diverse climates
• However, manufacturing MOFs at scale remains a key hurdle, with cost-effective production still in early stages
⏭️ What's next: Atoco will begin field-testing its off-grid atmospheric water harvesters in the coming months, with claims that a single ton of MOFs could extract up to 3,000 liters of water per day using only solar power
• Larger electrified models could deliver up to 60,000 liters daily
• On the carbon side, partnerships are being explored with industries and municipalities to deploy MOF systems powered by waste heat
• The success of these pilots could drive broader adoption and investment, especially if manufacturing scale-up challenges are overcome
💬 One quote: “We’re not just solving problems. We’re building an entirely new economy,” – Omar Yaghi, Nobel Laureate and founder of Atoco
📈 One stat: A single gram of MOF has an internal surface area equivalent to a football field — enough to trap large quantities of gas or water vapor
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