Industrial chemical separation is one of the least visible yet most energy intensive processes underpinning modern manufacturing. Estimates suggest that separating gases and liquids accounts for roughly 10 to 15 percent of global energy consumption, largely because conventional methods rely on heat driven distillation. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, research led by Professor Zachary Smith has contributed to a membrane platform that aims to reduce that thermal burden by replacing heat with selective molecular filtration.
Palme, P. R., Grover, S., Abdelaziz, R., Mann, L., Kany, A. M., Ouologuem, L., Bartel, K., Sonnenkalb, L., Reiling, N., Hirsch, A. K. H., Schnappinger, D., Rubinstein, J. L., Imming, P., & Richter, A. (2025). Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Mono- and Diamino-Substituted Squaramide Derivatives as Potent Inhibitors of Mycobacterial Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Synthase. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c02284
The technology is being commercialized by Osmoses, a spinout founded by Francesco Maria Benedetti, Katherine Mizrahi Rodriguez, Holden Lai, and Smith. The company’s approach centers on a class of hydrocarbon ladder polymers whose three dimensional backbones can be tuned to control pore size and molecular transport. These membranes are designed to separate gases with high selectivity while maintaining industrially relevant flow rates, a balance that has historically limited membrane adoption in large scale chemical processing.
Professor Zachary Smith from Massachusetts Institute of Technology stated,
“Chemical separations really matter, and they are a bottleneck to innovation and progress in an industry where innovation is challenging, yet an existential need. We want to make it easier for our customers to reach their revenue targets, their decarbonization goals, and expand their markets to move the industry forward.”
Gas separation presents particular challenges because gas molecules are small and diffuse rapidly. Traditional distillation relies on differences in boiling points, which means heating large volumes of material to isolate specific components. Membrane systems, by contrast, use pressure gradients and size or solubility differences to drive separation without phase changes. Research published in journals including Science and Nature has documented record selectivity in certain gas pairs using these polymer structures, demonstrating that membranes can compete with established thermal systems under specific conditions.
In laboratory development, Benedetti and Mizrahi Rodriguez worked to integrate polymer chemistry advances with process engineering requirements. Collaborations extended beyond MIT, including work with chemists at Stanford University. Over several years, iterative material design improved permeability and selectivity to levels suitable for industrial translation. Patents were filed through MIT and Stanford, and the team entered the National Science Foundation I Corps program to assess market viability by interviewing industry stakeholders.
According to Osmoses, more than 90 percent of energy used in the chemicals sector is tied to thermally driven separations. Studies have suggested that replacing portions of distillation infrastructure with membrane systems could yield substantial reductions in energy use and associated emissions. The appeal is not only operational efficiency but also equipment footprint. Membrane modules can be compact compared with distillation columns, which may simplify retrofitting in existing facilities.
The company is currently advancing pilot projects in several sectors. One near term focus is biogas upgrading, where methane must be separated from carbon dioxide to produce pipeline quality renewable gas. Landfill and agricultural waste streams represent a significant share of this market. Osmoses is working with utility partners in Canada to validate membrane performance under real world conditions. Additional pilots target hydrogen recovery from chemical plants and helium extraction from underground hydrogen wells in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Helium recovery illustrates the broader implications of high selectivity gas membranes. Helium is present in low concentrations in many gas streams yet remains essential for applications such as magnetic resonance imaging and semiconductor manufacturing. Efficient recovery from dilute sources has both economic and strategic significance. Similarly, hydrogen separation is central to refining, ammonia production, and emerging clean energy systems.
Scaling production from laboratory grams of polymer to industrial quantities remains a key engineering challenge. Osmoses reports ongoing efforts to increase manufacturing capacity while reducing material costs. The objective over the next several years is to validate long term membrane durability, fouling resistance, and performance stability in pilot installations before broader commercial deployment.
Membrane based separations are not new, but their expansion into high volume chemical processing has been constrained by material limitations and process integration hurdles. Advances in polymer architecture, combined with closer alignment between chemists and chemical engineers, have narrowed that gap. If performance targets are met at scale, membrane systems could gradually displace portions of heat intensive infrastructure.
The broader significance of this work lies in its potential to address a systemic inefficiency in industrial chemistry. Chemical production will continue to require energy, but reducing reliance on phase change driven separations offers one pathway to lower emissions without altering product demand. Whether membranes become a primary separation platform or a complementary technology will depend on economic validation and long term reliability. For now, the progress from laboratory research to funded pilots marks a tangible step toward rethinking how industrial gases are purified and recovered.
Adrian graduated with a Masters Degree (1st Class Honours) in Chemical Engineering from Chester University along with Harris. His master’s research aimed to develop a standardadised clean water oxygenation transfer procedure to test bubble diffusers that are currently used in the wastewater industry commercial market. He has also undergone placments in both US and China primarely focused within the R&D department and is an associate member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
