Japan’s JFE Engineering to use Nobel-winning material for carbon capture

Japan’s JFE Engineering said it will build a system that uses a Nobel Prize-winning material to capture carbon dioxide from factory emissions. The material, called a metal-organic framework, or MOF, acts like a highly porous sponge. Its tiny holes trap CO₂ molecules while letting other gases pass through. The company plans to test the system at one of its own steel plants next year. If successful, it hopes to sell the technology to other heavy industries, such as cement and chemical makers. MOFs were first developed in the 1990s. In 2013, chemists Omar Yaghi and others won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating these structures. Unlike older carbon-capture methods, which require large amounts of energy to heat and release the trapped gas, MOFs can do the job at lower temperatures. That makes the process cheaper and more efficient. JFE’s move comes as Japan pushes its industries to cut greenhouse gases. The country has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Steel production is one of the hardest sectors to clean up, because it relies on coal for high-heat processes. Capturing CO₂ before it leaves the smokestack is seen as a practical first step. The company did not say how much carbon the test system will capture. But it aims to have a commercial version ready by 2030. Analysts say the technology could become a major tool in the fight against climate change—if it proves reliable at industrial scale.