The College of Chemistry is pleased to announce that Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Neil Razdan was recently awarded a $1M grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation's Research Program.
The Razdan group at UC Berkeley has been working on research that uses molten salts, specifically alkali carbonates, as a powerful new platform for energy conversion. While these salts are solid at room temperature, they transform into a molten liquid phase at the extreme temperatures necessary to break down stable, underutilized molecules like carbon dioxide and methane. In this state, the salts act as a unique host for chemical species that are exceptionally potent at snapping the strong chemical bonds within greenhouse gases. This research aims to unlock "holy grail" chemical reactions that have long eluded scientists, effectively creating a new environment for high-temperature chemistry that cannot be accessed using conventional gases or liquids like water, which would simply evaporate under such heat.
Receiving the W.M. Keck Foundation award is a significant milestone because the foundation specifically targets "paradigm-shifting research projects that enable new directions in science but lack sufficient preliminary evidence to receive federal grant support." This award provides the critical seed money needed to conduct exploratory experiments and build a foundation of evidence. By proving these concepts now, the group can eventually secure larger-scale support from federal agencies and private industry to bring these technologies to the masses.
The long-term impact of this work on everyday life is centered on sustainability and waste management. Because molten salts stay liquid at high temperatures and naturally trap impurities like sulfur or chlorine, they are perfect for chemically-recycling mixed plastic waste that is usually impossible to process. This method could break down discarded plastics into their original building blocks to be used again, all while converting carbon emissions into valuable fuels and chemicals. Essentially, this research offers a path to turn environmental pollutants and plastic trash into the very products and energy sources that power modern society.
For more information read the W.M Keck Foundation 2025 Abstracts.
*Note to reader: We have covered chemical recycling before, why recycling plastic is so difficult, and how the College is working to improve recycling in other ways as well.