Sustainable materials expert Lusardi receives "Sustainability of Our Planet" funding

Written by
Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research
June 28, 2024

Marcella Lusardi, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and the Princeton Materials Institute, has received funding to improve carbon capture technologies for humid environments. 

Materials that capture carbon dioxide from the air could play an important role in meeting climate change goals. One promising class of adsorbent materials for carbon capture is zeolites, which afford tunability in critical properties like confinement and composition, and have demonstrated success in many commercialized technologies at scale. This project will investigate methods of tailoring the structure and polarity of zeolites to improve their ability to capture carbon in humid environments.

The Sustainability of Our Planet fund focuses on discovering, developing, and adopting sustainable solutions aimed at mitigating the effects of natural resource extraction and use, climate change, land-use change, and other human activities that degrade the environment and pollute Earth. Made possible thanks to the extraordinary vision and generosity of John McDonnell, Class of 1960, the fund is co-organized by the Office of the Dean for Research, the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and the High Meadows Environmental Institute Innovation. 

Projects involving accelerated discovery of ion-selective electrodes for industrial wastewater refining and straw building material also received Sustainability of Our Planet funding.