Research grant to create sustainable production of fuels working towards zero-emissions

Project uses electrocatalysis to create essential chemicals and fuels without burning fossil fuels

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/21/2026) - Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have been awarded a grant from the Toyota Research Institute to transform how we create essential chemicals and fuels. 

The three-year project, running through March 2029, aims to harness renewable electricity to power chemical reactions that currently require extreme heat and pressure, potentially revolutionizing the path to a zero-emissions future.

Most industrial chemical processes today rely on burning fossil fuels to reach the high temperatures — often thousands of degrees — needed to break down stable molecules. The team is using electrocatalysis, a process that uses small voltages and electrical currents to drive these same transformations at much milder conditions.

"Electrocatalysis gives us a powerful handle to drive reactions that would otherwise be incredibly energy intensive," said Kelsey Stoerzinger, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and principal investigator on the project. "Our goal is to take a common feedstock like water and, instead of just venting the oxygen produced as a byproduct, use that energy to create high-value chemicals."

The project focuses on the oxidation of dinitrogen. If successful, this would allow for the sustainable production of nitric acid and other nitrogen-based compounds, which are vital for fertilizers and industrial materials. Beyond that, this could help with advanced battery development and more sustainable fuels for renewable power.

The biggest hurdle in this research is water itself. In many electrical reactions involving water, the water is "too easy" to break down, which creates oxygen and crowds out the more difficult reactions the researchers want to achieve.To solve this, the research team will manipulate how water behaves at the molecular level, where they hope to "suppress" the water reaction, clearing the way for the oxidation of nitrogen or even the conversion of methane into methanol.

In addition to Stoerzinger, Matthew Neurock, professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, will serve as co-principal investigator on the project.

Read more about the University Research Program on the Toyota Research Institute’s website.