Sustainability

Rice turns asphaltene into graphene for composites

The flash Joule heating process developed at Rice turns asphaltenes, a byproduct of crude oil production, into graphene for use in composite materials.

Rice U. technology startup Syzygy Plasmonics raises $76 million in latest funding round

Syzygy Plasmonics, a Houston-based startup fueled by technology developed at Rice University, has announced $76 million in Series C financing led by Carbon Direct Capital — one of the largest rounds of funding for a venture spun out of a Rice lab.

ACS taps Rice, Shell for Partners in Progress & Prosperity Award

Collaborators at Rice and Shell receive the American Chemical Society Southwest Regional Partners in Progress & Prosperity Award.

Rice lab advances water-splitting catalysts

Rice University engineers have developed a stable water-splitting catalyst for clean hydrogen generation that could potentially replace expensive iridium catalysts.

Halas, Nordlander honored in Rome

Italian President Sergio Mattarella presented Rice’s Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander the 2022 Eni Energy Transition Award in an Oct. 3 ceremony in Rome's Quirinal Palace.

Reconstructing ice age diets reveals unraveling web of life

Rice-led research published in Science offers a clear picture of the consequences of land mammal declines on food webs.

Halas, Nordlander win prestigious Eni Energy Transition Award

Rice’s Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander have won the prestigious 2022 Eni Energy Transition Award.

Treated plastic waste good at grabbing carbon dioxide

Rice University chemists treat waste plastic to absorb carbon dioxide from flue gas streams more efficiently than current processes.

Wind, solar could replace coal power in Texas

A fraction of the wind and solar projects already proposed in Texas could eliminate the state’s remaining coal power plants and their emissions, according to Rice University engineers.

Saudi Aramco joins Rice University’s Carbon Hub

Saudi Aramco joins Rice’s Carbon Hub research initiative to accelerate the energy transition by developing sustainable uses of hydrocarbons.

Humanities hosts daylong visit for high schoolers hoping to study the environment

These students picked Rice for a reason

Rice recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University

The League of American Bicyclists has named Rice a Bicycle Friendly University with Silver status, up from Bronze four years ago.

Gas flares tied to premature deaths

Rice engineers suggest that flaring of natural gas at oil and gas fields in the United States, primarily in North Dakota and Texas, contributed to dozens of premature deaths in 2019.

Rice earns Tree Campus USA recognition for 10th straight year

Rice earns Tree Campus USA recognition for 10th straight year

Environmental champions win Rice grants

The Rice University Sustainable Futures Fund backs six projects to help bolster the planet’s environmental health.