KAUST

This award recognises KAUST for closing the gap between carbon capture and industrial production. In September 2025, KAUST researchers published a breakthrough in Nature Catalysis demonstrating a high-pressure electrochemical process that converts captured CO₂ directly into ethylene of 99.9% purity — without the energy losses of conventional depressurisation cycles. The reactor achieves up to 85% Faradaic efficiency and 750 mA cm⁻² partial current density at 20 bar, with stable performance for over 1,500 hours. Ethylene production cost reaches approximately US$1,240 per tonne — within range of market-competitive thresholds — removing a primary structural disincentive to building carbon capture infrastructure at scale.

For delivering peer-reviewed, commercially viable carbon utilisation at industrial parameters, KAUST receives this recognition. The commercial relevance of the KAUST breakthrough derives from its operating parameters: running at 20 bar eliminates the energy penalty of depressurisation that undermines conventional CO₂ electrochemistry, while 1,500 hours of stable operation at high current density demonstrates the durability required for industrial deployment. At approximately US$1,240 per tonne of ethylene — approaching market-competitive thresholds — the process provides a financially viable destination for captured CO₂ that could structurally improve the economics of building carbon capture infrastructure at scale. For delivering that at industrial parameters, KAUST receives this recognition.