Baker Hughes Partners with UC Berkeley to Launch Decarbonization Materials Institute

Baker Hughes, a leader in energy technology, has partnered with the University of California, Berkeley, to establish the Baker Hughes Institute for Decarbonization Materials at UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. This long-term collaboration aims to bridge cutting-edge academic research with practical innovations to advance scalable and cost-effective climate technologies, supporting sustainable energy initiatives.

Under the agreement, Baker Hughes will sponsor research to create advanced materials for energy and industrial uses, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), hydrogen solutions, and clean power generation. The company will play an active role from the initial research stages, ensuring projects align with evolving market demands and customer needs, with the potential to integrate findings into its portfolio of climate technologies.

“Innovation and collaboration are vital for building the diverse range of technologies needed to meet current and future energy demands. Partnering with UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry is a significant step in our journey toward sustainable energy development,” said Chris Pin Harry, Vice President of Technology, Industrial & Energy Technology (IET) at Baker Hughes.

The institute will be directed by Jeffrey Long, a distinguished UC Berkeley chemistry professor known for pioneering metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) used in capturing carbon dioxide and other industrial emissions. Funding from Baker Hughes will support research teams at Berkeley specializing in materials development, computational chemistry, process engineering, advanced characterization, and techno-economic analysis. Both Chris Pin Harry and Daniela Abate, Vice President of CCUS, Climate Technology Solutions at Baker Hughes, will serve on the institute’s joint steering committee.

Initial research efforts will focus on designing advanced materials, such as new chemical structures like MOFs, as well as creating systems for gas separation and chemical conversion. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will also be utilized to accelerate the development of innovative materials and technologies.

“Our goal is to develop materials that efficiently capture gases while minimizing energy consumption,” said Professor Long, the institute’s executive director. “As chemists, we can tailor materials at the atomic level, but scaling and industrializing these technologies requires partners like Baker Hughes. Reducing emissions is urgent, and together, we can create commercially viable solutions that make a real impact.”

This partnership builds on Baker Hughes’ broader climate technology initiatives, including its work in CCUS with Mosaic Materials, a company specializing in direct air capture technology that was acquired by Baker Hughes in 2022. Mosaic Materials originated from Professor Long’s lab, and pilot projects are currently underway to accelerate commercial deployment.

The institute highlights Baker Hughes’ dedication to investing in innovative technologies that aim to significantly reduce emissions across various industries.