Catalyst for business
After working at a software company for four years, MIT alumnus Andrew Dougherty MBA ’01 was itching to do something entrepreneurial in the energy industry. Browsing the website of MIT’s $50K (now $100K) Entrepreneurship Competition, he found an exact match for his interests: an invention by MIT postdoc Javier García-Martínez that used nanotechnology to improve the efficiency of oil refining.Refining of crude oil traditionally uses porous materials called zeolites as catalysts. When hydrocarbon compounds enter a zeolite’s micropores, they break down into transportation fuels and gas. But because of their pore size, the standard zeolites used for refining can’t diffuse the largest hydrocarbons. García-Martínez had designed zeolites with pores that were 10 times larger. This technology would allow refineries to, for example, process more barrels or run heavier (and less expensive) crude oil feeds, leading to greater yields and profits.“This was an innovative approach, so I emailed Javier, asking if...