Challenge and Opportunity in Carbon

We must replace fossil fuels and eliminate carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions to mitigate global warming, and we must actively remove CO₂ from our atmosphere. There has been little incentive to do this because CO₂ is, by itself and at global emissions scales, presumed to be useless. We need to create economic motivations to:

• Pull CO₂ from the air and transform it into a useful product with profitable and scalable markets.
• Steward our use of high energy density fuels, such as natural gas (methane, CH₄), in new ways so that their energy content is accessible, but CO₂ emissions are still eliminated.

These problems are conceptually linked and motivate the crux of ROSEI’s primary work with carbon: We need to extract carbon from these simple carbon-containing molecules and transform (upcycle) the carbon into high value materials.

Featured Stories in Carbon

Waste-to-Use Chemistries for Carbon Negative Building Materials

Ever since Hadas Elazar-Mittelman was a child, she had an interest in chemistry and materials science. She was often found Read more

Johns Hopkins Targets Zero Emissions in New Climate Action and Sustainability Plan

Johns Hopkins University has unveiled its comprehensive plan to strengthen environmental protections over the next decade by implementing sustainable practices Read more

Electrifying Solution to Climate Change

A team led by a Johns Hopkins doctoral candidate has developed a new technique using electricity to drive a chemical Read more

Toward Carbon-Neutral, Farmer-Friendly Fertilizer Production

A team of Johns Hopkins researchers affiliated with the Whiting School of Engineering’s Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) is Read more

Startup Co-Led by ROSEI Researcher Raises $3M to Scale Carbon-Removal Tech

A startup co-led by Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) core faculty Chao Wang received $3 million in seed funding Read more

Engineers Aim to Convert Destructive CO2 to More Useful Form of Carbon

This story was written by Wick Eisenberg, and originally appeared in the Hub. Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil Read more

Leadership in Carbon

Participating Faculty in Carbon

Technical Papers from Carbon Scholars

• Jonah Erlebacher
• Chao Wang
• Susanna Thon
• Brandon Bukowski
• Regina García-Méndez
• Howard Katz
• Magdalena Klemun
• Yayuan Liu
• Grace Panetti
• Shilva Shrestha
• Sara Thoi
• Michael Tsapatsis

Partners in Carbon

• Materials Characterization & Processing Core Facility
• Department of Materials Science & Engineering
• Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

ETCH: Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition

ETCH is a commercial company created by ROSEI core faculty member Jonah Erlebacher, a professor of materials science, and focuses on natural gas decomposition. Erlebacher created a chemical process that breaks down natural gas into its fundamental elements of carbon and hydrogen, both of which have uses after they have been separated, and without creating any carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.

ETCH, INC.

The process allows the team to create many different valuable types of carbon, currently produced overseas, and several of which have critical everyday uses, such as in tires and lithium-ion batteries. Also, by extracting hydrogen at the point of use, it avoids costly and inefficient hydrogen transport and enables cleaner energy across various sectors.

“I am quite optimistic about this technology, it solves so many problems that the world faces,” Erlebacher said. “Our process allows us to reduce emissions strongly while continuing to use existing infrastructure. We can be more responsible stewards of our natural resources without making giant sacrifices, just by being smarter about using what we have.”

Erlebacher says that ETCH has received a lot of interest from potential partners in using its technology, and that being involved with ROSEI has been helpful in progressing the company.

“ROSEI is a fantastic space to foster collaborations, and it helps Etch tremendously to be able to say that we are supported by the ever-growing energy ecosystem at Johns Hopkins University,” Erlebacher said.

Recent News in Carbon

ROSEI Releases 2025 Annual Report Showcasing Energy Innovation and Impact

The Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University has released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting a year of Read more

Three ROSEI Core Faculty Members Speak at New York City Climate Week

Three core faculty members from the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute brought expertise from Johns Hopkins University to the global Read more

Waste-to-Use Chemistries for Carbon Negative Building Materials

Ever since Hadas Elazar-Mittelman was a child, she had an interest in chemistry and materials science. She was often found Read more

The Fast Track to Better Batteries

A team of Hopkins researchers has created an automated platform that could speed up the search for better materials for Read more

Hopkins Engineers Unveil Sustainable Solution for Waste-to-Chemical Conversion

A team led by Hopkins engineers has developed a method to convert organic waste into medium-chain carboxylic acids (MCCAs)—crucial ingredients Read more

Corey Oses Earns ISMM Early-Career Investigator Award

Corey Oses, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering and associate researcher at the Ralph O’Connor Read more