Boston, October 27, 2025 – A young company from Boston is set to make history next year. Found Energy will run the biggest real-world test of aluminum as a clean fuel that puts out no carbon. This could change how factories use energy without hurting the planet.
The test will happen early in 2026 at a factory in the southeastern U.S. Found Energy, started in 2022, plans to put in a special reactor. It will turn the plant’s own aluminum scraps into heat and hydrogen. No more waste going to landfills – instead, it becomes power for making things.
Aluminum packs a lot of energy. It holds more than twice as much as diesel in the same space, and almost eight times more than gas hydrogen. The reactor mixes aluminum pellets with water in a sealed room. A secret liquid metal helper – safe, without mercury – breaks the tough skin on the aluminum. This lets it react fast, making steam for heat, hydrogen for fuel, and a chalky leftover called aluminum hydroxide. The helper gets reused over and over.
In lab tests, the setup made 100 kilowatts of power. That’s like a small truck engine. It can heat things up to 2,400°C, hot enough for making steel or running turbines. For the big test, they aim to grow it ten times bigger, to one megawatt, to show investors it’s ready for real use.
Peter Godart, the CEO of Found Energy, is excited but knows it’s tough. “We invented the fuel, which is a blessing and a curse,” he said. “It’s a great chance, but we have to build all the parts around it. We’re changing what an engine even means.” His team has deals with big recycling firms, but they keep names secret for now.
This tech could fix a big problem. Every year, the world makes 43 million tons of aluminum scrap. But over 12 million tons just sit unused or get burned, adding to pollution, says the International Aluminium Institute. If we reuse just 4% of all aluminum out there with green power, it could meet every factory’s heat needs worldwide – in a loop where leftovers turn back into fuel.
Experts see promise, but with a catch. Jeffrey Rissman, who studies how to cut factory pollution, says it’s smart. But he warns: “If you use clean power to remake the aluminum from leftovers, it’s more like storing energy than making it new.” So, the real win comes only if that power is from sun, wind, or other green sources.
The MIT Technology Review called this pilot a key step. It could help tough spots like steel mills or recycling plants go green. No more fossil fuels for them, and less junk in dumps.
Found Energy’s move comes as the world pushes hard for clean energy. With this test, aluminum – long just for cans and cars – might become a hero in the fight against climate change. Watch for updates as 2026 nears. This could spark a new way to power our world.