Found Energy, a Boston-based startup, is making waves with the largest aluminium–water reactor ever built, aiming to turn scrap aluminium into a zero-carbon industrial fuel. The experiment, led by Peter Godart (CEO of Found Energy), marks the biggest real-world test of aluminium as a fuel source.
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Harnessing aluminium’s hidden power
In the company’s Boston lab, Godart demonstrated the process by dropping a piece of aluminium into water. “I can just keep this reaction going by adding more water,” he said. “This is room-temperature water, and it’s immediately boiling.” The reaction reportedly produces steam and hydrogen, both crucial for clean energy generation.
The startup’s new 100-kilowatt aluminium reactor will soon be installed at a tool manufacturing facility in the southeastern US. It will run entirely on the plant’s aluminium scrap, producing heat and hydrogen for industrial use; if it is successful, Found Energy can initiate a new circular model in its conversion of waste into fuel, greatly reducing industrial emissions.
Catalytic innovation driving efficiency
At the heart of the system lies a liquid-metal catalyst that, as Godart explains, “permeates the microstructure” of the aluminium, forcing it to react continuously without forming a surface oxide layer. The proprietary material, he says, is a “low-melting-point liquid metal that’s not mercury.”
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This approach solves a decades-old issue that halted previous aluminium-fuel experiments. As metallurgist Geoff Scamans of Brunel University notes, “People have tried it and abandoned this idea many, many times.” He remains sceptical, calling it “a crazy idea.” Yet Godart insists that this rethinking of catalysis has “redefined what even is an engine.”
From space science to industrial impact
Godart’s idea first took shape at NASA, where he worked on self-fuelling aluminium robots designed for Europa. After leaving the agency, he turned the concept toward Earth’s energy challenges.
Found Energy now aims to create a closed-loop cycle, “recharging” aluminium hydroxide back into usable metal with clean electricity. If scaled, it could provide zero-carbon heat for industries around the world, which could revolutionise metal refining and recycling.
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