China’s ultra-hot heat pump breakthrough paves way for melting ore with sunlight
Capturing and upgrading even a fraction of dissipated energy could transform the country’s industrial efficiency and slash carbon emissions
For over a century, the dream of efficiently concentrating low-grade heat into high-temperature industrial energy has been constrained by a stubborn ceiling: 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit).
Now, a team from China has shattered that temperature limit. Using a revolutionary heat pump with no moving parts, they achieved an output of 270 degrees with a 145-degree heat source to drive the cycle.
This could lead to solar farms directly producing the intense heat needed to smelt iron ore or refine aluminium, and chemical factories recycling their own waste warmth for splitting or combining molecules.
