Lightbulb-Inspired Reactor Tackles Three Major Decarbonisation Challenges

Researchers from NUS have developed a lightbulb-inspired reactor that uses electricity to drive chemical reactions efficiently, with potential applications in hydrogen production, plastic recycling and methane conversion.

Most traditional lightbulbs are considered inefficient because they produce more heat than light. Researchers at NUS have turned that idea on its head by developing a chemical reactor that harnesses the same heat-generating principle to power industrial chemical reactions.

The reactor uses a thin metal filament, similar to the wire found inside an incandescent lightbulb. When electricity passes through the filament, it heats up to extremely high temperatures, providing the energy needed to drive chemical reactions quickly and efficiently.

Led by Professor Yan Ning, Director of the NUS Centre for Hydrogen and Carbon Innovations (CHCI) and faculty member in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering under College of Design and Engineering at NUS, the research team demonstrated the reactor in three applications: producing hydrogen from ammonia, recycling plastic waste, and converting methane into useful chemicals.

Inspired by a household lightbulb
Many industrial chemical processes require very high temperatures to operate. These temperatures are typically generated by burning fuels, which consumes large amounts of energy and produces carbon emissions.

The NUS team's reactor offers a different approach. Instead of heating an entire reactor, it concentrates heat in a thin metal filament. This allows temperatures of more than 1,200°C to be reached rapidly while keeping the surrounding area much cooler.

Because only a small part of the reactor needs to be heated, the system can perform chemical reactions efficiently while remaining compact. It can also run on electricity, making it compatible with renewable energy sources.

Producing hydrogen from ammonia
The researchers first applied the reactor to ammonia decomposition, a process that breaks ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen.

Ammonia is increasingly being explored as a way to transport hydrogen because it is easier to store and ship. However, converting ammonia back into hydrogen efficiently remains a challenge.

Using the lightbulb-inspired reactor, the team achieved near-complete conversion of ammonia into hydrogen. The reactor is also significantly smaller than conventional systems designed to process the same amount of ammonia.

The researchers are now working with an industry partner to explore how the technology could be used in future ammonia-based energy systems.

The results of this study were published in Nature Chemical Engineering in October 2025.

Recycling plastic waste
The team also used the reactor to recycle common plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, which are widely used in packaging and consumer products.

Many existing recycling methods produce a mixture of different chemicals, making it difficult to recover materials for reuse. The NUS reactor was able to break these plastics down into simpler chemical building blocks that can be used to make new plastics.

This approach could help support a more circular plastics economy and reduce the amount of plastic waste sent to landfills or incinerators.

This work was reported in Nature Communications in November 2025.

Converting methane into valuable chemicals
In a third study, the researchers applied the reactor to methane, the main component of natural gas.

Methane is an abundant resource but converting it into useful products efficiently remains difficult. Using different temperature zones within the reactor, the team was able to convert methane into valuable chemicals used in manufacturing, while also producing hydrogen.

The design helps improve both the efficiency of the process and the quality of the products produced.

The team published their findings in Nature Sustainability in April 2026.

A platform for future technologies
While the three studies focused on different challenges, they demonstrate the versatility of a single reactor platform.

The researchers are now exploring additional applications and ways to scale up the technology for industrial use.

“Our goal is to develop practical technologies that can support the transition to a low-carbon future,” said Prof Yan. “These studies show how a simple idea inspired by a familiar household object can be adapted to address different challenges in the chemical industry.”