Chemical engineers are investigating many ways to reduce emissions. Understanding where each approach can help means looking closely at the technology, its costs, and the systems it needs to operate.
At the 2026 AIChE Annual Meeting, November 8–12 in Minneapolis, climate-related programming offers attendees opportunities to examine those questions and consider how the research connects to their own projects.
Where technology meets implementation
The program covers carbon capture, storage, and utilization; direct air capture; low-carbon hydrogen; methane mitigation; energy storage; and other approaches to reducing emissions.
Alongside the technical research, sessions address the design, economic, and policy considerations that influence how solutions are developed and deployed. A few starting points include:
- Decarbonization by Biomass: Technology, Policy, and Sustainability
- Design for a Sustainable Circular Economy for Remedying Climate Change
- Environmentally Friendly Product and Process Development for Sustainability
These sessions offer different perspectives on a shared challenge: developing processes and products that meet society’s needs while reducing environmental impact.
Look beyond your specialty
Climate challenges cut across chemical engineering disciplines. Research in catalysis, separations, process development, and sustainable engineering can offer different perspectives on the same problem.
For graduate students, attending a session outside their immediate research area could help put a project in context or spark a new research question. For engineers in industry, it’s a chance to examine approaches that could inform future process and design decisions.
Find the sessions that fit your interests
There’s even more climate-related activity throughout the Annual Meeting, including information on how you can offset your carbon footprint. Browse the 2026 AIChE Annual Meeting Technical Program to find additional sessions and presentations that match your interests, and use the AIChE App to add them to your schedule.
You can also read AIChE’s Climate Change Policy Statement to learn more about the Institute’s stance and how chemical engineers can help address climate change.
