(Press-News.org) A team from the the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) has developed an innovative robotic platform, powered by artificial intelligence, that promises to revolutionize the design of sustainable chemical processes. The system, named Reac-Discovery, makes it possible to optimize in just a few days what previously could take months or even years of work in a traditional laboratory, thanks to its high level of integration and automation.
Chemistry and sustainability are advancing hand in hand. Reducing environmental impact while maintaining industrial productivity is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Clear examples include the use of carbon dioxide —one of the main greenhouse gases responsible for climate change— as a raw material to produce polymers, pharmaceuticals, or high-value materials. Turning a pollutant into a useful resource would help cut emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
In this context, the Institute of Advanced Materials at the UJI has created Reac-Discovery, a semi-automated digital platform that integrates the design, 3D printing fabrication, and rapid evaluation of catalytic reactors. Thanks to machine learning algorithms and its self-optimization capabilities, the system can analyze and adjust multiple reaction parameters in real time, drastically reducing resource use while generating high-value scientific and industrial data.
What once took months or years to achieve with traditional lab methods can now be done in just weeks. This is because, in conventional methods, experiments are designed, executed, and analyzed manually by humans, a time-consuming process that requires numerous repetitions, manual data recording, and individual interpretation of results.
The platform operates through three interconnected modules:
Reac-Gen, which digitally designs the reactor structures.
Reac-Fab, which manufactures them in high resolution using 3D printing.
Reac-Eval, an autonomous lab that simultaneously evaluates the performance and productivity of the reactors produced in Reac-Fab and adjusts the reaction conditions using artificial intelligence. This enables a significant increase in productivity.
The 3D-printed structures feature special geometries —open cells with interconnected pores— that far outperform traditional reactors. This makes them highly promising tools for industry 5.0 chemistry, which merges digitalization with sustainability.
The latest results of this development have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, in an article titled “Reac-Discovery: an artificial intelligence–driven platform for continuous-flow catalytic reactor discovery and optimization”. Among the case studies presented are the hydrogenation of acetophenone, a key reaction in the production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, and the transformation of CO₂ into cyclic carbonates for use as electrolytes or precursors of polymers such as polycarbonates.
With this breakthrough, the UJI positions itself at the international forefront of sustainable chemistry research, demonstrating how the combination of artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing can accelerate the transition toward more efficient and environmentally friendly processes.
END
A research team at the Universitat Jaume I creates a robotic platform with artificial intelligence to accelerate the transition to a sustainable industry
Reac-Discovery is organised into three interconnected modules that use artificial intelligence models to optimise the system and refine the reactor geometry
2025-10-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Binghamton University researchers use nanotubes to improve blood flow in bioengineered tissues
2025-10-16
When biomedical researchers need to test their latest ideas, they often turn to engineered human tissue that mimics the responses in our own bodies. It’s become an important intermediary step before human clinical trials.
One limiting factor: The cells need blood circulation to survive, and achieving that can be difficult in three-dimensional cell structures. Without proper vascular systems — even primitive ones — engineered tissue faces restricted size and functionality, even developing necrotic regions of dead cells.
New research from Binghamton University’s Thomas ...
Elizabeth Haines, DO, MSc, FACEP, appointed Chief Operating Officer of Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and Senior Vice President of Pediatric Services, Mount Sinai Health System
2025-10-16
New York, NY (October 16, 2025) — The Mount Sinai Health System welcomes Elizabeth Haines, DO, MSc, FACEP, as Chief Operating Officer of Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and Senior Vice President of Pediatric Services for the Mount Sinai Health System.
Dr. Haines joins Mount Sinai with a distinguished career dedicated to advancing patient safety, quality, and operational excellence in pediatric health care. In her new role, she is providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to strengthen Mount Sinai’s mission of delivering world-class patient and family-centered care. She is responsible for guiding children’s health ...
Just knowing help is there makes all the difference
2025-10-16
People who feel supported by family, friends and colleagues tend to have better mental health, perform more effectively at work and experience positive outcomes in other areas such as physical health, education and risk-taking behaviors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
“This study underscores the importance of considering the associations between multiple types and sources of perceived social support and multiple domains of human thriving,” said lead author GeckHong Yeo, PhD, of the National University of Singapore. “Our findings also suggest that adolescents, in particular, ...
Gut microbiome affects alcohol preference by influencing brain’s reward system
2025-10-16
Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences have found a surprising connection between a fungus associated with alcohol use disorder and the brain’s dopamine reward pathway. Published October 16 in the journal mBio, the study describes, in mice, how an overgrowth of Candida albicans—a fungus that naturally resides in the human gut—increases levels of inflammatory molecules called PGE2 that can cross the blood-brain barrier and ...
Manchurian walnut tree holds key to eco-friendly weed control
2025-10-16
Fukuoka, Japan—In the search for eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic herbicides, researchers from Kyushu University, Japan, have identified a potent, weed-inhibiting compound in the leaves of the Manchurian walnut tree (Juglans mandshurica Maxim.). The discovery of the compound, 2Z-decaprenol, and its unique mode of action on plants could lead to the development of more sustainable herbicides. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Juntendo University in Japan and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and was published ...
After cancer: study explores caring-healing modalities for survivors
2025-10-16
As cancer survivorship rises, many people living with or beyond cancer face lasting physical and emotional challenges – particularly anxiety and depression, which affect about 30% of this population. Emotional distress is often unspoken, leading to fear, despair, and diminished quality of life.
Growing research highlights resilience – the ability to recover from adversity – is a key factor in helping individuals manage distress and improve well-being. This underscores the urgent need for health care providers to adopt a whole-person approach that supports not just the body, but also the emotional and psychological needs of people with cancer.
As Breast Cancer Awareness ...
The paper industry can become more energy-efficient with a new measurement method
2025-10-16
The pulp and paper industry consumes large amounts of energy. But despite stricter EU requirements for efficiency improvements, there has been no way to measure and compare energy consumption between different companies in a fair way. In collaboration with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, now present a solution that has great potential to be used throughout the EU.
“Even if this would contribute to increasing efficiency by one or a few per cent only, this involves so much energy that it can make a huge difference,” says Kristina Nyström, PhD student at the Department ...
SEOULTECH researchers develop VFF-Net, a revolutionary alternative to backpropagation that transforms AI training
2025-10-16
Deep neural networks (DNNs), which power modern artificial intelligence (AI) models, are machine learning systems that learn hidden patterns from various types of data, be it images, audio or text, to make predictions or classifications. DNNs have transformed many fields with their remarkable prediction accuracy. Training DNNs typically relies on back-propagation (BP). While it has become indispensable for the success of DNNs, BP has several limitations, such as slow convergence, overfitting, high computational requirements, ...
Pusan National University study finds pollution shifts rainfall from land to sea in Southeast Asia
2025-10-16
Tiny airborne particles known as aerosols, from biomass burning, urban pollution, and industrial emissions, can dramatically alter rainfall, cloud formation, and atmospheric stability. A new study led by Professor Kyong-Hwan Seo of Pusan National University, Korea, shows that aerosols profoundly reshape precipitation over the Maritime Continent, a region including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and surrounding seas, where millions rely on predictable rainfall for water, food, and flood protection.
Published online in npj Climate and Atmospheric ...
Korea University researchers advance orthodontics with AI-assisted growth prediction
2025-10-16
Orthodontic treatment is most effective when timed to coincide with a child’s growth peak. Traditionally, clinicians estimate growth by examining X-ray images of the cervical vertebrae—the neck bones visible in routine dental radiographs. However, this process requires careful manual annotation of specific points on the bones, a task that is both time-consuming and prone to variation between observers.
In a new article, researchers from Korea University Anam Hospital, KAIST, and the University of Ulsan introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to overcome these challenges. The paper was made available online on 29 July 2025 and published ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Yale study challenges notion that aging means decline, finds many older adults improve over time
Korean researchers enable early detection of brain disorders with a single drop of saliva!
Swipe right, but safer
Duke-NUS scientists identify more effective way to detect poultry viruses in live markets
Low-intensity treadmill exercise preconditioning mitigates post-stroke injury in mouse models
How moss helped solve a grave-robbing mystery
How much sleep do teens get? Six-seven hours.
Patients regain weight rapidly after stopping weight loss drugs – but still keep off a quarter of weight lost
GLP-1 diabetes drugs linked to reduced risk of addiction and substance-related death
Councils face industry legal threats for campaigns warning against wood burning stoves
GLP-1 medications get at the heart of addiction: study
Global trauma study highlights shared learning as interest in whole blood resurges
Almost a third of Gen Z men agree a wife should obey her husband
Trapping light on thermal photodetectors shatters speed records
New review highlights the future of tubular solid oxide fuel cells for clean energy systems
Pig farm ammonia pollution may indirectly accelerate climate warming, new study finds
Modified biochar helps compost retain nitrogen and build richer soil organic matter
First gene regulation clinical trials for epilepsy show promising results
Life-changing drug identified for children with rare epilepsy
Husker researchers collaborate to explore fear of spiders
Mayo Clinic researchers discover hidden brain map that may improve epilepsy care
NYCST announces Round 2 Awards for space technology projects
How the Dobbs decision and abortion restrictions changed where medical students apply to residency programs
Microwave frying can help lower oil content for healthier French fries
In MS, wearable sensors may help identify people at risk of worsening disability
Study: Football associated with nearly one in five brain injuries in youth sports
Machine-learning immune-system analysis study may hold clues to personalized medicine
A promising potential therapeutic strategy for Rett syndrome
How time changes impact public sentiment in the U.S.
Analysis of charred food in pot reveals that prehistoric Europeans had surprisingly complex cuisines
[Press-News.org] A research team at the Universitat Jaume I creates a robotic platform with artificial intelligence to accelerate the transition to a sustainable industryReac-Discovery is organised into three interconnected modules that use artificial intelligence models to optimise the system and refine the reactor geometry