January 2026

Greetings!

Happy New Year! We hope 2026 is off to a strong start.

As we look ahead, this year represents an important moment for accelerating progress across the HVACR landscape. Advancing next-generation technologies, workforce pathways, and real-world deployment will require more than isolated efforts. It will require a connected ecosystem that brings together research, industry expertise, operational insight, and shared resources.

EARTH is entering the year focused on deepening collaboration, cross-pollinating ideas and capabilities, and creating new pathways for partners to engage in shaping what comes next. We are excited about the momentum and the opportunities ahead to work collectively toward impactful, scalable solutions.

We look forward to sharing more as the year unfolds and continuing this work together.

During the most Irish time of year, the campus of the University of Notre Dame campus beckons! We hope you can join us for the NSF ERC EARTH Spring Summit that is scheduled for March 11 – 13, 2026, at the McKenna Hall Conference Center in the heart of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. All EARTH Consortium Members, along with associated faculty, students, and staff, are invited to attend the EARTH Spring Summit. 

Potential new members and additional stakeholders are welcome to participate in open sessions on Thursday evening and Friday.

This summit will include formal research presentations, panel and roundtable discussions, informal poster presentations, advisory board meetings, as well as many opportunities to network with industry and research peers. Laboratory and campus tours will also be available.

Specific information regarding the summit’s agendas, travel information, and registration is available on our event's webpage. We look forward to connecting with you at the University of Notre Dame!

Visit with us February 2 – 4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, site of the 2026 AHR Expo. We will have a table in the Chemours booth #C4416, and we are open to scheduling a time to connect with you in person. We look forward to seeing you there!

Casey Williams
Industry Liaison Officer
casey.williams@ku.edu

Tony von Sadovszky
Innovation Officer
tvs@ku.edu

As you look ahead to events later this year, we would like to share a few additional events where EARTH plans to participate: 

2026 Fall ACS National Meeting, August 23 – 27.

2026 AIChE Annual Meeting, November 8 – 12.

Lourdes F. Vega

Full details will be announced soon for EARTH’s February webinar featuring Lourdes F. Vega, director and founder for the Research and Innovation Center on CO₂ and Hydrogen (RICH Center), as well as professor in chemical and petroleum engineering at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 24 at 9:00 a.m. (CT) and watch your email for more information and registration.

Measurement and Modeling of the PVT Behavior and Viscosity of Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate and Mixtures with Ethylene Glycol Using PC-SAFT and Entropy Scaling 

Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data
Diego T. Melfi and Aaron M. Scurto

To potentially fill a critical data gap for polyester synthesis and upcycling, researchers measured the density and viscosity of BHET and BHET-EG mixtures at industrial processing conditions (393 – 443 K, up to 40 MPa). Using the PC-SAFT equation and Residual Entropy Scaling, they successfully modeled and predicted these properties with high accuracy.

Trifluoroacetic acid formation from HFC-134a under atmospheric conditions

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
Allen Vincent, Kazuumi Fujioka, Yuheng Luo, Ralf Kaiser, and Rui Sun

This theoretical study challenges the proposed mechanism for HFC-134a degrading into trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). While TFA is an environmentally persistent risk, kinetic simulations and energy profiles reveal that the reaction barriers are too high for significant formation under atmospheric conditions, casting doubt on the feasibility of the previously proposed mechanism.

Vapor Pressure Estimation of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids via Non-Isothermal Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Its Implications for Process Design

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Abdulrhman M. Arishi and Mark B. Shiflett

Aspen Plus often overestimates the vapor pressure of ionic liquids (ILs) at reboiler temperatures (373.15 K), leading to inaccurate gas desorption and purity predictions. While negligible below 450 K, this study used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to provide precise vapor pressure data for three ILs, ensuring more reliable process modeling.

Model Comparison of Performance, Operating and Capital Cost, and Environmental Impact for HFC-32/HFO-1234yf Mixtures as a Low Global Warming Alternative to R-410A

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Clarice M. Sabolay, Lokesh S. Valluru, and Mark B. Shiflett

This study evaluates replacing R-410A with HFC-32/HFO-1234yf mixtures to improve sustainability. Modeling shows that blends with high HFC-32 content (50–100%), particularly R-454B, outperform R-410A by offering higher energy efficiency, superior heat transfer, lower operating costs, and significantly reduced CO₂ emissions.

Investigation of Freezing-Induced Anionic Interplay in Acoustically Levitated Artificial Seawater Droplets

The Journal of Physical Chemistry A
Frank Liang, Souvick Biswas, Nils W. Melbourne, Koushik Mondal, Rui Sun, and Ralf Kaiser

This study reveals that sulfate ions are the primary drivers of structural changes when seawater droplets freeze. Using acoustic levitation and Raman spectroscopy, researchers found that when looking at polyatomic anions like sulfate and bicarbonate, sulfate undergoes symmetry lowering during ice formation, potentially creating reactive surfaces for atmospheric gases and pollutants, whereas bicarbonate remains largely unaffected.

Development of Accurate Transferable Hydrofluorocarbon Refrigerant Force Fields Using a Machine Learning and Optimization Approach

ChemRxiv
Montana Carlozo, Ning Wang, Alexander Dowling, and Edward Maginn
Updated from the previous October version.

Researchers developed a streamlined method for creating transferable classical force fields using machine learning and data science. By employing Gaussian process surrogate models and Fisher information analysis, they reduced development time from months to minutes. The resulting model outperformed optimized AMBER standards in predicting hydrofluorocarbon thermophysical properties.

The Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) is working to create sustainable, accessible refrigeration and air conditioning innovations that will improve the quality of life for all Americans, as well as secure U.S. leadership in workforce development and manufacturing.