(MIT: Cambridge, MA) -- More than 200 years ago, the steam boiler helped spark the Industrial Revolution. Since then, steam has been the lifeblood of industrial activity around the world. Today the production of steam—created by burning gas, oil, or coal to boil water—accounts for a significant percentage of global energy use in manufacturing, powering the creation of paper, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and more.

Now, the startup AtmosZero, founded by Addison Stark, Todd Bandhauer, and Ashwin Salvi, is taking a new approach to electrify the centuries-old steam boiler. The company has developed a modular heat pump capable of delivering industrial steam at temperatures up to 150°C to serve as a drop-in replacement for combustion boilers.

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