A Study on Burning Iron Particles as Carbon-Free Circular Fuels with co-Generation of Value-Added Nanomaterials

燃烧铁颗粒作为无碳循环燃料并联产增值纳米材料的研究

• 批准号: 2324411
• 负责人: Yiannis Levendis
• 金额: $ 59.48万
• 依托单位: Northeastern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2324411&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Study; Burning; Iron; Particles; Carbon

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYEnergy transition from fossil fuels to renewables is necessary to mitigate climate change and, thereby, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare. However, renewable energy, mostly solar or wind, is not always available at the location or the time when demand is high (e.g., in high earth latitudes, winter months, evenings). Hence, a cost-competitive and effective renewable energy carrier must be able to store available energy and transport energy to be used where and when it is needed. This would enable storage and/or transportation of renewable energy over long distances. Surprisingly to most people, a promising energy carrier candidate is iron powder. The iron fuel cycle could offer an abundant green energy source and storage methodology to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. Submillimeter sized iron powder can be manufactured from scrap metal with existing industrial techniques, it can be transported to either existing or dedicated electric utility or industrial furnaces, where it can be ignited and burned like pulverized coal. During combustion, these iron particles generate iron oxide particles of sizes similar to the input iron particles. The energy emitted during combustion (heat) can be used to generate steam which, thereafter, can spin a steam turbine and generate electricity. Spent iron oxide particles can be reduced back to iron, using green hydrogen and energy, both of which can be obtained from solar panels or wind turbines. This research is advancing the science of powdered iron as a “circular fuel” and is fully characterizing the products and any generated byproducts (such as nanosized oxide particles) while also identifying appropriate applications for the latter materials, such as in supercapacitors, lithium battery anodes, catalysts, environmental cleanup agents as well as materials for medical imaging, targeting, drug delivery, and biosensing. This research is educating graduate and undergraduate students in the benefits and challenges of sustainable energy harvesting and storage, as well as combustion generated materials. TECHNICAL SUMMARYIron is a compelling candidate for a carbon-free circular fuel due to its abundance, high energy density, and strong ability to store and transport energy. Iron can be ignited and burned at elevated temperatures (2000 K) and, thus, it can be a direct replacement for coal in coal-fired boilers. By leveraging existing infrastructure for carbon-free power generation, iron fuel can be transformative to the utility industry. It generates zero emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), zero emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), zero emissions of unburned hydrocarbons HC) and ultra-low emissions of nitrous oxide (NOx). Currently, the iron fuel cycle has incomplete scientific understanding and results in the generation of some nanomaterial byproducts, typically considered a waste stream. Instead, it is hypothesized that these iron-based nanomaterials can yield high-value products. The proposed research is generating fundamental understanding of the physical transformations that occur during the burning of iron particles and the conditions that produce value-added iron-based nanomaterials. The goal of the project is to determine process-structure-property relationships in two distinct streams of use-inspired products: submillimeter-sized oxide particles that can be recycled back to iron, and nano-sized particles with considerable monodispersity and tailorable properties. Success is being assessed by generating a comprehensive data set on thoroughly-measured iron combustion parameters, fully characterizing the produced nanoparticles and completing an energy/exergy analysis to identify irreversibilities within the fuel cycle.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

从化石燃料到可再生能源的非技术摘要过渡对于减轻气候变化是必要的，从而促进了国家健康，繁荣和福利。但是，可再生能源（主要是太阳能或风能）并不总是在需求高的位置或时间（例如，在高地球纬度，冬季，季节）中可用。因此，具有成本竞争力且有效的可再生能源载体必须能够存储可用的能源和运输能量，以在需要的地方和时期使用。这将使可再生能源在长距离内存储和/或运输。令人惊讶的是，对于大多数人来说，一个应许的能源候选者是铁粉。铁燃料周期可以提供丰富的绿色能源和存储方法，以帮助满足世界不断增长的能源需求。可以用现有工业技术的废金属制造亚毫米尺寸的铁粉，它可以运输到现有的或专用的电力工具或工业炉中，在那里可以像粉碎的煤一样被点燃和燃烧。在燃烧过程中，这些铁颗粒会产生与输入铁颗粒相似的大小的氧化铁颗粒。燃烧过程中发出的能量（热）可用于产生蒸汽，此后可以旋转蒸汽涡轮机并产生电动。使用绿色氢和能量，可以从太阳能电池板或风力涡轮机中获得所用的铁氧化铁颗粒，从而将其还原回铁。这项研究正在推进粉状铁作为“圆形燃料”的科学，并完全以产品和任何产生的副产物（例如纳米化的氧化物颗粒）为特征，同时还可以确定适用于后来材料的适当应用，例如超级电容器，锂电池电池阳极，催化剂，催化剂，环境清洁剂，以及用于药物的材料，以及用于医疗材料，以及材料的材料。这项研究正在向研究生和本科生教育可持续能源收集和储存的好处和挑战，以及混合物产生的材料。技术摘要是由于其丰富性，高能量密度以及储存和运输能量强大的能力，是无碳循环燃料的引人注目的候选者。铁可以在升高的温度（2000 K）时被点燃和燃烧，因此，它可以直接替代燃煤锅炉中的煤炭。通过利用现有的基础设施来发电，铁燃料可以转化为公用事业行业。它产生二氧化碳（CO2）的零排放，二氧化硫（SO2）的零排放，未燃烧的碳氢化合物HC的零排放和一二氮氧化物（NOX）的超低排放。目前，铁燃料周期具有不完全的科学理解，并导致一些纳米材料副产品的产生，通常被认为是废物流。相反，假设这些基于铁的纳米材料可以产生高价值产品。拟议的研究是对铁颗粒燃烧过程中发生的物理转化以及产生增值铁基纳米材料的基本理解。该项目的目的是在两个不同的使用启发产品流中确定过程结构 - 特性关系：亚毫米尺寸的氧化物颗粒，可以回收回铁，以及具有考虑单分散性和可定制特性的纳米尺寸颗粒。通过在彻底测量的铁复合参数上生成全面的数据来评估成功，从而充分表征了生产的纳米颗粒并完成能量/锻炼，以确定燃油周期内的不可逆性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和广泛影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被视为诚实的支持。