Advanced Strategies in CO2 Mitigation and Valorization: Fundamentals and Applications

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Canada's energy resource base includes large amounts of fossil fuels. However, the recovery of these fuels and their use to generate energy and electricity is coming under increasing scrutiny due to their environmental footprint, particularly in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2). Over the next few decades, capturing CO2, the most abundant greenhouse gas, could become a significant method for mitigating climate change. As a result, there has been a growing interest in research studies in search of processes that utilize CO2 as a feedstock for producing value-added chemicals and liquid fuels. This research program is built on two main themes: A) material development for low temperature capture; and B) material development for CO2 conversion; and three respective activities for each theme comprising: 1) fundamental studies including kinetics/reaction engineering, and mass transfer; 2) process simulation, modeling, and techno-economic evaluation; and 3) environmental assessment, leading to the creation of the long-term objective of the program. The long-term objective of this program is to integrate engineered materials that are capable of adsorbing CO2 at low temperatures (70-90ºC) and further conversion to syngas while maintaining high process efficiency. The successful implementation of the proposed research program will significantly contribute towards the reduction of GHG emissions. The proposed discovery grant will respond to the existing challenges associated with themes A&B, with the objective of better understanding the engineering of new solid sorbents/catalysts, carbon capture and utilization (CCU). This research will generate fundamental knowledge about the synthesis of novel solid materials, bench-scale studies, and process modeling and optimization, in order to utilize the best material options for a long term pilot-scale unit. It is anticipated that the innovative knowledge and technologies generated from this research program will deliver solutions that consider and balance the technical, economic and environmental goals of Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies. The development of carbon capture and conversion technologies will be of special benefit to Canada, establishing it as a pioneer in the economical reduction of CO2 emissions on a global scale. The proposed research will offer HQP training for six PhD students, three MSc students, one postdoctoral fellow, and 10 undergraduate students (two per year during summer). All HQP will gain expertise in materials fabrication, structure/property characterization, process modeling and optimization, and environmental assessment using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) in the context of the strategic field of carbon capture and utilization.