CCI Phase I: CO2 as a Sustainable Feedstock for Chemical Commodities

这个化学创新中心将开发新的催化化学物质，使二氧化碳成为制造大规模商品化学品的可持续原料。该中心汇集了在有机金属合成、计算催化剂设计、先进催化剂支撑结构的化学合成以及催化剂和电催化剂性能测试方面具有专业知识的研究人员，专注于将二氧化碳转化为三种化学商品：乙烯、丙烯酸酯和甲酸酯。这些化学产品目前每年以数百万吨的规模从石油原料中生产出来，它们本身就是更复杂的化学产品和高价值塑料的原料。建议的研究和创新的三个战略领域，共同支持拟议的创新中心的整体愿景：(1)对金属催化剂激活二氧化碳以启动其转化的机制获得新的基本见解；(2)与工业伙伴共同开发将活性二氧化碳纳入商品目标工业合成的新工艺；(3)与工业和公用事业伙伴共同开发新的方法，将发电厂烟气中的二氧化碳压缩和净化成适合用作浓缩化学原料的物理状态。二氧化碳作为替代原料的成功开发将深刻影响化学工业的可持续性和社会足迹。学生合作培训，强调创新和创业发展，以及公众宣传也是拟议的CCI的关键组成部分。布朗大学和耶鲁大学将通过领导力联盟项目（Leadership Alliance Program）招收未被充分代表的少数族裔成员。该项目是一个由32所高等院校组成的全国性联盟，总部设在布朗大学。化学创新中心（CCI）计划支持能够解决重大、长期基础化学研究挑战的研究中心，这些研究中心有很大可能产生变革性研究并导致创新。这些中心将通过分享他们解决这一具有挑战性问题的方法的结果，吸引广泛的科学和公众兴趣。

This Center for Chemical Innovation will develop new catalytic chemistries that enable the use of CO2 as a sustainable feedstock for manufacture of large-scale commodity chemicals. The Center brings together researchers with expertise in organometallic synthesis, computational catalyst design, chemical synthesis of advanced catalyst support architectures, and catalyst and electrocatalyst performance testing to focus on the conversion of carbon dioxide into three chemical commodities: ethylene, acrylates, and formate. These chemical products currently are produced on a multimillion-ton scale annually from petroleum feedstocks, and are themselves feedstocks for more complex chemical products and high-value plastics. Three strategic areas of research and innovation are proposed that taken together support the overall vision of the proposed CCI: (1) to gain new fundamental insight into the mechanisms by which metallic catalysts activate CO2 to initiate its conversion, (2) to co-develop with industrial partners new processes that incorporate activated CO2 in the industrial synthesis of commodity targets, and (3) to co-develop with industrial and utility partners new approaches to compressing and purifying CO2 from power plant flue gases into a physical state suitable for utilization as a concentrated chemical feedstock.The successful development of CO2 as an alternative feedstock would profoundly impact the sustainability and societal footprint of the chemical industry. Collaborative student training, an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship development, and public outreach are also key components of this proposed CCI. Members of underrepresented minorities will be engaged at both Brown and Yale Universities through the Leadership Alliance Program, a national consortium of 32 institutions of higher learning, headquartered at Brown University.The Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program supports research centers that can address major, long-term fundamental chemical research challenges that have a high probability of both producing transformative research and leading to innovation. These Centers will attract broad scientific and public interest by sharing the results of their approach to this challenging question.