Greenhouse Gas to Fuels - Nanochemistry Solutions

*加拿大与其他国家一起，通过回收制造、运输和消费产生的废物，抓住了将不可持续的消费经济转变为可持续消费经济的机会。我们的模式设想二氧化碳是一种原料和资产，而不是废物和负债，可以转化为合成燃料，实现碳中性碳循环。对于由二氧化碳和水制成的太阳能燃料，该提案的重点是发现高活性的光催化剂，并开发高性能的光反应堆来实现这一过程。要有效地影响气候变化，有针对性的催化剂必须能够以工业上实际的规模和转化率从二氧化碳中制造合成燃料，同时保持长期性能稳定。此外，催化剂必须由富含稀土、低成本和无毒的元素组成，具有高选择性和总转化率，以确保经济可行和环境友好的二氧化碳精炼厂。*上述挑战推动并为我们下一阶段的研究奠定了基础，特别是发现和优化高性能纳米结构催化剂，用于二氧化碳太阳能多相加氢制合成燃料，如合成气、甲醇和碳氢化合物。特别是，在理想的压力、温度、气体组成和流速的反应器操作条件下，评估催化剂的活性、选择性、稳定性、表面化学、动力学和机理路径是至关重要的。有了这些知识，就有可能对性能最好的光催化剂进行规模化，从而能够开发实验室规模的示范装置，并最终实现将二氧化碳转化为合成燃料的中试工厂。我们的重点将是通过实验和计算方法发现下一代二氧化碳利用材料，以及开发新的和改进的反应堆和工艺，以实现这些二氧化碳转化。*我们的研究目标是使加拿大在创新、竞争、低碳技术的发现、开发和商业化方面成为世界领先者。这将有助于加拿大在缓解全球变暖和气候变化的挑战中实现其温室气体减排目标。它将帮助加拿大创造能够制造加拿大制造的清洁技术的工业，以实现可持续的未来。*

***Canada, together with other countries, has embraced the opportunity to transition its unsustainable consumer economy to a sustainable one by recycling waste generated from manufacturing, transportation, and consumption. Our paradigm envisions carbon dioxide as a feedstock and asset, rather than a waste product and liability, being convertible into synthetic fuels for a carbon neutral carbon cycle. In the case of solar fuels made from CO2 and H2O powered by sunlight, the focus of the proposal requires the discovery of highly active photocatalysts and the development of high performance photoreactors to enable the process. To meaningfully impact climate change, targeted catalysts must be able to make synthetic fuels from CO2 at industrially practical scales and rates of conversion, while maintaining long-term performance stability. In addition, the catalyst must comprise earth-abundant, low-cost, and non-toxic elements, with high selectivity and total conversion, to ensure economically viable and environmentally sound CO2 refineries.*******The aforementioned challenges motivated and set the stage for the next phase of our research, specifically, the discovery and optimization of high performance nanostructured catalysts for the solar-powered heterogeneous hydrogenation of CO2 to synthetic fuels, such as syngas, methanol and hydrocarbons. In particular, it is essential to evaluate the activity, selectivity, stability, surface chemistry, kinetics, and mechanistic pathways of catalysts under ideal reactor operating conditions of pressure, temperature, gas composition, and flow rate. With this knowledge, it will be possible to scale the top-performing photocatalysts to enable the development of lab-scale demonstration units, and ultimately, pilot-scale plants for the conversion of CO2 to synthetic fuels. Our focus will be on the discovery of next-generation CO2 utilization materials, through both experimental and computational methods, and the development of new and improved reactors and processes to enable these CO2 conversions. ******The objective of our research is to enable Canada to be a world leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative, competitive, low-carbon technologies. This will assist Canada meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in the challenge of ameliorating global warming and climate change. It will help create Canadian industries that can manufacture made-in-Canada clean technology for a sustainable future.***