About the project
Electrochemical CO2 capture requires less energy compared to existing technology, and is flexible and versatile. It can be integrated with electrochemical CO2 conversion to directly convert CO2 to chemicals and fuels. This project will aim to develop an integrated process to Electrochemically capture and conversion of CO2.
Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration due to fossil-based chemical consumption has significant impacts on climate change. UK has set the target of Net zero for emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050. To achieve this goal, it is important to close CO2 cycling loop. Current CO2 capture technologies including aqueous amine absorption or supported amine adsorption, and aqueous and solid alkalis for CO2 scrubbing and forming carbonates are dominantly on CO2 from large scale flue gas.
Electrochemical CO2 capture requires less energy compared to existing technology, ranging from as low as 9.8 kJ/mol CO2 – 34 kJ/mol CO2, and is flexible and versatile. It can run at different scales allowing on-demand and on-site capture, and it can utilise renewable energy, which address decentralised emissions of CO2 and distributed power supply. Most importantly, it can be integrated with electrochemical CO2 conversion to directly convert CO2 to high value chemicals and fuels.
This interdisciplinary project provides a unique opportunity to work at the interface of electrochemistry and chemical engineering to develop innovative solution for CO2. The candidate will be beneficial from state of art facilities, dynamic and multidisciplinary expertise, and broad collaborations with industrial and international partners.
- The objectives are
Investigate sustainable novel materials from waste biomass with active functional groups for effective CO2 adsorption and enhanced active sites. - Characterisation and analysis to understand the CO2 capture mechanisms
- Design and optimisation Energy effective and versatile integrated Electrochemical CO2 capture and conversion system.