Utilities Tech Outlook Weekly Brief
Be first to read the latest tech news, Industry Leader's Insights, and CIO interviews of medium and large enterprises exclusively from Utilities Tech Outlook
Scientists at the USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute are focusing on making use silica fumes fused with polyethyleneimine in an attempt to recycle carbon dioxide (CO2) present in the atmosphere. The new substance is known to be capable of absorbing carbon dioxide from both dry as well as humid weather—the content can be extracted from the material with aid of heat. Investigators are hopeful that this wonder will be helpful in converting CO2 into a renewable source of energy, thereby opening a new dimension in the energy and utilities landscape.
This project aims at addressing two of the planet’s biggest challenges at the same time—the constant increase in greenhouse gases, and the depletion of fossil fuels. While explaining the benefits of this project, one of the eminent professors of Chemistry at USC, George Olah states, “Just like nature, human beings too should take up the responsibility of recycling CO2.”
Collaborating with other authors such as Alain Goeppert, G. K. Surya Prakash, Miklos Czaun, Robert B. May and S. R. Narayanan for the anthropogenic carbon cycle, Olah elaborates how the importance of the project surpassed even his research on carbocations and superacids that led him to earn a Noble Prize in Chemistry about a decade ago.
Fumed silica is generally found in the thickening agents of juices or milkshakes. Researchers have found that this substance, when mixed with polyethyleneimine has a distinctive ability to absorb humid and dry atmosphere.
However, still a lot remains to be unfurled in this research. While researchers are finding ways to make this substance fool-proof, the quest to find a cost-effective mechanism in order to convert the attained CO2 into methanol. The main objective behind this is to use methanol as a fuel source while at the same time as a chemical feedstock.
With similar intentions of reducing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Klaus Lackner of Center for Negative Carbon Emissions under the Arizona State University has discovered the CO2 absorbing qualities of a resin. When dry, the resin absorbs CO2 and releases it when moist. As stated by Lackner, the resin works almost like an artificial plant. However, it has the potential to remove 1000 times more CO2 as compared to an average sized tree. This project will in future be capable of leveraging these stored CO2 as biofuel, Lackner adds. Making remarkable advancements in this journey, Lackner with his team has already developed mockups of CO2 cleaning devices that would fit easily into shipping containers.
Check Out: Energy Tech Review
