A team of researchers from U of T Engineering has created a new process for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from smokestacks into commercially valuable products, such as fuels and plastics.
A team of researchers from U of T Engineering has created a new process for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from smokestacks into commercially valuable products, such as fuels and plastics.
“Capturing carbon from flue gas is technically feasible, but energetically costly,” says Professor Ted Sargent (ECE), who serves as U of T’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “This high energy cost is not yet overcome by compelling market value embodied in the chemical product. Our method offers a path to upgraded products while significantly lowering the overall energy cost of combined capture and upgrade, making the process more economically attractive.”
One technique for capturing carbon from smokestacks — the only one that has been used at commercial-scale demonstration plants — is to use a liquid solution containing substances called amines. When flue gas is bubbled through these solutions, the CO2 within it combines with the amine molecules to make chemical species known as adducts.
Read more: University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto Engineering PhD candidate Geonhui Lee works on an electrolyzer in the lab of Professor Ted Sargent. (Photo Credit: Marit Mitchell)
