The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the 小蝌蚪APP a $1 million grant to develop a way to convert carbon dioxide into ethylene, one of the world小蝌蚪APP檚 most widely used chemicals.
The research has a potential environmental upside. The proposed technology being developed at UL Lafayette produces ethylene by breaking down carbon dioxide with low pulses of electricity. By comparison, steam cracking, the current method for producing ethylene, emits 200 percent more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that小蝌蚪APP檚 a primary culprit in global climate change.
Dr. Xiao-Dong Zhou is executive director of UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 and the Stuller Endowed Chair of chemical engineering. He is heading the research team that secured the $1 million grant from the Energy Department小蝌蚪APP檚 Office of Fossil Energy, which awarded $17 million to 11 projects as part of its Carbon Utilization Program in June.
The federal program小蝌蚪APP檚 goal: to reduce emissions and transform waste carbon into value-added products. That小蝌蚪APP檚 his team小蝌蚪APP檚 goal, too, Zhou said.
About 140 million metric tons of ethylene are produced annually worldwide. It is the primary ingredient in polyethene, which is used to make plastic bags, bottles and food containers, among other everyday consumer products.
小蝌蚪APP淓thylene is an important chemical,小蝌蚪APP Zhou said. 小蝌蚪APP淏ut when you produce it at the industrial level, you also produce a lot of carbon dioxide.小蝌蚪APP
The UL Lafayette project 小蝌蚪APP渞everses the concept,小蝌蚪APP by using carbon dioxide to make ethylene, he explained. 小蝌蚪APP淚f we can produce ethylene by using electricity coming from renewable resources, then we could, theoretically, reduce carbon dioxide production by 200 percent because we are not producing it. We are consuming it.
小蝌蚪APP淲e could produce ethylene while keeping the environment safe. It小蝌蚪APP檚 cost-effective and environmentally friendly.小蝌蚪APP
In addition to Zhou, UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 team consists of Dr. Dilip Depan, Dr. Tolga Karsili and Dr. Yu Wang. Depan is an assistant professor of chemical engineering, while Kasili and Wang are assistant professors of chemistry.
They are joined by research partner Dr. Jingjie Wu, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the 小蝌蚪APP of Cincinnati.
The $1 million federal grant to UL Lafayette will be supplemented by $250,000 in funding from both UL Lafayette and the 小蝌蚪APP of Cincinnati.
The Energy Department also awarded 10 other research teams Carbon Utilization Program funding. Among the universities that received grants are the 小蝌蚪APP of California Los Angeles, North Carolina State, and the universities of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Louisville.
Susteon Inc., a North Carolina-based private technology company, and the Gas Technology Institute, a nonprofit research and development organization located in Illinois, round out the list.
In a press release announcing funding, Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes said that 小蝌蚪APP渇ossil fuels will continue to power our world well into the future. Therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure these fuels are utilized as cleanly and efficiently as possible.小蝌蚪APP
The Carbon Utilization Program 小蝌蚪APP渋s investing in cutting-edge technologies to allow us to capture carbon oxides, which will reduce emissions, and then recycle them into economically valuable services like enhanced oil recovery or products like plastics and carbon fibers,小蝌蚪APP Menezes added.
Photo caption: Dr. Nengneng Xu, a postdoctoral fellow in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Institute for Materials Research and Innovation, demonstrates a prototype researchers are developing that produces ethylene by breaking down carbon dioxide with low pulses of electricity. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 小蝌蚪APP)