More than 30 research projects to advance the development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) will be discussed at a three-day conference hosted by NETL that begins Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) today announced up to $30 million in funding for research and development (R&D) projects to advance carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches that will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution by capturing it directly from both the atmosphere and oceans and converting it into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals.

An NETL researcher who has led the development of a groundbreaking process to extract rare earth elements and critical minerals (REEs-CMs) from coal and coal byproducts will receive the Professional Excellence Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists. The association will present the award to Christina Lopano for outstanding contributions in the government/regulatory category at its awards breakfast on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, in Denver.

Through developing robust domestic sources of critical materials (CMs), including rare earth elements (REEs), America’s historic energy producing regions, such as the Powder River Basin and others, have a unique opportunity to solve one of the nation’s greatest resource challenges and benefit their workers in the process.

NETL will co-sponsor the 2022 Evolving Energy Conference, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 6, and Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in Morgantown, West Virginia, to discuss Appalachia’s expanding energy sector and energy needs.

The September 2022 edition of the RWFI E-Note Monthly, NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI) newsletter, is now available and includes details on a range of grant funding and training opportunities.

NETL Associate Director for Research and Innovation Bryan Morreale, Ph.D., will discuss the Lab’s efforts to advance hydrogen technologies for decarbonizing the economy during a panel at the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) in Pittsburgh Sept. 28-30.

NETL researchers used unique laboratory equipment to determine that certain rock formations could self-seal fractures in the presence of stored carbon dioxide (CO2), a finding that means igneous rock intrusions in the eastern U.S. could effectively keep CO2 sequestered and sealed underground.

More than a century ago, American naturalist John Muir observed that, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” That’s a lesson NETL’s Natalie Pekney, Ph.D., learned as a child growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, and it’s a lesson she carries with her when searching for potential gas well leaks in remote locations, or mentoring young people about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) because problem solvers know all things are connected.

Check out the August 2022 edition of RWFI E-Note Monthly to learn how to engage with NETL and other federal agencies in collaborative development efforts to prepare workers for high-tech jobs in energy-related fields and to meet the growing demand for a diverse and highly skilled workforce.