NETL manages a vast portfolio of carbon capture research and development (R&D) projects that are successfully reducing costs to ensure the availability of clean, reliable and affordable energy from America’s abundant domestic resources. In 2007, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that current and projected atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.  Carbon capture technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by capturing carbon dioxide from fossil energy-fueled power plants; however, existing technologies add additional costs for industry and consumers. NETL is leveraging cutting-edge research facilities, world-class technical expertise and strategic collaborations to develop efficient and economical solutions that make carbon capture technology viable for decades to come.

NETL researchers highlighted the Lab’s robust research to develop effective membranes for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture at the North American Membrane Society’s 28th Annual Meeting. The meeting, held May 11-15 in Pittsburgh, attracted the world’s top scientists pursuing groundbreaking membranes research. Workshops, plenary lectures, technical sessions and poster exhibits focused on this year’s theme, “Membrane Separations for Emerging Water, Energy and Health Applications.” For energy applications, membrane technologies use permeable or semi-permeable materials to selectively separate and transport CO2 from flue gases. The relative simplicity of membrane-based CO2 capture processes offers reduced capital and maintenance costs as compared to other separation technologies. NETL’s membranes research focuses on the development of low-cost, durable membranes with improved permeability and selectivity, thermal and physical stability, and tolerance to contaminants in combustion flue gas.

NETL is using powerful computational tools to identify advanced membrane materials that can cut carbon capture costs to less than $50 per metric ton, an achievement that will boost the viability of the nation’s coal-fired power fleet to meet America’s growing energy needs. Polymer-based membranes provide a simple means of separating carbon dioxide (CO2) from post-combustion flue gas to meet federal emissions requirements at coal-fired power plants. However, identifying optimal materials that offer high permeability and selectivity at an affordable cost is a challenge, with millions of possibilities. NETL partnered with the University of Pittsburgh to investigate the use of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), which incorporate porous nanoparticles known as metal-organic frameworks into the matrix of a sturdy polymer to enhance its capabilities. The team — led by NETL’s Jan Steckel, Ph.D., who worked with Pitt’s Chris Wilmer, Ph.D., and Lab colleagues Olukayode Ajayi, Ph.D., and Samir Budhathoki — modeled more than 1 million possible MMMs to evaluate their properties and estimate the associated cost of carbon capture.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NETL  have announced up to $20 million in federal funding for cooperative agreements that will help accelerate the deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). The selected projects will support the Office of Fossil Energy’s (FE) Carbon Storage Program. “Carbon capture is essential to lowering global carbon emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. "By accelerating the deployment of this indispensable technology, the United States can continue to use its domestic energy resources for decades to come without compromising the environment.” Through this funding opportunity, DOE aims to award cooperative agreements to research and development (R&D) projects that will help identify and address regional storage and transport challenges currently facing the development of CCUS.  This funding opportunity seeks to preserve, share, and advance existing R&D by:

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and NETL have selected two additional projects to receive $5 million in total federal funding: one each under DE-FOA-0001829 Developing Technologies for Advancement of Associated Geologic Storage for Basinal Geo-Laboratories, and DE-FOA-0001830 Transformational Pre-Combustion Carbon Capture Technologies.  A key priority for FE is to reduce the cost and risk of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies to accelerate widespread deployment. 

Researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are reporting positive results in development of new pre-combustion solvents that can capture carbon dioxide (CO2) more effectively and economically than state-of-the-art solvents now in use. A solvent is a liquid capable of dissolving another substance. For example, water is a solvent for salt. CO2 capture and storage from power generation is a critical component of strategies for preventing a further rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However, current solvent technology could result in a prohibitive rise in the cost of energy production. NETL researchers have been searching for better solvents that can be more effective and economical than solvents now being used to capture CO2.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)  and NETL have announced up to $30 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development (R&D) for front-end engineering design (FEED) studies for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture systems. The projects, funded by the Office of Fossil Energy’s Carbon Capture program will support FEED studies for CO2 systems on both coal and natural gas power plants.  “With the Department’s ongoing investment in advanced carbon capture technologies, we will ensure that we can continue using our abundant domestic resources to power the Nation in a way that’s environmentally sound,” said Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes. “Carbon capture plays an integral role in reducing emissions and safeguarding the environment, while simultaneously protecting our energy security.”

Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced the selection of eight projects to receive nearly $24 million in federal funds for cost-shared research and development (R&D) for Novel and Enabling Carbon Capture Transformational Technologies. The selected projects will focus on the development of solvent, sorbent, and membrane technologies to address scientific challenges and knowledge gaps associated with reducing the cost of carbon capture. Secretary Perry announced these projects today at a joint press conference with International Energy Agency Executive Director, Dr. Fatih Birol. “By 2040 the world will still rely on fossil fuels for 77% of its energy use. Our goal is to produce them in a cleaner way,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “These projects will allow America, and the world for that matter, to use both coal and natural gas with near-zero emissions.”

Experts from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) — the only U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory dedicated to fossil energy research — will offer research input when the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) holds its Winter Policy Summit in the Nation’s Capital today through Wednesday to consider potential policy initiatives. NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., said participation in external events like the NARUC Winter Summit is important for the Laboratory because it offers the opportunity to provide important data and research results to individuals who can use that information to develop policy in the energy arena.

NETL’s 2018 Compendium of Carbon Capture Technology, which provides a technical summary of its Carbon Capture program, is now available. The comprehensive document assembles carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology research and development descriptions into a single document, allowing stakeholders in corporations, small businesses, universities, nonprofit organizations, other national laboratories and government agencies to examine the technology progress and activities of the Carbon Capture program. The successful development of advanced CO2 capture technologies is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and maintaining the cost-effectiveness of fossil energy-based power generation and other industrial processes. Research and development (R&D) efforts featured in the 2018 Compendium of Carbon Capture Technology include the development of advanced solvents, sorbents, membranes and novel concepts for both post- and pre-combustion CO2 capture, along with R&D collaborations.