As NETL prepares for its inaugural Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, and Oil and Gas Technologies Integrated Project Review Meeting, “Addressing the Nation’s Energy Needs Through Technology Innovation,” the Lab is releasing three additional infographics to highlight the success of NETL-managed carbon capture research and development (R&D) projects that are reducing costs to ensure the availability of clean, reliable and affordable energy from America’s abundant domestic resources.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and NETL have selected six projects to receive approximately $14.7 million in federal funding for Phase II of funding opportunity announcement (FOA), Fossil Fuel Large-Scale Pilots. DOE has supported a range of potentially transformational coal technologies aimed at enabling step-change improvements in coal-powered systems. Some of these technologies are now ready to proceed to the large-scale pilot stage of development. The technologies selected for Phase II are similar to or are components of the Coal FIRST Initiative. These technologies could support future design and construction of the next generation of coal fired power plants that are flexible, resilient, economical, and emit near zero emissions, including carbon dioxide. “Coal-fired plants provide a significant source of electrical power in the United States,” said Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg. “This R&D will enable the United States to have a high-efficiency, low-emissions coal fleet that will continue to provide stability to the power grid.”

NETL will host its first comprehensive annual project review meeting to showcase cutting-edge research under four Office of Fossil Energy research programs aimed at developing novel technological solutions to America’s energy challenges during a weeklong session Aug. 26-30 in Pittsburgh. The inaugural Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, and Oil and Gas Technologies Integrated Project Review Meeting, “Addressing the Nation’s Energy Needs Through Technology Innovation,” will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. All interested parties are welcome to participate; registration is required.

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.”