Representatives from NETL showcased the Lab’s research to decarbonize the U.S. economy and power sector through advances in carbon management and hydrogen energy, among other initiatives, during the 2023 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting.

Held Nov. 5-9 in Orlando, Florida, the 2023 AIChE Annual Meeting provided an educational forum for chemical engineers interested in innovation and professional growth. Academic and industry experts covered a wide range of topics relevant to cutting-edge research, new technologies and emerging growth areas in chemical engineering.

“With so much talent under one roof, the AIChE gathering was the perfect place to highlight some of the Lab’s most important work and show how harnessing hydrogen power sourced from the nation’s abundant natural gas paired with carbon capture can address climate change while meeting our energy needs,” said James Ferguson, NETL state and local partnerships manager, who oversaw the Lab’s exhibit booth at the meeting.

Among the presenters during the AIChE Meeting was NETL’s Dushyant Shekhawat, Ph.D., team supervisor for the Reaction Engineering team. He led sessions on the topics of value-added chemicals from natural gas and informed the conference on the latest developments in fuel processing for hydrogen production.

Working from NETL’s Reaction Analysis and Chemical Transformation Facility (ReACT) in Morgantown, West Virginia, Shekhawat and his team are pushing the boundaries of chemistry and physics to develop technologies and approaches to produce value-added fuels and chemicals from natural gas, higher hydrocarbon fuels and coal.

David Miller, Ph.D., NETL chief research officer, co-chaired sessions detailing design and analysis of sustainable carbon capture and emissions control technologies and the optimization and design of a fully integrated energy system, both of which are needed to make a sustainable future that meets the environmental and economic needs of the nation possible.

In addition to its presentations, nearly 40 NETL employees representing several research disciplines within the Lab attended the conference.

“The event was also a splendid opportunity for networking with other specialists from around the world, to exchange ideas and practices with one another, as the challenges we face in sustainably powering the future are far too great for any one organization to tackle alone,” Ferguson said. “It’s vital for us to send a powerful message at as many events as possible like the AIChE meeting.”

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.