NETL Director Brian Anderson will showcase the Lab’s work and dedication to solving America’s energy challenges when he addresses the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Energy Initiative at a sold-out event Feb. 19, 2020, at the Wong Auditorium.

Anderson will discuss how NETL advances cost-effective implementation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies throughout the power-generation sector to ensure Americans continue to have access to clean, affordable and reliable energy.

The Lab’s Carbon Capture program has supported more than 180 second-generation R&D projects that have cut the cost of carbon capture by nearly 50% and reduced the energy penalty (the amount of generated energy used by carbon capture technologies) by nearly 20%. For example, NETL used its revolutionary computational framework to screen more than a million mixed matrix membranes (MMM) and to identify promising MMMs for post-combustion carbon capture. MMMs are projected to decrease the cost of carbon capture from $63 to $48 per metric ton of CO₂ removed. These membranes are now being scaled up for demonstration using actual flue gas at the National Carbon Capture Center in Wilsonville, Alabama, advancing their commercial feasibility.

Anderson will also highlight NETL’s Carbon Storage program, which helps to ensure safe, secure, efficient, and affordable CO₂ injection and containment in diverse geologic storage complexes. For example, NETL leads the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP), which leverages DOE’s capabilities in science-based predictive modeling of engineered geologic systems to overcome barriers to large-scale deployment of geologic carbon storage. NRAP develops and demonstrates computational tools and methods to quantitatively assess and effectively manage risks related to potential leakage and ground motion at storage sites, and to inform monitoring design that builds confidence in system performance and verifies containment integrity.

NETL’s Carbon Utilization program promotes R&D that utilizes CO₂ to generate value-added products. NETL researchers are converting waste CO₂ into chemicals, offsetting CO₂ capture costs, facilitating clean and safe development of energy resources, and developing new markets and job opportunities.

“I’m honored and excited to return to MIT. This is an excellent opportunity to display the fruits of NETL’s labor,” Anderson said. “This is also a chance to show that we can power the future with the resources and technologies at our disposal in a sustainable manner. Working with the Energy Initiative also demonstrates the Lab’s commitment to forging close ties with academia across the nation and the groundbreaking research that takes place right here at MIT, research that NETL can help take to the next level.”

Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at West Virginia University and went on to earn his master’s and doctorate in chemical engineering from MIT. Prior to joining NETL, he was awarded an Honor Achievement Award from the Department of Energy in 2011 for his role on a team that responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He is a recipient of the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support domestic energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at NETL’s sites in Albany, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; Houston, Texas; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.