Grantee Research Project Results
Recycling of Greenhouse Gases to Fuels & Chemicals
EPA Contract Number: EPD11046Title: Recycling of Greenhouse Gases to Fuels & Chemicals
Investigators: Molter, Trent
Small Business: Sustainable Innovations LLC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011
Project Amount: $79,980
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2011) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Greenhouse Gases
Description:
Technologies that prevent Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from natural and man-made sources are needed to address the environmental and human health implications of climate change. One approach is to capture the GHG emissions and secure them in long-term storage, i.e. carbon sequestration. However, current carbon sequestration technologies may: A) produce undesirable by-products, B) contaminate underground water supplies; and, C) add operating cost to the industrial process. A more reasonable approach is capturing the greenhouse gases and converting them to a valuable fuel or chemical.
Sustainable Innovations is developing an Electrochemical Greenhouse Gas Recycling System (EGGRS) that captures GHGs and converts them electrochemically to chemical commodities, i.e. methanol (CH3OH), ammonia (NH4) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The electrochemical process requires only water and GHG to produce the liquid hydrocarbons with oxygen as a by-product. When powered by a renewable energy source the EGGRS is a carbon neutral technology. Despite the high cost of current renewable power sources, the EGGRS can be an economically viable method for production of methanol and other low molecular chemical compounds. The EGGRS technology is scalable from the kilo-watt to giga-watt levels, i.e. from a small pulp -- paper mill to a large scale coal fired power plant. Greenhouse gas emissions can be captured at the source, i.e. a coal fired power plant, or from the atmosphere. Atmospheric capture would be most efficient in high density urban population centers and would have the beneficial effect of improving the local air quality.
Phase I of the program will demonstrate feasibility of greenhouse gas (CO2, NOx and SOx) conversion. A top level design for directly coupling the EGGRS system to a large scale emitter also will be undertaken.
Phase 2 of the program will scale up the technology and generate a demonstrator/prototype to be tested at an offsite location using real world GHG emissions.
A commercial Electrochemical Greenhouse Gas Recycling System will:
- Capture and recycle greenhouse gas emissions to chemical commodities using carbon-neutral renewable energy.
- Interface directly with sources of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission including coal-fired power plants, refinery operations, pulp and paper mills, and cement kilns.
- Improve air quality in high density urban population centers by removal of existing airborne GHG emission.
- Provide an economically viable liquid hydrocarbon fuel (methanol) from renewable energy sources.
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.