Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the most promising single strategy for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation at significant scale. The net-zero pledges, CO2 tax credits and emission penalties are the key drivers for the rapid growth of CCS. Adsorption is recognized as one of the most energy efficient technologies for CO2 recovery from large point sources and directly from air. With several proprietary materials, and high impact papers and reviews, the applicant is a world leader in the development of innovative amine-containing adsorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture. The proposed research has two main objectives, (i) Development of the next generation of our proprietary Advanced Carbon Capture Materials (ACCMat), and ultimately implementation of the materials for carbon capture on megatonne scale, in collaboration with our partner company Svante inc (Burnaby, BC). This objective will be achieved through the design of new ACCMat with significantly higher resistance to oxidation and steam; two key requirements for the Svante state-of-the-art carbon capture process. A related objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of a single step upgrading process for biogas into renewable natural gas (RNG), an energy source of strategic importance to Canada. This technology will involve the simultaneous removal of CO2, water and H2S and the separation of grid-quality biomethane. (ii) Combination of adsorption and catalysis for single-step synthesis of added-value products such as formic acid or solar fuels (e.g. methanol) in the presence of hydrogen and water, respectively. Amine-containing materials will be promoted by transition metal catalysts for low temperature hydrogen reduction of CO2 into formic acid. Alternating exposure of the material to CO2-containing gas (e.g. flue gas) and hydrogen will lead to alternating adsorption and conversion of CO2. Alternatively, multicomponent system comprised of a microporous chalcogenide for adsorption and activation of CO2 and a photoelectrocatalytic component for the selective solar transformation of CO2 to MeOH using water as a hydrogen and electron source. The impact of this project could be of a transformational nature, supporting climate change mitigation and ushering in an entirely new era of carbon-neutral fuel production. We also developed a detailed knowledge mobilization strategy to share our findings with practitioners, policymakers and the community. Technical progress will be communicated to the research community through open access publications in high impact journals. In addition to the publication of newly gained scientific data and knowledge, review papers will be written to provide educational and comprehensive insights into the research field, offering state-of-the-art overviews as well as guidance towards this research field for both established researchers and newcomers. In addition, presentations will be made at major national and international meetings with the participation of all HQP