Grant: Alliance Grants

The primary objective of this collaboration between the Berlinguette Group (UBC) and TotalEnergies is to demonstrate steady-state operation of a "coupled carbon reactor" (CCR) equipped for: 1. CO2 capture: a CO2 absorber will capture CO2 in a liquid "capture solution"; 2. CO2 conversion: the capture solution will flow to a "reactive carbon electrolyzer" that removes CO2 from the capture solution and converts this CO2 into a valuable product; 3. Closing the loop: the capture solution exiting the electrolyzer will circulate back to the CO2 absorber to capture more CO2 and repeat the process. Through a previous Alliance project, we identified that a key challenge for deploying a technology that directly integrates CO2 capture and conversion on an industrial scale is achieving steady-state operation (meaning variables such as the rate of CO2 capture and rate of product formation need to remain relatively constant over time) while maintaining high CO2 conversion. This new Alliance project will enable us to address this challenge through the design and build of a novel CCR. The CCR is expected to provide data required to inform the future design of a field pilot that bridges the gap between laboratory and industrial scales. This Alliance project will also train young scientists and engineers in Canada for careers relating to renewable energy and greenhouse gas mitigation. Our long-term vision is to develop an economically-viable CO2 utilization technology that couples carbon capture and conversion, and uses renewable energy to produce fuels and other valuable chemicals. This technology could play a vital role in enabling Canada to achieve its decarbonization goals while growing the carbontech economy.