Postgraduate research opportunities New methods of carbon capture using green materials

The Paris Agreement set the goal of limiting the post-industrial global temperature increase to 1.5 °C and reducing the impact of point-source emitters of contributing greenhouse gases is essential in realising this ambition. Consequently, efforts have been made to reduce the impact of coal-fired power stations; however, the parasitic load of carbon capture processes for post-combustion removal are estimated to be more than 30% of the energy produced at source, reducing the efficiency of the plant, and impacting on the benefits of such processes. Hence, there is a need to work towards a solution that offers environmental and economic benefits in a holistic process from systems development to application.

This project focusses on the use of solid, regenerable materials, known as sorbents, to adsorb carbon dioxide and remove it from process streams. The materials produced within the study will be based on sustainable feedstocks, constituting waste products from other sectors, which can be valorised by conversion into adsorbents. Such materials will be subject to pyrolysis to lock in the porous nature of the feedstock, and preventing routes to degradation. There is also scope to physically and chemically modify the materials to enhance their interactions with the target gas. The project builds on work within the Fletcher group [1-3] and will allow the candidate to address the global challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane, as well as addressing the production chain for sorbent materials. The candidate will identify and source precursor materials, allowing synthesis of a range of sorbents, their modification and full characterisation. These materials will also be studied for their performance in static and dynamic adsorption systems, providing data on capacity (how much gas can be stored), kinetics (how quickly the gas can be removed and the material regenerated), as well as competition with other species, e.g. other flue gas constituents, including water vapour. This will provide a more realistic view of the impact that these materials could have in carbon capture applications.

All Strathclyde PhD students undertake the Strathclyde Researcher Development programme (PGCert), which provides a framework for skills and knowledge development, with the award of the separate qualification in conjunction with the PhD. Additionally, all PhD students are automatically enrolled in the Strathclyde Doctoral School, providing opportunities for students to network and intensifying their research dissemination.

Information about the host department can be found by visiting:

http://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/chemicalprocessengineering

http://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/research/chemicalprocessengineering/

Further information

References

[1] Principe, I. A. & Fletcher, A. J., 2020, Adsorption. 26, 5, 723-735.
[2] Principe, I. A., Murdoch, B., Flannigan, J. M. & Fletcher, A. J., 2018, Materials Today Chemistry. 195-205.
[3] Carrington, E. J., McAnally, C. A., Fletcher, A. J., Thompson, S. P., Warren, M., Brammer, L., 2017, Nature Chemistry. 9, 9, 882-889.