University of Wyoming investing in clean coal research Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/19/2009 01:00:00 PM

Engineers and scientists at University of Wyoming are serious about their clean coal technology research. That comes as no surprise, since coal is one of the Equality State’s most abundant resources.

Wyoming generates 94.5 percent of their electricity from the reliable, affordable fuel that coal provides and depends on its export for a significant portion of their revenue.

That’s where the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources comes in. The program is unique in that it administers the Clean Coal Technology Fund, a state grant that helps stimulate research to enhance clean coal technologies across the U.S. with the added benefit of improving Wyoming’s coal resources.

With the assistance of the Clean Coal Task Force, the university evaluates clean coal technology projects from academic institutions and private companies. Just this year, the School of Energy Resources received 22 proposals – and has awarded nine programs with funding in just three years.

Furthermore, the School of Energy Research is home to 10 research centers, including the Clean Coal Technologies Center, the Carbon Management Research Center and the Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute.

It’s great to see long-standing educational institutions working on solutions to our climate challenges, while making use of our abundant resources. Learn more about the University of Wyoming’s research and the Clean Coal Technology Fund on their Web site.

MIT making waves in CCS research Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/12/2009 01:34:58 PM

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been in the news a lot lately. Last month, President Obama delivered a speech on clean energy at the university. And last week, MIT president Susan Hockfield told Bloomberg News that the federal government needs to invest more in energy research.

We’re likely to hear more about MIT in the coming months. It’s a crucial time for energy innovation, and the university is at the forefront of some of the latest technological breakthroughs in clean coal technology.

At MIT’s Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies Program, researchers have been focused on developing carbon sequestration from the technical, economic and political perspectives since 1989.

According to the program’s Web site, “Interest has been increasing in the carbon sequestration option because it is very compatible with the large energy production and delivery system now in place” and is a way to help significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Its current research projects – sponsored by energy companies such as BP, StatoilHydro and Siemens – include strategies for implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS), policies for promoting CCS innovation and costs of commercial deployment.

The Web site has a comprehensive list of links to CCS organizations and regional partnerships, an interactive map of CCS projects around the world and, in case you would ever need it, a CO2 Thermophysical Property Calculator.

At Harvard, public policy essential to clean coal technology Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/05/2009 09:00:00 AM

At Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, clean coal research isn’t just about perfecting the science behind the technology – it’s also about understanding the broader role it plays in improving the human condition.

Creating effective public policy is one way to ensure that our technological developments are being used to its full potential – and the Belfer Center is home to two programs specifically focused on that.

The Science, Technology and Public Policy program addresses the societal concerns and consequences that result from advancements in scientific innovation, including economic and social development and international relations.

And the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research project investigates the “patterns and processes” of technologies such as advanced coal and carbon capture and storage in China, India and the United States.

Take a look at some of the discussion papers the programs have published on international and domestic energy policy just this past year:

•Proposed Roadmap for Overcoming Legal and Financial Obstacles to Carbon Capture and Storage This study states proposals for carbon capture and storage plants need to include a long-term outlook to make them a reality.

•Driving Carbon Capture and Storage Forward in China This study calculates the impact that clean coal technology could have on China’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.

•Realistic Costs of Carbon Capture This paper discusses ways to mitigate uncertainties in costs to finance clean coal plants.

•Optimal Spatial Deployment of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Given a Price on Carbon Dioxide This article offers a mathematical model to help minimize the cost of commercial deployment.

As you can see, Belfer Center academics are serious about doing the groundwork to accommodate clean coal technologies on the commercial scale. So be sure to show your support by becoming a fan of Harvard University on Facebook.

Southern Illinois goes all-out on coal research Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/29/2009 09:12:32 AM

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) is one of the few schools that devote an entire research center to coal and clean coal technologies.

Illinois relies on coal for 47 percent of its energy, so it makes perfect sense that academics, scientists and researchers are working to develop and use the state’s abundant coal resources.

Southern Illinois is home to the Coal Research Center, which includes the Illinois Coal Development Park. The university is also involved in more than half of the projects at the Illinois Clean Coal Institute, a state-funded energy research program.

Projects include mercury scrubbers, gasification, combustion systems, controlling coal dust, power plant expansion and reducing plant costs through more efficient technologies. The program also extends to carbon management and energy business practices – an important part of coal research.

In a few years, the center will be well positioned to learn a great deal more about CCT. It is about 150 miles from the U.S.’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage plant, the proposed $1.5 billion FutureGen in Mattoon, Ill.

Find out more about the university’s projects on Southern Illinois’ Energy Technology blog. The site has useful links to energy-related news items and publications as well as blog posts highlighting its latest work.

Carnegie Mellon brings energy policy, technology together Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/22/2009 09:00:00 AM

Earlier this year, we attended a greenhouse gas conference in Washington and had the chance to listen to Carnegie Mellon University Professor Ed Rubin’s panel on carbon capture and sequestration technologies.

Rubin, who teaches engineering and public policy, caught our attention. “Coal will not go away for many decades,” he said at the conference. “[CCS] would allow continued coal use as a bridge to a more sustainable future.”

Moreover, Rubin said that economic models show that including CCS in a portfolio of low-carbon energy options significantly reduces the costs of mitigating change.

Carnegie Mellon's main engineering facility, Hamershlag Hall

Intrigued by his views on clean coal technology, we took a closer look at the Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP), a unique program at Carnegie Mellon that concentrates on solving environmental policy issues with science and engineering.

With the Senate considering climate change legislation, the university’s valuable research has not been more important. The EPP department has more than 20 research programs focusing on hot topics such as energy in China, sustainable engineering and atmospheric particle studies.

Many environmental science academics hold the program in high esteem. According to Kai Lee, the director of the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College, the work that EPP is doing “to improve understanding of complex problems such as climate change is path-breaking and useful – a rare combination.”

Show your support for EPP by following Carnegie Mellon on Twitter and becoming a fan of Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering on Facebook.

Washington U. part of international clean coal team Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/16/2009 09:00:00 AM

Last October, our team traveled to Washington University in St. Louis to report on the vice presidential debate. But knowing that the school is home to one of the world’s leading programs in clean coal technology research, we didn’t want to miss the chance to ask people there what they thought about coal.

We bumped into James V. Wertsch, director of the university’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy, and two Chinese students from his program. In the video above, Wertsch tells us that “coal is going to be huge” for the United States and China and that we should continue to invest in clean coal research.

Washington University’s Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization is focused on advancing technologies for the clean utilization of coal, developing solutions to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and improve public understanding of the role of coal as a source of energy.

ACCCE members Arch Coal, Peabody and Ameren are lead sponsors for the program’s cutting-edge research, which includes carbon capture and sequestration, algae growth and emissions control technology.

This consortium partners up with universities from nearly a dozen coal-producing countries like China, India and Indonesia.

Washington University understands that climate change requires a global solution – and by working together, we can deploy commercial-scale clean coal technologies faster and more efficiently.

Show your support for Washington University by following the school on Twitter or becoming a fan of its engineering program on Facebook.

Cutting edge CCT research at the Notre Dame Energy Center Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/08/2009 09:01:30 AM

Earlier this year, we spoke with University of Notre Dame Professor Edward Maginn at the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) annual conference on carbon capture technology. 

Maginn, a professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, gave us insight about his group’s $3 million U.S. Department of Energy-funded clean coal project at Notre Dame.

Its cutting-edge research is focused on using ionic liquids to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas, a breakthrough absorption technology for post-combustion carbon capture.

Intrigued, we sought out more about Notre Dame’s involvement in clean coal technology research. It has a team of scientists and engineers working on clean coal utilization, CO2 separation, and storage sequestration and use at the Notre Dame Energy Center.

According to the center’s Web site, “It is almost inevitable that coal will become the energy and raw material of choice in the coming decades” and “responsible continued use of fossil fuels, whether it be oil, natural gas or coal, will require the capture and storage of CO2.”

The center’s main goal is to develop more energy-efficient clean coal technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, mitigating the effects of climate change.

And that’s exactly what Maginn and his team at Notre Dame are doing. Their research is an essential part of pushing the technology forward. Show your support and appreciation for their work by becoming a fan of the University of Notre Dame on Facebook.

Got a clean coal technology university program you think we should write about? Tell us about it in the comments.

Getting CCS “right” at Columbia University Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/02/2009 09:00:00 AM

After interviewing students and professors this year’s Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), we realized that some of the most passionate supporters of clean coal technology (CCT) hailed from Columbia University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering (EEE) in the Henry Crumb School of Mines.

“I’m interested in helping to solve problems on a large scale, and I think that CCS would enable us to do that,” EEE student Miriam told us in an interview.

Tim, another EEE student who is working on a PhD on the storage of sulfur and sulfates, said “we have to keep all our options open, and carbon sequestration is one of them.”

Their enthusiasm encouraged us to learn more about their program. It turns out that CCT is one of the main pillars of EEE’s research and specifically focuses on how clean coal technology can be incorporated into the energy and industrial infrastructure for the 21st century.

According to EEE’s Web site, the program plans to achieve this by “treating the inefficiencies and by-products” of fossil fuels through technologies such as carbon sequestration, zero-emission coal, catalysis and recycling.

Department chair Dr. Klaus Lackner, who also spoke with us at RECS , is also working on cutting-edge clean coal projects. Dr. Lackner and his colleagues at Columbia have partnered with Global Research Technologies to develop a new method of capturing carbon from the air in a process called “air extraction.” It will be the company’s first step toward a commercially viable clean coal technology.

Dr. Lackner and the team of experts at Columbia University are another example of the people who are dedicated to pushing essential clean coal technologies forward. Show your support and appreciation for their work by becoming a fan of Columbia University’s Earth Institute on Facebook.

CCS shines at the Rutgers Energy Institute Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/17/2009 09:00:00 AM

We didn’t know much about Rutgers University’s energy research until we met Ben, a Rutgers graduate student, at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration in New Mexico.

Ben, who is studying atmospheric science, believes that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is “an important ingredient in solving the problem of global warming.” Hearing how passionate he felt about clean coal technology got us interested in learning more about Rutgers’ climate and energy programs.

We were excited to discover the Rutgers Energy Institute (REI), a center that integrates the university’s expertise in science and engineering and puts it toward alternative energy research – including CCS and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Just this month, REI received almost $8 million in federal grants from the National Science Foundation.

According to the REI Web site, the CCS research focuses on:

•Developing technology to capture CO2 from coal-generated power plants and other point sources such as oil refineries and cement factories

•Exploring the potential for large-scale and long-term storage of CO2 in both onshore and offshore geologic formations

It’s no wonder Ben is so motivated about pushing CCS forward – he’s got the right resources behind him to help pave the way for a clean coal technology future.

Join the Rutgers University fan page on Facebook or follow Rutgers’ environmental school on Twitter.

New blog series: a spotlight on university clean coal programs Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/10/2009 09:00:00 AM

 America has long looked to their colleges and universities to solve problems on a national scale. The development of clean coal technologies (CCT) is no different.

That’s because many CCT demonstration projects stem from university programs run by geologists, scientists, engineers and researchers who have spent years testing and perfecting the science behind the technology.

Even the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledges academia’s role in moving CCT to commercial scale. Recently, the DOE announced more than $27 million in funding for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects, noting that the bulk of the funding would go toward university programs.

With that in mind, we are proud to introduce our weekly spotlight on university CCT programs. For the next few Thursdays, we’ll highlight programs and initiatives taking place at college campuses across the country.

We’ll kick things off with Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy Project.

The program’s mission is to conduct research on technology that “permits the development of global energy systems with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.” Take a look at their research—they’re already working on a carbon dioxide storage project in China.

We actually had the opportunity to meet the director of the program, Dr. Sally Benson, during this year’s Research Exploration in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) in New Mexico.

During a video interview, Dr. Benson told us that understanding how carbon dioxide flows through rocks is the key to making CCS effective and safe.

Without programs like the Global Climate and Energy Project or dedicated scientists like Dr. Benson, our progress in emissions-reducing clean coal technologies would become stagnant. You can show your support for Dr. Benson and her program by adding Stanford University or the Stanford School of Engineering page to your Facebook profile.

Don’t miss next week’s university spotlight—subscribe to Behind the Plug via email or RSS to be alerted to new posts.