Carbon Mitigation: Technologies and Processes
Post-Combustion CO2 Capture
We are developing a robust, reliable process that will offer existing power plants a low-cost, energy-efficient option for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This process utilizes a novel sodium carbonate-based absorbent to capture carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust and generate a concentrated CO2 gas stream for reuse or permanent storage.
Field-tested under actual coal-fired conditions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's combustion research facility, our "dry carbonate" process has proven to be robust and reliable, capable of removing more than 90 percent of the carbon dioxide in flue gas.
Today, we are working with industrial and governmental partners to scale up development and bring RTI's process closer to commercial availability. We also have advanced research programs studying the use of novel membranes and solvents for CO2 capture for post-combustion applications.
Contact: Markus Lesemann
CO2 Capture for Gasification Systems
Our scientists are developing a process for removing CO2 from raw, high-temperature and high-pressure syngas generated through gasification or reforming of carbonaceous fuels. This unique manufacturing technique produces lithium silicate-based absorbents capable of capturing CO2 at high temperatures and pressures. Used within a gasification system, these absorbents are also capable of simultaneously producing high-pressure, high-purity hydrogen.
Contact: Markus Lesemann
Chemical Looping Combustion
We are working to develop a cost-effective chemical looping combustion technology for simultaneous generation of electricity and sequestration-ready CO2 from pulverized coal. Our research is focused heavily on improving the kinetics and oxygen capacity of a novel oxygen carrier material as well as on process development challenges such as improving the rate of solid fuel combustion and improving the procedure to separate the oxygen carrier material from ash and char produced in the process.
Contact: Markus Lesemann
Biomass Gasification
Working in cooperation with other researchers, RTI engineers are developing and demonstrating a process for removing contaminants from biomass-derived syngas. The process consists of a fluidized-bed reactor with a novel tri-functional material that effectively decomposes tar into valuable fuel and removes ammonia and sulfur. Because this system can accept particle-laden syngas, a particulate filter can be installed downstream of what has been dubbed the "therminator" block. Our therminator technology has proven to be both thermally efficient and technically promising in bench-scale testing. We are currently seeking a partner to test it at pilot scale.
Contact: Markus Lesemann
Solid-State Lighting
We are developing a new approach to energy-efficient lighting technologies based on control of the nanoscale properties of materials. Leveraging advanced polymeric nanofibers with diameters on the order of 300 nm, our scientists have created a cost-effective solution for light management across the visible spectrum.
The optical characteristics of the nanofiber base are adjusted by varying the properties of the nanofibers such as fiber diameter and morphology. In addition, we have successfully demonstrated that photoluminescent nanofibers can be fabricated by combining luminescent particles such as quantum dots and our advanced polymer nanofiber structures. Through judicious choice of the types of particles used to fabricate the photoluminescent nanofber, the full visible spectrum of light can be produced with high efficiency and excellent color-rendering properties.
To date, we have demonstrated several prototype luminaire devices with luminous efficacy exceeding 55 lumens per watt for warm white and natural white colors at color-rendering indices of 90 and above. The technology is protected by multiple patent applications. Funding for the development of this technology was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Solid-State Lighting Core Technology program.
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Related Research
Contact: Lynn Davis