When it comes to carbon capture and storage (CCS) research, scientists focus on a keyword: efficiency.
That’s because, while CCS is an essential technology that can help the world reach the Paris goals, existing solutions can be costly and energy-intensive.
FuelCell Energy and ExxonMobil are working to develop a game-changing CCS device that concentrates and captures up to 90% of CO2 emissions from exhaust streams and uses less energy than current solutions. The efficient design uses advanced fuel cells, battery-like devices that show enormous promise for efficient carbon capture.
The partners have renewed their joint R&D work to create a fuel cell CCS system that’s economical, scalable and deployable within ExxonMobil’s operations and beyond. The two-year agreement, worth up to $60 million, will enable research on how to capture emissions at power plants and industrial facilities (including refineries and chemical plants).
ExxonMobil has long been a leader in utilising and advancing carbon capture technology and in 2016 launched a partnership with FuelCell Energy to advance this work. Together, scientists and engineers began the ambitious task to create a more efficient, modular design that could have a huge global impact, especially when deployed in the industrial and electricity sectors.
Here’s a look at the potential technology for CO2 emissions reduction and the people behind it.
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Tony Leo is FuelCell Energy’s Chief Technology Officer.
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Fuel Cell carbon capture has the potential to lower emissions from exhaust streams at power plants, refineries, and chemical plants.
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Tim Barckholtz is a senior scientific advisor at ExxonMobil. He leads the company’s technical work in CO2 capture technologies.
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Researchers develop fuel cell “batteries” to capture carbon dioxide while simultaneously generating power.