Metal Organic Framework Research

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Program:
IMPACCT
Award:
$4,960,431
Location:
Berkeley, California
Status:
ALUMNI
Project Term:
07/01/2010 - 09/25/2015

Technology Description:

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is developing a method for identifying the best metal organic frameworks for use in capturing CO2 from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants. Metal organic frameworks are porous, crystalline compounds that, based on their chemical structure, vary considerably in terms of their capacity to grab hold of passing CO2 molecules and their ability to withstand the harsh conditions found in the gas exhaust of coal-fired power plants. Owing primarily to their high tunability, metal organic frameworks can have an incredibly wide range of different chemical and physical properties, so identifying the best to use for CO2 capture and storage can be a difficult task. UC Berkeley uses high-throughput instrumentation to analyze nearly 100 materials at a time, screening them for the characteristics that optimize their ability to selectively adsorb CO2 from coal exhaust. Their work will identify the most promising frameworks and accelerate their large-scale commercial development to benefit further research into reducing the cost of CO2 capture and storage.

Potential Impact:

If successful, UC Berkeley's new methods for identifying the most suitable metal organic frameworks for use in carbon capture technology will be an indispensable tool for future researchers and dramatically reduce the cost of this technology.

Security:

Enabling continued use of domestic coal for electricity generation will preserve the stability of the electric grid.

Environment:

Carbon capture technology could prevent more than 800 million tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.

Economy:

Enabling cost-effective carbon capture systems could accelerate their adoption at existing power plants.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Eric Rohlfing
Project Contact:
Jeffrey Long
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
jrlong@berkeley.edu

Partners

Wildcat Discovery Technologies, Inc.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ADA-ES, Inc.
Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI)

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Release Date:
02/07/2009