Resource Efficiency

Micro Nano Technologies (MNT) proposes a proof-of-concept, thermally driven industrial semi-open absorption heat pump drying system to address current drying technology limitations and increase energy efficiency by 40% over state of the art. Because it is heat source flexible, this efficient, compact, and cost-effective drying system will permit the use of the lowest cost fuel per location, reducing operating costs, saving energy, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions at the grid/system level.

Direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a promising technology in reversing greenhouse gas emissions. DAC is possible through liquid and solid-sorbent technologies, but the lower energy costs for solid-sorbent technology can facilitate widespread, rapid deployment of DAC systems. Current DAC sorbents are limited in how much CO2 they can remove for a given amount of material, requiring large amounts of sorbent, increased system sizes, and higher cost. Mosaic Materials has developed an ultrahigh capacity sorbent using materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Direct capture of CO2 from ambient air is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Due to the dilute nature of the CO2, capturing it in ambient air is challenging and requires different strategies than carbon capture from concentrated CO2 waste streams. Giner, Inc., (Giner) proposes a novel process that uses a liquid solvent, regenerated electrochemically, to capture dilute CO2 from air to produce a purified, concentrated CO2 stream.

OCOchem proposes to build a tall (1800 cm2 ) electrochemical cell, addressing a critical scale-up issue for many processes seeking to convert carbon dioxide into useful products. The cell will be used to convert carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity into formic acid. The project will integrate multiple innovative electrolyzer components and materials into a first-of-its-kind single design. If successful, the new process will reduce the cost of formic acid 33%, be based exclusively on renewable energy and feeds, and avoid the use fossil-based inputs.

The University of Minnesota will design a cell-free biocatalytic system that will reduce CO2 efficiently into formate, an important feedstock for chemicals and fuels, with energy supplied from electricity. Renewable electricity is now competitive with and in many instances less expensive than fossil fuel-derived electricity, but its storage remains challenging. Energy storage in chemical bonds through electricity-driven carbon reduction offers higher energy densities and greater safety and transportability than batteries.

Currently spent fluid catalytic cracking catalysts are classified as non-hazardous. The quantity is significant at nearly 400,000 tons produced annually, which are sent to landfills. Gypsum waste is estimated at 13 million tons annually with only 2% recycled into new wallboard. If these materials can be profitably combined with the nearly 30 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually processed in waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities, it will increase the MSW going to thermal processing facilities and recover materials currently being landfilled.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management involves three primary practices: landfilling, recycling, and incineration for energy recovery (waste-to-energy or WTE). WTE is a potentially sustainable method of MSW management because it reduces landfilling and generates energy. Incineration reduces input waste mass by 70%. The remaining 30%—in the form of bottom and fly ashes—has to be discarded or landfilled. A main barrier to beneficial use of these ashes is the variability in their composition, which renders them as an unreliable byproduct.

Reducing the cost of CO2 removal from the air requires developing a new contactor, which captures CO2 so it can be recovered, concentrated, and stored. Creare aims to develop a contactor using Creare’s low-cost additive manufacturing methods. Creare will also incorporate a low-cost, durable sorbent that captures CO2 molecules from ambient air and releases CO2 for storage when heated to moderate temperatures. The contactor is designed for wind-driven operation, which reduces cost by eliminating the need for large arrays of fans to blow air through the system.

Designs by Natural Processes, Inc., aims to make novel cement at ambient temperature using 55% municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator ash. The team will add low-cost chemicals to better sequester environmentally problematic combustion gases, chemicals, and heavy metals during incineration, eliminating undesired chemicals in the ash-rich cement leachate. The team's objective is to develop an alternative to traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which cannot sequester nearly as much ash (16%).

California Institute of Technology aims to develop an off-shore, stand-alone system for low-cost, efficient CO2 removal from ocean water. The project’s main objectives are to demonstrate a (1) high operating current density and low power electrodialyzer stack and (2) membrane contactor to facilitate unprecedented rapid removal of CO2 from ocean water. These combined innovations will significantly reduce the volume of ocean water that needs to be processed. They will also significantly reduce the capital and associated system costs.