Carbon Dioxide and Electricity: Opportunities for Carbon Capture and Conversion
Abstract
The availability of low-carbon renewable electricity presents a tremendous opportunity for the decarbonization of modern society. The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide can be used to produce the chemical building blocks of plastics, textiles, and fuels. Other sectors, such as steel, cement, and aviation, are challenging to electrify directly but their emissions can be offset through electricity-driven direct air and direct ocean capture technologies. In this presentation, I will discuss notable lab-scale demonstrations of electrochemical carbon conversion and direct air capture. I will then discuss the scale-up of these technologies and the work that Deep Sky is doing to build large-scale carbon dioxide removal systems here in Canada.
Bio
Jonathan is Senior Principal Engineer, Capture at Deep Sky. He completed his PhD at the University of Toronto in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering where he studied the electrochemical conversion of CO2 into chemicals and fuels. As a PhD student, he co-led Team CERT, one of five finalists in the $20 million NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition. The team scaled-up electrochemical CO2-to-ethylene technology 10,000-fold over the course of 18 months to produce a system capable of processing about 100 kg of CO2 daily. The success of this demonstration enabled CERT Systems to spin-out as a company where Jonathan served as Principal Research Scientist. He then joined Deep Sky to build infrastructure for large-scale carbon dioxide removal systems in Canada. Jonathan’s academic research has generated 25 publications in peer-reviewed journals which have been cited collectively more than 5,800 times. Jonathan has been recognized as a Corporate Knights Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader and a Globe and Mail Report on Business Changemaker.