Developing new materials and new processes for the conversion of CO2 to fuels and chemicals
Summary
Utilization of CO2 to produce fuels and chemicals is considered to be one of the most desirable solutions for carbon management, since CO2-derived products can provide a revenue stream to offset capture costs and generate a net profit. Thermocatalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to hydrocarbons (HCs), especially with low carbon-intensity hydrogen from water electrolysis using renewable electricity, is an attractive route to produce fuels with a near carbon-neutral footprint, and accordingly, this approach has drawn extensive research interest over the past few years. Even though considerable progress has been achieved for CO2 hydrogenation to C1 products (such as CO, methane and methanol) and C2–3 olefins, the synthesis of longer chain HCs (i.e., C4+) remains a challenge due to the stability of CO2, the high energy barrier for C-C coupling reactions, and side reactions that favor C1 products. These longer chain HCs are versatile products with diverse applications as renewable gasoline blendstocks and precursors for diesel or jet fuel production. This presentation will highlight the development of new materials to perform new catalytic chemistry for the conversion of CO2 to C2+ HCs, focusing on the development of metal carbide nanoparticles and how their reactivity differs from the bulk carbide. Analogously, approaches for process development employing commercially available catalysts, such as a composite of Cu-ZnO-alumina and Cu/BEA zeolite catalysts, will be presented.
Biography
Dan Ruddy is a senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. He is the principal investigator for NREL research projects focusing on the catalytic conversion of syngas, methanol, and carbon dioxide to fuels and chemicals. He also serves as the business development lead for NREL’s carbon management program. Dan received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Lafayette College (Easton, PA) in 2003 and his doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. His research seeks to integrate the synthesis and characterization of functional molecules and materials to enable renewable fuels production and advance related energy technologies.