PFI-TT: Carbon dioxide hydrates-based storage of carbon on the seabed

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is the development and subsequent commercialization of a new technology to sequester carbon dioxide on the seabed. There is growing consensus that gigascale carbon removal will be needed to limit the Earth’s temperature rise to less than 1.5 ºC. Injection of carbon dioxide in underground reservoirs is the primary industrial scale option for sequestration; However it has significant issues associated with limited suitable reservoirs, risk of leakages and extensive monitoring requirements. Success of this project will contribute to positioning the US as a leader in the fight against climate change. The research will add to the currently limited portfolio of solutions for dealing with excess carbon dioxide. On the education front, this project will provide entrepreneurship as well as technical training to a postdoc and graduate and undergraduate students. Existing programs at the University of Texas at Austin, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), will be used to recruit students from underserved communities. The proposed project targets applied research on a technology to sequester carbon dioxide on the seabed as hydrates. An alternative sequestration option is carbon dioxide hydrates, which are ice-like solids of carbon dioxide and water. The proposed technology involves rapid formation of hydrates, sealing them in a matrix (to prevent dissociation), and seabed disposal, noting that the seabed provides a naturally occurring, stable environment for hydrates to exist. This project will conduct applied research to de-risk two aspects of this technology. First, the most appropriate, commercially available material for sealing hydrates will be identified by testing of materials. Second, hydrate formation from impure carbon dioxide streams and seawater will be studied. Results from this proposal will set the stage for future field trials, paving the way to commercialization. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.