Monday, September 30, 2013

Energy Department gives Univ. of Ky. $3 million to research ways to reduce carbon emissions

The U.S. Department of Energy has given the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research a $3 million grant to advance technology to capture carbon dioxide coal-burning power plants. "The announcement comes on the heels of regulations proposed Sept. 20 by the Environmental Protection Agency to sharply reduce carbon emissions from new power plants," the university notes in a news release. "This development presents serious challenges to the coal industry, which currently lacks cost-effective technology that would enable it to comply with the proposed lower limits."

The project "will advance the DOE's goal of having technology available by 2020 that can achieve a 90-percent carbon dioxide capture rate, at a cost of $40 per metric ton of carbon dioxide captured," states the release. "A major cost associated with commercial carbon dioxide capture is the size of the 'scrubber' needed to handle the volume of flue gas produced by a power plant. UK has developed a catalyst to speed up the absorption rate of the solvent used, so the scrubber can be much smaller. Overall, the UK technology could reduce the cost of carbon dioxide capture by 56 percent, compared to the current DOE reference case." To visit the Center for Applied Energy Research, click here.

No comments: