Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone, are commonly seen as the primary source of global warming, which is on the rise and holds potential to threaten many processes that affect life on Earth. Notably the burning of fossil fuel is among the prime human activities that result in greenhouse gas emission and has risen dramatically since the industrial revolution.
Among green house gas emissions, CO2 contributes more than 60% of global warming therefore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is a key strategy since it offers the opportunity to meet increasing demands for fossil fuel energy in the short- to medium term, whilst reducing the associates greenhouse gas emissions. Although many attempts have been made for CO2 capture and storage, a cost-effective process has not been obtained yet. Now, Graphenea is part of a EU-funded project to capture CO2 from burning fossil fuel using graphene oxide aerogels and metal organic framework (MOF) materials.
Project GRAMOFON, a 3.5 year project that started in October 2016, aims to use solid matter as capture material. By using solids sorbents instead of the predominantly used liquids, we aim to reduce the energy required to capture and subsequently isolate CO2 derived from post-combustion processes. In addition, using highly porous solid sorbents we take advantage of the regeneration of the material, CO2 desorption, with processes such as Microwave Swing desorption that have been demonstrated to be more efficient than conventional heating procedures. Graphene oxide, due to its unique structure and functionality, has been proved to be a promising candidate for the creation of mesoporous structures and a very efficient promoter for microwave heating.
The EU will contribute nearly €4.2 million to the project that involves 7 research and commercial entities from 6 countries across Europe and one partner from South Korea.