Novel Materials and Systems for CO2 Capture

Ever-increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions have required us to develop carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, and in order to address climate change, these options should be at scale. The Park group has been working on engineered materials and systems of CO2 capture from power plants and chemical processes. Further, we have been one of the first groups in the world working on capturing CO2 directly from the atmosphere and ocean. Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) are the most challenging forms of carbon capture due to the low concentration of carbon in the environment. However, these are emerging approaches that include the Earth (i.e., air, earth, and ocean) within its system boundary, and thus, its potential scale is enormous.

In the Park group, we have been advancing the science and engineering of novel materials and carbon mineralization schemes for DAC, and lead the global discussions on how DAC can be used to create a new circular carbon economy that will de-fossilize our industrial sectors. Further, the integration of DAC with carbon storage options, we can achieve negative emissions, which are needed to achieve climate change mitigation.

Active Projects:

  • Next Generation Fiber-Encapsulated Nanoscale Hybrid Materials for Direct Air Capture with Selective Water Rejection
  • Development of Novel Liquid-like Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) with Encapsulated Design for Innovative Direct Air Capture
  • Encapsulated Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Innovative MOFs Delivery System for CO2 Capture and Improved Long-term Stability
  • Energy-efficient regeneration of CO2 capture materials via non-thermal energy transfer