Many industrial processes generate CO₂ as a by-product, which is released to the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. Clean, low-CO₂ emission technology, which requires carbon capture (CO₂ removal from flue gas by solid-state sorbents), is critical to meet our Nation’s energy and manufacturing needs in an environmentally sustainable manner. Similarly, CO₂ adsorption in shale minerals during enhanced oil and gas recovery will also play a critical role. Low CO₂ emission technology depends on transient gas/solid material interactions. Such interactions cannot be inferred from initial or final state materials property measurements such as sorbent microstructure, but must be measured in situ during the sorption or release process. This project focuses on the design, construction, and application of a suite of in situ measurement platforms for use with NIST’s state-of-the-art neutron and synchrotron X-ray scattering facilities, capable of interrogating critical carbon capture properties across the range of candidate CO₂ sorbent solid materials, as well as oil and gas shales. Measurements using the platform suite will focus on in situ determination of changes in structure, microstructure, atomic bonding, and dynamics in sorbent materials during the sorption and release of CO₂ under controlled conditions of temperature, pressure, humidity, and atmosphere. X-ray or neutron diffraction analysis and thermogravimetric analysis will be carried out in situ with samples that are simultaneously undergoing evolved gas analysis.

 

Keywords:

Solid state sorbents; Carbon (CO2) mitigation; Global climate change; Sustainability; Clean coal technology; CO2 adsorbing shales; Neutron scattering; Synchrotron X-ray scattering; Materials science;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants