Optimized Photothermal CO2 Desorption using Narrowband Light sources in Monolithic Sorbents
Project content and funding:
The widespread deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology faces many challenges, where high operating costs are one of the main barriers. While significant research is dedicated to more efficient CO2 sorption, a shortage exists in developing cost-effective desorption methods. The most applied CO2 desorption method is the temperature swing method (TSM), involving heating the entire reactor > 100 °C for extended periods, resulting in high energy consumption.
An alternative approach to reduce energy demand during desorption is utilising light, which, combined with photothermal (PT) nanoparticles, can be converted into heat. Contrary to TMS, the PT approach allows precise and localised gas desorption due to the material’s inherent properties. Since PT nanoparticles display narrow absorption peaks, to achieve maximum PT effect with the lowest given power, precise light sources with concentrated power are required. Still, the main challenge of the PT approach is to reach a temperature > 100 °C for complete CO2 desorption and long-lasting cyclability.
Project is a founded within ARIS ERC complementary scheme and focus on investigating the arhitecture and light penetration on silica-iron oxide and silica-carbon monoliths snythesized using sol-gel and freeze cast method. The point of the project is to obtain preliminary results which would help to strengthen the research idea, applied for following ERC calls.
Duration of the project: 1.1.2025-31.12.2026
Financing: The project is financed by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (project number: N2-0389
Project Team
University of Nova Gorica
- Assist. Prof. Blaž Belec (PI)
- Anjali
Project phases
- To prepare cheap, environmentally sustainable, robust and highly porous (≥ 800 m2/g for inorganic-based) PT-active monolithic sorbent with moderate to high sorbent capacity (> 1.5 mmol CO2/gsorbent at RT). (finished)
- To investigate the heat propagation through PT-active monolithic sorbents. (active)
- To thoroughly characterise materials' optical properties to determine their λmax (active)
- To measure PT-triggered CO2 desorption of different arhitectures.(active)
