Descripción del proyecto
Energía renovable alternativa a partir de las emisiones de CO2
La reducción del CO2 liberado a la atmósfera y su recuperación se encuentran entre los principales instrumentos para contrarrestar el cambio climático. El proyecto CO2CAP, financiado con fondos europeos, tiene como objetivo hacer este proceso más simple, más eficiente y sostenible con un enfoque multidisciplinario basado en la nanotecnología, la ingeniería de materiales y los modelos fisicoquímicos. Al mezclar dos soluciones con diferentes concentraciones, se libera energía, pero este fenómeno hasta ahora se ha estudiado principalmente aplicado a los gradientes de salinidad. En lugar de eso, el proyecto CO2CAP aprovecha la mezcla capacitiva de líquidos iónicos bioderivados durante la absorción de CO2 para recuperar la energía de la captura de CO2 y luego liberar un flujo de CO2 puro para su posterior valorización. La idea básica es que esta absorción da lugar a un cambio de carga en los dos electrodos enfrentados al líquido iónico, para recuperar así la energía.
Objetivo
When two solutions with different composition are mixed, free energy of mixing is released. This phenomenon was deeply investigated in the last decades in order to harvest the so-called salinity gradient power. One of the most incipient technology that allows to harvest this energy is the Capacitive Mixing (CapMix) and its working mechanism is based on a fluidic electrochemical cell, similar to a supercapacitor. Since this mixing phenomenon holds true for both liquids and gases, my idea is to harvest energy from anthropic CO2. The energy density stored in the CO2 emission is tremendously higher than that stored in salinity gradient and theoretically estimated as high as 1570 TWh/year. Since ions are needed in CapMix process, with CO2CAP I propose for the first time to exploit a green ionic liquid (IL), i.e. a bio-derived molten salt at room temperature, both as electrolyte and CO2 absorbing medium in a CapMix cell. The principle consists of flowing a concentrated CO2 gas stream, alternated to vacuum step, in the IL during the charging/discharging of two electrodes. The CO2 will induce an electric double layer (EDL) expansion of charges at the electrode/IL interface thereby converting the released mixing energy into electrical energy. To reach this goal, the objectives of CO2CAP are to develop novel cutting-edge carbon-based electrodes and amino acid-based IL designed to maximize the EDL of charges at the electrode/IL interface, enhancing at the same time the CO2 absorption capacity. This will be possible by using a multidisciplinary approach based on materials engineering, modelling, advanced characterization methods and novel architecture of the electrodes. The engineered materials and cell will allow to demonstrate the feasibility of this new electrochemical approach, enabling a deeper understanding of the physical and electrochemical phenomena occurring in such a complicated system, and paving the way to a new generation of CO2-free renewable energy source.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitución de acogida
10129 Torino
Italia