Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CO2CAP (Energy harvesting from CO2 emission exploiting ionic liquid-based CAPacitive mixing)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
The CO2CAP project addresses the pressing global challenge of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions while simultaneously harnessing them to generate renewable energy. The problem at hand is twofold: society continues to rely heavily on carbon-based fuels, leading to increased CO2 emissions and exacerbating climate change. Simultaneously, traditional methods of CO2 capture and utilization often involve high costs, environmental drawbacks, and inefficient energy conversion processes.
This project's importance for society lies in its potential to offer a sustainable and efficient solution to mitigate CO2 emissions while simultaneously generating renewable energy. By developing a novel technology based on capacitive mixing, CO2CAP aims to capture CO2 emissions directly from anthropogenic sources and convert them into electrical energy. This approach not only addresses the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes to the transition towards cleaner energy sources.
The overall objectives of CO2CAP are multifaceted. Firstly, the project seeks to develop cutting-edge carbon-based electrodes and bio-derived ionic liquids (ILs) capable of efficiently capturing CO2 and converting its concentration gradient into electrical energy. Secondly, it aims to optimize the electrochemical processes involved in the capacitive mixing of CO2 and the subsequent energy conversion, while also maximizing the purity of the captured CO2 stream for further utilization and valorization. Thirdly, CO2CAP aims to advance our understanding of the physical and electrochemical phenomena occurring in the proposed system, paving the way for the development of a new generation of CO2-free renewable energy sources.
In conclusion, the CO2CAP project represents a significant step towards addressing the dual challenges of CO2 emissions and renewable energy generation. By developing a novel technology that integrates CO2 capture, energy conversion, and sustainability principles, CO2CAP offers a promising solution with far-reaching implications for combating climate change and advancing the global transition towards a low-carbon future.
This project's importance for society lies in its potential to offer a sustainable and efficient solution to mitigate CO2 emissions while simultaneously generating renewable energy. By developing a novel technology based on capacitive mixing, CO2CAP aims to capture CO2 emissions directly from anthropogenic sources and convert them into electrical energy. This approach not only addresses the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes to the transition towards cleaner energy sources.
The overall objectives of CO2CAP are multifaceted. Firstly, the project seeks to develop cutting-edge carbon-based electrodes and bio-derived ionic liquids (ILs) capable of efficiently capturing CO2 and converting its concentration gradient into electrical energy. Secondly, it aims to optimize the electrochemical processes involved in the capacitive mixing of CO2 and the subsequent energy conversion, while also maximizing the purity of the captured CO2 stream for further utilization and valorization. Thirdly, CO2CAP aims to advance our understanding of the physical and electrochemical phenomena occurring in the proposed system, paving the way for the development of a new generation of CO2-free renewable energy sources.
In conclusion, the CO2CAP project represents a significant step towards addressing the dual challenges of CO2 emissions and renewable energy generation. By developing a novel technology that integrates CO2 capture, energy conversion, and sustainability principles, CO2CAP offers a promising solution with far-reaching implications for combating climate change and advancing the global transition towards a low-carbon future.
The project started in a complicated period of coronavirus pandemic. This entailed delays in carrying out orders for the purchase of instruments and therefore in setting up the laboratories and at the same time limited access for researchers to the infrastructure. Nevertheless, we have so far obtained excellent results:
- we have set up the laboratory dedicated to CO2CAP in addition to the laboratories made available by HI
- we advertised the project at the European Researchers' Night 2021, 2022 and 2023 (and we will apply also for the forthcoming 2024 one) and in an educational seminar for young students
- we have created the project website: http://www.co2cap.polito.it/
- we have created the dedicate social media pages
- we started the research activities focusing on three strands, namely the development and characterization of materials, the modeling of the phenomenon and the testing of devices.
- these three aspects of the research perfectly met to synergistically combine the data and thanks to these efforts we were able to publish eight papers and bring the results to a conference and workshop on 16 controbutions (9 oral, among which two invited, and 7 posters).
- we have demonstrated the working principle of the CO2CAP device (two paper submitted under review)
- we have set up the laboratory dedicated to CO2CAP in addition to the laboratories made available by HI
- we advertised the project at the European Researchers' Night 2021, 2022 and 2023 (and we will apply also for the forthcoming 2024 one) and in an educational seminar for young students
- we have created the project website: http://www.co2cap.polito.it/
- we have created the dedicate social media pages
- we started the research activities focusing on three strands, namely the development and characterization of materials, the modeling of the phenomenon and the testing of devices.
- these three aspects of the research perfectly met to synergistically combine the data and thanks to these efforts we were able to publish eight papers and bring the results to a conference and workshop on 16 controbutions (9 oral, among which two invited, and 7 posters).
- we have demonstrated the working principle of the CO2CAP device (two paper submitted under review)
Considering that what is described in CO2CAP had never been demonstrated in literature, I can now say that I have obtained the results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the project. We have in fact manufactured some electrochmeical cells that show how it is possible to recover energy from the absorption and desorption cycle of CO2 in an ionic liquid. these data have not yet been published but the paper is under review.
Moreover we published other papers related to the materials developed in the framework of the project (totally 8) and other 3 are under review in peer review journals with IF>7.
Moreover we published other papers related to the materials developed in the framework of the project (totally 8) and other 3 are under review in peer review journals with IF>7.