We face a climate change crisis, and it is now accepted that we not only need to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but that we also need to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The Forse Group in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry are working on “direct air capture” (DAC), an approach where sponge-like materials are used to capture carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. The traditional sponge materials for this process have issues including poor long-term stability and/or the need for very high temperatures (up to 900 ºC) to regenerate the sponges for reuse.
To tackle these issues, Professor Scott’s group in the Department of Engineering have been working on various novel carbon capture processes, from the material through to the process scale. The power required by a DAC depends on the both the “sponge” and how it is integrated into a process, e.g. low capacity can be compensated for by a shorter cycle, high energy requirements can be offset by energy recovery strategies. Therefore, the process and material must be evaluated simultaneously. DAC is limited by the energy input needed to regenerate the sponge. Using heat forces the process to use much more energy than is needed. The sponges developed offer unique opportunities to electrify the DAC process either through joule heating, or via electromediated desorption. However, the route to large scale utilisation still needs to be fully explored. To understand how best to deploy new carbon sponges in a real-world direct-air capture process, process modelling and optimisation work is required. A process modelling PhD studentship, jointly supervised between the Engineering and Chemistry Departments will seek to answer the following questions:
(i) How much energy and cost can be saved with new carbon sponges, compared to existing approaches? (ii) Is it possible to operate a direct air capture process efficiently using waste heat or electricity for sponge regeneration? (iii) How sensitive is the cost of direct air capture to the sponge properties, including capacity and water competition? (iv) How sensitive is the cost of direct air capture to the environmental conditions, and in particular humidity?
The process modelling work will inform the carbon sponge development work by another PhD student.
This studentship is 4 years in length and includes fees and maintenance for students eligible for Home fees.
Applicants should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a good 2.1 degree in an Engineering, Material Science or related subject.
Applications should be submitted via the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/egegpdpeg, with Professor Stuart Scott identified as the potential supervisor.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.