The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $101m in federal funding for five projects aimed at advancing carbon management capabilities.
The fiscal backing will be employed to establish test facilities for advancing carbon capture, conversion, and removal technologies.
This funding represents a significant step toward reducing CO₂ emissions from industrial and power generation sources, a critical goal for achieving the US green transition.
Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, explained the significance of the funding: “Carbon management technologies such as carbon capture can significantly reduce emissions from fossil energy use and key industrial processes, like cement production.
“By investing in test centres, we are helping reduce barriers to commercial scale deployment of carbon capture, conversion, and removal technologies that will ultimately help reduce pollution and create jobs.”
The role of carbon management technologies
Carbon management technologies encompass three primary strategies:
- Carbon capture: Trapping CO₂ emissions from industrial and power generation facilities before they reach the atmosphere.
- Carbon removal: Extracting CO₂ directly from the air, addressing existing greenhouse gas levels.
- Carbon conversion: Transforming captured CO₂ into valuable products like fuels, chemicals, and building materials.
These approaches not only help mitigate climate change but also create a circular carbon economy, where CO₂ becomes a resource rather than a waste product.
Accelerating innovation through federal investment
The DOE’s funding will support the establishment of test facilities designed to research and evaluate cutting-edge methods to capture, remove, and convert carbon dioxide emissions.
These projects will target emissions from sectors such as cement manufacturing and power plants – two of the largest contributors to CO₂ emissions.
By funding these projects, the DOE aims to address key challenges in scaling carbon management technologies, ensuring they are both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will oversee the projects, working under the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM).
Selected carbon management projects
The $101m investment will fund the following projects, each with a unique focus and potential to drive advancements in carbon management:
- University of Illinois: This project focuses on developing a conceptual framework for a test centre dedicated to the cement industry. By refining the technical, managerial, and business structures necessary, the university aims to accelerate innovation in carbon capture and conversion.
- Holcim US: Holcim US plans to establish a Cement Carbon Management Innovation Center at its Maryland facility. The centre will explore potential business models and partnerships to advance carbon management in the cement sector.
- Southern Company Services: The National Carbon Capture Center will expand its capabilities to evaluate CO₂ capture, removal, and conversion technologies in real-world power plant operating conditions, helping to bridge the gap between research and commercial application.
- University of North Dakota: The Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota will enhance its existing test centre, enabling faster and more cost-effective evaluation of carbon management technologies for power plants.
- University of Wyoming: This project will expand the Wyoming Integrated Test Center to support a wider range of carbon management technologies. It will focus on simulating emissions from natural gas and industrial facilities, broadening the scope of carbon capture research.
A national vision for sustainability
By funding these projects, the DOE is building the infrastructure necessary for a sustainable future. The establishment of test facilities will accelerate the research, development, and deployment of carbon management technologies, ensuring they can be scaled to meet the diverse needs of US industries.
These innovations also provide significant economic benefits by creating jobs in engineering, research, and manufacturing.
To fully realise the potential of carbon management technologies, ongoing research, policy support, and collaboration will be critical. These efforts must address the technical, economic, and environmental challenges associated with scaling these technologies.
With the support of groundbreaking projects and innovative test facilities, the nation is taking a giant leap toward a sustainable and resilient future.
