Newswise The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Arizona State University (ASU) a grant for alternative energy research that is part of a special DOE program to pursue high-risk, high-reward advances with the potential to change the way the nation generates and consumes energy.

ASUs grant, led by Dan Buttry, professor and chair of ASUs Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is to develop an efficient and cost-effective carbon capture technology using an innovative electrochemical technique. ASU will separate carbon dioxide from other emissions coming from power plants with the real possibility of reducing energy and cost requirements by more than half. This could be an economically enabling breakthrough in the drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Through this type of venture we are working to advance research and spur economic development in the areas of renewable energy and energy security to create solutions that address societys grand challenges, said Sethuraman Panch Panchanathan, senior vice president for ASUs Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development. This innovative project is a collaborative effort of faculty at ASU from multiple disciplines who are developing a new carbon capture technology.

DOEs Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program has the goal of developing clever and creative approaches to transform the global energy landscape, while advancing Americas technology leadership. ASUs grant is for $612,000 for one year.

In announcing the awards, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, With ARPA-E and all of the Department of Energys research and development efforts, we are determined to attract the best and brightest minds at our countrys top universities, labs and businesses to help solve the energy challenges of this generation. The 66 projects selected today represent the true mission of ARPA-E: swinging for the fences and trying to hit home runs to support development of the most innovative technologies and change whats possible for Americas energy future.

Inspired by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA-E was created to support high-risk, high-reward research that can provide transformative new solutions for climate change and energy security. The projects were selected through a merit-based process from thousands of concept papers and hundreds of full applications. The projects are based in 24 states, with approximately 47 percent of the projects led by universities, 29 percent by small businesses, 15 percent by large businesses, 7.5 percent by national labs, and 1.5 percent by non-profits, according to the DOE in a release announcing the awards.

ASU has been building up its portfolio in alternative energy research for several years and currently includes, among its capabilities, a center for research into electrochemistry for renewable energy applications; several advanced programs on solar energy research; one of the leading testing and certification centers for solar energy; and research into solar-generated biofuels including advanced work on algae-based biofuels.

The potential this project has in advancing a viable solution to mitigating the significant carbon dioxide emissions into the environment is exciting and we look forward to the teams progress in this area, said Gary Dirks, director of ASU LightWorks. ASU is a place where the convergence of laboratory research and real-world application creates a unique environment where imaginative energy-related projects are fostered and encouraged.

The carbon capture program was initially supported by ASU LightWorks, which brings together the intellectual expertise across the university centered on leveraging the power of the sun to create solutions in the areas of renewable energy, including generating electricity, alternative fuels, and preparing future energy leaders.

We are extremely excited about this new grant from the Department of Energy ARPA-E program. The effort is focused on a key issue in fossil fuel-based energy production - how to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions without consuming too much of the energy content of the fuel, explained lead ASU researcher Dan Buttry. We have recently developed a new approach to carbon dioxide capture that uses an electrochemical process with some design features similar to those in a fuel cell.

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Arizona State University Awarded DOE Grant to Advance Carbon Capture Technology