Working Towards a Zero Waste World: Reducing Greenhouse Gases through Carbon Conversion

Join us for Working Towards a Zero Waste World, a targeted virtual workshop series to address the next big questions in waste, recycling, and manufacturing.

Each workshop will provide a forum to discuss common problems and brainstorm approaches to overcoming them across fields—including non-degradable plastics and other artificial compounds in the environment, high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and emissions from all sectors, and the need to develop sustainable, zero waste manufacturing practices and materials with low environmental impact. The series brings together academic researchers, industry leaders, and federal agencies to consider these problems from multiple angles.

Co-hosted by the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability, Energy & Sustainable Technologies Lab, and the College of Engineering.

REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES THROUGH CARBON CONVERSION (December 6, 11:30 am - 1 pm)

Carbon dioxide represents the major waste product in the manufacturing, energy, and transportation sectors. Transforming carbon dioxide through chemical reactions enables the creation of more valuable compounds, enhancing their commercial and environmental value. This upcycling process not only contributes to industrial applications but also aligns with sustainability goals by incentivizing the capture of CO2 emissions. The resulting value-added products represent a positive economic and ecological impact, turning a waste product into a resource. In this workshop, experts on carbon conversion will discuss their research and the challenges facing widespread adoption of new conversion technologies.

Speakers and Topics:

Hanna Breunig, Staff Scientist and Deputy-Leader of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Co-director, Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium, Department of Energy

Electrochemical refineries for ethylene production via oxidative coupling of methane

Marta Hatzell, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Bipolar membrane electrolysis for combined carbon capture and conversion

Feng Jiao, Professor, Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis

CO2 electrolysis systems for chemical and food production

Facilitated by Sean Lubner and Emily Ryan (BU College of Engineering).