Studying Thermal Properties of Direct Air Capture Adsorbents with Hot Disk Instruments

Project Description

Climate change is among the most critical challenges facing humanity today. Society’s infrastructure, agriculture, and health are threatened by global warming, which leads to floods, unprecedented weather patterns and damaging natural disasters. No amount of emissions reductions alone will be able to reduce emissions enough to stop irreparable global warming. Thus, Direct Air Capture (DAC) of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is needed to help remove existing emission in our environment. But there remain significant unknowns, from the system design to adsorbent material to plant implementation. This project aims to study the thermal properties of adsorbent materials for DAC of CO2 through Hot Disk thermal conductivity and heat capacity measurements.

REU student will take thermal conductivity and heat capacity measurements for a Direct Air Capture (DAC) adsorbent material on a Hot Disk Instrument. Student will develop DAC adsorbent sample preparation methods compatible for Hot Disk measurements. Additionally, sample holders for Hot Disk measurements may be designed and fabricated in EPIC. Additionally, the student will help calibrate the Hot Disk Instrument using known samples to verify its proper operation, and quantify measurement variance due to differently sized sensors. If time remains in the program, the student will investigate the effects of temperature and carbon dioxide loading on the DAC adsorbent thermal properties.

Mentors

Sean Lubner, PI  Savannah Schisler

• Calibrate the Hot Disk Instrument in the Lubner Group
• Determine the variance in measurements from different sized sensors
• Measure the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of a DAC adsorbent
• Measure the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of a DAC adsorbent as a function of temperature and CO2 loading
• Understanding experimental data collection, analysis, instrument calibration, sample preparation, and the relevant theory for mathematical data analysis
• Gain a deeper understanding of science and engineering can help the environment
• Experiments and fabrications will be completed in the Lubner Group’s laboratory in PHO, in EPIC, and in OPF

Timeline