IMRI will Lead a $6M NSF project to advance carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology

Congratulations to Dr. Xiao-Dong Zhou, Director for the Institute for Materials Research and Innovation (IMRI) and Stuller Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering, on receiving a National Science Foundation (NSF) research project from the Office of Integrative Activities for $6,000,000.

“Louisiana is a leader in energy and innovation and UL Lafayette’s cutting edge research is leading the way. This is an investment in the future of energy  that reaffirms Louisiana’s place out front” and “UL Lafayette continues to be a national leader in innovation,” said Senator Bill Cassidy in a press release.

This project will create the Tri-state Research Institute of Manufacturing for Managing CO2 (TRIMMing CO2) and will address the challenge of carbon capture and utilization.  The team, which also includes researchers from New Mexico State University, the University of New Mexico and West Virginia University, as well as the National Energy Technology Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, will develop innovative manufacturing processes and fundamental understanding to advance carbon capture and utilization. The planned research goal is the development of three cutting-edge technologies that will: capture carbon dioxide while producing electricity, utilize carbon dioxide while storing electric energy, and convert carbon dioxide to high-value chemicals that will be used in the production of other materials.

This TRIMMing CO2 project will also provide inter-jurisdictional synergistic activities for students, postdocs, and faculty, including exchange of students and faculty, internship at the national labs and industry, and co-advising students while broadening participation in research, with a focus on the engagement of groups currently underrepresented in science.