Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/X000753/1
Title:	Carbon negative chemicals synthesis directly from the air
Principal Investigator:	Duyar, Dr M S
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Chemical Engineering
Organisation:	University of Surrey
Scheme:	Standard Research - NR1
Starts:	01 October 2022	Ends:	29 January 2025	Value (£):	256,068
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Physical Organic Chemistry Sustainable Energy Vectors
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
What if we could pull chemical building blocks such as carbon or nitrogen directly from the air and use renewable energy to synthesise any desired chemical? This would enable a carbon negative chemical industry to be established anywhere in the world, supplying vital needs for developing economies such as fuel, fertiliser and consumer products. This project seeks to demonstrate that an important chemical, methanol, can be produced using only CO2 captured from air and green hydrogen, under mild conditions by employing "dual function materials". Methanol is an attractive starting point for carbon negative chemicals synthesis because it is viewed as a chemical that can replace oil, in a new "methanol economy". Direct air capture (DAC) and carbon negative chemicals synthesis are key innovations to reach the UK's ambitious goal of becoming a net zero emitter of carbon dioxide by 2050. Coupling DAC with chemicals production constitutes a truly circular economic venture because any CO2 released during the downstream processing and use of products will not result in a net increase in atmospheric CO2. Through the synthesis of products with long lifetimes that do not get fully combusted in their use (e.g. durable materials of construction), some CO2 will be sequestered in carbon negative products. In this project, upon proof of concept for methanol synthesis from direct air captured CO2, a combined computational and experimental approach will be developed for rational design of dual function materials, as well as for identifying optimum operating conditions leading to maximum capture of CO2 and minimum energy requirement.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher
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Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.surrey.ac.uk