HU Professor Receives Patent, DOE Grant for Chemical Engineering Research

Hampton, VA - A Hampton University chemical engineering researcher is a pioneer in the capture of carbon dioxide and the fight against global warming.

The U.S. Department of energy recently awarded Dr. Liang Hu, a research professor of chemical engineering, a $200,000 grant for his research on carbon dioxide capture from flue gas by phase transitional absorption. Hu believes this technology will eventually reduce the cost of the capture of carbon dioxide by 80%.

In addition, this summer, after more than two years of waiting, Hu received a patent for an invention that can increase the absorption rate for gases. An increase in the absorption rate means a reduction in the cost of capital investment. Although this can be applied to the capture of carbon dioxide, this innovative technology can be used in a variety of industries, including petroleum, energy, steel, chemical and food.

Both his research on carbon dioxide absorption and his invention to increase absorption rates can go a long way towards reducing greenhouse gases around the globe. Carbon dioxide capture offers a new set of options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that can complement the current strategies of improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of non-fossil energy resources.

Hu, an HU faculty member since 1995, received the DOE grant because the current cost to capture carbon dioxide from flue gas is very high and the DOE is eager to bring the cost of capture down. As carbon dioxide research has become more and more important, the government has allocated a significant amount of money for it, according to Hu, who also received DOE grants in 2002 and 2004 to study this process.

The reason for its importance is because carbon dioxide capture is a money-sensitive project. Absorption is the most cost-effective way of capturing carbon dioxide. But in traditional absorption, the capture costs are high, as much as 70% of the total cost, Hu said.

But his technology, if successful, would cost less than any other process in the world and save significant amounts of money. Hu estimates his technology will bring down the cost of capture from the current average of 70% to around 30% and possibly even 20%.

In traditional absorption, most of the cost comes from heating it up, or regeneration. With his technology, only 20% of the material is heated, giving him a theoretical savings of 80%.

His next step is to team up with corporations in the energy industry to further his trials. Then it's back to the classroom for more studies on the process. Finally, he hopes to begin a pilot project.

Hu's summer got even better when he was awarded the patent for his breakthrough in the absorption technology. For more than 70 years, scientific theory has been that the absorption rate can be increased with chemical reaction.

"My contribution is to add an organic layer to increase the absorption rate," Hu said. "This is a breakthrough."

This can be used any time and any place where absorption for gas separation is needed. Absorption for gas separation is very common and very important, he said. Now it can be improved by this new technology.

Although his DOE grant is for carbon dioxide research, this invention isn't limited to carbon dioxide absorption. Theoretically, any gases can be separated, which means that his invention has the potential to impact all areas of our lives.