The Department of Energy awards nearly $2 million for two Ohio University projects aimed at repurposing coal waste
Two Ohio University projects have been gifted nearly $1 million each from the Department of Energy. The money will go toward efforts to create new technology from coal waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create new jobs.
Six research and development projects aimed at repurposing domestic coal resources have been announced by the Department of Energy. The goal of the projects will be to turn coal waste into high value carbon metal composites and graphitic products that can be used in clean energy technologies. Of those six projects, Ohio University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment is behind two of them. One explores how coal waste can be used as energy storage, and the other aims to use coal waste to make ultra conductive carbon metal composite wire for electric motors.
Ohio University’s first project was awarded $999,976 by the Department of Energy, and will focus on creating electrochemical processes that will change coal based materials into two dimensional carbon materials for supercapacitor applications. Associate Professor of Chemical and BIomolecular Engineering John Staser will lead the project as its principal investigator. Other Ohio University faculty will be on the team, as well, including Jason Trembly, professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment, and Damilola Daramola, who is an assistant professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Also aiding the project will be industry partners from Capacitech Energy and CFOAM LLC.
The project’s goal is to utilize an advanced process called the electrochemical coal to two-dimensional materials process, which works to transform coal based materials into a new type of material that improves the capacity of electrochemical supercapacitors that are used for energy storage. CFOAM has been working on coal derived materials that can be used as the raw materials for the final project. Capacitech Energy is working to use those materials in the systems they currently use.
According to an article from Ohio University, the unique composition and structure of coal makes it a good raw material for creating a range of high value carbon projects. The end goal of the project is to find more ways to look at the uses of coal waste in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while creating new jobs.
The other project from Ohio University will be led by assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and Assistant Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment Yahya Al-Majali. The goal of this project is to create cost effective carbon metal composites that have enhanced bulk electrical properties that can be used in electric motors. The project was conceived out of a larger mission to make American energy more efficient, and to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses across the globe.
The project will look to use materials created from coal waste (particularly graphene and nano-graphite), to create carbon metal composites that will be made using a new metal forming process. The finished material will be a type of ultra-conductive wire that will then be tested to check its readiness for real world uses. The goal for the wire is to be able to be used in electric motors which will support other technologies that aim to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses.
The Department of Energy has awarded this program $1 million with a $250,000 cost share. The industry partners attached to this are Clear Skies Consulting LLC, SP2 Carbon Technology CO, AmeriCarbon LLC, Hydro Precision Tubing North America, CONSOL Innovations, Fisk Alloy Inc., and MetalKraft Technologies. The project will also be supported by a team of Ohio University researchers such as distinguished professor of physics David Drabold, and Jason Trembly.
If the project is successful and a method for introducing coal derived graphitic carbons into electrical wire is developed, it could represent a large reduction in American energy consumption and potentially prevent up to 14 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, as well as saving Americans consumers up to $4.3 billion a year as long as at least 20 percent of alternating current motors adopt the usage of the ultra conductive wire. The new technology could also create new manufacturing jobs in coal industry dependent communities.
More information about Ohio University can be found at the school’s website.