It
is difficult to pinpoint any a single researcher as the ‘father’ or innovator of
carbon capture technology. The scope and complexity of the project encourage
large-scale collaboration. Carbon capture is the brainchild of many thousands
of contributing researchers and scholars. This blog has given me the opportunity
to highlight one such researcher; Klaus S. Lackner. Klaus Lackner is a theoretical
physicist at Columbia University, and the Director of the Lenfast Center for Sustainable
Energy. Klaus Lackner has long been considered a pioneer in the research and
development of the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions. I would like to take this time to highlight many of the
significant contributions Lackner has made on the continuing legacy of environmentally
sustainable energy.
Klaus
S. Lackner received his Ph.D. in 1978 in theoretical physics from the
University of Heidelberg, Germany. Much of his early work involved the study of
weakly interacting quarks. Lackner developed, in collaboration with George
Zweig, the fractional nuclear charge of the chemistry of atoms. After joining
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Dr. Lackner became involved in hydrodynamic
work and fusion related research. His interest in carbon capture
sequestration was driven by his observation that it will be next to impossible
to stop humans from using fossil fuels.
Instead, Lackner’s research focuses on
reducing the environmental damage of the continued use of fossil fuels. Klaus
Lackner has published many articles focusing on clean fossil fuel technology. He
was also an instrumental in the foundation of the Zero Emission Coal Alliance, an initiative to develop coal power with zero emissions to the atmosphere. What separates Lackner, from many of his his peers, is the way in which he has
approached the issue of increasing levels of carbon dioxide. In addition to his
studies of conventional geologic storage and gravitational trapping of CO2,
Lackner has also proposed an innovative approach to recycle the captured carbon
dioxide into sustainable hydrocarbon fuels.His research led to a growing field that emphasizes recycling of carbon dioxide in conjunction with permanent geologic storage.
His initial results of the study seem extremely
promising. Could you imagine transforming the over-abundance of carbon dioxide
into a fuel source? This would effectively negate the slight operational efficiency
cost of storage. Here is a link to the study if you would like to learn more
about the study.
Conventional post-combustion carbon capture systems
are unable to actively reduce the levels of atmospheric CO2 in the
atmosphere. They are simply able to prevent the carbon that is currently being
produced from accumulating. The systems cannot address non-power plant sources of
carbon dioxide. Klaus Lackner has helped to challenge this long held
convention. His research has led to the invention of early-stage CO2 scrubbers.
The devices simulate
the biologic function of leaves on tress by pulling out the carbon dioxide in the
outside air. A more in-depth analysis of the CO2 scubbers can be found here.
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| CO2 Scrubbers and Geologic Storage Image Credit: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University |
Klaus
Lackner is an innovator. His research has helped to push the boundaries and
extend the capabilities of clean coal technology. The minds of Klaus Lackner,
and the many researchers like him, will be critical in the engineering of
sustainable sources of energy.
In
my next post I will be discussing the intersection between the politics and the
research conducted on clean coal technology.
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