FMRG: Eco: Electro-Manufacturing of Ethylene and Nitrogenous Chemicals by Synergizing the Capture and Conversion of CO2 and Waste Nitrogen

About This Grant

About one third of our national energy consumption and one quarter of carbon dioxide emissions come from the manufacturing sector, 30 percent of which is chemical manufacturing. Ethylene and ammonia are among the top five most produced commodity chemicals, which largely tend to rely on energy intensive processes. This interdisciplinary Future Manufacturing Research Grant (FMRG) project aims to advance fundamental knowledge for the electrification and decarbonization of current processes that rely on heat and catalysts for production. A combination of green ammonia production (from waste nitrogen), and green ethylene production (from waste carbon dioxide) will be targeted. Using electro-manufacturing with a simultaneous utilization of renewable electricity, this project will explore sustainable ways to upgrade the production of ethylene and ammonia with positive impacts on the economy and domestic manufacturing. The overarching objective of this FMRG project is to explore an electro-manufacturing platform for ethylene production by combining the efficient capture of carbon dioxide with green ammonia synthesized from waste nitrogen, and the selective conversion of bicarbonate. An interdisciplinary research team will focus on the following research tasks: 1) Bicarbonate concentration via anion-specific membranes and ammonium bicarbonate separation by electrodialysis; 2) Green ammonia synthesis through high-throughput alkaline electrolysis; 3) carbon dioxide capture by ammonia in advanced absorption; 4) Green ethylene synthesis via bicarbonate electroreduction; 5) Supply chain development and integration with the renewable energy grid. Technoeconomic analysis of electrified ethylene manufacturing and life-cycle assessment and survey studies on environmental impacts will be conducted. The research will gain insights into the fundamental sciences of bicarbonate separation, green ammonia synthesis, carbon dioxide management, selective ethylene production, functional electrodes, supply chain development, techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and policy framing. The acquired knowledge can be broadly applied to various areas, such as electrochemistry, catalysis, functional materials, polymer science, chemical separation, wastewater treatment, system integration, economic analysis, and data science. Education and workforce training will be provided through an interdisciplinary environment to strengthen STEM fields, and by promoting convergent training of a manufacturing workforce. This Future Manufacturing award is jointly funded by the Division of Chemistry (CHE) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), the Divisions of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) and Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) in the Engineering Directorate (ENG), and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.