Fuels made from coal, natural gas and oil are responsible for emitting tons of greenhouse gas each year. The use of carbon-based fuels is expected to grow in coming decades. To address those challenges, GCEP sponsors research to reduce or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industries. Several research teams are looking at novel ways to capture CO₂ from industrial smokestacks and store it permanently underground. Other groups are exploring advanced combustion technologies that improve engine efficiency while minimizing emissions. For more information on specific programs, click below.

Current Activities

• Advanced Combustion
  
  • The Sootless Diesel
  • Use of Mixed Combustion and Electrochemical Energy for Engines
• Advanced Coal
  
  • Co-Production of Hydrogen and Electricity in Carbon Fuel Cells
• CO₂ Capture
  
  • Carbon Capture Systems Analysis: Comparing Exergy Efficiency and Electricity Cost of Various Technology Options
  • Carbon-based Sorbents for Selective CO₂ Capture
  • New Materials and Processes for Energy-Efficient Carbon Capture in the Presence of Water Vapor
  • Novel Ionic Liquids for Pre-Combustion CO₂ Capture
  • Systems Analysis of Advanced Power Plant Carbon Capture Technologies
• CO₂ Storage
  
  • Multiphase Flow of CO₂ and Water in Reservoir Rocks

Completed Activities

• Advanced Combustion
  
  • An Extreme Compression Approach to Low-Irreversibility Piston Engines
  • Coal and Biomass Char Reactivity
  • Controlled Combustion
  • Development of Low-Irreversibility Engines
  • Low Exergy Loss Chemical Engines
  • Optimization of Synthetic Oxygenated Fuels
  • Process Informatics
  • Sensors for Advanced Combustion Systems
• Advanced Coal
  
  • Coal Energy Conversion with Aquifer-Based Carbon Sequestration
• CO₂ Capture
  
  • Advanced CO₂/H₂ Separation Materials Incorporating Active Functional Agents
  • Advanced Membrane Reactors for Carbon-Free Fossil Fuel Conversion
  • Development of Innovative Gas Separation Membranes Through Sub-Nanoscale Materials Control
• CO₂ Storage
  
  • A Numerical Simulation Framework for CO₂ Sequestration
  • Collaborative Research on Carbon Sequestration in Saline Aquifers in China
  • Experimental Investigations of Multiphase Flow and Trapping of CO₂ in Saline Aquifers
  • Geologic Storage of CO₂ in Coal Beds
  • Geophysical Monitoring of Geologic Sequestration
  • Linking Chemical and Physical Effects of CO₂ Injection to Geophysical Parameters
  • Rapid Prediction of Subsurface CO₂ Movement
  • Reactivity of CO₂ in the Subsurface
  • Seal Capacity of Potential CO₂ Sequestration Sites