Climate change driven by high accumulations of greenhouse gases such as CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere threatens the sustainability of global societies. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is one of the technology areas that could provide significant benefits in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while improving energy security and creating new opportunities for clean economic growth. AccelNet-Sustainable Capture and Conversion of CO2 to Chemicals and Fuels using Renewable Electrons (SCO2RE) will facilitate transformative international research collaborations and exchange in CO2 capture and conversion that effectively cross the boundaries of the natural sciences, engineering, and the social and economic sciences. SCO2RE activities also include extensive educational and training to prepare a US workforce with strong scientific and engineering skills and a holistic understanding of carbon capture-related issues. Participating members of SCO2RE include researchers across research networks in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, and South Korea.
AccelNet-SCO2RE targets to replace piecemeal, individual efforts with a comprehensive international partnership-based initiative addressing the scientific, engineering, economic, and public policy challenges that currently inhibit the effective implementation of CO2 capture and conversion technologies and the creation of a sustainable carbon cycle. The links among research networks from a wide range of disciplines and expertise will advance the development of transformative solutions to CO2 capture and conversion to chemicals, fuels, and materials using renewable energy. Studies on specific materials, reactions, and system components will focus on gaps in research, such as novel materials for combined CO2 capture and conversion, catalysis for effective CO2 activation and H2 generation. Systems engineering studies will examine pathways to a balanced carbon cycle, and studies in economics and public policy will ensure that science and engineering efforts take into account these important aspects of developing the carbon capture and conversion infrastructure. SOO2RE's activities will include workshops, webinars, and Idea Tournaments designed to promote cross-disciplinary creative thinking. SCO2RE's professional development and training program will include a comprehensive educational plan targeted to increase the diversity of students working in this area by leveraging established partnerships within universities in different global regions. This international network-of-networks will develop more effective research networks via student exchanges and joint-advising and mentoring. Existing collaboration with industrial partners will also be extended to other networks to accelerate the deployment of the developed technologies and to provide additional training opportunities to students and early-career researchers. The Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) program is designed to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand scientific challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts. This project is co-funded by the Environmental Sustainability (ENG/CBET) program as well as the CBET Division.
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.
