Carbon capture

PRISMA graphic

Process-Informed Design of Tailor-Made Sorbent Materials for Energy Efficient Carbon Capture (PrISMa), aims to accelerate the low-carbon transition in the energy and industrial sectors by developing a technology platform to deliver bespoke, cost-effective carbon capture solutions for a range of different CO₂ sources and CO₂ uses/destinations.

The project brings together world-leading research teams from Heriot-Watt and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the USA, and SINTEF Energy Research in Norway. Their focus is to bridge the gap between molecular sciences and process engineering to design new advanced sorbent materials at the molecular level.

Common to all Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) efforts is the need to separate CO₂ from other gasses. PrISMa looks to build understanding of how the performance of a separation process depends on the source of CO₂ and its use/destiny. It aims to build a technology platform that allows the identification of the optimal capture technology for any given source and target of CO2. This platform will be based on a methodology for systematic knowledge exchange between material science and process engineering.

Sorbent-based capture technologies have the potential to make a significant impact, however, promising materials must be assessed and modelled at a process level to evaluate their competitiveness and their ability to be optimised for a range of different sources of CO₂. PrISMa will enable the design of efficient pilot-scale test facilities with improved processes under real conditions and decrease the time to market of affordable, cost-competitive, low environmental impact and resource-efficient advanced capture technologies.

The team is supported by market-leading companies and non-governmental organisations, which are committed to minimising CO₂ emissions of their industrial sectors and will provide case studies and assist in knowledge exchange to maximise the impact of PrISMa.

  • Total award: £679K
  • Funder: Dept for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
  • Lead: Dr Susana Garcia Lopez

Contact our Global Research, Innovation and Discovery team about research collaboration and business partnership opportunities at GRID@hw.ac.uk