Achieving Net Zero 

The consistent rise in anthropogenic CO2 emissions has led to the climate crisis. In order to minimise the average global temperature increase to <1.5℃, rapid decarbonisation of power and industrial CO2 sources urgently needs to happen. Multiple independent consortiums have agreed that Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is crucial in achieving Net-Zero by 2050, and must work in conjunction with renewable technologies to ensure a timely and cost-effective transition to a low-carbon future. 
The illustration on the right was created by the Dr Mathew Dennis Wilkes, a member of the Brown Group since 2017, which won the UKCCSRC's 2023 Visual Communication Competition prize and was published is DESNZ's 'Carbon capture, usage and storage: a vision to establish a competitive market' report. The graphic is a useful and powerful tool to help a wider audience understand all aspects of CCUS and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). The group also works on Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), a scalable CDR and negative emissions technology, more information on the groups BECCS work can be found here.

Process Modelling 

Using processing modelling tools such as gPROMS, Aspen Plus, Ansys Fluent, we can develop custom CO2 capture models for power generation and industrial sources. Current models include the benchmark monoethanolamine (MEA) absorption, vacuum-pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) with commercial sorbent materials (such as zeolites, MOFs, and AC), and CO2 conditioning (compression, liquefaction, and dehydration). The group has published peer-reviewed papers on flexible post-combustion capture (PCC) using MEA and VPSA, as well as linking CO2 capture and transportation through different conditioning options for pipeline transportation. The group has also published work on the techno-economic comparison of different capture technologies for dispatchable power generation (link) and a comparison between Gas-CCS and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)(link).