Govind Tekale
Today the younger generation is vocal, demanding change, & more environmentally conscious than ever before. For fighting climate change, GE Research in Niskayuna has assembled a team of over 50 scientists & engineers to develop technologies. The focus of the team is on developing new methods to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere & store or recycle it for sustainable uses. In collaboration with GE, Versova, for storing or reusing captured carbon dioxide, GE Research has successfully created a direct air capture system.
There is a partnership between the Carbon Capture Technology Team at GE Research with the US Department of Energy & other industrial & academic partners. The technology of direct air capture uses large fans to suck in the air & separate the CO2 responsible for global warming. The expertise of GE in air flow, derived from their experience in making jet engines & turbines, gives them an advantage in designing efficient carbon capture systems. To effectively capture CO2 without expanding or degrading, GE utilizes a crystalline sponge. It is essential for collaboration among government, industry, & academic partners to bring economically viable direct air capture solutions to the market.
The plan of GE is to build a larger direct air capture system for testing by 2024. Conducting demonstrations of its carbon dioxide removal technology, GE Research is collaborating with the US Department of Energy & other partners. The progress of GE in direct air capture is one of many technologies being highlighted at the ARPA- EInnovation Summit. Efficiency in energy is crucial in the development of direct air capture systems. The Department of Energy has given a grant of $2 million to GE to support its carbon capture technology research. By the end of the decade, the success of GE’s lab prototype has motivated the company to aim for a commercially deployable direct air capture solution. The unique DAC system of GE combines thermal management solutions with deep chemistry & material systems expertise.
The lab CAGE serves as a research hub for GE’s commitment to decarbonization technologies, including direct air capture. Equipped with advanced testing infrastructure, the CAGE Lab is a material performance database for sorbet development. To develop carbon capture technology for natural gas power generation applications, GE is working with Svante. The aim of the partnership is to advance carbon capture solutions & deliver sustainable electricity to more people. The solid sorbet technology of Svante enables point-source carbon capture & direct air capture. In order to capture carbon with high capacity & selectivity, Svante uses metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The carbon capture filters of Svante have applications in various industries, helping reduce emissions.
The modular carbon capture machines of Svante capture, purify, & compress CO2 for storage or recycling. A spin-off company, GE Versova, will focus on renewable energy sources & carbon emission reduction. The CAGE Lab of GE is also working on direct air capture technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere. The DAC system of GE utilizes their expertize in heat exchanges, thermal management, & innovative materials. GE’s DAC system has shown promising results in carbon removal & aims for commercialization in the near future.
The environmental consciousness & demand for change attitude of the younger generation fuel the urgency for carbon capture technologies. It is crucial for collaboration between industry, government, & academia in developing scalable & economically viable carbon capture solutions. The potential to contribute significantly to reducing emissions & addressing climate change is in carbon capture technologies. The way to a cleaner & more sustainable world for future generations lies in the successful implementation of carbon capture solutions. We can work towards a better world for our children & future generations, by investing in carbon capture technologies.
