The urgently needed phasing out of fossil resources requires that we should critically assess for which applications (virgin) carbon-based materials are essential and in which cases it is possible to dematerialise. Nevertheless, it is anticipated that a large fraction of the functionalities that are currently supplied by carbon-based materials will remain essential in the decades to come. Therefore, a transition to new high performance materials and products made from non-fossil renewable feedstock needs to be realized. In the past decade, various studies have pointed out that this transition can be realised by the utilisation of three particular alternative sources, exclusively. These are biomass, recycled materials and carbon dioxide (CO2). Out of these three pathways, the development of processes for the conversion of CO2 into polymers that can be used for plastics is lagging behind. This lag can largely be explained by the technical challenges that still exist for sourcing and subsequent conversion of CO2. As a result, the currently available technologies are not yet cost-effective. Nevertheless, driven by the increasing demand for fossil-free resources and increasing levels of CO2 taxation, a wide range of new chemical and microbial conversion technologies have been developed in the past decade, some of which are currently being investigated at an industrial level. This study identifies and assesses the most relevant sources and conversion routes for CO2-based materials from a technical perspective. A specific focus is placed on the conversion of CO2 into polymers that can be used in packaging, building and textile applications. The present study identifies specific CO2-to-product pathways and the five parameters that determine the technical, economic and ecologic feasibility of these routes, those being: • The CO2 content of the polymer, i.e., the fraction of carbon that originates from CO2 • The energy required for the conversion process(es) • The technical feasibility and yield of the conversion process which is reflected in the technology readiness level (TRL) number • The oxidation state of the carbon within the target polymer • The lifetime of a product that determines the potential of CO2 capture and storage. Based on the performed assessment, the electrochemical conversion of CO2 can be considered one of the most promising routes. Furthermore, all ‘CO2-to-product’ routes score low on the energy required. Currently, most CO2 conversion processes have a low TRL, which is not surprising given the relative new research area. Although multiple polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polyglycolic acid) score excellent on the CO2 content in the polymer, only applications in building and construction have a high CO2 capture potential due to their long lifespan. Fast moving consumer goods, like clothing and food packaging, have a short lifespan, and although these materials are partially recycled, there are inherent recycling losses. Overall, these products are considered to be a less effective carbon sink and as such, using CO2 as feedstock will have a lower impact for these applications. Finally, it is concluded that the economic potential of each of the identified CO2 conversion methods heavily relies on whether the technology can mature quickly and significantly, and on the extent to which they can be coupled to excess renewable energy streams in the future. Additionally, a heavy driver in the economics of these solutions will depend on the taxation of the carbon offset that is mitigated by a specific route and whether the potential for long term carbon capture will be taken into account for such taxation.
Governmental Investment in Low TRL in the United States: Funding Innovative Companies from Concepts to Systems
Governmental Investment in Low TRL in the United States: Funding Innovative Companies from Concepts to Systems
34Technology Readiness Levels at 40: A Study of State-of-the-Art Use, Challenges, and Opportunities
Technology Readiness Levels at 40: A Study of State-of-the-Art Use, Challenges, and Opportunities
139Optimization of CO2 Conversion in a Cylindrical Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor Using Design of Experiments
In this work, a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor has been developed for the decomposition of CO2 at atmospheric pressure. The response surface methodology based on a three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design has been developed to investigate the effects of key independent process parameters (discharge power, feed flow rate, and discharge length) and their interactions on the reaction performance in terms of CO2 conversion and the energy efficiency of the plasma process. Two quadratic polynomial regression models have been established to understand the relationships between the plasma process parameters and the performance of the CO2 conversion process. The results indicate that the discharge power is the most important factor affecting CO2 conversion, while the feed flow rate has the most significant impact on the energy efficiency of the process. The interactions between different plasma process parameters have a very weak effect on the conversion of CO2. However, the interactions of the discharge length with either discharge power or gas flow rate have a significant effect on the energy efficiency of the plasma process. The optimal process performance- CO2 conversion (14.3%) and energy efficiency (8.0%) for the plasma CO2 conversion process is achieved at a discharge power of 15.8 W, a feed flow rate of 41.9 ml · min−1 and a discharge length of 150 mm as the highest global desirability of 0.816 is obtained at these conditions. The reproducibility of the experimental results successfully demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of the design of experiments approach for the optimization of the plasma CO2 conversion process.
Read more46Direct CO2 capture and conversion to fuels on magnesium nanoparticles under ambient conditions simply using water†
Converting CO2 directly from the air to fuel under ambient conditions is a huge challenge. Thus, there is an urgent need for CO2 conversion protocols working at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, preferentially without any external energy input. Herein, we employ magnesium (nanoparticles and bulk), an inexpensive and the eighth-most abundant element, to convert CO2 to methane, methanol and formic acid, using water as the sole hydrogen source. The conversion of CO2 (pure, as well as directly from the air) took place within a few minutes at 300 K and 1 bar, and no external (thermal, photo, or electric) energy was required. Hydrogen was, however, the predominant product as the reaction of water with magnesium was favored over the reaction of CO2 and water with magnesium. A unique cooperative action of Mg, basic magnesium carbonate, CO2, and water enabled this CO2 transformation. If any of the four components was missing, no CO2 conversion took place. The reaction intermediates and the reaction pathway were identified by 13CO2 isotopic labeling, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and in situ attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and rationalized by density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. During CO2 conversion, Mg was converted to magnesium hydroxide and carbonate, which may be regenerated. Our low-temperature experiments also indicate the future prospect of using this CO2-to-fuel conversion process on the surface of Mars, where CO2, water (ice), and magnesium are abundant. Thus, even though the overall process is non-catalytic, it could serve as a step towards a sustainable CO2 utilization strategy as well as potentially being a first step towards a magnesium-driven civilization on Mars.
Read more92Tandem and Hybrid Processes for Carbon Dioxide Utilization
Tandem and Hybrid Processes for Carbon Dioxide Utilization
34Bridge to zero-emission: Life cycle assessment of CO2–methanol conversion process and energy optimization
Bridge to zero-emission: Life cycle assessment of CO2–methanol conversion process and energy optimization
Novel devices for security and showcases for mmwave with 22FDXTM
The IPCEI program at GF includes innovation along all technology readiness levels (TRLs). One example for very low TRL is the Reconficurable FET based on Schottky Barriers, close to 22FDX-processing. It enables camouflaging circuits for security applications, by e.g. providing NAND or NOR type cells, that can not be identified by reverse engineering. Another example is the development of a mmWave-variant of 22FDX allowing for operation frequencies typically in the 28-80 GHz regime, but also ranging up to 140 GHz. Characterisation of devices up to 3-4 times the operational frequency, a prerequisite for operation of the devices at these frequencies and showcases in the GHz regime for auto-Radar, 5 G and imaging radar are shown. These are just two examples, how the energy efficient 22FDX-technology at GF is enrichened by specialized variants and applications-specific- features.
Read moreEco-sustainable sandwich panels: Influence of process parameters on adhesion and mechanical performance
Abstract. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in recyclable and eco-friendly materials, driven by the need to develop components with complex geometries, variable thicknesses, and large dimensions, particularly in sectors such as building and automotive. Eco-Sustainable Sandwich Panels (ESSP), which combine lightweight cores with thermoplastic natural fiber-based composites, offer a promising solution to these demands by providing a balance between mechanical performance and sustainability. Despite their potential, ESSPs remain underexplored, with limited knowledge regarding the key factors necessary for their manufacturing. The low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of these materials, along with challenges in ensuring reliable performance, particularly in terms of adhesion between skins and cores, hinders their broader industrial adoption. This study investigates the forming of Eco-sustainable Sandwich Panels (ESSP) consisting of an aluminum honeycomb core and skins made from flax fiber prepreg with a polypropylene matrix, manufactured by hot press molding. The aim is to evaluate the influence of process parameters on the adhesion between skins and core, which is critical for the mechanical performance of the panel. For this purpose, preliminary numerical analyses and destructive testing were made, and the results provide valuable insights for optimizing the production process of eco-sustainable sandwich panels and their potential industrial applications.
Read more2Database-assisted Social Life Cycle Assessment for innovations: Lessons learnt from application
Database-assisted Social Life Cycle Assessment for innovations: Lessons learnt from application
3Emirates Mars Mission Flight Simulator: FlatSat Overview
The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) was announced in July 2014, the mission is expected to launch July of 2020. Paving the road forward for the development of the science sector in the region is one of the main objectives of the mission. EMM is led by Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), with international partners from the University of Colorado - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Arizona State University (ASU), and the University of California at Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory (UCB). Due to extremely high cost, lead time, and sensitivity associated with flight hardware; engineering models are essential when it comes to building a spacecraft from scratch. FlatSat is a term used in the aerospace field that refers to a setup with a high-fidelity representation of the flight model in both the hardware and software functionality. FlatSat provides a venue for procedure development, verification and risk reduction testing. In addition, it is utilized as a verification test to determine any changes required prior to the development of flight models, especially with low technology readiness level (TRL) components. FlatSat is used to detect interface issues between components and help resolve them. In addition, FlatSat allows that interface control document to be robust and error-free by holding high similarity with the observatory. Developing an interplanetary mission in just six years is a challenge. FlatSat has been a great asset to this mission. Starting with the development of the Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) to the final mission scenario testing and fault protection. FlatSat has been developed through three phases, phase one consisted of the basic EGSE and avionics functionality, then the communication and attitude control functionality were added as the second phase. Lastly the third phase encoded the simulated functionality for the spacecraft with the addition of payload simulators. Those three phases are lined up with the spacecraft schedule to ensure vigorous tests are performed on the units before the development of the flight models. EMM has developed two FlatSat benches, each located in a different time zone, to be operated around the clock. The time difference has strategically been applied to execute long-duration testing on one of the FlatSat test benches while keeping the other bench useable for spacecraft support. This operation has reduced some of the overhead associated with the test schedule.
Read more1Assessing the Self-Healing Technology Using Novel Technology Impact Forecasting
Low technology readiness level (TRL) technologies are attractive to the aerospace industry because their maturation cycles can happen simultaneously with the development lifecycle of the aircraft. However, due to the limited knowledge about a new technology in system evaluation, a low TRL technology’s high potential is counterbalanced by its inherent high risk and high uncertainty. As a result, the assessment of the potential impact of low TRL technologies on a new system is exceedingly difficult. In this paper, a modified technology impact forecasting (TIF) methodology has been proposed that incorporates the novel use of possibility distributions to more accurately quantify the potential of a low TRL technology on a baseline system. The proposed method has been demonstrated through a case study that considers composite self-healing technologies (i.e., microcapsule-based and one-dimensional vascular-based self-healing materials) as a representative low TRL technology, and quantifies the impact of infusing this set of technology onto a notional commercial aircraft system. The results show that, compared with evaluation using a traditional TIF framework, the variability using possibility distributions is significantly reduced for the same system responses. This reduced variability decreases uncertainty, which implies further reduced risk.
Read more121Ion-conducting ceramic membrane reactors for high-temperature applications
Ion-conducting ceramic membrane reactors offer an opportunity to combine membrane separation processes directly with chemical reactions, leading to process intensification and, hence, benefits with regard to efficiency. Current research activities focus on membrane reactors due to their high intrinsic efficiency and great potential for the production of a large variety of commodity chemicals, energy carriers, and synthetic fuels. This includes the reduction of CO2 emissions and the utilisation of CO2.In this review, different concepts and principles of membrane reactor operation are presented followed by a comprehensive overview and discussion of different application cases. These applications are clustered according to the targeted products. The article discusses and evaluates the potential of the different concepts from the authors’ current perspective. We have not undertaken a ranking with respect to cost efficiency, process efficiency and applicability since the development levels are very different and in general at very low technology readiness levels (TRLs). However, the demonstration of one (or a few) membrane reactors at a commercially relevant size and price is urgently required in order to initiate more focussed research and development.The present review of membrane reactors aims to provide a broad overview of ongoing research activities regarding ceramic ion-conducting membrane reactors within the last ten years in the light of sustainable energy and chemical production.
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Towards commercial viability of wearable exoskeletons
The paper focuses on the emerging area of wearable assistive exoskeletons which has been receiving considerable attention over the past 30 years or so. Exoskeleton technology has been widely assessed as having great potential to meet several societal challenges and major investments have been made to advance research and development (R&D), and to open new commercialisation opportunities via investment to develop exoskeleton products. However, to date, little impact has been made despite the technological developments and large number of startups that have been created globally only to disappear very quickly. We review the sector holistically and present evidence-based rationale why meaningful progress is not being made to progress the sector so that it is able to meet the expectations of stakeholders. This under-performance stems from a basic misunderstanding of the demanding requirements for success coupled with the non-availability of high-quality exoskeleton parts at an appropriate cost; in fact, most are at low technology readiness level (TRL). The paper presents details of the challenging requirements for the main exoskeleton sectors and the TRLs of available exoskeleton components by reviewing the literature and using personal expertise and experience of the authors. After understanding the technology and commercial landscapes for exoskeletons, a commercially viable strategy is proposed to focus on how the emerging and growing global healthy-aging applications can be successfully addressed via creation of consumer exoskeleton products able to meet the high quality/affordable cost challenges based on recent ISO robot modularity guidelines.
Read moreSB>1 DEFIANT JMR Technology Demonstrator Aircraft Main Rotor Gearbox Technology Insertions & Teardown Results
The Sikorsky Boeing SB>1 DEFIANT is a technology demonstrator aircraft that was built under the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program to address the next generation performance requirements of the US Army Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative. The Main Rotor Gearbox (MRGB) incorporated several low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies to improve power density and meet challenging program requirements for gearbox empty weight fraction. After the conclusion of the flight test program the ground test Main Rotor Gearbox was disassembled and evaluated to raise the TRL level of these technologies. The technology insertions, teardown observations, and laboratory test results are discussed.
Read more17Gravity sensing: cold atom trap onboard a 6U CubeSat
“Cold atoms” can be used as ultra-sensitive sensors for measuring accelerations and are capable of mapping changes in the strength of gravity across the surface of the Earth. They could offer significant benefits to existing space based gravity sensing capabilities. Gravity sensors in space are already used for many Earth observation applications including monitoring polar ice mass, ocean currents and sea level. Cold atom sensors could enable higher resolution measurements which would allow monitoring of smaller water sources and discovery of new underground natural resources which are currently undetectable. The adoption of cold atom technology is constrained by low technology readiness level (TRL). Teledyne e2v and its partners are addressing this maturity gap through project Cold Atom Space PAyload (CASPA) which is an Innovate UK and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded project, involving the University of Birmingham as science lead, XCAM, Clyde Space, Covesion, Gooch & Housego, and the University of Southampton. Through the CASPA project the consortium have built and vibration tested a 6U (approximate dimensions: 100 × 200 × 300 mm) cube Satellite (CubeSat) that is capable of laser cooling atoms down to 100’s of micro kelvin, as a pre-cursor to gravity sensors for future Earth observation missions.
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