Heriot Watt University Team Wins Prestigious Carbon Capture Innovation Prize
Singapore, July 19, 2024 — In a significant stride towards addressing climate change, the Carbon Capture Innovation Prize has recognized pioneering efforts in the emerging field of carbon capture. This prestigious competition, organized in conjunction with the MOF2024 conference, underscores the critical importance of developing sustainable materials solutions to combat global warming.
The Competition: Accelerating Climate Solutions
The Carbon Capture Innovation Prize, organized by Surface Measurement Systems (SMS), was a groundbreaking contest aimed at accelerating the development of innovative carbon capture technologies. Held alongside the MOF2024 conference in Singapore in July, the competition focused on the innovative use of a state-of-the-art scientific instrument designed to measure the capture of carbon dioxide in adsorbent materials. The challenge invited startups, SMEs, and academic institutions to present their cutting-edge research on both direct air capture and flue gas capture technologies.
A Reward for Innovation
The winner of this esteemed contest receives a DVS Carbon instrument, valued at over $150,000, provided free of charge to their institution. The DVS Carbon is a pioneering sorption analyzer designed for advanced carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) applications. Equipped with Surface Measurement Systems’ patented Ultrabalance technology, the DVS Carbon enables real-time mass change measurements during sorption and desorption processes, facilitating the assessment of complex carbon capture conditions across various materials. This powerful tool, with its high-precision control of temperature and humidity over a broad range of CO₂ concentrations, will enable the winning team to advance their research, significantly contributing to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions and fight global warming.
“We launched this competition to recognize and reward outstanding research in carbon capture materials. By providing advanced tools and fostering collaboration, we aim to accelerate breakthroughs that are vital for mitigating climate change.”
– Prof. Daryl Williams, MD & Founder, Surface Measurement Systems
Rigorous Evaluation and Submissions
| The competition attracted over 90 proposals from researchers worldwide. Each submission underwent rigorous evaluation by a panel of expert judges, who assessed the proposals based on the following criteria:
1. Relevance to Carbon Capture: Alignment with the overarching goals of developing efficient CO2 capture technologies. 2. Innovation: Novelty and originality of the research approach. 3. Scientific Rigor: Validity and robustness of the proposed methodology. 4. Impact Potential: Potential contributions to advancing carbon capture research. 5. Clarity and Feasibility: Coherence and realism of the research plan. 6. Potential for Collaboration: Openness to collaboration and knowledge exchange within the scientific community. The judges sought proposals that addressed the challenges and opportunities in carbon capture, demonstrated innovative ideas, and exhibited sound scientific methodologies. The potential impact of the research on advancing the field, as well as the clarity and feasibility of the proposed plans, were crucial evaluation factors. Proposals that highlighted a pathway to new fundamental understanding, novel materials, or solutions to process scale-up challenges were particularly valued. |
Finalists and the Ultimate Winner
After a meticulous review, the judges selected six finalists:
- Arizona State University (USA)
- Avnos (USA)
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials (Portugal)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (USA)
- Heriot-Watt University (UK)
- Tsinghua University (China)
Finally, in an award ceremony during the closing sessions of MOF2024, Prof Susana Garcia and her team from Heriot-Watt University in the UK were announced as the winners of the Carbon Capture Innovation Prize. Prof Garcia expressed her gratitude and excitement:
“I am extremely honoured to receive the prestigious SMS 2024 Carbon Capture Innovation Prize, which recognises our efforts and pioneering work on accelerating carbon capture technologies. We aim to accelerate the transition to a Net-Zero carbon economy by developing an open-access experimental protocol, which accurately characterises the thermodynamics, in-depth mass-transfer mechanisms and CO2-H2O adsorption kinetics on Direct Air Capture (DAC) sorbent materials using the unique features of the DVS Carbon. It will address knowledge gaps in adsorption kinetic studies for solid sorbents under realistic conditions, providing essential, rigorously produced data. This data will aid in assessing and designing sorbents for optimal DAC process performance and standardising measurement protocols for benchmarking within the carbon capture community.”– Prof Susana Garcia, Heriot-Watt University
A Brighter Future for Carbon Capture
Looking ahead, Surface Measurement Systems remains committed to supporting Prof. Garcia and her team in their research endeavors. Dr. Williams expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We eagerly anticipate the advancements that Prof. Garcia and her team will achieve with the DVS Carbon instrument. Their work exemplifies the innovative spirit and scientific excellence that this competition aims to promote. We look forward to sharing their progress and its impact on a more carbon-efficient future.”
For more information on the Carbon Capture Innovation Prize and updates on the winner’s research, check back soon at www.sorptionhub.com. You can find out more about the DVS Carbon instrument here.
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Surface Measurement Systems
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