UCLA

Stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 has become a significant focus worldwide as environmental concern continues to increase and carbon-based fuel sources continue to play a significant role in energy generation. For this reason, mitigation actions are needed to stabilize the atmospheric CO2 concentration at 500 parts per million. The International Energy Agency has suggested the use of carbon-neutral renewable energy sources such as biomass, carbon-free sources such as hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage as effective CO2 reduction methods. These technologies have the potential to reduce anthropogenic CO2 during the transition towards a low-carbon energy system. This study focused on discovering a combination of these approaches that uses innovative sorption processes to achieve lower overall carbon emissions. The objectives of this work were to study the fundamental structure–function relationships for organic and inorganic synthetic materials in sorption application systems and analyze the common characteristics shared between adsorption, absorption, and ion exchange for the extraction of molecules and ions from aqueous solutions. The research also investigated applying sorption operations in sustainable processes to improve efficiency, reduce energy, and subsequently, reduce costs through process intensification by inducing reactions simultaneously with separation. The merit of this process is attributed to efficient energy and material utilization.