SBIR Phase I: Enhanced materials for renewable fuel production and efficient emission reduction

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is directed towards the development of new materials that can serve in several functions, all of which are important in reducing the environmental impact of the use of energy. The proposed materials will be solids capable of removing one gas (such as carbon dioxide) from a mixture of gases (such as air), and then releasing the captured gas at the desired time. To be successful, the materials must be able to hold a large amount of captured gas and be capable of undergoing a minimum of 10,000 capture/release cycles required for a year of operation. The Phase I effort will focus on the use of the materials in a process that uses bromine to convert biogas into renewable transportation fuels, such as bio-gasoline. Additional applications of the materials, such as removing carbon dioxide and other contaminants from gases will be examined in Phase II of the project. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the demands for cleaner transportation fuels and electric power. Despite the tremendous drive to move to renewable transportation fuels, the production costs of renewable fuels remains too high to be competitive with fossil fuels. If successful, the research proposed in the Phase I project will make the production of renewable transportation fuels significantly more cost effective. Additionally, the proposed materials would also have utility in the electric power industry, where there is a growing need to capture carbon dioxide and remove sulfur oxides from flue gas.