Compact Membranes for Carbon Capture and Storage Onboard Navy Surface Combatants

Climate change poses a significant threat to Department of Navy (DON) operational readiness and has prompted US naval forces to build climate resilience. The reliance of naval surface combatants on fossil fuels is likely to persist; however, the Navy has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030. Therefore, shipboard carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions are necessitated by federal and departmental commitments to decarbonization. The capital investment, operational energy costs, and space requirements for shipboard carbon capture using conventional, solvent- and absorbent-based technologies are prohibitively high. A new, membrane-based, post-combustion CCS process developed by Luna Labs initially is uniquely advantageous for shipboard applications due to its low cost, high efficiency, and practical space requirements. This dual-phase molten salt membrane separates CO2 from exhaust gases so efficiently that capture rates as high as 90% may be achieved in relatively small volumes. Powered by a simple steam loop, these modular membranes have minimal parasitic energy cost and can respond flexibly to the ships’ energy demands. By reducing the cost of maritime carbon capture by over 30%, the membrane process will enable the Navy to meet its 2050 emissions targets.