We have an opening for a postdoc with expertise in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering, with a particular focus on catalysis and thermochemical reactor design.The Project: Cost-effective decarbonization of heat, which is the dominant source of energy for the industrial and building sector worldwide, is a grand scientific and technological challenge. Currently natural gas is the dominant source of heat in these sectors. Although CO2-free hydrogen is being considered as a potential alternative, infrastructure challenges related to transport and storage of hydrogen are enormous (e.g., Majumdar et al., Joule 5 (8), 1905-1908). Natural gas infrastructure and storage are already in place. Therefore, cost-effective synthetic natural gas derived from CO2 captured from either point source or direct air capture combined with CO2 free hydrogen is a very lucrative option.In this project we propose to use the Sabatier reaction to create synthetic natural gas. Since the Sabatier reaction is highly exothermic, the released heat can then be used to offset the energy requirement for either carbon capture or hydrogen production, making this overall process and system cost-effective. As the Sabatier reaction is highly temperature sensitive, the major associated challenge is related to temperature control. The higher temperature results in poisoning and sintering of catalysts making them inactive, thus lowering the yield.This Postdoctoral Fellow will contribute to catalyst and overall reactor development to improve the reaction rate at lower temperatures, while preserving high activity and stability in an operating window up to 400 oC.
For more information or to apply, please contact Dr. Suman Kaur at skaur@lbl.gov.