HOUSTON — Imagine a future with zero emissions, where we still use fossil fuels but don't burn them. What if we did that while creating materials to build things from cars to bridges? It's the kind of chemical engineering magic being developed at Rice University's Carbon Hub.
When we burn hydrocarbons for fuel, the by-products are pollution and carbon dioxide. But instead of burning hydrocarbons, what if we took those molecules and split the carbon and hydrogen apart - to get fuel?
At Rice University, the Carbon Hub is dedicated to making that a commercial reality. Shell Oil has already committed $10 million to the project. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Professor Matteo Pasquali is the Carbon Hub director.
“We break up the hydrocarbon. We give you the hydrogen to run your car. But guess what we're gonna do with the carbon? We're gonna make your car with the carbon," Pasquali said.
What? Yes, it's experimental right now, but cars can run on hydrogen. Carbon can literally form more compounds than any other element.
The technology exists to take carbon fibers and spin them in threads or tapes. They are remarkably strong and can even survive axes being thrown against them. But right now, it’s far too expensive to produce enough material for any sort of industrial use.
Eventually, though, when the cost is driven down, what could that carbon be used for?
“Some parts of cars, probably not the body of a car, but the transmission, the electrical wiring of the car, wearables definitely," Pasquali said.
In addition to flexibility and strength, the carbon fibers also conduct electricity. They can be woven into a smart shirt for medical uses and other things. All those developments are maybe a decade out.
After that? We could be manufacturing the body of a car, even buildings and bridges.
As for the traditional energy industry, the biomolecular and chemical engineer believes, “We have a lot of jobs in Texas on extracting oil and gas, right and those will stay.”
What about refineries? Can you repurpose existing plants, say along the Houston Ship Channel to deal with hydrogen fuel?
“Some could be revamped," Pasquali said.
It's still a very young technology, but a potential game-changer.