Updated: 3/23/2009 8:04:08 PM Posted: 3/23/2009 4:59:48 PM
AKRON -- President Barack Obama said it's a key piece of the future of America's energy, and researchers at the University of Akron are taking steps to reach that future sooner rather than later.
Dr. Steven Chuang, a professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, is leading a research project to develop a stronger fuel cell that collects energy from traditional coal-burning plants. He's also working on a solvent that better traps pollutants like carbon dioxide released when coal is burned.
Both projects have benchmarks to reach over the next few years, but if successful, they could revolutionize community power across the country and across the globe.
Ohio produces more than 50 million tons of coal annually, and nearly 90 percent of that coal is burned for electricity.
"So we need to develop a very low-cost technology," Chuang said. "The idea here is to remove one ton of C02 with the cost of $10. Currently...we can remove one ton of C02 with a cost of about $30."
Chuang's research is backed by grants from the Depart of Energy and the Ohio Coal Development Office.
FirstEnergy has put $2 million behind the University's FirstEnergy Advanced Energy Research Center, which opened in the fall and which houses Chuang's development.
A FirstEnergy spokesman said the company sees a tremendous opportunity with this research project.
"We have a large air quality compliance project at one of our big Ohio coal plants," said Chris Eck, spokesman. "(Chuang's technology) will bring that plant into the compliance that it needs to be and will continue to generate power from coal in the future."
"This is proven science," said George Haritos, Dean of Engineering. "This is important for Ohio and the country, ultimately important for the world."
If successful, Chuang's technology could one day replace traditional electric plants with hundreds of smaller fuel cells distributed throughout a community to power individual businesses and neighborhoods.
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