From The University of Sydney (AU)
5.1.24
Luisa Low
Media and PR Adviser (Engineering & IT)
+61 438 021 390
luisa.low@sydney.edu.au
A new plasma technique developed by researchers at the University of Sydney could help create a circular economy for waste-generated methane emissions.
Methane wells. Image: Luisa Low, University of Sydney
In a world first, University of Sydney researchers have developed a chemical process using plasma that could create sustainable jet fuel from methane gas emitted from landfills, potentially creating a low-carbon aviation industry.
Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (CO2). According to the International Energy Agency, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere is currently around two-and-a-half times greater than pre-industrial levels and is increasing steadily, with waste emissions and the burning of fossil fuels accounting for a significant proportion.
The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
How the process could work. Image: Professor PJ Cullen, Dr Tianqi Zhang and Dr Emma Lovell.
Australia recently joined the international methane mitigation agreement with the United States, the European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Lead author, Professor PJ Cullen from the University of Sydney’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Net Zero Initiative said: “Globally, landfills are a major emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly a mixture of CO2 and methane. We have developed a process that would take these gases and convert them into fuels, targeting sectors that are difficult to electrify, like aviation.”
“Modern landfill facilities already capture, upgrade and combust their gas emissions for electricity generation, however, our process creates a much more environmentally impactful and commercially valuable product,” he said.
Global landfill emissions are estimated at 10–20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year, a value comparable to the emissions of the global energy sector.
Aviation currently accounts for approximately three percent of the world’s emissions. Creating a “closed loop” fuel based on existing emissions would eliminate the need for traditional and sustainable jet fuels, which add further emissions into the atmosphere.
How plasma makes the process work
The process would work by extracting methane from a landfill site, known as a methane well, which uses a shaft-like mechanism to extract gases.
Professor PJ Cullen with Veolia Australia and New Zealand CEO and Net Zero Initiative board member Richard Kirkman next to a Veolia methane well. Image: Luisa Low, University of Sydney
“The beauty of this is that this simple process captures almost the exact composition that we need for our process,” said Professor Cullen.
Plasma in the lab. Image: PJ Cullen, Plasmaleap Technologies.
“Non-thermal plasma is an electricity-driven technology which can excite gas at both a low temperature and atmospheric pressure. Essentially, what this means is this approach facilitates the conversion of the gas into value-added products by inducing plasma discharge within forming gas bubbles. The process doesn’t require heat or pressure, meaning it requires less energy, making it highly compatible with renewable energy power sources.”
See the full article here .
Comments are invited and will be appreciated, especially if the reader finds any errors which I can correct.
five-ways-keep-your-child-safe-school-shootings
Please help promote STEM in your local schools.
The University of Sydney (AU)
Our founding principle as Australia’s first university, U Sydney was that we would be a modern and progressive institution. It’s an ideal we still hold dear today.
When Charles William Wentworth proposed the idea of Australia’s first university in 1850, he imagined “the opportunity for the child of every class to become great and useful in the destinies of this country”.
We’ve stayed true to that original value and purpose by promoting inclusion and diversity for the past 160 years.
It’s the reason that, as early as 1881, we admitted women on an equal footing to male students. The University of Oxford (UK) didn’t follow suit until 30 years later, and Jesus College at The University of Cambridge (UK) did not begin admitting female students until 1974.
It’s also why, from the very start, talented students of all backgrounds were given the chance to access further education through bursaries and scholarships.
Today we offer hundreds of scholarships to support and encourage talented students, and a range of grants and bursaries to those who need a financial helping hand.
The University of Sydney (AU) is an Australian public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is Australia’s first university and is regarded as one of the world’s leading universities. The university is known as one of Australia’s six “sandstone universities”. Its campus, spreading across the inner-city suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington, is ranked in the top 10 of the world’s most beautiful universities by the British Daily Telegraph and the American Huffington Post. The university comprises eight academic faculties and university schools, through which it offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
The QS World University Rankings ranked the university as one of the world’s top 25 universities for academic reputation, and high in the world for graduate employability. It is one of the first universities in the world to admit students solely on academic merit, and opened their doors to women on the same basis as men.
Nobel and Crafoord laureates have been affiliated with the university as graduates and faculty. The university has educated Australian prime ministers, governors-general of Australia, state governors and territory administrators, and justices of the High Court of Australia, including chief justices. The university has produced Rhodes Scholars and Gates Scholars.
The University of Sydney (AU) is a member of The Group of Eight (AU), CEMS, The Association of Pacific Rim Universities and The Association of Commonwealth Universities.
sciencesprings 