(659a) Reduction in Carbon Dioxide Emission Via Utilization of Gas Hydrate-Based Technology

In recent years, the topic of climate change has been the top priority for most countries. In fact, the United Nations (UN) are promoting global leaders to ramp up their efforts in tackling climate changes using new technologies. In the US, President Biden announced during the 2021 Climate Summit that the US is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 – 52 % by 2030. Additionally, private corporations have also announced to reduce greenhouse gases emission 40 – 50% by the year 2025. Novel technologies to promote reduction in greenhouse gases emission to atmosphere is needed in order to achieve these goals. As a future faculty, I plan to develop a research program focusing on promoting the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions by utilizing gas hydrate technologies. The basis of this process is the selective partitioning of greenhouse gases in the hydrate and gas phases. Specifically, During the formation of gas hydrate, these greenhouse gases will trap inside the hydrate cages. Thermodynamic calculations show that more than 80 % reduction of greenhouse gases from flue gases could be achieved using this technology. The process is considered as environmental friendly because water is the main resource. In my proposed research programs, I plan to investigate the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of gas hydrates of various gas mixtures to evaluate its’ efficacy and the economics of the proposed technology. It should be noted that another advantage of using gas hydrates for greenhouse gases reduction is that gas hydrates can be used to transport these greenhouse gases for further utilization. Gas hydrates have self-preservation phenomenon where hydrate dissociation is extremely slow that the gas remained trapped inside the hydrate structure. This self-preservation behavior occurred at moderate condition. Therefore, gas hydrates provide a safe and economical mode to transport these greenhouse gases for utilization. My proposed research program will also focus on fundamental investigations on understanding the mechanism behind gas hydrate self-preservation phenomenon.

Teaching Interests

In terms of teaching, I prefer to teach course in Fluids, Transport and Thermodynamics. These courses are closely related to my research and will help me to incorporate my research projects in classroom teaching This helps build students’ interest in the subject. I am also interested in introducing a course in natural gas. This course will educate students on the properties of natural gas. The course will cover topics on natural gas processing, liquid nitrogen gas distribution, and the safety aspect of natural gas transportation. Next, I also plan to introduce a course on rheology of complex fluids. The course will teach students the rheological properties and their application on flow assurance.