(577f) A Novel Inquiry Based Carbon Capture Laboratory Module

Our currently unsustainable global carbon pollution epidemic is complex and requires innovative solutions and student understanding of its causes and effects. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) can promote a hands-on and individualized approach to education that encourages students to investigate environmental solutions that are meaningful to them. Through activities that require critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration, students can develop the skills needed to address the issue of global GHG pollution by learning about how carbon dioxide can be removed from the atmosphere.

This paper is on the assessment of a carbon capture module introduced into the fall semester of a senior chemical engineering laboratory course. The module is meant to educate students about climate change and the emerging industry of carbon dioxide removal. Students built on progress made by previous groups, with initial groups starting with chemistry experiments and final groups ending with manufacturing and testing a direct air capture reactor with a 0.5L packed bed volume using aqueous NaOH absorbent. They assisted in creating a prototype reactor which was later characterized and modeled. A pilot reactor with an approximate packed bed volume of 13L is being developed to validate that the model can predict the performance of the scaled-up pilot reactor as part of a master's level project assessing the sustainability of mass-produced and distributed direct air capture compared to a traditional centralized plant.

In addition to teaching about an emerging industry, this curricular modification aimed to have students apply fundamentals of reactor design and have them collaborate with their peers to scale-up a chemical process. We created assignments to encourage collaboration, creativity, hands-on design, and construction. Evaluation of the IBL structure and climate change content was done by a mixed qualitative and quantitative survey, assessing aspects like the values of student-led modules, climate change relevant content, and working with prior groups to scale-up the process. This module will be used to develop understanding of alternate technologies as well; our vision is that students can contribute to a repository of student-led experimentation or follow new paths in emerging fields. We aim to demonstrate the value of supplementing traditional experiments with inquiry-based learning and of including climate change content in the primary chemical engineering curriculum.