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RAP opportunity at National Institute of Standards and Technology     NIST

Sorbent Measurements for Direct Air Capture (DAC) of Carbon Dioxide

Location

Material Measurement Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division

opportunity location
50.64.61.C0863 Gaithersburg, MD

NIST only participates in the February and August reviews.

Advisers

name email phone
William Sean McGivern sean.mcgivern@nist.gov 301.975.8705

Description

The most recent climate report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that it is likely that mean global temperatures will exceed 1.5°C above preindustrial levels unless dramatic changes to greenhouse gas (GHG)  emissions are implemented.  The direct removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (direct air capture, DAC) is a crucial part of the overall GHG emissions mitigation strategy.  DAC is particularly relevant in achieving net-zero emission of carbon dioxide to offset ethically "hard-to-avoid" carbon sources such as in agriculture (food security), transportation, and heating and cooling in extreme temperature regions, where the social cost of failing to utilize carbon sources is extremely high. New measurement science is critical to identifying and characterizing sorbent materials for DAC.  Due to the widely varying conditions of temperature, pressure, and concentration in the atmopshere, measurement techniques under such conditions are critical for studying new DAC sorbent candidates and the creation of reference materials.  We are developing and utilizing novel systems to study transient adsorption properties, such as dynamic column breakthrough (DCB), adsorption chemistry via diffuse reflectance FTIR (DRIFTS), and reproducible sorbent aging technologies.  We invite proposals that seek to extend the boundaries of existing measurement science, to develop new ways to characterize and improve adsorption materials, and to study sorbent aging via temperature, pressure, and humidity exposure.

1) A. Bergman, A. Rinberg, "The Case for Carbon Dioxide Removal: From Science to Justice," 2021, CDR Primer (ed. J. Wilcox, B. Koloscz, J. Freeman). Link

2) W. S. McGivern, J. A. Manion, "Improved Apparatus for Dynamic Column-Breakthrough Measurements Relevant to Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>" Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2023, 62 (21), 8362-8372. Link

key words
carbon dioxide; direct air capture; DAC; DRIFTS; diffuse reflectance; adsorption; climate mitigation; breakthrough; direct column breakthrough; sorbents; greenhouse gas; climate change; aging

Eligibility

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens
Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants

Stipend

Base Stipend Travel Allotment Supplementation
$82,764.00 $3,000.00
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