On May 3rd, Heriot-Watt University’s Research Centre for Carbon Solutions hosted a scoping workshop in Washington DC to explore the possibility of developing an international carbon dioxide removal (CDR) training & research centre, together with partners from University of Pennsylvania, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of Calgary, RMI, University of Oxford, and PIK – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. This workshop was part of a project that should pave the way for development of a translational centre in engineered carbon dioxide removal training and research centre.
The workshop convened 31 experts from the North American CDR ecosystem, including industry, government, and NGOs. Hosted by an expert facilitator, the participants worked in groups to develop their thoughts on most pressing training and research needs in the engineered CDR space.
Principal Investigator Mijndert van der Spek said: “when developing new educational and research programmes in carbon dioxide removal, it is critical to know what people in the field need most, so we can maximise impact. It is fantastic to see so many people working with us to shape the future of the field, and we are humbled by the fantastic turnout and grateful for their very insightful input! We are also very grateful for the support of our academic partners in this journey.”
Participating organisations included the US DOE, Carbon180, Global Thermostat, Heirloom, Frontier, and many more. The European version of the workshop will be held in Oxford in June, adjacent to the 3rd International Conference on Negative Emissions.
The Research Centre for Carbon Solutions is an interdisciplinary world-leading engineering centre, inspiring and delivering innovation for the wider deployment of technologies needed to meet net-zero carbon targets. Utilising our extensive suite of research equipment (including x-ray CT scanner, core flood rig, sorption, and thermogravimetric analyzers, chromatography and spectrometry systems, along with several bespoke engineering rigs) we facilitate numerous multi-national research projects in CO2 Capture and Storage, CO2 Utilisation, Low Carbon Systems, and Negative Emissions Technologies.
The RCCS lab welcomes collaborative research projects, contract analysis, and open access use. For further information, facility tours, or equipment demonstrations, please contact the RCCS Laboratory Manager, Dr. Sean Higgins.