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Gramofon – Objectives reminder and M30 progress update.

The key objectives of GRAMOFON project are:

(i) to develop and protoype a new energy and cost-competitive dry separation process for post-combustion CO2 capture based on innovative hybrid porous solids Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and Graphene Oxide nanostructures.

(ii) to optimize the CO2 desorption process by means of Microwave Swing Desorption (MSD) and Joule effect, that will surpass the efficiency of the conventional heating procedures.

The project started on 1st October 2016 with a timeline of 42 months ending on 31st March 2020.

During Period 1 and 2 of the project different methodologies to produce graphene aerogels have been developed, working mainly on the reduction routes to make the previous hydrogel, as well as the drying process. Different problems related to the effect of parameters have been found, but finally, the process has been optimized. The relation between aerogel structure and CO2 capture performance will be explored in Period 3 of the project.

The Gramofon Process

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In the last Gramofon newsletter we gave an update on progress in Work Packages 1-4. In this newsletter we will update on progress in the remaining work packages.

Partner Progress Meetings – Month 30 – MOF Technologies - Belfast

Throughout The first 30 months of the GRAMOFON project it has been important for team members to stay in touch and update on progress.

The 6 monthly review meetings have been vital to build relationships and friendships within the GRAMOFON project and transform a group of organisations spread throughout Europe into real project team.

The latest review meeting was held at Moftech in Belfast in March of this year.

Thanks to CNRS, Fraunhofer ICT, The University of Mons, PDC and MOFtech for hosting the 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 month reviews respectively.

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So What’s been Achieved so far in the Gramofon Project?

WP5 – Modelling, scale up and Industrial Requirements.

WP5 is about setting the key requirements for the development of Dry Sorption (DS) CO2 capture from the industry perspective, the scale up of the material synthesis and the shaping of materials. WP5 develops the integrated microwave swing desorption technology and evaluates the technical performance of the project and the potential impact that could be made. At month 30 of the Gramofon project it is WP5 that pulls together the output of the previous work packages and starts to understand if the materials and technologies developed have real potential in an industrial environment.

During Period 1 of the project the key requirements for CO2 capture by dry sorption have been determined for a typical coal-fired power plant, a cement plant, a steel plant and an oil refinery (these details have been updated in Period 2).

Reference cases for these industries have now been completed and the models developed to give a base for future comparison on the developed Gramofon technology.

Detailed simulation models for the Gramofon technology are now being developed. This will allow a technical and economic evaluation of the Gramofon technology compared to existing CCS technology to be completed in WP6.

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WP6 – Environmental, Regulatory and Economic Analysis.

WP6 evaluates the environmental impact of the developed materials and processes, the potential techno-economic impact of the adsorbent materials and Gramofon technology when applied to energy intensive industrial processes is understood.

Key measures for the reference industries have been identified as Total Capital Investment (CAPEX), overall utility cost ( steam, electricity and cooling water ) and cost per ton of CO2 avoided.

All of the potential advantages and drawbacks of the Gramofon technology have not yet been assessed.

Preliminary comparisons based on semi-ideal adsorbent performance have however identified some real benefits of the Gramofon technology. As the developed materials are refined during the remainder of the project the techno economic case for the technology will be developed further along with the estimated CO2 avoidance level attainable.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology has been used to assess the environmental impact of the Gramofon technology from cradle to grave. Simulation software has been used to compare the current scenario ( conventional CCS ) to the alternative scenario of the Gramofon process.

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WP7- Innovation Management, Business Plan and Dissemination.

The objective of WP7 is to promote market awareness and understanding of the Gramofon technology among key stakeholders in order to maximise the impact of the project.

Following the completion of initial preliminary dissemination plans some of the key successes so far have included.

In particular we have received traffic from 5 of the 6 largest CO2 producing countries which account for over 70% of global output.

5 newsletters and 2 project flyers have been disseminated.

The Gramofon website is seeing a big increase in visits with over 5000 page views from over 50 countries.

The website has received visits from all EU member states and an increase from non EU countries.

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This publication reflects only the author’s view. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727619

Gramofon partners have also:

• Presented posters at 9 global events. • Published over 40 Press Releases. • Attended 14 international

conferences. • Published papers in 4 scientific

journals. • Published editorials in journals for the

power industry. • Attended twinning workshops in

South Korea and Europe. • Networked with other H2020 funded

CCS projects to share progress.

Watch this space for more updates on the exciting final stage of the Gramofon project.

A further important part of WP7 is the identification and management of the Intellectual Property identified by the project. Some exciting Gramofon IP has been identified and initial steps are being taken towards patent filing.