"At a time when mankind faces the great challenge to find a clean and effective energy source capable of sustaining the global needs, researchers such as Nuria Rodríguez work relentlessly to achieve this goal. Rodriguez, who is currently research associate at the University of Cambridge and Scientific Officer at the Energy Security Union of the European Commission, has developed her work in the field of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Her objective is “to find the way to ensure a reliable, efficient and affordable energy supply, with low carbon emissions and respectful of the environment.”
Until now, the systems with greater application for the capture of the CO2 generated by carbon combustion in thermoelectric plants is based on conventional absorbing liquids – such as a amines – operating at low temperatures and offering a poor thermodynamic efficiency, which means a substantial loss of energy and associated costs discouraging their utilisation.
To overcome this issue, the researcher from Lyon has developed a technology named Ca-looping, which alternates carbonation and calcination of a calcium oxide compound as a capture method for CO2. The main advance is that – similarly to other CLC (Chemical Looping Combustion) systems – ''Ca-looping'' works at high temperatures, which allows taking advantage of the hot gas currents which are generated, to produce additional energy.
According to Cédric Latessa, investments director at Aster Capital and co-founder of Plasticelectronics, as well as member of the Jury of the TR35 Spanish Innovator Award, Rodriguez stands out ''not only for having an impressive academic curriculum, but because she is involved in a project with promising future and a great potential at international level, as it affects global warming''.
Ca-looping stands out with respect to other CLC methods because it can be applied at already existing plants and because it utilised an absorbent derived from limestone, cheap and widely available in nature. On the other hand, the other CLC methods, although they, too, are powerful CO2 capture processes, are envisaged to be integrated in new plants and use primarily synthetic absorbents, which are more expensive.
Techniques of this kind, although still in testing phase, could reduce to cost of CCS up to 30%. This is well known by firms such as Gas Natural Union Fenosa, to which Rodriguez transferred a patent of her technology, of which she is co-author. Gas Natural Union Fenosa is currently building a 300kW pilot plant to test this technology which, applied to biomass combustion, translates into negative CO2 emissions when combined with a geological storage phase."
