NWO Open Technology grant for research into the circular power plant
PHYSICS
Leiden professors Dirk Bouwmeester and Irene Groot are jointly investigating the concept of a circular power plant. Research that contributes to new solutions for storing surplus renewable energy, generating electricity during periods of power shortage, and recycling CO₂.
The Circular Power Plant: Enabled by ultra-fast plasma quenching and energy re-use for efficient CO2 conversion and separation
The enabling technology in this project is the plasma conversion of CO₂ into fuel. We propose novel approaches, including rapid reaction quenching, product separation, and heat recovery, to achieve commercially relevant levels of efficiency and conversion performance.
This innovation enables commercial energy storage without the use of fossil fuels, biomass, radioactive materials, or rare resources, thereby making circular power plants feasible on both small and large scales. It has the potential to transform energy and chemical production and to promote more self-sufficient societies.
About the NWO Open Technology Programme
The Open Technology Programme provides funding for application-oriented technical-scientific research that is free and unfettered and unencumbered by disciplinary boundaries. The programme provides a low-threshold way for companies and other organisations to join scientific research that should lead to societal and/or scientific impact.