Climate change and one of its consequences: global warming
Climate change is a fact, and its effects are becoming increasingly present. According to analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2021 was the sixth warmest year on record, and the 10 warmest years occurred in the period 2010-2021. If this trend continues, in 10 years we will reach the global warming ceiling that the Paris Agreements set at a maximum increase of 1.5 °C.
It is generally believed that climate change only involves a slight increase in temperature, a fact that many people believe is not very important. But the reality is very different, since the increase in temperature is only the beginning of a story with many possible endings. The Earth is a very complex system that is constantly changing, everything is connected, and changes in one area can influence changes in the rest of the whole.
Droughts and floods, fires and polar ice caps, global warming, rising sea levels and water scarcity are just some of the consequences of climate change that are seriously endangering the biodiversity of our planet . Some of these changes may be irreversible for thousands of years.
The two Industrial Doctorate projects, which we will discuss later, have set out to fight climate change by providing solutions that are based on the idea of removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air . CO₂ is the main greenhouse gas, and the concentration of this gas in the atmosphere breaks records year after year according to NOAA reports. Precisely, the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of climate change according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In fact, one of the two projects, called CAPTACO₂, works on an idea aligned with the dictates of the IPCC to reduce polluting emissions.
A fundamental fact to face the situation: greenhouse gas concentrations are at their highest level in 2 million years . Over the last two centuries, human activity has led to an increase, but is this increase serious? We must first understand what we mean when we talk about the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases trap the infrared radiation emitted by our Earth, and help maintain the temperature at which life has thrived for thousands of years. However, the balance has been broken, the burning of fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket that envelops the Earth, trapping the heat of the Sun and increasing temperatures. In short, we now have an excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, many more than at any other time in the last four hundred thousand years!
"Two Industrial Doctorate projects have set out to fight climate change by providing solutions based on the idea of removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air"
One of the commitments of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November 2021 is to abandon the use of coal as a fuel. And this is one of the elements that directly affect the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and cause widespread global warming. The global warming of our planet (remember that it is a system in equilibrium) can modify climate patterns . Some of these patterns may be that of rainfall, or the most serious one, the rise in sea levels, which will cause serious flooding in the lowest coastal areas, and will put life as we know it at risk.
Faced with this critical scenario, the problem must be faced on two fronts: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eliminating the excess of these gases that we have been sending into the atmosphere . This is where the collaborative research of the two Industrial Doctorate projects, led by the Greennova Foundation with the University of Barcelona and the Rovira i Virgili University, conspire to clean the air from the atmosphere by extracting CO₂ from the atmosphere and preventing global temperatures from rising further . Greennova has been working for years to eliminate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere , with a clear mission: to develop and implement tools and solutions to mitigate and reverse the negative consequences generated by human activity on planet Earth and the species that inhabit it. Anna Mas Herrador, the doctoral student in the DI CaptaCO2 project, makes it very clear: “We have climate change on our minds, but I think it is possible to find a solution .” This is why projects like these make sense: it is not only about progressively reducing emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide, but also about transforming excess CO₂ as a short- to medium-term solution. It is interesting to note that climate change solutions like these can bring economic benefits, while improving our quality of life and protecting the environment.
"We have climate change looming over us, but I believe it is possible to find a solution"
An artificial leaf to capture CO₂
One of the two projects, called CAPTACO2, predates the Industrial Doctorate phase, but the success of the results and the completion of the research contract led them to decide to continue the project with an Industrial Doctorate. The interest aroused by this project has been the subject of a report on the American channel China Global Television Network (CGTN). Similarly, this initiative to capture atmospheric CO₂ has received the support of organizations such as PEUSA , an energy supply company in Lleida, and other organizations such as the Caixa d'Enginyers, the Damm beverage company, the Vueling airline and the La Caixa banking entity.
The team of this project is formed by the doctoral student Anna Mas Herrador (chemical engineer and master's degree from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia), the researcher Dr. Ricard Garcia-Valls (professor of Chemical Engineering at the Rovira i Virgili University) and Sebastià Carrión Soriano (director of Greennova and company manager of both projects). Anna considered that the project was a good challenge to work on a solution to the problem of climate change. Dr. Garcia-Valls arrived at the URV after doing his postdoctoral stay at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. He has been working in membrane technology for many years and began to develop an artificial leaf to capture CO₂ as trees do, and then to carry out artificial photosynthesis . During this research process he met Sebastià Carrion, director of the Greennova Foundation, and they decided to start a collaboration on this project aimed at solving the effects of climate change.
The doctoral student is the bridge for knowledge transfer between Greennova and the URV, combining the two work environments: “ On the one hand, the academic world where I learn about methodology and knowledge and, on the other, contact with the business world where we bring this knowledge to society and have contact with other companies”. She tells us that one of the most satisfying results is seeing that there is a final product for society after long hours of research in the Eurecat laboratories in Tarragona. Although it has not been a year since she arrived at the project, good results have been obtained, with good cooperation between the university and the company: “ An Industrial Doctorate is a good option to end up transferring knowledge from the university to society ”, she declares.
But what is this laboratory work? What exactly does the technology for separating atmospheric CO₂ from the rest of the gases in the air consist of? The capture process works through a chemical reaction that transforms the CO₂ from the atmosphere into a salt, which can be recovered and removed in the same way as we separate any other waste. From here, the waste becomes a by-product that allows a manufacturing cycle of a new product to begin, thus closing the cycle of the circular carbon economy : “ Using a series of membranes and a solution, we want to capture sufficiently significant quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert them into carbonates,” says Anna Mas Herrador. She is working precisely to optimize the efficiency of the process, so that profitable quantities of CO₂ can be achieved , the final objective of her doctoral thesis. As we explained before, the most didactic way to understand this technology is to think of an artificial leaf: “ we imitate tree leaves where CO₂ is captured passively and slowly, but transformed by the plant in a selective way ,” says Dr. Garcia-Valls.
One of the applications with the greatest domestic impact is installing a device in a home or office to capture the CO₂ that all the people who live there breathe.
Technically speaking, it is a small device that is responsible for the process, made up of membranes and an absorbent substance with a high affinity for CO₂. You just need to put this liquid in contact with the air to get the CO₂ to adhere to it and transform, how to do it in the shortest possible time is the challenge. One of the applications that could have the most impact in the domestic sphere is the possibility of installing the device in a home or office, since this would allow capturing the carbon dioxide that all the people who live or work there breathe . In the near future, the intention of the project is to replicate the prototype on a larger scale. For more than a year, Anna has been working intensively on a new prototype: a larger membrane and a box of solar panels as an energy source, as well as other faces that function like the leaves of trees. “ If projects like ours work, we will be able to 'clean' the CO₂ already present in the atmosphere to leave it at correct values for climate balance ,” explains Dr. Garcia-Valls.
If projects like ours work, we will be able to 'clean' the CO₂ already present in the atmosphere to leave it at correct values for climate balance.
A sponge to capture CO₂
As mentioned in the introduction, climate change is caused by the excessive increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, of which carbon dioxide is the most important. For this reason, it is necessary to remove the excess of these gases that we already have in the air, beyond making an effort as a society to stop dumping them into the air we breathe. The research of these projects goes along this line in order to generate a relevant impact in solving the problem . In short, the final objective is to help reduce the effects of climate change while being consistent with the social and environmental values that have determined the objectives of the projects and the Greennova Foundation: it is about carrying out an action that, without seeking profit, has as its objective the general well-being.
The Greennova Foundation leads, with Sebastià Carrión, the second project called GRAFECO₂, and it is also a non-profit project aligned with the environmental policies recommended by the IPCC. The research team of this project is made up of two women: Dr. Mercè Segarra Rubí and the doctoral student Elizabeth Martínez Medina. The doctoral student, after completing the master's degree in Applied Materials Chemistry at the University of Barcelona, presented herself as a candidate for the Industrial Doctorate project proposal. Dr. Segarra is the director of the thesis, and is part of the Process and Materials Design and Optimization Group (DIOPMA-UB): “I believe that collaborating with the Industrial Doctorate Plan for all these years has provided us with a very beneficial, innovative and positive vision .” This research group has extensive experience in technology transfer, focused on SMEs: “One of the group's objectives is to help companies overcome future and present challenges, innovating, improving their products or their manufacturing technology”. The group collaborates with companies thanks to different innovation and transfer instruments: “ The co-direction of doctoral theses within the Industrial Doctorate Plan has been a natural step for our group, in which we have participated since its creation ”.
In this second project, CO₂ is also absorbed, with the aim of capturing excess of this gas from the Earth's atmosphere: “At the moment, there are no effective measures to capture CO₂ and in industry it is only viable in some cases in which it is captured directly from chimneys ”, says Elizabeth. Her applied research work, with the help of Sebastià as a company tutor and Dr. Segarra, is to investigate different ways of using graphene to capture CO₂ : “ The analogy is that of a sponge like the one we use to clean dishes ”, they say. The air from the environment passes through the sponge and the CO₂ is trapped in the holes in the sponge, and can then be released. The challenge is to ensure that only CO₂ is the gas that is trapped in these holes, functioning as a strainer that will separate this greenhouse gas from the rest of the gases in the air we breathe.
In short, these two applied research projects have a very important value in the business sector when it comes to generating more transversal skills and making the company more competitive. It is an opportunity for everyone involved. On the one hand, the company attracts talent and can work alongside research staff of high scientific level and at the forefront of knowledge. On the other, the university strengthens its relationships with companies and contributes to the development of the country by increasing its innovative capacity. Elizabeth, a doctoral student in this last project, states that “ working with a company and being able to see science from another perspective provides experience and added values that are very useful for personal and professional growth ”.
"It has allowed us to transfer the knowledge generated to society in a direct way, taking advantage of different points of view to find new paths in research and the development of knowledge"
Collaborative and applied research
For Sebastià Carrión, the Industrial Doctorate Plan fits in with the aims of the Greennova Foundation: “ We have the drive and clear objectives, but we do not have enough knowledge, nor the necessary facilities to be able to develop the projects satisfactorily. The Industrial Doctorate generates knowledge with direct application, and establishes a very clear framework for collaboration that benefits all parties involved .” Collaborative research has great potential in our current society, and emphasizes the importance of forging links between University research and companies: “ It has allowed us to transfer the knowledge generated to society directly, taking advantage of different points of view to find new paths in research and the development of knowledge ,” explains Dr. Segarra about the GrafeCO₂ project. This type of research based on the collaboration between the two areas, the university and the company, allows an enriching exchange of points of view on the same problem: “ It makes you leave your comfort zone and give your best to understand the problem in an innovative way, applying your knowledge and talents ,” explains Dr. Garcia-Valls, from the CaptaCO₂ project.
In this sense, the second characteristic of the research carried out in an Industrial Doctorate is its applicability and the impact it can have on our society. This is how Carrión explains it as the company tutor of the two projects: “ The beauty of the Industrial Doctorates is precisely the applied research. We think of the projects not only as the development of knowledge; we want them to generate a solution that can be implemented and industrialized ”. The final objective of both projects is to be able to industrialize the prototypes that are carried out . To demonstrate, in short, that what seems like a good result in the laboratory is also good in a real environment: “ We hope that at the end of the thesis we will have a first result of a real case and a prototype with commercial capacity so that it has demonstrated its efficiency ”, points out Dr. Garcia-Valls.
In conclusion, the two projects allow the Greennova Foundation to approach the initial stages of knowledge generation, actively participating in the entire process, understanding that the doctoral stage is one of training and creating synergies with the research group that, in some cases, can lead to future collaboration: “ The knowledge generated can be used by the company itself, since it is focused on resolving a topic that interests it, ” confirms Dr. Segarra.
