Leading Carbon Capture and Storage Conference
The University of Texas at Austin will host the world’s leading conference on carbon capture and storage research, the 12th International Greenhouse Gas Technologies conference (GHGT-12), Oct. 5-9, 2014 at the Austin Convention Center.
The GHGT-12 conference, held every two years, brings together scientific, industrial and policy communities from all over the world to exchange new knowledge, information and ideas on greenhouse gas mitigation issues. Gary Rochelle, the Carol & Henry Groppe Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, is an expert on carbon capture from coal-fired power plants and co-chair of the GHGT Steering Committee.
“The GHGT conference is the premier international platform for cutting-edge research and the latest developments in carbon capture and storage, a leading technology that will reduce greenhouse gases and curb global warming,” said Rochelle.
Sharon L. Wood, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, and Sharon Mosher, dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences, will welcome conference attendees in October as leaders of UT -Austin colleges whose faculty members and students work to keep environmental research a top priority.
“We are honored to host and lead the GHGT-12 conference, and to welcome attendees from around the world to Austin,” Wood said. “UT -Austin faculty members and students have long been at the forefront of carbon capture and storage research, and our engineers and scientists are committed to developing and advancing technologies that decrease greenhouse gas emissions.”
The main focus of the conference series is assessing developments in technology that could decrease greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the field of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), which is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide from sources, such as fossil fuel plants, and typically storing it underground so it does not enter the atmosphere.
Policymakers will make important decisions in the near future regarding the fate of large-scale, billion-dollar demonstration plants; the ongoing and contentious debate about the role of CCS and other measures designed to foster a sustainable energy future; and how to effectively communicate the importance of CCS research and development to the public.
The University of Texas at Austin plays a prominent role in climate change research, recently receiving a $12 million grant for carbon capture and storage research. The selection of Austin to serve as the host city for GHGT-12 reflects the university’s worldwide prominence as a thought leader in greenhouse gas control technologies.
Researchers from the university led the first American demonstration project of carbon capture at an industry-sized scale, pioneered scrubbing technologies to separate greenhouse gases from power plant emissions, and have trained scientists and engineers from around the world on advanced CCS technologies.
“It is exciting that the attention of the international scientific community will be focused on The University of Texas at Austin during this important event,” Mosher said. “Hosting this summit really crystallizes the university’s role as an international leader on the issue.”
Tags: carbon capture, carbon dioxide, Gary Rochelle, global warming, greenhouse gases, reducing carbon emissions, research on greenhouse gases, UT Austin