Abstract: There is a broad scientific consensus that greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat in the atmosphere. From 1960 to 2022, the atmospheric concentration of CO2, the most abundant anthropogenic GHG, increased from 320 to 420 parts per million by volume. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this increase contributed to the 1.0 °C increase in global temperature relative to the late 19th century average. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) urged a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, relative to 2010 levels, to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. To curb CO2 emissions, the Blue Map Scenario of the International Energy Agency (IEA) recommends different strategies such as switching to renewable energy sources and implementing carbon capture technologies, including CO2 capture from large point sources such as fossil fuel power plants and CO2 removal from the atmosphere (i.e., Direct Air Capture; DAC). Cyclic adsorption-desorption of CO2 by amine-functionalized silica materials (known as “aminosilicas”) has attracted tremendous attention from the scientific community and industry alike. In this webinar, Dr. Jahandar Lashaki will provide an overview of the use of aminosilicas for biogas and landfill gas purification to produce grid-quality renewable natural gas, DAC, and air revitalization in enclosed environments.
Biography: Dr. Lashaki holds BS & MS degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Tehran & Sharif University of Technology, respectively; earned a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Alberta; & completed a two-year postdoc fellowship in chemistry at the University of Ottawa. During his Ph.D., he worked with Ford Motor Company to develop novel adsorbent materials & methods for controlling volatile organic compounds emissions from car painting operations. During his postdoc, he enriched his expertise in materials/interfacial chemistry, with the development of adsorbent materials for CO2 capture. Before FAU, he worked as Research Engineer at Svante, a Canadian cleantech company with a revolutionary CO2 capture technology, to continue his inquiry into the stability & performance of adsorbent materials for use in pilot-scale CO2 capture projects sponsored by Husky & LafargeHolcim. At FAU, he continues to develop adsorbent materials for various CO2 capture applications.
