Monash research to focus on conversion of CO2 into useful products

A new research hub focused solely on technologies to transform carbon dioxide emissions has opened at Monash University.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Carbon Utilisation and Recycling (RECARB) was officially launched by Cassandra Fernando, Federal Member for Holt, on behalf of Jason Clare, Minister for Education, at Monash University’s Clayton campus.

Through a collaboration of international and national universities and industry partners RECARB will develop technologies to transform carbon dioxide emissions from the energy and manufacturing sectors into useful products. The Hub will also develop the markets for the carbon-embedded products.

The Hub opened its doors on 11 August 2023 to begin a five-year program led by Professor Paul Webley, Director, and Professor Akshat Tanksale, Deputy Director of the Hub.

RECARB Director Professor Paul Webley, Faculty of Engineering at Monash University, said research hubs provide an essential platform to bring together industry and academia to develop industry-relevant research and translate it into practice.

“We need to change our thinking of carbon emissions from pollutants to useful feedstock,” he said. “The RECARB Hub aims to catalyse this change in thinking by working with industry, government and university partners to develop and provide high-quality solutions especially for the hard-to-abate sectors. The Hub will become Australia’s leading research initiative for leading the decarbonisation journey.

“Monash has an outstanding track record in working with industry and university partners to develop high-impact research. As one of Australia’s leading universities with a strong emphasis on sustainability, our Hub is well-placed to lead the way in carbon recycling and reuse for future applications.”

Monash University said the RECARB Hub will develop and pilot cutting-edge, industry-relevant technologies to help reduce and reuse carbon emissions and transform those emissions into high-value products such as acetic acid, stock feed, methanol and other chemicals.

The RECARB Hub will focus on the development of improved, low-cost, scalable and green methods for the conversion of CO₂ to intermediate and high-value products.

Research will cover electrochemical, thermochemical and biological technologies. This will include research into the innovative direct air capture technology (DAC) for CO₂ recycling. DAC offers a sustainable source of this greenhouse gas that can be harnessed to benefit agriculture and, more importantly, transformed into valuable products.

Within the energy and chemical manufacturing sectors, plasmonics is emerging as a transformative field in the realm of sustainable chemistry, offering exciting possibilities for the photochemical conversion of CO₂ into valuable chemicals. At the heart of this innovative approach lies the exploration of novel multifunctional metal plasmonic nanomaterials, which promise to revolutionise the way solar energy is harnessed to drive these chemical transformations.

Tanksale, from the Faculty of Engineering, emphasised that the practical application of these technologies is crucial to their success.

“Our aim is to develop pilot-scale applications of CO₂ to products and CO₂ recycling so that industry can scale up and assess these processes for their business,” he said. “For this research to make a difference to the environment we need to identify methods and frameworks for embedded emissions accounting that can unlock growing markets for abated carbon products and services.

“Not only will our research be an investment for the future but we will also leave a highly skilled workforce with a deep knowledge in carbon-to-products technology and commercialisation for Australian captured carbon products.”