Argonne National Laboratory is hosting a webinar on achieving net-zero emissions

Lemont, IL – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is hosting a webinar on October 21 that will discuss the market and technological drivers for transitioning thermochemical processes to electrochemical to help achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require new approaches to chemicals and materials manufacturing, whose two sources of emissions—direct emissions from fossil feedstocks used in the manufacturing process, and indirect emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels to generate process heat—represent up to 28% of global emissions.

Converting incumbent thermochemical processes that use fossil fuel-derived process heat to electrochemical processes that use carbon-free electricity would make a significant impact on industry emissions and energy efficiency, but many technological hurdles remain. Solutions will require cutting-edge discovery science, scalable technology development, and the convergent expertise and resources of industry, government, and academia.

In this webinar, experts will discuss the market and technological drivers for transitioning thermochemical processes to electrochemical, summarize the areas of greatest need in R&D, and survey a few of the most promising scientific and technological frontiers. The webinar will also feature a live tour of the state-of-the art facilities and technologies available to industry partners at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, including its newly expanded Materials Engineering Research Facility.

George Crabtree, Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, will kick off the conversations on several questions: What impact on emissions can we expect from converting thermochemical to electrochemical processes, in the short and long term? What are the key technology gaps that determine scalability and profitability? What type of R&D is needed to close these gaps, and what teams can we assemble to accelerate progress?

Paul Kearns, Director of Argonne National Laboratory, will welcome U.S. Representative Bill Foster of Illinois’ 11th Congressional District to provide opening remarks. 

For more information please visit https://an.gov/manufacturing/frontiers