VITO | VITO

14:10 to 14:30

Enabling CO2 capture and utilisation by innovative solid adsorbents

Marleen Rombouts

To mitigate global warming the EU has set as ambition to evolve to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies will need to play a major role to reach this challenging target. In this technology pitch, the potential of innovative CCU technologies under development at VITO will be highlighted. The focus is on CO₂ capture from the atmosphere (Direct Air Capture) and from diluted flue gases by the use of innovative porous structured sorbents that can be regenerated at lower cost and with a lower energy penalty. The impact and benefits of a CCU value chain depend on the way the different CCU stages are coupled. This will be illustrated in the presentation by the coupling of the solid adsorption technology to mineral carbonation, which uses CO₂ to produce CO₂ negative construction materials. VITO has unique, longstanding expertise in the mineral carbonation field and has developed in collaboration with Orbix the Carbstone technology.

Marleen Rombouts

Senior researcher, Coating and Shaping Technologies group, VITO

Dr. ir. Marleen Rombouts graduated with a master’s degree in Materials Engineering in 2001 and obtained in 2006 a PhD in Engineering Sciences at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) in the field of 3D printing. From 2006 to 2016 she worked as a researcher in the Laser Materials Processing group at VITO. In 2016 she joined VITO's Coating and Shaping Technologies group. Her areas of expertise are powder metallurgy (including 3D printing and coating) and materials development for CO₂ capture & conversion. She is responsible for the research track on CO₂ capture at VITO’s Sustainable Materials Department. She is a principal member of CAPTURE (capture-resources.be) where she is (co-)leading the CO₂ capture & separation program.