Multidisciplinary research into linking renewable energy with utilising atmospheric carbon dioxide and with water desalination

The applicant is an experienced energy researcher with particular expertise in polymer electrolytes and fuel cell testing using combined d.c. and a.c. electrochemical methods. He has made a major contribution to the establishment of enviable facilities at Surrey for energy research. The anion-exchange ionomers and membranes developed by the applicant have led to a significant increase in the (international) profile of anion-exchange membrane based energy systems. Important breakthroughs include novel alkaline polymers (membranes and ionomers) with high ionic conductivities (some developments deemed highly significant and led to the filing of a Patent). The applicant will use this opportunity to develop a broad range of interrelated disruptive technologies, to establish a focused portfolio of protected intellectual property and to further stimulate team-working between local, national, and international researchers in the associated fields; this is to draw together complimentary strands in disparate areas in a coherent manner where the commonalities are not readily obvious (a step-change move away from research that is targeted on a limited area).The proposed research (managed risk profile) is focused at the highlighted research theme of Energy (renewable generation) and fully addresses the training and supply of skilled people agenda. The background research will be to continue development of novel materials (including polymer electrolyte materials, ionomers and hybrid proton-/anion- membrane systems) for clean energy generation and storage (e.g. fuel cells and redox flow batteries). However, the principal aim of the Fellowship is to extend the above technologies and link them to water technologies and the utilisation of atmospheric CO2 [this latter is highly speculative but will address the grand challenge of utilising CO2 in synthesis and transforming the chemicals industry].The first specific work package will be to investigate low temperature metal-free carbonate-conducting anion-exchange membrane systems: Utilisation of these carbonate-containing AAEMs in fuel cells with hydrogen fuelled anodes and air/CO2 mixed feed cathodes can set up a carbonate cycle, where the CO2 is effectively pumped from the cathode to the anode to form a potentially useful carbon dioxide/hydrogen mixture for chemical synthesis [with concomitant generation of electricity]. This approach has a high impact potential, that is timely due to the only recently developed (by the applicant) high performance anion-exchange ionomeric materials; it is initially aimed at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 - 4 in the innovation pipeline. The second specific research focus (targeted at TRLs 1 - 5) is to directly link energy technologies (biological and chemical) to water technologies by: (1) extending the biological fuel cell technologies and knowledge being developed in the Supergen programme [led by Surrey] to self powering desalination systems; and (2) by applying current membranes to, and developing new biofouling resistant electrolyte membranes for, reverse electrodialysis systems. The first involves three chamber cells containing both anion- and cation-exchange systems that can be used for desalination of aqueous salt solutions using biological catalysts and organic waste water streams to self power the systems and where the waste water is also treated with potentially zero grid electricity consumption. The second involves reverse electrodialysis where gradients in salinity are directly utilised to generate renewable electricity (i.e. UK electricity potential where river, brackish and sea waters meet).The research will also benefit from already established UK-China collaborations (resulting from an EPSRC funded Interact grant in 2006) and a newly established cross-disciplinary collaboration with the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India.

A direct output of the proposed programme (4 - 5 year window) will be highly skilled researchers who will have developed multidisciplinary skills and will have experienced a broad range of technological fields that are important to the building of sustainable societies. The above assists towards the assurance of the trained people pipeline needed to service the highly skilled, high technology jobs required by the below industries; the broader energy and environmental sectors are predicted to generate a large number of jobs in the medium - long term. Commercial beneficiaries of the research (wealth generation in 2 - 25 years) will be companies in the UK and worldwide in, or part of the supply chain for, the distributed and centralised energy, water, carbon capture and waste treatment sectors. More specifically, in the 5 - 10 year window, UK industry will directly benefit if the outcomes of the research lead to more developed and focussed academic-industry collaborations (Technology Strategy Board / Knowledge Transfer Partnerships -> Energy Technology Institute / Carbon Trust). On successful commercialisation, society will ultimately benefit (25 - 50 year longer term), as breakthroughs in the proposed technology sectors will have positive impacts on quality of life and energy security. The research programme will introduce a new collaboration with AirFuel Synthesis Ltd, over and above established collaborations associated with the applicant's current research consortia (including Supergen) and programmes. The applicant is well renowned for the development of electrochemical systems containing anion-exchange polymer electrolytes. Further successful advocacy is demonstrated as the applicant's publications, from the above TSB and EPSRC funded research, has led to worldwide interest in the field. The applicant's work on alkaline anion-exchange membranes has already featured in the trade, local and national press as well as EPSRC's Spotlight (Spring 2005) and as a front page news story on the Royal Society of Chemistry's webpage (Feb 2007). For maximum impact, a national workshop encompassing the clean energy and water technologies will be organised and held at Surrey. Academic participants, industrial parties, research councils, TSB, CT, ETI representatives and policymakers will all be invited. This workshop will stimulate new links between the UK's water treatment - clean energy sectors. The results generated from the research will be disseminated at international and UK conferences and meetings, which attract a mixture of participants from academia, government agencies, and industry. The results will also be directly or indirectly fed back into EPSRC funded/managed UK consortia [e.g. Supergen]. Surrey has already started to develop a portfolio of protected IP around alkaline membranes and ionomers. There is already a major effort to produce substantial commercial impact from the research on H2/air anion-exchange membrane fuel cells using a Carbon Trust funding mechanism: A consortium involving Surrey, Imperial College London, and CMR Fuel Cells UK Ltd. has been shortlisted for full proposal submission in this polymer fuel cell challenge with the aim to move the technology from the University Laboratory through to commercialisation. The management of any background and foreground IP will be in consultation with the University's highly successful Research and Enterprise Support Office (see news articles on Surrey Satellite Technology for evidence of excellence). The University of Surrey was awarded a 3.85m Knowledge Transfer Account by the EPSRC, which started on 01 October 2009; the aim is to maximise impact from Surrey's EPSRC-funded research and is especially timely for early research breakthroughs during the proposed Fellowship. Water and Clean Energy are now University of Surrey strategic areas for research and are being well supported (politically and logistically).