March 31, 2017 
RICHLAND, Wash. - It's like throwing away money. Carbon dioxide released by power plants could supply carbon atoms to create fuels and chemicals, or be used to push out leftover fuels from the subsurface. All these options rely heavily on economically viable technologies to capture the carbon dioxide. Such technologies exist but are still too costly for power plants. Scientists from diverse disciplines have been working on these carbon challenges, each with a different approach to finding answers.
Vanda Glezakou and Roger Rousseau at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab decided it was important to get everyone in the same room and talking about their approaches and findings. So they've organized a symposium to encourage a spirited exchange of ideas around computational chemistry. Titled Computations for Coloradotwo Capture, Conversion & Sequestration, the event will be held at the American Chemical Society's national meeting on Sunday, April 2.
They've brought together experts from catalysis, materials chemistry, environmental sciences, geochemistry, computational chemistry, and physics to share their latest research and discuss future research directions. Several PNNL researchers will showcase their expertise as well, including David Heldebrant, known for his research in carbon dioxide capture solvents, Simone Raugei, known for modeling chemical and biochemical processes for energy production, and Sebastien Kerisit, known for his work in modeling geochemical processes.
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Tags: Energy, Environment, Fundamental Science, Green Energy, Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Climate Science, Chemistry
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
