The one who extracts fuel from the air - a post-doctoral researcher at Tel Aviv University was a partner in the development of a system that turns CO2 into cheap fuel

A researcher who participated in the development of the system for turning carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from the sea into fuel, will improve the jet engines at Tel Aviv University * Dr. Brian Rosen, Milgai Fulbright assured in a conversation with the science site that his invention is in good hands and was not bought to be destroyed. He began his post-doctorate with Prof. Noam Eliaz and Prof. Eliezer Giladi, in which he will investigate the coating of jet engine components with rhenium alloys to extend their life and increase flight safety. * He has advice for Israeli students who want to continue their studies in the US, in preparation for a conference to be held on October 10

It's not every day someone works in Israel who was involved in a discovery that looks like the invention of the wheel, if it weren't for the fact that it was published in the journal Science. As part of his doctoral thesis, Dr. Berkian Rosen, together with colleagues at the University of Chicago, researched ways to cheaply produce fuel from the most reviled substance in the atmosphere: carbon dioxide. Rosen, stays in Israel as a post-doctoral research fellow of Fulbright program The American for the exchange of lecturers and students.

"I am staying at Tel Aviv University with Prof. Noam Eliez and Prof. Eliezer Giladi. My research in Tel Aviv is a joint project of the Israeli Air Force and the American Air Force that focuses on combining a nano-structural coating of an electrochemical rhenium alloy for use in jet engines. This coating will improve the durability of central jet engine components that are constantly exposed to high temperatures and a reactive environment and will allow many more safe flight hours."

The scientist: Rhenium is an expensive and rare material, how would it be possible to incorporate it without greatly increasing the cost of the engine?

"It is a thin layer of alloy, but enough of it to impart the good properties of the material to the engine parts. During the research we will examine the resistance to cracks and strains of the various rhenium alloys, until we find the most suitable configuration. Although this is an expensive material, reducing the frequency of replacing the parts in the engine will result in a significant reduction in the maintenance costs of the aircraft."

Rosen studied his first degree at the University of Delaware and his second and third degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, under the guidance of Prof. Richard Y. Massel (retired) and Paul G.A. Kenis My PhD research project involved the development of a highly efficient electrochemical reactor that can convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into a fuel such as carbon monoxide (CO). The carbon monoxide can then be easily mixed with hydrogen gas and converted into synthetic liquid fuels using The well-known Fisher-Tropsch synthesis This process is actually "artificial photosynthesis", since, like plants, we are interested in using renewable energy and converting carbon dioxide from our environment into energy sources.

"In 2010, the US Energy Information Agency predicted that global energy demand would increase by 50%, from 500 quadrillion BTUs to 750 quadrillion BTUs from 2007 to 2035. At the same time, the need for liquid fuels for transportation, industry, buildings and electricity is expected to increase from about 80 million barrels to about 115 million barrels, in the same time period. Fossil fuels supply most of the world's energy requirements, and will continue to supply our energy needs while alternative energy solutions are still being researched. The use of fossil fuels as the source of our energy supply is responsible for the annual emission of almost 60% of greenhouse gases (GHG). As a result, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from about 300 parts per million (ppm) to about 400 parts per million in the last 100 years, and this may be causing global warming."

"The two goals of our research: (1) to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for our energy needs (2) to develop alternative energy technologies that will slow or stabilize the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We hope to achieve these two goals by utilizing excess electrical energy from periodically renewable raw materials such as wind and sun, with the aim of converting electrochemical carbon dioxide waste from chemical plants and refineries back into fuels, instead of emitting it into the atmosphere."

"The idea of ​​converting carbon dioxide into fuels is not a new idea. Scientific studies on the subject began more than 30 years ago. Despite the research efforts, the idea did not become commercial since the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide requires a high level of energy. Carbon dioxide is a stable and non-energetic molecule, therefore it is necessary to invest a large level of energy in order to convert it into a higher energy molecule required for fuel production. The main obstacle to artificial photosynthesis is the high energy required to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Chemists and engineers use a type of substance called a "catalyst" when they want to lower the level of energy needed for a chemical reaction (such as converting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide). Catalysts are unique in that they are able to speed up chemical reactions without creating a self-reaction. Carbon dioxide is difficult to convert because the periodic chemicals required for conversion have high energy and unstable molecules that create an energy barrier for the efficient conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels."

"Our reactor uses two catalysts - a metal surface and ionic liquids - in order to reduce the energy required to convert carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is fed into the electrochemical reactor where it can interact with ionic liquids and a metal surface, then it can be converted to carbon monoxide when electricity from renewable raw materials is fed to the metal surface. The interaction between the carbon dioxide and the ionic liquids changes the chemical mediator to a lower energy, more stable form, thereby reducing the input energy required to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. The product, carbon monoxide, is then released from the metal surface from where it can be sent to facilities to be turned into fuel."

This technology creates the possibility of an energy source which:

1.   Efficiently converts waste carbon dioxide into fuels using excess electricity from renewable sources (e.g. solar or wind).
2.   Provides an artificial fuel that can be transported through our current gasoline infrastructure (as opposed to hydrogen energy which requires the construction of new pipelines and gas stations).
3.   Provides an alternative source of energy that does not compete with the food supply (unlike converting corn to ethanol).

The American Ministry of Energy found that the efficiency of energy consumption in the conversion processes of carbon dioxide is over 50%. Our process exhibits an energy efficiency of 87% of which more than 95% of the electrical current is used to convert the waste carbon dioxide into the desired carbon monoxide product.
Our research was published in the academic magazine 'Science' in 2011 because it presented a significant breakthrough that allows the production of synthetic fuel from carbon dioxide commercially. The University of Illinois and the start-up company 'Dioxide Materials' (founded by one of my PhD supervisors, Richard Massel) are currently working with large American companies with the aim of commercializing this technology. This research was supported by grants and scholarships from the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Defense.

Is there no danger that someone will buy the patents and bury them, as the energy industries have done for countless inventions since the seventies (the electric car for example)?
"The big companies we work with are serious companies and they continue to develop. Their people come to the University of Illinois all the time and our people come to them.”

Why did you choose Tel Aviv University?
Rosen: "I chose Tel Aviv University because of its excellent reputation both in engineering and in the fields of pure science. The multidisciplinary centers on campus, such as the Center for Nanotechnology, promote collaborations between different fields of engineering and between pure scientific departments, which leads to high-impact research. After my meeting with my future advisors Eliaz and Giladi, I realized that their specialization and enthusiasm for combining all the resources available at Tel Aviv University make the decision easy."

Rosen went in the opposite direction, but he recommends that Israelis go to advanced studies and a post-doctorate in the US: "Given funding, especially for a post-doctorate, it is very important to demonstrate creativity and independence. There are many problems that the US government allocates funds to solve. The scientific goals of the government and the agencies funded by it (Department of Energy, ARPA, NIH, etc.) are available on the Internet, so I recommend that those who want to go do their research on the agencies' websites. If the research topic interests one of these agencies there is a high chance of receiving funding. "

• "In any case, it is important to make creative suggestions when writing a research proposal that seeks to solve a selected problem. It is also important to rely on government publications in the proposal to show examiners that you have done your 'homework'.
• "Take advantage of the system of national institutes, if this is relevant. The national laboratories provide students with access to equipment that not every university can have, such as powerful electron microscopes, line accelerators, synchrotrons, and "tight collision systems" more or less for free. Operating this equipment is on a competitive basis simply submit a short proposal about your intended use of the device and the highest scoring proposals receive access time.
• "Always remember that at any given moment, 99% of the research is waiting for researchers to handle it, but also that 99% of the results will not be as you expected."
• "Love your work. If you don't like the research, if you don't have passion for what you do and the impact that your research can provide, the chances that you will succeed or that you will enjoy your work in trying to succeed are small. Be proud of your project and always think about its greatest possible impact."

Dr. Brian Rosen will participate on October 10 in a conference for advanced studies in the sciences in the USA, of the EducationUSA center, which operates within the framework of the USA-Israel Education Foundation (Fulbright program). The conference will discuss research and funding options in the US, the process of registration, admission and studies in the US. The conference is free of charge. for pre-registration.

Fulbright is the first government program launched to promote scientific ties between Israel and the US. Israel's participation in this program is managed by the US-Israel Education Foundation.