Reducing carbon dioxide emissions has taken center stage in efforts to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the environment. Much effort is going into limiting the use of fossil fuels through increased use of renewable energy sources, switching to alternate feedstocks for industrial processes and developing more efficient processes. While these changes are underway — some more quickly than others — carbon-based products are, and will continue to be, needed for the foreseeable future. Carbon capture and utilization is therefore poised to play an important role in CO2 emissions reduction.
Opportunities for carbon utilization
A new report released in August by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine [1] examines opportunities for CO2 utilization, current technologies, research and development needs, and related policies and infrastructure. Included in the report is also an assessment of how coal waste might be utilized to produce critical minerals and carbon-based materials — particularly long-lived products, such as concrete and other construction materials.
The congressionally mandated report, sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; www.energy.gov) presents a research agenda identifying opportunities for CO2 utilization including: mineralization of CO2 into inorganic carbonates; conversion of CO2 into elemental carbon materials; and chemical and biological pathways for CO2 conversion into organic chemicals and fuels. Highlighted research areas include catalyst optimization, machine-learning techniques, improved reactor design and more. The report offers a number of recommendations for the DOE, for example to prioritize research on co-located carbon capture and conversion.
Government funding support
In mid-August, The DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced additional funding of up to $54.4 million to “support the development of technologies that capture CO2 from industrial and power generation sources or directly from the atmosphere and transport it either for permanent geologic storage or conversion into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals.” The funding announcement lists the following areas of interest that will be supported: reactive carbon capture approaches for point-source capture or atmospheric capture with integrated conversion to useful products; engineering-scale testing of transformational carbon capture technologies for natural-gas-combined-cycle (NGCC) power plants; engineering-scale testing of transformational carbon capture technologies in portable systems at industrial plants; preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) studies for carbon capture systems at existing NGCC power plants; pre-FEED studies for carbon capture systems at hydrogen production facilities using coal, mixed coal/biomass or natural gas feedstock; and enhancing CO2 transport infrastructure.
1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development: A Final Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2024. https://doi.org/10.17226/27732
Featured Conference
November 9-11, 2026Irving Convention Center | Dallas, TX
Explore this topic and more — live at Clean Americas. Join environmental, health, safety, and emergency response professionals tackling the industry's most urgent hazards. View Conference Program →
When a major incident strikes, the people stepping into Incident Command aren't always the ones who trained for it. Engineers, operators, trades supervisors, and compliance specialists may suddenly find themselves filling Command and General Staff roles — not because they volunteered, but because the situation demands it. Panelists will share practical strategies for leading without positional authority, tools and frameworks that help personnel rapidly orient to ICS roles, and approaches for closing the gap between day-to-day job functions and emergency command readiness before the next incident makes it urgent.
Speaking
Scott Andrews (Trans Mountain Canada Inc., Manager Emergency Management)
Kelly Codlin , MSPH, CIH (Marathon Petroleum Company, Emergency Preparedness Director)
Nick Hickson (Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), Hazmat Training Manager)
Josh Dubach MSc, CEM (Onterris, Senior Response Management Consultant)
This session will examine produced water as the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry and one of its most pressing emerging challenges. It will address the growing volumes of produced water, the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny of constituents such as PFAS, salts, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), and the operational implications for management, treatment, reuse, and disposal. The discussion will also explore how operators, regulators, and communities are redefining approaches to produced water management in response to environmental, technical, and stakeholder pressures.
Speaking
Steve Pepper, Ph.D., (Onterris, Director of Response Management)
Charles Maguire (Railroad Commission of Texas, Advisor, Oil and Gas Division)
Prof. Shane Walker Ph.D. (Texas Produced Water Consortium, Director)
Ray Cheatham (Onterris, Energy Sector Leader)
This session will present a detailed case study of a large-scale lithium-ion battery fire response that extended over 12 months. Attendees will explore the hazards associated with thermal runaway events, the operational challenges of suppressing lithium battery fires, and the response strategies that proved effective in this prolonged incident. The
Drawing on insights from U.S. EPA Region 9 wildfire response efforts, the session will also highlight tactics such as hazard characterization, air monitoring and evaluation, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the complexities involved in large-scale battery fire incidents and the critical factors to consider when planning and executing an effective response.
Speaking
Robert W. May PG (Clean Harbors, Senior Vice President, Branch Services and Sales)
Crosley Welch (Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State On-Scene Coordinator)
Samuel Cheek , CSP, RRPT (U.S. EPA, Region 6, Federal On-Scene Coordinator)
Christopher Myers (U.S. EPA, Region 9, Federal On-Scene Coordinator)
This session introduces use of remote sensing technologies to detect, characterize and monitor spills across marine and coastal environments. Discussion will highlight how tools can integrate into modern spill response workflows to improve safety and support data-driven decision making.
Speaking
James Hanzalik (Clean Gulf Associates, Vice-President)
Gordon Staples (MDA Space Ltd., Senior Radar Applications Scientist)
Grant Coolbaugh (Applied Research Associates / Ohmsett, Mechanical Engineer)
Speaking
Allyson Purcell MEP, CEM (ConocoPhillips, CMER Director)
Michael Delio (Maxum Petroleum, EHS & SECURITY MGR)
This session provides a practical, ground‑level introduction to the essential steps required after a battery undergoes a thermal event. We’ll break down how to assess site conditions, stabilize and prepare damaged cells or packs, select appropriate containment and packaging methods, and navigate the regulatory landscape that governs transport and disposal. The lecture emphasizes real‑world decision‑making, safety considerations, and compliance requirements, giving participants a clear framework they can apply immediately in field operations or emergency response planning.
Speaking
Mark Steadman (The Battery Network, Program Manager)
Chemical Engineering
Utilizing carbon dioxide
| By Dorothy Lozowski
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions has taken center stage in efforts to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the environment. Much effort is going into limiting the use of fossil fuels through increased use of renewable energy sources, switching to alternate feedstocks for industrial processes and developing more efficient processes. While these changes are underway — some more quickly than others — carbon-based products are, and will continue to be, needed for the foreseeable future. Carbon capture and utilization is therefore poised to play an important role in CO2 emissions reduction.
Opportunities for carbon utilization
A new report released in August by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine [1] examines opportunities for CO2 utilization, current technologies, research and development needs, and related policies and infrastructure. Included in the report is also an assessment of how coal waste might be utilized to produce critical minerals and carbon-based materials — particularly long-lived products, such as concrete and other construction materials.
The congressionally mandated report, sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; www.energy.gov) presents a research agenda identifying opportunities for CO2 utilization including: mineralization of CO2 into inorganic carbonates; conversion of CO2 into elemental carbon materials; and chemical and biological pathways for CO2 conversion into organic chemicals and fuels. Highlighted research areas include catalyst optimization, machine-learning techniques, improved reactor design and more. The report offers a number of recommendations for the DOE, for example to prioritize research on co-located carbon capture and conversion.
Government funding support
In mid-August, The DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced additional funding of up to $54.4 million to “support the development of technologies that capture CO2 from industrial and power generation sources or directly from the atmosphere and transport it either for permanent geologic storage or conversion into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals.” The funding announcement lists the following areas of interest that will be supported: reactive carbon capture approaches for point-source capture or atmospheric capture with integrated conversion to useful products; engineering-scale testing of transformational carbon capture technologies for natural-gas-combined-cycle (NGCC) power plants; engineering-scale testing of transformational carbon capture technologies in portable systems at industrial plants; preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) studies for carbon capture systems at existing NGCC power plants; pre-FEED studies for carbon capture systems at hydrogen production facilities using coal, mixed coal/biomass or natural gas feedstock; and enhancing CO2 transport infrastructure.
Another government program heavily investing in industrial decarbonization projects is the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP) that is administered by the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). For more on this, see Public-Private Partnerships Spur Decarbonization Efforts, Chem. Eng., August, 2024, pp. 12–16. ■
1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development: A Final Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2024. https://doi.org/10.17226/27732
Featured Conference
When a major incident strikes, the people stepping into Incident Command aren't always the ones who trained for it. Engineers, operators, trades supervisors, and compliance specialists may suddenly find themselves filling Command and General Staff roles — not because they volunteered, but because the situation demands it. Panelists will share practical strategies for leading without positional authority, tools and frameworks that help personnel rapidly orient to ICS roles, and approaches for closing the gap between day-to-day job functions and emergency command readiness before the next incident makes it urgent.
This session will examine produced water as the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry and one of its most pressing emerging challenges. It will address the growing volumes of produced water, the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny of constituents such as PFAS, salts, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), and the operational implications for management, treatment, reuse, and disposal. The discussion will also explore how operators, regulators, and communities are redefining approaches to produced water management in response to environmental, technical, and stakeholder pressures.
This session will present a detailed case study of a large-scale lithium-ion battery fire response that extended over 12 months. Attendees will explore the hazards associated with thermal runaway events, the operational challenges of suppressing lithium battery fires, and the response strategies that proved effective in this prolonged incident. The
Drawing on insights from U.S. EPA Region 9 wildfire response efforts, the session will also highlight tactics such as hazard characterization, air monitoring and evaluation, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the complexities involved in large-scale battery fire incidents and the critical factors to consider when planning and executing an effective response.
This session introduces use of remote sensing technologies to detect, characterize and monitor spills across marine and coastal environments. Discussion will highlight how tools can integrate into modern spill response workflows to improve safety and support data-driven decision making.
This session provides a practical, ground‑level introduction to the essential steps required after a battery undergoes a thermal event. We’ll break down how to assess site conditions, stabilize and prepare damaged cells or packs, select appropriate containment and packaging methods, and navigate the regulatory landscape that governs transport and disposal. The lecture emphasizes real‑world decision‑making, safety considerations, and compliance requirements, giving participants a clear framework they can apply immediately in field operations or emergency response planning.