Nanu Nano: How nanoparticles that harvest light could curb climate emissions

Consider this … a recent press release describes how a Rice University affiliated startup called Syzygy Plasmonics has raised nearly $6 million to produce a cleaner form of hydrogen, using a novel type of photocatalyst.

The text of the press release appears below. And below that are some TIPS on how to learn more about the people behind the technology. Read on.

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How nanoparticles that harvest light could curb climate emissions
by James Temple
Aug 19, 2019
Manufacturing chemicals creates a huge amount of greenhouse-gas emissions, both from the heat needed to drive production and from by-products of the reactions themselves. But new technology emerging from the lab could transform these conventional industrial methods.
A Rice University spinout is pursuing a novel way of producing hydrogen and other chemicals by relying on nanoparticles that enable light, rather than heat, to power the reactions. Syzygy Plasmonics will disclose on Monday that it’s raised $5.8 million, in a funding round co-led by MIT venture firm The Engine and the GOOSE Society of Texas.
The Houston-based startup will use the funds to build a pilot-scale plant for producing hydrogen. The company believes the technology could reduce the emissions usually generated in the process by as much as half.
Hydrogen is a $130 billion market today, mainly used in oil refining, chemical production, and steelmaking. Many believe it has growing promise for energy storage as well, as a way of powering vehicles and balancing the electricity grid.
The vast majority of hydrogen is produced from natural gas, using a process known as steam reforming that uses heat, pressure, and chemical catalysts to convert the gas into hydrogen and, problematically, carbon dioxide. Between this by-product and the heat from fossil fuels, the process emits more than 800 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to the combined emissions of the United Kingdom and Indonesia, as the International Energy Agency noted in a recent report.
Syzygy’s founders believe they can address a big part of problem this by swapping the chemical catalysts for a new type of photocatalyst developed by and licensed from Rice University.
Researchers have been investigating photocatalysts for decades. So far, however, they’re only used in limited applications, like water and air purification, in part because they haven’t proved very efficient at driving chemical reactions.
Rice professors Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander, two of the company’s cofounders, figured out a way to combine so-called plasmonic nanoparticles, a promising category of photocatalysts, with traditional catalysts. In a 2016 paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found that this coupling approach delivered high light absorption and efficient reactions, and was highly customizable for particular applications.
Syzygy believes that by relying on these hybrid nanoparticles and building a specialized reactor,  it can run the hydrogen production process using LEDs, which could be powered by wind, solar, or hydroelectric power. That would eliminate the need for the fossil fuels burned to produce steam and additional heat in the traditional process, which account for around half of the emissions.
It wouldn’t address the emissions from the carbon dioxide created as a by-product, though the company did receive a US Department of Energy grant to explore ways to do that as well. The company believes similar photocatalysts could be used to produce cleaner versions of other industrial products made with catalysts, potentially including synthetic fuels and fertilizers.
source: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614186/how-nanoparticles-that-harvest-light-could-curb-climate-emissions/?utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=75864789&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8mGSEkuBASfvHFPHrPxaSjv7E6qxnzoXxFsh2NYY9ScoV5WuXmiOrTEcddH2IDryUVwchRQ4RRSY-W3swV8VVlWGM9IQ&_hsmi=75864789
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As always, a good place to start for background is the Web site of the company itself …

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Syzygy Plasmonics
Who we are
Trevor Best - Founder, CEO
Mr. Best is the founding CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics. He has a demonstrated track record of success in a corporate setting, from management to intrapreneurship. His skills in launching special projects, project management, and supply chain management will be essential for success of this early-stage venture. He graduated from Texas Tech University in 2007 with a triple major in International Business, Marketing, and Management with a minor in Spanish, while also learning Chinese. After joining Baker Hughes in 2009, he has steadily progressed to the level of Senior Manager, where he has gained expertise in quality assurance (Six Sigma Black Belt), regulatory compliance, technology development management, project and personnel management, supply chain management, internal/external communications, and business process architecture.

Suman khatiwada, phd - Founder, CTO
Dr. Khatiwada is the founding CTO of Syzygy Plasmonics. He brings a wealth of experience in early stage entrepreneurship, R&D, nanotechnology, intellectual property, and university relations. After moving from Nepal and receiving a B.S. in Physics from Morgan State University, he went on to receive his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Rice University in 2014. While at Rice, he co-founded Big Delta Systems to commercialize spray paintable battery technology, where he gained crucial knowledge on forming and launching a technology company. In the past 3 years, he has worked for Baker Hughes, an oilfield services company, as a Materials Research Scientist where he has invented multiple materials systems and gained expertise in R&D product development and intellectual property. Dr. Khatiwada has 3 US patents issued and 7 US patent applications to his name.

Shreya Shah, phd - Lead Chemical Engineer
Dr. Shah came to the United States from India in 2010 to study at Washington State University. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2015 before joining the University of Houston as a post-doctoral researcher. During a workshop for the American Chemical Society she met Suman and the rest is history. Her expertise in Chemical Engineering is a strong addition to Syzygy’s team.

John Welch - Lead Project Engineer
Mr. Welch is a Masters-level geologist with over twenty years of experience in Oil and Gas. During his time in the industry, he gained expertise in a wide variety of technologies and is a recognized expert in the construction of experimental setups. He has a firm understanding of chemistry and is adept at problem solving in a laboratory research environment. His skills provide a strong addition to Syzygy’s team.

Braden Adams - Mechanical Engineer
Mr. Adams is a former multiple sport collegiate athlete who received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 2013 with a Mechanical Specialty. His experience as a competitive athlete provides the team with a valued perspective as the dynamics of this early-stage venture also focused on high performance, team based endeavors. His experience in research, design, development and manufacturing of mechanical systems gained as a Sustaining Engineer at Baker Hughes provide a vital addition to Syzygy Plasmonics. During his time at Baker Hughes, he earned certifications as a Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Material Review Board, as well as participating in multiple customer detailed design reviews and kaizens. His skill set also includes past entrepreneurial ventures in digital marketing, e-commerce and business development consulting.   

Professor Naomi Halas - Co-Founder, Technology Adviser
Prof. Halas is the Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and founding director of the Laboratory for Nanophotonics at Rice University. Prof. Halas is one of the pioneering researchers in the field of plasmonics, creating the concept of the “tunable plasmon” and inventing a family of nanoparticles with resonances spanning the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum. She is a National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow of the U.S. DoD, an advisor to the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate of the NSF, and advisor to the Director of Defense Sciences Office at DARPA. In 2002, she co-founded NanoSpectra, Inc. to commercialize nanoshell technology developed in her laboratory. Prof. Halas is a co-founder and adviser of technology and government grants at Syzygy.

Professor Peter Nordlander - Co-Founder, Technology Adviser
Prof. Nordlander is Weiss Chair and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Professor of Materials Science and Nanoengineering at Rice University. He obtained his PhD in Theoretical Physics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden in 1985. He is a world-renowned researcher in theoretical condensed matter physics and nanophysics, specifically on the theoretical and computational modeling of plasmonics and nanophotonics phenomena. He has published more than 250 refereed articles, given more than 300 invited presentations at international conferences and workshops, been cited more than 25,000 times with a Web of Science h-index in the 90s. Prof. Nordlander is a co-founder and technology adviser at Syzygy.
source: http://plasmonics.tech/team
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Now, who knows if this startup will lift up? But if you are interested in the concept, a good place to start is to research the names of the people involved in the enterprise. I won’t do the research for you (unless you hire me.) But I will say that, because of their affiliation with Rice University, it might be worth your time to look a little deeper.

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Jean Steinhardt is principal of Jean Steinhardt Consulting LLC (www.jeansteinhardtconsulting.com). You can reach him at research@jeansteinhardtconsulting.com  

11 Pipers Piping: Pipeline Technology Conference and call for papers

Anyone involved in the pipeline industry will be interested in this notice that appeared in my inbox …

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30 March - 02 April 2020, Estrel, Berlin, Germany
15th Pipeline Technology Conference is Calling for Papers
Interested speakers from the international pipeline community are invited to submit their suggestions until 30 Sept. 2019. Abstracts should not focus on company presentation but on technical/managerial classifications, R&D, new technologies or recent case studies.

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15th Pipeline Technology Conference
From 30 Mar. - 2 Apr. 2020 Europe's leading conference and exhibition on pipeline systems, the Pipeline Technology Conference, will take place for the 15th time. On 30 March, a series of ptc side conferences and ptc seminars will take place, followed by the opening of the ptc conference and exhibition on 31 March.
Source: https://www.pipeline-conference.com/
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Shell Game: Low-Carbon Refinery Webcast

Shell Catalysts and Technologies offers a live Webcast, facilitated by PTQ / DigitalRefining, on low-carbon refinery technology.

Some Webcasts are nothing more than infomercials. The better ones provide useful information. Unfortunately, you never know what the quality of the presentation will be until you participate.\

However, a simple background search can help you determine whether to risk wasting your time.

TIP: Google® Shell’s CANSOLV CO2 Capture System

One result …

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Scholarly articles for Shell CANSOLV CO2 Capture System
… coal fired CCS project: contribution of Shell Cansolv to … - ‎Stéphenne - Cited by 100 Shell Cansolv CO2 capture technology: Achievement … - ‎Singh - Cited by 24 … & advancements for shell cansolv CO2 capture … - ‎Campbell - Cited by 12

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Here are details on the Webcast …

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TOWARDS YOUR LOW-CARBON REFINERY: Proven technologies for capturing CO2 from both low- and high-pressure streams
August 21, 2019 (Wed)  14:00  US/Eastern
Are you…
•Under pressure to reduce your carbon footprint?
•Looking for ways to cost-effectively reduce your CO2 emissions?
•Unsure which carbon-reduction solutions will be most appropriate for your facility?
Any serious ambitions to reduce a facility’s carbon intensity are likely to be spearheaded by carbon capture utilisation and storage. According to the International Energy Agency, this is key for reducing CO2 emissions in carbon-intensive industrial processes and offers one of the lowest-cost ways of doing so. This webcast will showcase two leading technologies that have established strong track records of cost-effectively capturing CO2 in a wide range of applications:
• Shell’s CANSOLV CO2 Capture System – for capturing CO2 from low-pressure streams, including flue gas
• Shell’s ADIP ULTRA technology – for capturing CO2 from high-pressure process streams.
We will:
• Explain which units can be easily retrofitted with these technologies
• Highlight which streams are suitable for CO2 capture
• Demonstrate how the captured CO2 can be sold, sequestered or used in enhanced oil recovery
• Walk through insightful case studies from SaskPower’s Boundary Dam power station and the Athabasca Oil Sands Project.
Presenters:
Devin Shaw - Commercial Director, CO2 Capture & CCS, Shell Catalysts & Technologies
Laurent Thomas - Licensing Technology Manager, Gas Processing and CO2 Capture Technologies, Shell Catalysts & Technologies
For the convenience of our global audience, this webinar will run at three different times worldwide. This registration page is for the Americas (14:00 US Eastern time) session. Click here for your local time conversion
Click here for the Asia/Pacific (09:00 Singapore time) registration page
Click here for the Europe/Middle East (14:00 Berlin time) registration page
source: https://ptqdigitalrefining.webinato.com/register/23541563376231
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