Wolman Seminar: Marta Hatzell

Description

Marta Hatzell, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will give a talk titled "Reactive Carbon Capture and Conversion: Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Fuels and Chemicals" as the School of Public Health's Wolman Seminar.

Abstract:

Reactive carbon capture and conversion (RCCC) is important because it combines CO₂ capture and its direct conversion into valuable products, eliminating the costly and energy-intensive step of regenerating pure CO₂ from carbonate streams. Using bipolar-membrane electrolyzers, carbon captured as alkaline carbonates can be directly transformed into fuels and chemicals such as ethylene, syngas, and carbon monoxide. This reduces process complexity, lowers separation costs, and minimizes CO₂ losses, ultimately improving both efficiency and economics. RCCC also provides a pathway to scalable, renewable, and potentially carbon-neutral chemical production, helping address climate and resource sustainability challenges.

In this talk, I will explore the feasibility of producing syngas, ethylene, and carbon monoxide at industrial scale by electrochemically reducing aqueous alkaline carbonates with BPM electrolyzers. I will highlight engineering considerations for integrating CO₂ capture (from direct air capture or flue gas), opportunities for catalyst design and optimization, and the critical role of upstream and downstream separations.

Hatzell's research group focuses on exploring how to electrify catalytic and separation-based processes to enable sustainable industrial systems. Her group works on materials, characterization, and system analyses for electrolysis, fuel cells, desalination, and solar energy conversion processes. Hatzell currently serves as a senior editor of the journal ACS Energy Letters and is an initiative lead within the Strategic Energy Institute. Hatzell also has served as an expert on issues related to the water-energy nexus for the National Academy of Engineering.