据世界石油12月12日休斯敦报道，莱斯大学启动了一项名为Carbon Hub的项目，这是一项重大的研究项目，旨在创造一个零排放的未来，届时石油和天然气既能提供清洁能源，又能提供先进的材料，帮助人们安居、移动、穿衣和进食。
由壳牌公司出资1000万美元成立的Carbon Hub将与各公司合作，从根本上改变世界使用碳氢化合物的方式。碳氢化合物将被分解成清洁的氢燃料和可用于建筑、汽车、服装等的固体碳材料，而不是作为燃料燃烧并释放二氧化碳。
壳牌全球解决方案总裁Sharon Beshouri指出:“清洁的氢和碳材料的使用有可能在能源转型中改变游戏规则。Carbon Hub符合壳牌公司在全球范围内提供更多，更清洁能源解决方案的愿景。”
Carbon Hub总监Pasquali表示:“把碳氢化合物分解成氢和固体碳的想法并不新鲜，但是每产生一吨氢，就会产生三吨固体碳。找到一种大规模的碳生产利用方式是关键，而Carbon Hub的新奇之处在于，我们将利用碳做一些非常有用的事情。”
Pasquali的小组正在寻找可减少能源效率低下而又不增加其他排放的方法。他表示，对气候变化影响最大的将是制造碳材料，这种材料比金属轻，但在强度、导电性和导热性方面可以与金属竞争。
多亏了纳米技术，碳现在可以有多种形式，包括纳米管和石墨烯。这种通用性可以支持各种各样的产品，从用于汽车和建筑物的横梁、面板和电线到用于农业的土壤改良剂。
在壳牌和未来的行业合作伙伴的帮助下，Carbon Hub将直接融资1亿美元用于基础科学和工程以有效地部署技术，其中包括已在实验室中得到验证的技术。Carbon Hub的研究团队包括来自20所大学，国家实验室和研究机构的70多名研究人员。莱斯大学目前正在与其他潜在的行业合作伙伴进行谈判。
裘寅 编译自 世界石油
原文如下：
Shell and Rice University partner on hydrocarbon-based zero-emissions technologies
Rice University has launched Carbon Hub, a major research initiative to create a zero-emissions future in which oil and natural gas provide both clean energy and advanced materials that help house, move, clothe and feed people.
Inaugurated by Shell with a $10 million commitment, Carbon Hub will partner with companies to fundamentally change how the world uses hydrocarbons. Instead of burning them as fuel and releasing carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons will be split to make clean-burning hydrogen fuel and solid carbon materials that can be used to make buildings, cars, clothing and more.
Sharon Beshouri, president of Shell Global Solutions, noted, “The use of clean hydrogen and carbon materials has the potential to be game-changing in the energy transition. Carbon Hub aligns with Shell’s vision to provide more and cleaner energy solutions around the world.”
Pasquali said, “The idea of splitting hydrocarbons into hydrogen and solid carbon isn’t new, but for every ton of hydrogen, you get three tons of solid carbon. Finding a productive use for carbon at a very large scale is the key, and the novelty of the Carbon Hub is that we’re going to do something very useful with the carbon.”
Pasquali’s team looked for places to cut out energy inefficiencies without increasing emissions elsewhere. The biggest impact on climate change, he said, will come from creating carbon materials that are lighter than metals but compete with them in terms of strength and electrical and thermal conductivity.
Thanks to nanotechnology, carbon can now take many forms, including nanotubes and graphene. That versatility can support a diverse range of products from beams, panels and wiring for cars and buildings to soil amendments for farming.
With the help of Shell and future industry partners, Carbon Hub will fund and direct $100 million of basic science and engineering to efficiently deploy technologies, including several that have already been proven in the lab. Carbon Hub’s research team includes more than 70 researchers from 20 universities, national laboratories and research institutes. Rice is currently negotiating with other potential industry partners.
