Dr Joe da Costa

UQ researchers are working on a process that could make the theory of clean coal a reality.

Dr Joe da Costa’s research group, from the Division of Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering, have developed unique hollow fibre technology that can separate oxygen from air, making the process of capturing environmentally harmful CO2 gases in coal-fired power stations much easier.
Dr da Costa’s work has been recognised with an $80,000 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award.

Dr da Costa noted that much current research was focusing on separating the CO2 at the end of the cycle, which is expensive at the moment.
"Our process happens at the start, before the coal is even burnt, which reduces the cost of removing oxygen as well as making the capture of CO2 easier," Dr da Costa said.

The secret of the process rested in the technology of producing ceramic hollow fibres that were efficient at removing oxygen from the air.
Dr da Costa said the fibres, which were less that 1mm in diameter, were woven in a novel process that combined nanotechnology and ceramic powder technology.

He said the next stage of the research would target reducing the temperature that the process happened so as to make it cost effective on a large industrial scale.

"At the moment the process takes place at 800 degrees but we need to get it down to around 500 degrees to make it commercially viable," he said.
Dr da Costa said investment in clean coal technology was vital to make the best use of the Earth’s finite resources.

• Dr Joe da Costa www.uq.edu.au/uqresearchers/researcher/dinizdacostajc.html

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