Accelerating the Transition to Carbon Neutrality

ChE Seminar Series Presents:

Madga Barecka, Ph.D.

Post-Doc at University of Cambridge, Research Centre in Singapore

Abstract

Transition to Net Zero 2050 requires immediate and drastic changes in the current manufacturing methods. This transformation is difficult to realize without disrupting the existing industries and putting at risk the delivery of the products that our society relies on. To address this challenge, I proposed an alternative approach: use of novel, carbon-neutral technologies such as CO₂ electrolysis as a retrofit, which operates in parallel to an existing chemical plant, can be installed with a minimum disruption to the ongoing manufacturing activities and leads to a meaningful reduction of the carbon footprint. This technology, Carbon Capture On-site Recycling, will be illustrated with examples of several chemical manufacturing processes, where, if fully deployed, it could allow to save annually up to 10 Gt of CO₂ emissions by 2050.

This work is a part of my broader vision on disrupting the global carbon cycle through both discovery and scaling of circular production methods for chemical, pharmaceutical and environmental sectors. How to encourage the industry to change and adopt innovative technologies? How to functionally reproduce photosynthesis to deliver carbon neutral chemicals? How to improve the access to medicines for those most exposed to distribution injustice? In my talk, I will discuss my current and future research that will significantly contribute to answering these questions.

Bio

Dr. Magda H. Barecka is a Post-Doc at University of Cambridge, Research Centre in Singapore. She is interested in accelerating the adoption of CO₂ conversion, powered by renewable energy, and the development of economically viable and scalable carbon neutral production methods. Dr. Barecka holds a PhD degree from TU Dortmund University (Germany) and was the first PhD candidate to be awarded the title as a Double Diploma certificated together with Lodz University Technology (Poland). She is a chemical engineer with expertise in process intensification, retrofitting and design, developed in academia and private sector. As a part of her PhD thesis, she developed a methodology supporting implementation of intensified technologies in the chemical manufacturing, which was transferred to Industry (Processium company, France/Brazil). After the completion of her PhD, she joined pharmaceutical/fine chemicals sector in Switzerland and worked on the design of manufacturing lines, as well as established collaborations with Academia towards the development of algorithms accelerating process development. After this, she came back to the research sector to deploy her process design experience in the field of carbon capture and utilization. Dr. Barecka is currently working in the intersection of CO₂ electrolysis process design, reaction optimization, integration with renewable energy sources, and techno-economic analysis for CO₂-based manufacturing methods that can disrupt the carbon cycle.

Please contact a.ramsey@northeastern.edu for the remote seminar link.