United Technologies Research Center to Receive Recovery Act Funding to Develop New Carbon Capture System For Power Plants and Factories

Washington D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) announced that the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) of East Hartford will receive $2,251,183 in Recovery Act funding to develop a new and more affordable system to capture carbon dioxide from power plants and factories. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy(ARPA-E).

UTRC will create a new carbon capture system, using a synthetic form of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme, which could drastically reduce the cost of carbon capture systems and protect our nation's environment from carbon dioxide emissions.

"Natural gas and coal power plants across our nation release carbon emission that can have a debilitating toll on the health and well-being of our citizens and communities," said Congressman Larson. "The innovative carbon capture system, spearheaded by the UTRC, can reduce carbon emissions while stimulating future job growth in the clean energy sector in Connecticut and across the nation."

Congressman Larson is a member of the Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Background

United Technologies Research Center CO2 Capture

United Technologies Research Center, in partnership with Hamilton Sundstrand, CM-Tech, Inc, Worley-Parsons, and Columbia University, will develop new synthetic enzymes that could make it easier and more affordable to capture carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and factories.

If successful, the effort will significantly lower capital costs to have carbon capture systems up and working. In all, this project would represent a major breakthrough in carbon capture processes that could make it affordable to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from coal and natural gas power plants around the world.

U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

This is the first round of projects funded under ARPA-E, which was allocated $400 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A total of $151 million was awarded to thirty-seven projects in today's announcement.

Funding from ARPA-E will help develop creative and inventive approaches to transform the global energy landscape while advancing nation's leadership in technology.

Inspired by the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA), ARPA-E was created to support high risk, high reward energy research that can provide transformative new solutions for climate change and energy security.

For more information on the ARPA-E program, please visit http://arpa-e.energy.gov/

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