Breakthrough Concepts Project Descriptions Novel Dual Functional Membrane for Controlling Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Fossil Fueled Power Plants Design and Evaluation of Ionic Liquids as Novel Absorbents A New Concept for the Fabrication of Hydrogen Selective Silica Membranes Carbon Dioxide Separation with Novel Microporous Metal Organic Frameworks Neutralizing Carbonic Acid in Deep Carbonate Strata Below the North Atlantic Reference Shelf
	Molecular structure of the microporous metal organic framework MOF-5.

Breakthrough Concepts is the portion of the core R&D portfolio devoted to revolutionary and transformational approaches to carbon capture and storage.  These early, speculative technologies are characterized by high technical risk coupled with the potential for low-cost deployment, market permanence, and large global capacity.
NETL is committed to fostering ideas through collaborations with industry and academia.  The Breakthrough Concepts area serves as a starting point for novel CO₂ capture, storage, and conversion concepts, with the potential to improve process efficiency, energy use, and costs.

For example, DOE announced in 2006 the selection of nine projects aimed at developing novel and cost-effective technologies for CO₂ capture from coal-fired power plants.  Two of these projects have matured from the Breakthrough Concepts selections under a 2004 joint DOE/National Academies of Science solicitation to the pre-pilot scale.  The first focuses on ionic liquid absorbents for post-combustion capture.  The second uses novel microporous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with high adsorption capacities for the removal of CO₂ from flue gas.

Advanced CO₂ separation, advanced subsurface technologies, and novel niches make up the three primary areas within Breakthrough Concepts.  In addition to the ionic liquid and MOFs projects described above, researchers are examining separation technologies using hydrogen-selective silica membranes and dual function membranes.  Subsurface technologies under investigation include mineral carbonation, mineral dissolution kinetics, and carbonate sediments below the sea floor.  Niche studies are focused on microbial CO₂ conversion.