Areas of Exploration
Coal Refinery Process Technology
The patented thermo-chemical process developed in the CCCC consists of an integrated system for the deliberate decomposition of coal to make high-volume, environmental and non-combustible products.
The two integrated technologies convert coal to liquid, solid and gas-based feedstocks that are then used to produce products ranging from engineered commodities, high-value chemical compounds, and petrochemical feedstocks.
Current ProgramsBuilding Materials
As part of the Carbon Engineering Initiative, the CCCC has developed coal-derived building and construction materials, including char bricks, to create new markets for Wyoming coal.
The coal-derived bricks are made using low-energy, eco-friendly process technologies developed in the CCCC. Highly porous and lightweight, the bricks have shown that they provide better insulation.
Soil Amendment
The CCCC has developed a coal derived soil amendment to provide a new, non-thermal and a potentially high-volume use for Wyoming coal. A soil amendment is any material added to the soil to improve its physical or chemical properties.
Coal Asphalt
Led by scientists at Western Research Institute (WRI), a baseline formulation of coal-derived asphalt (COphalt) has been produced using the extract intermediate that is yielded from solvent extraction of raw Powder River Basin coal.
COphalt is an alternative to petroleum-based asphalt and can be customized to suit the properties required for either whole paving or roofing applications.
Other Areas of Exploration
With the versatility of carbon ore (coal) as a raw material, there are many more areas of exploration within the CCCC to utilize it in value-added ways including coal composite membranes, carbon quantum dots, critical mineral processing, and decking materials.
Mission & Objectives
Center for Carbon Capture and Conversion – which houses the Carbon Engineering Program at UW, focuses on supporting existing energy and fuel markets and finding novel uses for Wyoming coal. The center is investigating new high-volume uses for coal, converting coal into valuable engineered and chemical products, exploring new opportunities in an evolving carbon market. At the project working level, the CCCC partners with faculty and researchers located in other University of Wyoming colleges, bringing together interdisciplinary teams to devlop environmentally friendly solutions to support the future of Wyoming coal and economic development of the state.
Clean Energy Solutions Initiative
The Carbon Engineering Initiative focuses on creating new markets for Wyoming coal by growing demand for coal as a feedstock that can be converted into chemical and high-performance engineered products. The initiative primarily seeks to develop original patentable intellectual property to process and make value added, novel products that can be deployed as standalone solutions or used to augment technology developed by others.
Clean Combustion with Integrated Carbon Capture
CCCC is working with the Wyoming oil and gas industry to host a pre-commercial demonstration of flameless pressurized (FPO) oxy-fuel combustion, incorporating CO2 utilization.
CCCC Resources
Learn more about the talented professionals leading cutting-edge research for Wyoming.
View and download recent publications and research briefs from our talented research team on relevant topics.
The CCCC lab houses a suite of equipment for students and researchers after training.
View the SER events calendar for any upcoming opportunities to connect on projects in your community, online, or on-campus.
View the SER news page for recent and archived articles, project highlights, or mentions in the media.
