Energy Security

Carbon Initiative

Removing Carbon Dioxide

LLNL is supporting global-scale carbon dioxide removal through carbon capture, carbon removal and carbon storage. LLNL scientists and engineers are advancing innovative capabilities to improve national energy security and resiliency, while reducing environmental impact and developing novel uses for recycled carbon.

A materials scientist examines the components of an electrochemical reactor designed to convert carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals.

A materials scientist examines the components of an electrochemical reactor designed to convert carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals.

LLNL’s Carbon Initiative

Defining the research and development pathways to reaching optimal real-world solutions is an LLNL strength, and within the Lab’s Carbon Initiative, we are applying it to:

  • Biomass carbon removal and storage: Capturing carbon dioxide from biofuel production to enable negative-emissions fuels that, when burned, emit less carbon than was permanently stored during their production
  • Direct air capture and storage: Removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere using safe, engineered processes and highly selective liquids and solids
  • Carbon dioxide storage: Using known geologic formations and infrastructure in Central California
  • LLNL is working with industry, academia and other partners to develop these solutions and apply them at scale to promote earth system resilience

LLNL works with industry, academia and other national resources to turn these goals into reality. New technologies will need to come from many sources; we will also help create the partnerships and industries required to implement them.

Program Highlights

Lab technician working on a sample

Biogas Reactors for Energy Recovery

Biogas, primarily methane, is generated by organic degradation from livestock manure, landfills, wastewater treatment facilities and more. Small-scale wastewater facilities commonly burn biogas as a waste product, generating CO2, because transforming it into a useful product is too costly. Using advanced materials and manufacturing techniques, LLNL developed new bioreactors to efficiently transform this gas into a value-added chemical that can reduce CO2 emissions and generate profits for small-scale wastewater treatment facilities.

A person in a white biohazard suit rock drilling

Carbon Mineralization

Rocks are one of the earth’s largest carbon reservoirs. LLNL’s carbon mineralization tests seek to speed up the natural process of chemical weathering — where atmospheric CO2 is naturally transferred from the air into rocks over long timescales — to draw down more atmospheric CO2. In a largest-of-its-kind mineralization field trial, LLNL is determining how the natural process can be sped up from geological timescales to store gigatons of CO2 per year.

Scientist examines gold equipment

Making Fertilizer from Thin Air: Sustainable Agriculture

Synthetic fertilizer is a key source of ammonia that more than 3.5 billion people depend on to grow their food. The traditional manufacturing process to make ammonia is energy-intensive and not sustainable. LLNL developed novel electrochemical reactors using advanced manufacturing that directly convert air to commercial-grade fertilizer. The reactors are powered by renewable energy.

3-d computer model of Gulf-of-Mexico storage site
Gulf-of-Mexico storage site, showing the geometric complexity necessary to describe faults, lithologic surfaces, and vertical diversity. [Geologic Data courtesy UT Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology].

GEOS: Simulation for Carbon Storage

To store carbon dioxide (CO2) underground requires better understanding of the geomechanics of geological storage. GEOS, an open-source, multiphysics simulator, was developed cooperatively by LLNL, Stanford University, TotalEnergies and Chevron to open up new horizons in modeling carbon storage and other subsurface energy systems. GEOS is portable and scalable, able to run on systems as small as laptops and as large as exascale supercomputers. Learn more about GEOS.

HPC4EI Logo

High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation

Through the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) initiative, selected industry partners are granted access to high performance computing (HPC) facilities and world-class scientists at Department of Energy’s National Laboratories. HPC4EI helps manufacturers achieve significant energy and cost savings, improve product performance, expand their markets, advance the national energy agenda and grow the economy.

Read more about Energy Security

Energy Flow Charts
Carbon Initiative
Disaster and Infrastructure Resilience

Join Our Team

The Global Security Directorate at LLNL offers a diverse, collaborative environment where multidisciplinary teams work together to support the Lab’s mission and address a range of global and national security needs. Find impactful careers, talented teams and a great company culture.

Search GS Career Opportunities Search GS Internships