CEPM to Present “The Future of Carbon Capture” Webinar

Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management will host a free April 10th webinar on the basics of carbon capture and direct air capture as part of its Energy Lecture Series.

“The Future of Carbon Capture” will be the subject of a free, hour-long webinar at 11 a.m. April 10th. It will be presented Dr. Dave Luebke, technical director of the Direct Air Capture Center at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities by burning fossil fuels and contributes to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Technologies are being developed that can capture CO2 from industrial emissions at their source and capture CO2 from transportation and other activities directly from the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is then stored deep underground in geologic formations or used to make other products. The technology, while promising, needs rapid technological advancement and cost reduction.

Leubke will explain the basics of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and explain how both point-source CCS and direct air capture (DAC) can help the U.S. reduce its CO2 atmospheric levels. He will also talk about NETL’s Direct Air Capture Center on its Pittsburgh campus, a recent initiative by the federal government to support the development of carbon capture. The center was established in 2023 to jumpstart DAC technologies and accelerate the commercialization of DAC technologies beyond the conceptual stage.

Dr. Luebke holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He spent 12 years as a carbon capture researcher at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, before leaving in 2014 to try his hand as an entrepreneur. He has since founded two successful companies. He is the author of more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and an inventor on 11 patents. Since 2023, he has served as Technical Director of NETL’s Direct Air Capture Center.

The webinar is free and open to the public. To register, click here. The seminar is approved for Continuing Legal Education in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Contact the Washington County Bar Association at wcba@washcobar.org for information.