Low Carbon Energy Technologies

Multidisciplinary Approach to Scientific and Engineering Research on Low Carbon Energy Technological Innovations, Coupled with Crosscutting Work on Policy, Markets, and Regulation

Multidisciplinary Approach to Scientific and Engineering Research on Low Carbon Energy Technological Innovations, Coupled with Crosscutting Work on Policy, Markets, and Regulation

Low Carbon Energy Technologies can be applied across the energy system. The Colorado School of Mines has directly relevant science and technology expertise that spans from fundamental chemistry through reactor engineering. There are on the order of 30-50 faculty actively engaged with areas related to one or more aspects of the Low Carbon Energy Technologies chain.

Most, if not all, CO2 reduction to fuels or chemicals depends on catalytic hydrogenation or dehydrogenation processes. Thus, the design, synthesis, and implementation of selective catalysts are essential aspects of CO2 utilization for the production of value-added chemicals. As a practical matter, cost-effective and timely technology development depends on closely coordinated multidisciplinary research and engineering.

Through collaboration and research Colorado School of Mines and the Payne Institute are connecting the technical expertise on campus related to Low Carbon Energy Technologies with industry, government and civil society to increase awareness of the opportunities related to CCUS. Maintaining the focus of the University as a leader at the frontiers of science and engineering, related to earth, energy and environmental stewardship.

For more information about the Low Carbon Energy Technologies Initiative at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.

NEWS

America’s Data Center Boom Must Not Depend on Chinese Batteries 3/6/2026

America’s Data Center Boom Must Not Depend on Chinese Batteries

Jesse R. Edmondson and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the United States must build its own domestic battery supply chain to support the AI data center boom and reduce reliance on Chinese energy storage technologies.  March 6, 2026.

Accelerated CO Separation and Adsorption Kinetics on Carbon Using Resonant Vibrations: A Process Intensification Strategy 1/28/2026

Accelerated CO Separation and Adsorption Kinetics on Carbon Using Resonant Vibrations: A Process Intensification Strategy

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Amirhosein Riahi and Richard LaDouceur write about how carbonaceous adsorbents, such as biochar, have attracted considerable interest for CO2 sequestration because of their cost-effective production and environmental friendliness. However, their slow adsorption kinetics – attributable to limited surface area and diffusional limitations – have hindered widespread adoption.  In this study, we introduced a green processing strategy that leverages resonant vibrations to improve the rate of CO2 adsorption on hemp biochar.  January 28, 2026.

Waste Not: Reimagining Mine Liabilities as Energy Assets 1/14/2026

Waste Not: Reimagining Mine Liabilities as Energy Assets

Payne Institute Student Researcher Sravan Lavudya and Geothermal and Low Carbon Technologies Program Manager Anna Littlefield write about how as the US looks to minimize its reliance on foreign critical minerals, we must contend with the implications of increased domestic extraction and processing, neither of which are low impact. They explore how operators are reimagining the pieces of the process, turning mine tailings into assets and repurposing existing mine infrastructure.  January 14, 2026.

From Black Gold to White Gold? 1/10/2026

From Black Gold to White Gold?

Payne Institute Fellow William Nuttall write about a new low-carbon energy opportunity; one that, until recently, was widely believed not to exist. Today this new proposition is becoming known as “White Hydrogen”, or sometimes “Gold Hydrogen”. It is hydrogen from the Earth – geological hydrogen.  January 10, 2026.

Scale Matters: Even Climate Hawks Are Embracing Nuclear Power 12/22/25

Scale Matters: Even Climate Hawks Are Embracing Nuclear Power

Payne Institute Accelerated Methane Reduction Program Manager Simon Lomax writes about how nuclear energy is the No. 1 source of carbon-free electricity in the US, producing more than wind turbines and solar panels combined.  Even so, support for nuclear has been soft among so-called climate hawks — the public officials and thought leaders who rank global warming as one of the top issues facing the US and the world. December 22, 2025.

Colorado School of Mines professor and students work on creating a new type of concrete 12/10/2025

Colorado School of Mines professor and students work on creating a new type of concrete

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Lori Tunstall contributed to this article about how an innovative green concrete is taking shape at Colorado School of Mines, where researchers are replacing cement with biochar, testing if there is a way to reduce landfill waste while also making concrete better.  December 10, 2025.

Google just backed carbon capture tech for data center energy providers. Will other tech giants follow? 12/4/2025

Google just backed carbon capture tech for data center energy providers. Will other tech giants follow?

Payne Institute Low Carbon Technologies Program Manager Anna Littlefield, Accelerated Methane Reduction Director Simon Lomax, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the fast-growing electricity demands of data centers could be a game-changer for carbon capture technology in the power sector.  December 4, 2025.

Scaling carbon capture and storage (CCS) to gigaton capacity: A multi-dimensional and critical review 12/2/2025

Scaling carbon capture and storage (CCS) to gigaton capacity: A multi-dimensional and critical review

Benjamin Mitterrutzner, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Brage Rugstad Knudsen, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, Jinsoo Kim, Simon Roussanaly, Asgeir Tomasgard, and Fellow Steven Griffiths provide a comprehensive review of CCS technologies, from capture to storage, across key sectors, and maps the evolution of global CCS deployment; looking at cost-effective mitigation and policy, regulatory and market actions needed. December 2, 2025.

Mines researcher receives Schmidt Family Foundation funding to explore mine water treatment 11/21/2025

Mines researcher receives Schmidt Family Foundation funding to explore mine water treatment

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Amir Riahi was awarded $100,000 from the Schmidt Family Foundation for a six-month project investigating a new approach to treating the water that collects in mines. Riahi will use the Schmidt funding to study how gentle but powerful vibrations can help biochar capture metals and other contaminants from mine water more effectively.  November 21, 2025. 

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