Prof. Ikuo Taniguchi

Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan

Biography: Prof. Ikuo Taniguchi received his PhD in Engineering from Kyoto University in 1999. He was an assistant professor at Kyoto Institute of Technology until 2004, then a postdoctoral fellow at MIT until 2007, and then a principal investigator at the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth until 2012, where he conducted research on CO2 capture. He continued his research as an associate professor at Kyushu University from 2012 to 2022, and returned to Kyoto Institute of Technology as a full professor in 2022. He has published 70 papers in refereed journals such as Science and holds 13 patents. He is currently playing a central role in various national projects based on polymer chemistry.

Title of Speech: Development of hollow fiber membrane modules with a thin-film composite structure for CO2 capture and the gas separation performance 

Abstract: Global warming and climate change are serious global problems that we are facing today, and urgent action is required. Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technology has been internationally recognized as the most effective method, along with the development of energy-saving technologies and the promotion of the use of renewable resources. CCUS is a range of technologies designed to capture CO2 from large sources of CO2 emissions, such as thermal power plants and steelworks, before it is released into the atmosphere and use it effectively as a valuable resource, or transport it by pipeline etc. to a storage site and inject it into underground or sub-seabed aquifers. Demonstration tests of CCS are currently underway at around 80 sites around the world, and 40 Mt of CO2 was stored by 2020. However, to achieve the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping the average global temperature increase at the end of this century to less than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, 5 Gt of CO2 will need to be stored by 2050, which is a very high hurdle. This is due in part to the high cost of CO2 capture (around 40% of the cost of CCS, Fig. 1) as well as the social acceptance of the project . 

Prof. Ki Bong Lee

Korea University, South Korea

Biography: Ki Bong Lee received his BE and MS from Department of Chemical Engineering, Korea University, Korea in 1999 and 2001, respectively, and PhD from the School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, USA in 2005. He worked as a post-Doctoral research associate in Department of Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, USA from 2006 to 2007. He was a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Energy Research from 2008 to 2009. He has been a professor at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University since 2009. He has worked on separation technologies such as adsorption, membrane separation, solvent extraction, etc. for the application to energy and environmental fields. Particularly, he has interest in novel sorption-enhanced reaction for fuel-cell grade hydrogen production, novel adsorbents and adsorption processes for CO2 and CF4 capture, adsorbents and adsorption processes for gas sensor, adsorbents for CO, NOx, and sulfur compounds, and design and optimization of adsorption processes. He published more than 210 domestic and international technical papers and has 45 applied or registered patents. He has served as editors of Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry and Scientific Reports.

Title of Speech: Upcycling of waste plastic into porous carbon materials and their application to greenhouse gas capture 

Dr. Seok-Keun Koh

C&G Hitech Co., Ltd, Korea

Biography: Dr. S. K. Koh received his Ph.D. at Department of Mechanics & Materials Science, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, U.S.A., and served as Research Associate at High Pressure Materials Research Lab. At Rutgers Univ. He worked at Ion Beam Engineering Laboratory, Kyoto Univ, Japan as a foreign Professor and Head of Lab. and served at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) as a Principal Researcher and adjunct Professor of Yonsei Univ. and Korea Univ. in Korea. He has been worked on surface modification and thin film growth by ion beam from his Ph.D. thesis” Enhancing adhesion between Cu thin films and Polyimide by 100keV Ar+ ion irradiation” for 35 years. He has many awards” One in hundred outstanding men in Korea” in 1995, “An Award of New Scientist in Korea” in 2000, “A Best scientist in KIST”, in 2000, etc. His surface modification technology was nominated to “Best Seven technologies in Asia, Asiaweek, in 2001 and his inventions relating to surface modification technologies were broadcasted many times from Discovery News and ABC News in the U.S.A., NHK in Japan, and all Newspapers & Broadcast in Korea. He licensed and commercialized the technologies that were invented by him and his colleagues in surface modification by ion beam to more than 30 companies such as LG electronics, Samsung Electro - Mechanics, Plaworks, SamYang Co/,Silion, etc., and he managed companies” P&I Corp.” funded by KIST as a CEO from 2002- 2007 and “GL Materials Inc.” mainly focused on nano particles formation technology, namely “Nanoparticles on Powder: NPP” as a CEO from 2009- 2017. The applications by the NPP technologies has been transferred to various Korean, Chinese and Japanese companies. After resign the management of the Companies, he has served as CTO of the companies that commercialese his inventions ( NPP and surface modifications by ion beam) such as Nanopharmasolutions, in U.S.A., Sandong iCube in China, iCube Global, Daemyung TS, and has managed as an R&D directors at C&G Hitech. Co. Ltd. for the industrialization of his inventions. He has 159 articles and 69 patents.

Title of Speech: Functional Carbon Composites with High Mechanical Strength 

Abstract: Carbonaceous materials (graphite, CNT, graphene) were modified by Ion Assisted reaction (IAR) in which Ar+ Ion beam is irradiated on the bare carbon powders with reactive gas environments in order to add new hydrophilic functional groups (-OH, - COOH, -CO, NH2, etc.). And metal nanoparticles (Cu, Ag, Ni, Zn, Cu/Zn alloy etc.) on the powders (NPP) are synthesized in physical vapor deposition system to add new metallic functions (antimicrobial, magnetic, electrical conductivity, etc.) in which the metal are deposited on the rotating the powders. The modified carbon powders by IAR and NPP were easily dispersed in water, organic solvent, and any polymer matrices. The carbon composites were synthesized by conventional hot melting process with mixing of the polymer and the modified carbonaceous powders. and their characteristics with various concentrations of powder addition were investigated. Mechanical properties of the polymer composite were not changed much until addition of 40wt.% of graphite, in which graphite polymer composite by conventional chemical surface modification of carbon possesses rapid drops of mechanical properties. Control of the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the composite were successfully carried out by Ni magnetic metal nanoparticles on carbon fiber addition. Physical properties of the composites especially thermal and electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties were explained comparing with the data fabricated by conventional chemical process. Applications of the carbon added composite were presented in terms of fuel cell bipolar plate, LED heat sink, electronic enclosure, etc. and R&D directions of the carbon addition into metal, ceramic and polymer matrices were suggested what we want to cooperate.