Advancing carbon capture with membrane technology: an interview with Park Jaesung

We previously talked to Ji Sunghoon at SK Earthon, who spoke about companies' perspectives on the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology. But CCS is not solely utilizied by companies, as it is the scientists and researchers who first investigate and improve the technology. 

To get insights about CCS from the researchers' perspective, we spoke to Park Jaesung, a senior researcher at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT). Park is a part of the Green Carbon Research Center's Membrane Research Group, specializing in the study of carbon capturing strategies using membrane technology.

First, could you tell us about your current research field?

I’m currently working on capturing carbon dioxide. We use a technology called “membranes” to capture CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. The purpose of capturing CO₂ is to lower its concentration in the air using this membrane technology, ultimately contributing to solutions for global warming through this type of technology development.

Is that related to the carbon capturing strategies that corporations are also investigating?

Yes, it is related. As you mentioned, the process involves capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere and storing it underground. You may have heard about it already. Have you heard of CCUS? It stands for Capture, Utilization, and Storage. In the overall process, my research focuses only on the “Carbon Capture” part. Transporting it elsewhere and storing it is handled by geologists.

I see. Then since the CCUS technology involves corporates as well, do you also work with other companies?

Yes, I am currently with Samsung. Samsung applies membrane technology to capture CO₂ from factory chimneys. Although I am affiliated with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, a government-funded research institute, I collaborate with companies like Samsung on related research.

Do you have a specific reason or motivation for choosing this research field?

When I first started my Ph.D., I had to choose a research theme. I’ve always been interested in environmental issues. I was particularly curious about how we could manage CO₂. There are several technologies to deal with it, but I became interested in membrane technology during my studies. After starting my Ph.D. in this area, I continued this line of research at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, focusing on my original area of expertise.

Then considering your current progress of research in this field, do you think capturing CO₂ is more effective than other technologies?

Not exactly. There’s still a long way to go. To be precise, it’s hard to quantify exactly, but currently about 70% of CO₂ capture uses other technologies, and only 30% uses membrane technology. However, membrane technology has advantages such as compactness and relatively lower environmental impact. Considering these aspects, I believe the technology could expand further in the future.

Then what kind of research is needed for this technology to expand?

That’s a very good question. The performance of the membrane material needs to improve. Think of a membrane like a sieve: small particles pass through, large ones stay behind. Our carbon capture membrane works the same way. CO₂ molecules are smaller than nitrogen or methane, so they pass through, while nitrogen and methane are blocked. So, the main research focus now is improving the performance of the membrane material.

That sounds like a helpful improvement to be made. How exactly is the membrane applied in practice?

The simplest way to understand it is that the membrane can be installed directly on factory chimneys. When installed, it selectively allows CO₂ to pass through, while blocking other gases like nitrogen, methane, or water vapor.

During your research, have you faced challenges such as financial issues, lack of corporate interest, or limited policy support, and how do you see the future of this research?

So far, support has been moderate. It’s not completely lacking, but it’s not abundant either. Membrane technology can also be applied to hydrogen storage and separation, so support from the government and interest from companies are at a medium level.

In terms of the future, I think the first goal is to develop high-performance membrane materials. Second, while many international companies sell and apply membrane technology, in Korea there is currently only one domestic company. To increase Korea’s technological independence, government support for domestic application and commercialization needs to expand.

Many people aren’t aware that this technology exists, even though it’s effective and usable in the future. How can more people learn about it?

The first factor is raising awareness. Many people don’t yet see carbon capture as important. Some understand that capturing CO₂ is essential to slow global warming, while others believe it’s unrelated, citing that this climate crisis is just following the pattern of natural climate cycles over the past 500 years. People need to experience the effects of CO₂ first-hand, such as hotter summers or colder winters, to understand its importance. Second, promoting and publicizing carbon capture technologies is necessary.

Other renewable energy technologies exist as well. How can carbon capture and renewable energy be used together effectively?

That’s a very good question. Renewable energy includes wind, solar, and hydro, which replace fossil fuel power. When we fully transition to an era of renewable energy, we essentially enter a zero-carbon period. However, renewable energy is not yet efficient enough to fully cover global energy demand. Until renewable energy becomes widespread, carbon capture technology can fill the gap and support a transition to a sustainable society.

That really highlights the importance of carbon capture. Since net-zero is a global target, which countries can Korea collaborate with in this field?

Currently, the US and Japan lead in this technology. Collaboration with them is needed, but they tend to keep their technology proprietary. So to strengthen cooperation, we need more interactions. Korea already has advanced technology, and if we position the relationship as mutually complementary rather than just acquiring foreign technology, both sides can achieve synergy.

Lastly, you mentioned that carbon capture technology is still in the middle stage. When do you think it will be fully established?

I estimate about 20 years. By then, the technology will either be established or judged to have limited value. The technology has been in development for about 30 years, so it’s relatively young. In 20 years, we should be able to evaluate its practical impact and utility.