Advancing CLC and BECCS Technologies through AI-Powered Material Analysis

Research Project, 2025 – 2026

This project will develop methods for analyzing pictures of metal-oxide systems provided with advanced electron microscopy with the help of AI. The aim is to provide in-depth knowledge of the intricate chemistry occurring on the surface of superheater tubes and on bed-material particles during the incineration of biomass and waste-derived fuels. This is important since improved knowledge in this area would allow for increased electric efficiency, longer lifetime, and safer operation of current and especially future boilers utilizing Bio-Energy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). The project will make use of new infrastructure that recently have been made available at Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory (CMAL) and is conducted as part of a larger context, where the ultimate aim is the development of future biomass boilers for BECCS via the Chemical-Looping Combustion (CLC) principle. The goal is to strengthen and widen this effort, by exploring the potential of AI as a tool to facilitate understanding of microstructural data. The method and findings will apply also to current boilers and other situations where corrosion or sintering occurs.