Western Michigan University is on the leading edge of innovation aimed at curbing the global impacts of climate change. The institution will receive $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as part of a $44.5 million effort to advance commercial-scale carbon capture, transport and storage across the United States.

"I'm really excited, and I think it's important for Western Michigan University—as well as other universities—because carbon capture, utilization and storage requires a multidisciplinary approach, and who better than a university to lead that?" says Dr. Autumn Haagsma, assistant director of the Michigan Geological Survey at Western.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is a technique used to remove carbon emissions from a source, such as an industrial plant or factory, and store it underground in order to keep it from contributing to climate change. The Michigan Basin has been recognized as a top region for its CCUS possibilities—with at least 70 gigatons of CO2 storage available in five key reservoirs and unknown potential in many others.

Western students will have the opportunity to play a direct role in budding CCUS innovation, participating in research opportunities and networking with leading companies and innovators in the field. There will also be paid summer internships available beginning in summer 2025.

About the project

One of nine industry and university leaders selected to helm a regional project for this DOE grant, Western will lead a multidisciplinary cohort in creating a technical assistance partnership to accelerate the growth of a carbon management industry. The goal is to make it equitable and environmentally responsible through the creation of a roadmap to carbon capture, utilization and storage in Michigan.

"DOE is drawing on its extensive experience in geologic carbon dioxide storage to engage and support a wide range of stakeholders in the development of specific regional-scale projects,” said Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary for fossil energy and carbon management. “By providing valuable public information and tools, these interdisciplinary partnerships will advance the deployment of basin-scale carbon transport and storage that will enable reductions in carbon dioxide emissions throughout the U.S. economy.”

Western's project will be led by the Michigan Geological Survey team and supported by a number of researchers and industry collaborators representing a wide range of expertise.

"We'll have experts on transportation routing. We'll have experts on community engagement and understanding benefits and potential impacts. We have folks looking at where this intersects with utilization opportunities, and we have other folks that are looking at the risks and how we mitigate and manage those risks. So it's a really exciting partnership," says Haagsma.

Collaborators include:

Battelle, the world's largest nonprofit research and development company, will support efforts in 3D modeling and running scenarios to understand how efforts might impact the subsurface.
Carbon Solutions, a Michigan-based company, will lead transportation route analysis.
Miami University of Ohio will evaluate potential risks of CCUS, such as induced seismicity.
Michigan Technological University will dive deeper into the different types of possible CO2 storage.
National Tribal Energy Association will assist in connecting and communicating with tribal communities.
Rock Locker, a Michigan-based company founded by Western alumni, will analyze synergistic opportunities and competitive uses of subsurface areas.
University of Michigan researchers will be looking at carbon dioxide utilization opportunities and doing life cycle analysis.

The grant is funded for three years. At the end of the project, the team hopes to produce impactful resources such as a carbon capture and utilization directory featuring companies and organizations available to begin developing CCUS projects as well as a county-by-county map of potential locations across Michigan.

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DOE grants WMU $5M to Advance Carbon Capture and Storage

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