Department of Energy grant aims to unlock future carbon management research, education at Texas State

Salah Faroughi, assistant professor in the Ingram School of Engineering at Texas State University, has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) to study the university’s potential for future research and education into carbon capture and storage.

The project, "Infrastructure Assessment for Technology Innovation, Development and Training in Carbon Management," will be funded by the $240,000 grant. Faroughi will serve as principal investigator (PI) with Meysam Khaleghian, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, and Anahita Emami, an assistant professor in the Ingram School of Engineering, as co-PIs.  

The Carbon Transport and Storage Program (CTSP) will conduct a research and development scoping study and institutional self-assessment to evaluate how Texas State’s existing capabilities, expertise, facilities and equipment align with FECM goals.

The study will ensure that Texas State has the requisite resources and capabilities needed to initiate and lead FECM-related early-stage R&D activities that are centered around carbon management strategies (such as carbon capture and storage) and industry sectors decarbonization (such as green electricity generation and concrete manufacturing).

Faroughi and his team will also evaluate university resources and capabilities needed to support the education and training of students from underrepresented and marginalized communities and prepare them, as the future workforce, to address climate-related problems and FECM-related challenges. This will ultimately open the way for Texas State, through the CTSP, to engage in future FECM research projects and develop key technologies in carbon management, then leverage them to provide high-quality FECM-related training and educational opportunities for minority students and underserved communities.