How much does Brazil actually emit greenhouse gases (GHGs)? And how much is captured? These are the questions the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) research programme aims to answer.

One of the advantages of accurately quantifying CO2 emission reductions in certain processes is obtaining more accurate and reliable carbon credits. A carbon credit represents a ton of carbon that is no longer emitted into the atmosphere. If a company demonstrates how much it is reducing its emissions, this is priced and converted into carbon credits, which can be traded on the international market.

The research aims to quantify the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and study the processes that control the fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the Amazon – GHG-AMAZÔNIA.

Temperature, solar radiation, cloud cover, water vapor, large-scale meteorology and human impacts are mainly responsible for the changes in GHG fluxes in the Amazon. It is essential that we understand the non-linear and complex relationship between these variables. It also aims to develop algorithmic data analysis methods based on statistical and Artificial Intelligence models coupled to an Information and Service System – modeled in the cloud – which can be integrated with automated data collection methods.

Another goal of this research front is to develop new technologies to reduce GHG emissions in certain processes. One of the projects seeks to create intelligent labyrinth gaskets to contain gas leaks in pneumatic machines.

These machines use compressed air for energy and CO2 and methane leakage can occur. Currently available gaskets are not capable of fully containing the gas. This leak is considered small, but if we think that there are thousands of these machines in the world, we have a considerable leak of greenhouse gases.

The third subprogram, on CO2 capture, involves the use of centrifugal compressors and processes to separate CO2 from gaseous mixtures. One of the separation methods that will be studied is the supersonic separator, designed by RCGI in 2017. In it, the gas is injected at high pressure and then gains velocity energy, expanding. This causes a drop in temperature and condensation of CO2.