Dr Louis Wibberley.

Dr Louis Wibberley: an expert on post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide

Dr Louis Wibberley is an expert on post-combustion capture (PCC) of carbon dioxide and has over 25 years of experience in pyrometallurgy, waste management and energy technology.

• 14 May 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievments

Current activities

Dr Wibberley’s research will enable new and existing coal fired power stations to continue generating electricity while achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets. 

He is responsible for:

• developing the CSIRO post-combustion capture (PCC) program, including PCC laboratory and pilot scale test facilities
• international collaborations, particularly those under the Australian Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (AP6)
• managing an energy technology assessment team
• sustainability projects within the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Coal in Sustainable Development (CCSD).

He also contributes to CSIRO research on biosequestration and liquid fuels from biomass and coal.

A key aspect of Dr Wibberley’s activities is to explore the synergies between fossil fuel and renewable energy to enhance the rate of uptake of renewable technology for energy production.

For example, he is exploring the use of solar thermal energy in providing heat for PCC.

Dr Wibberley also leads the CCSD Sustainability Program, which involves providing updates and assessments of technology and energy supply issues here and overseas.

Background

Dr Wibberley joined CSIRO Energy Technology in Newcastle, NSW, Australia in 2004, having spent 18 years in BHP Research, and six years at the University of Newcastle as an industry consultant.

Dr Wibberley’s areas of expertise include:

• energy technologies, mainly fossil-based electricity generation
• life cycle analysis (LCA) and sustainability in the coal and steel industries
• combustion, including coal utilisation, and gas cleaning
• new technologies for iron and steelmaking
• environmental science and technology, mainly soil remediation.

In the early 1990s, he initiated some early LCA studies for the Australian steel industry. This work resulted in BHP developing a leading capability in LCA and it helped shaped the activities of the International Iron and Steel Institute Sustainability Program.

Dr Wibberley was also involved in a landmark Coal in a Sustainable Society project and report that helped reshape public opinion about coal’s future in a greenhouse gas constrained world.

This initiative also led to the establishment of COAL21 and the CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development.

Academic qualifications

Dr Wibberley has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Metallurgy with Honours by the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, in 1975
• Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering, also from the University of Newcastle, in 1980.

Achievements

Dr Wibberley's achievements include:

• Ernest Guy Smith Award for Metallurgy, 1975
• Award for Sustainable Coal Development from the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency, 2004
• more than 60 technical reports and invited presentations over the past five years.

Find out more about research on Post-combustion capture of CO2 emissions from power stations.