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Carbon dioxide is one of the world’s big enemies – and Eric May has become a hero in the fight against it.

Winthrop Professor May is one of five winners of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. The Chevron Chair in Gas Processing Engineering was awarded the $50,000 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for his work in helping to make Australia’s reserves of liquefied natural gas (LNG) an even cleaner fuel.

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Minister for Industry, Innovation, Science Research and Tertiary Education, WA’s Senator Chris Evans, presented the award at Parliament House in Canberra.

Professor May, who was one of the youngest academics at UWA to be made a Professor, was cited for his research on geosequestration, in which carbondioxide is extracted from the raw natural gas and re-injected back into ground to prevent its release into the atmosphere.

These and other greenhouse gas capture technologies on which Professor May is working could greatly reduce the environmental impact of Australia’s multi-billion-dollar LNG export industry.

Professor May is also working to ensure the smooth flow of raw gas from well to production facility, new ways to strip unwanted nitrogen from LNG and more efficient separation technologies to reduce the amount of energy required to produce LNG so that Australia can supply its vital export markets.

Published in UWA News , 26 November 2012