Frank Morton currently serves as technology development director for the National Carbon Capture Center, after more than 35 years of experience as a chemical engineer in both industrial and research roles. He is currently responsible for bringing university, government and industrial organizations to the center for collaborative technology development. This role includes identifying technology developers and coordinating agreement among the developer, the U.S. Department of Energy and National Carbon Capture Center industrial partners on contracts, funding and test plans.
Morton has evaluated projects with more than 100 organizations involved in carbon capture research and development and has established collaborative testing agreements with more than 40 organizations from six countries. The international collabortion includes establishment of test facilities, execution of test programs and technology scale-up. Morton has extensive carbon capture technology development experience in China, India, the UAE, Oman, Australia, South Korea, UK, Norway, Mexico and Canada. He was instrumental in establishing the International Test Center Network, a global coalition of large, neutral carbon capture research facilities. The network has been a strong advocate of knowledge sharing that has been extended to multiple, successful collaborations between the National Carbon Capture Center and international organizations.
Prior to joining Southern Company, Morton worked for 13 years at PPG Industries at a chloralkali chemical plant, a fiberglass plant and an aircraft transparencies plant, progressing in responsibility from process engineering to frontline operations supervision and department management. He joined Southern Company in 1991 as a process engineer with Southern Electric International supporting a coal liquefaction project.
Throughout his career, Morton has developed expertise in a variety of roles including research and development supporting coal liquefaction, project development in an IPP group, design and planning support for system combustion turbines, as well as process engineering support of advanced power plant development.
Morton holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Alabama.