Reducing CO2 Emissions By Making Cheaper CO2 Capture Technologies Available

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 20th century have led to increasing volumes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere[...]

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is a crucial and effective tool to achieve China’s dual carbon goals. The primary locations suitable for underground CO2 storage include depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep saline aquifers, and deep unmineable coal seams. Among these, deep saline aquifers are widely distributed in most of the world’s sedimentary basins, and they offer significant advantages—such as substantial storage capacity, well-established technology, high safety standards, and cost effectiveness—making them crucial geological reservoirs for carbon dioxide storage. In comparison to foreign countries’ projects on CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, China’s initiatives have been implemented more recently, and no research has been conducted on the geological storage of CO2 in the deep saline aquifers within the study area. In this study, we systematically analyzed the key factors for the geological storage of CO2 in saline reservoirs within the northwest plain of Shandong Province: the Paleogene Shahejie Formation saline aquifer, and the lower reservoir of the Minghuazhen Formation saline aquifer located east of the Zhanhua–Lijin–Dongying line. The CO2 geological storage potential of these aquifers was assessed using the evaluation methodology of the United States Department of Energy, yielding a result of 30.355 billion tons. An evaluation index system of CO2 geological storage suitability was established. Evaluation indices for regions in the study area were assigned according to this evaluation index, and the score and grade of each unit were obtained. The results indicated that the Huimin latent fault depression, Dongying latent fault depression, Dezhou latent fault depression, and Dongming–Shenxian latent fault depression are suitable prospective areas for CO2 geological storage in the saline aquifers of Shandong Province’s northwest plain.

Geological Storage for CO2

Techno-Economic Assessment of Novel vs. Standard 5m Piperazine CCS Absorption Processes for Conventional and High-efficiency NGCC Power Plants

Financial incentives to poor countries promote net emissions reductions in multilateral climate agreements

In the present work, four CaCO3-rich solid residues from the pulp and paper industry (lime mud, green liquor sludge, electrostatic precipitator dust, and lime dregs) were assessed for their potential as co-sequestrating agents in carbon capture. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) was added to promote both CO2 hydration and residue mineral dissolution, offering an enhancement in CO2-capture yield under atmospheric (up to 4-fold) and industrial-gas mimic conditions (up to 2.2-fold). Geological CO2 storage using olivine as a reference material was employed in two stages: one involving mineral dissolution, with leaching of Mg2+ and SiO2 from olivine; and the second involving mineral carbonation, converting Mg2+ and bicarbonate to MgCO3 as a permanent storage form of CO2. The results showed an enhanced carbonation yield up to 6.9%, when CA was added in the prior CO2-capture step. The proposed route underlines the importance of the valorization of industrial residues toward achieving neutral, or even negative emissions in the case of bioenergy-based plants, without the need for energy-intensive compression and long-distance transport of the captured CO2. This is a proof of concept for an integrated strategy in which a biocatalyst is applied as a CO2-capture promoter while CO2 storage can be done near industrial sites with adequate geological characteristics.

Overcoming business model uncertainty in a carbon dioxide capture and sequestration project: Case study at the Boise White Paper Mill

CO2 Capture, Transport, Use and Storage (CCUS) is one of the core technologies to mitigate climate change. New techno-economic and techno-ecological concept of a synergy of CO2 geological storage (CGS), CO2 use, hydrogen (H2) production from different eco-friendly renewable energy recovery technologies and underground H2 storage (UHS), which we call here Geological Power Bank (Geo-PB), in Cambrian Deimena Formation sandstones in different compartments of the E6 structure offshore Latvia is presented for the first time. A five-phase circular economy concept of E6 geological structure energy and CO2 storage hub was developed in this study. The workflow is techno-ecological, eco-friendly, self-supporting, cost-competitive, and economically feasible. It consists of (1) CO2 transport by ships to the rig, (2) CO2 injection for CGS and CO2 Plume Geothermal technology (CPG), (3) H2 production, (4) Geo-PB, and (5) H2 transport by the same ships to the customers. The concept is supporting a win8 situation - innovative elements of techno-ecological synergy in one site: (1) CGS, (2) CPG, (3) solar energy, (4) wind energy, (5) sea currents energy, (6) H2 production (7) Geo-PB and (8) H2 transport to consumers. The proposed cycle is closed, demonstrating the principles of circular economy, which will increase the total efficiency of the concept. CGS and CPG are planned in the E6-A compartment of the E6 geological structure with an average CO2 storage capacity of 365 Mt in an optimistic approach and Geo-PB is planned in E6-B with an H2 storage capacity of 119 kt.The Baltic offshore scenario is ambitious and innovative, proposed new technologies, synergy with renewable energy (geothermal, solar, wind and sea current), large storage capacity, including CO2 storage and use captured by a CCUS clusters of emission sources from energy production, cement industry and bio-emissions from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The concept aimed to decrease the artificial impact of climate change by avoiding CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and implementing circular economy principles. It will increase public and policymakers’ acceptance of new underground CO2 and energy storage technologies. The proposed synergy solution for CGS and energy storage projects will make such a business economically feasible and attractive for investors. Our study demonstrates a new era, the next generation of cost-competitive, self-supporting conceptual techno-ecological examples of a possible synergy of storage concepts with renewable energies combined using circular economy approaches.

Analysis of the effect of formation dip angle and injection pressure on the injectivity and migration of CO2 during storage

Energy scenarios suggest that CO2 capture and storage (CCS) from power plants might contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emission reduction. Since CCS from power generation is an emerging technology that has not been demonstrated on a commercial scale, related cost and performance information is still uncertain. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the impact of adding CO2 capture and compression process equipment to fossil‐fuelled power plants. For coal‐fired power generation, no single capture technology outperforms available alternative capture processes in terms of cost and performance.

Public risk perspectives on the geologic storage of carbon dioxide

On 17 September 2021, the Grantham Institute hosted a follow-up to the Royal Meteorological Society's virtual event on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th assessment report (AR6). The event focused on the response to the climate crisis and taking actions from AR6. Three sectors were covered, including 'School leaders and educators', led by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Learning Network & London Schools Climate Summit; 'Business and Industry - Environmental, social and corporate governance', chaired by Anita Punwani, Deputy Chair NED, Institute of Risk Management; and 'Geologists, earth scientists and energy experts', led by the European Federation of Geologists and Imperial College London researchers. Panel members were from British Standards Institution, 11 https://www.bsigroup.com/ Save the Children UK, 22 https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/ University College London 33 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ and Resurgence. 44 https://www.resurgence.io/ Dr Alex Brown (STEM learning) and Malini Mehra (Globe International) chaired a session on the implications of AR6 for school leaders and educators. Participants agreed that we now have an opportunity for collaboration, as the UK Prime Minister recently appointed a new Education Secretary (Nadhim Zahawi) and Schools Minister (Robin Walker). With COP26 (Smith et al., 2021) at the time just five weeks away, it was emphasised that now is the time to put climate education on the agenda and embedded in the green recovery. There was a feeling that teachers are constrained by the curriculum and do not have the skills, capacity, or appropriate resources to apply climate issues to their own subjects. Recommendations were given to address this through exam bodies and quality assurance organisations, and to provide better training for teachers, so they are empowered to embed climate change into their lessons. A curriculum reform should also include green skills for students, to ensure the next generation is equipped to apply for green jobs in the future. Further discussion focussed on climate risk and adaptation. Few educational leaders recognise that the most harmful impacts of climate change to the educational sector are likely to be physical, such as flooding and extreme heat. It is important to find ways to communicate this effectively with school leaders, drawing on what has been learned from COVID-19. The session ended with discussion about the next steps, starting with a letter to the Education Secretary and Schools Minister regarding an enquiry into whether the current education system is fit for purpose in relation to the government's net zero commitments. Nuha Eltinay's (Middle East and North Africa representative) 55 https://www.resurgence.io/team/ key messages included the need to build bridges between existing communities and weather forecasters. The need to communicate weather information and climate change to grassroots were essential for progress. Specifically, what the IPCC meant to her organisation was centred around vulnerabilities in Middle East and Northern African regions. It was emphasised that compound and cascading hazards after natural events are often not reported and under-addressed, despite their ability to produce further catastrophic hazards that propagate through socio-economic systems (e.g. Alexander and Pescaroli, 2019). Kit Vaughan (Save the Children) mentioned the importance of dealing with the disruption arising from climate change. Kit also explained the interrelationship between other global issues including COVID-19 which led us to recognise global inequality. Kit raised the important point that children born in 2020 are subject to a seven-fold increase in climate events when compared with their grandparents born in the 1960s (Thiery et al., 2021). This is further exacerbated by the fact that one billion children are living in high-risk areas. This discussion raised important issues of climate change with regard to children. These stakeholders require a specific focus of support and integration at every level with effective communication. Gianluca Pesacaroli (University College London) expressed issues pertaining to operational silos whereby private companies operate independently from public bodies. This becomes problematic when addressing and meeting mutual climate mitigation targets. There is a need for the co-production of information between private and public entities, scientists and non-scientists, which can facilitate important discourses allowing for effective policy making. Lesley Wilson (British Standards Foundation, BSI) emphasised the need to have a common benchmark of sustainability that organisations should employ in their environmental agendas. The BSI works collaboratively across sectors to foster such common standards. Katrina Ramage (World Values Day) highlighted the need to communicate climate change to young children in layperson terms so that they can understand the issues facing them and how the government aims to support the future generation. Discourses in the realm of decision making, be that public or private, regarding the next generation, often do not directly involve young people. Moreover, the complexities of such discourses are rarely understood by children and more needs to be done to explain the ramifications of climate change to them. Examples of this include encouraging children to debate climate change in educational establishments and visiting schools to educate children and facilitating such discussions. Hannah Wood (UBS Foundation) identified that there is a funding gap between climate and environmental issues. There is growing concern that within corporate settings there is untapped capital which can be used to support financing the global environmental agenda (Clark et al., 2018). Funding is not disseminated appropriately with little communication between corporate and public entities. Therefore, there is a serious need to trigger funding for climate change initiatives and move capital to where it is more needed. Glen Burridge (European Federation of Geologists) led the breakout session 'Earth Sapience: How can Earth Scientists work together to address the climate crisis?'. Dr Yves Plancherel (Imperial College London) started by highlighting that much of the new IPCC reports are not novel, raising the debate of how the information in the IPCC should be delivered in the future. Cedric John (Imperial College London) and Dr Edward Gryspeerdt (Imperial College London) agreed with the sentiment but added that the IPCC reports do pave the way for more platforms to discuss the IPCC, beyond the short periods that it is popularised by the news media (Pearce et al., 2014; Sanford et al., 2019). Dr Isabelle Fernandez (European Federation of Geologists) continued this concept of communication, highlighting that involving people – both the general public and companies – is an important solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Dr Edward Gryspeerdt followed this saying that geologists can develop such solutions at economic cost, with the key being to find a way where it is cheaper not to emit, but to leave the CO2 in the ground. Magnus Johansson (SGU) was the last panellist in the group and highlighted that there also needs to be resilience built into everyday life, as well as a push for mitigation measures. At present, Magnus Johansson said, there is a disconnect between those planning climate mitigation and resilience measures and those applying it on the ground. The session was then opened up for general input, where carbon capture and storage (CCS) was heavily discussed. Highlighted as a sustainable opportunity, CCS needs to be implemented as soon as possible to ensure CO2 is utilised, not wasted (Martin-Roberts et al., 2021). Yves highlights that, due to the cost of implementation, oil and gas companies might be in a unique position to spearhead the transition over to CCS by converting their assets (infrastructure, knowledge and workforce) over. The breakout room concluded on discussions around the importance of investigating other energy sources and alternate forms of carbon storage. Renewable and thermal energy are important clean energy options but must also be discussed alongside a candid conversation about their accompanying issues, such as raw material supply. Forest restoration is hugely valuable in tackling both the biosphere crisis, as well as providing a nature-based solution to the carbon issue (Seddon et al., 2020). The event was concluded with a large discussion of all three sectors and the key points that were brought up in the breakout rooms. Melina Mehra clarified that one overarching message that came through was the need to be clear with messages that are being communicated, ensuring those messages are accessible in terms of the capabilities of that person, group or industry. There needs to be clarity on questions such as: What is being asked to be done? How is the success of it measured? Katrina Ramage highlighted how societal tolerance of climate injustice has reduced and that works in favour of better communication, but it does not lessen the complexity of the issue being communicated. COVID-19, as a potentially climate-induced zoonotic 66 An infectious disease which has spread from animals to humans. pandemic, and the rise in extreme weather events, has made it clear that the impacts of climate change are happening now. Glen Burridge summarised that clear communication of complex issues alongside de-biased and practically analysed decisions will allow these issues to be addressed effectively, in the present rather than in the future.

A dynamic model for optimally phasing in CO2 capture and storage infrastructure

Optimal CO2 reduction planning can curb the rise in environmental emissions due to the increase in energy demand and utilisation. Carbon (more precisely, CO2) Capture and Storage (CCS) has been one of the proposed solutions to control CO2 emissions. However, mitigating CO2 emissions via CO2 storage in geological reservoirs without utilisation is neither a sustainable solution, nor really a clean technology option. This paper introduces a new algebraic method for targeting the optimum CO2 capture, utilisation and storage based on the Pinch Analysis approach. A new Total Site CO2 Integration concept is introduced. The concept is to capture CO2 with certain quality from various plants on the Total Site and inject it into CO2 headers. The CO2 headers are divided into certain composition ranges. The CO2 headers can satisfy the CO2 demands for various industries located along the headers, which require CO2 as its raw material. The CO2 can be further regenerated, and mixed as needed with pure CO2 generated from one or multiple centralised CO2 plant if required. The excess CO2 is to be sent to geological storage. The proper utilisation of CO2 will reduce the amount of CO2 needed to be stored. This will extend the geological carbon storage-life capacity. Aside from estimating CO2 utilisation, this method also allows an industrial site planner to identify the suitable industries that can act as CO2 sources or CO2 demands for a given region.

Advancing CO2 Capture from Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plants with Piperazine Scrubbing