Japanese R&D on CO2 Capture

Abstract

In Japan, fossil fuels produce more than 60 % of electricity. Electric power generation emitted roughly 300 million metric tons of CO2 in the 2000 fiscal year and was the source of approximately one third of CO2 emissions in Japan. Although the share of electricity generated by nuclear power is increasing, there is still a predominant reliance on fossil fuels for electricity production. Since the Sleipner CO2 separation and storage project started in September 1996 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, the development of CO2 capture and sequestration technologies have been accelerated greatly as realistic options to reduce CO2 emissions in many countries. CO2 capture and sequestration have generally four steps: capture, separation, transportation, and storage. In the context of optimization and integration of these steps, CO2 capture is a particularly important step. The Japanese electric utilities and other organizations have been encouraged to develop technologies that contribute to CO2 emission reduction for many years: adsorption, absorption, membranes, and cryogenic systems. This chapter addresses some of key issues of CO2 recovery technologies for large-scale application based on the experience of the Japan's R&D. The Japanese electric utilities and other organizations such as the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), have been encouraged to develop technologies that contribute to CO2 emission reduction for many years and have conducted R&D on CO2 capture technologies (including adsorption, absorption, and membranes) for many years.