CO2 Capture And Storage Deployment Research Articles

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of CO2-Enabled Sedimentary Basin Geothermal.

The expansion of renewable energy and the large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) can decarbonize the power sector. The use of CO2 to extract geothermal heat from naturally porous and permeable sedimentary basins to generate electricity (CO2-plume geothermal (CPG) system) presents an opportunity to simultaneously generate renewable energy and geologically store CO2. In this study, we estimate the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of CPG systems through 12 scenarios in which CPG systems are combined with one of six CO2 sources (e.g., bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and iron and steel facilities) and operate in two geological settings. We find the life cycle GHG emissions of CPG systems ranging from -0.25 to -6.18 kg CO2eq/kWh. CPG systems can achieve the highest emissions reductions when utilizing the CO2 captured from BECCS. We evaluate uncertainty through a Monte Carlo simulation, demonstrating consistent net reductions in life cycle emissions and a local, one-parameter-at-a-time sensitivity analysis that identifies the CO2 capture capacity as the high-impact parameter of the results. Through the production of electricity, CPG systems can provide additional environmental benefits to the deployment of large-scale CCS.

Reduction potential of the energy penalty for CO2 capture in CCS

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) has been acknowledged as an essential part of a portfolio of technologies that are required to achieve cost-effective long-term CO2 mitigation. However, the development progress of CCS technologies is far behind the targets set by roadmaps, and engineering practices do not lead to commercial deployment. One of the crucial reasons for this delay lies in the unaffordable penalty caused by CO2 capture, even though the technology has been commonly recognized as achievable. From the aspects of separation and capture technology innovation, the potential and promising direction for solving this problem were analyzed, and correspondingly, the possible path for deployment of CCS in China was discussed. Under the carbon neutral target recently proposed by the Chinese government, the role of CCS and the key milestones for deployment were indicated.

Optimal source–sink matching and prospective hub–cluster configurations for CO 2 capture and storage in India

Abstract At COP26, India announced strong climate commitments of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070. Meeting this target would likely require substantial deployment of CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonize existing large-point sources of CO 2 . This study attempts to evaluate opportunities for deployment of CCS in India in the forthcoming decades. A geographic information system-based approach was adopted for mapping existing sources of CO 2 with the sinks. The results show that regionally-appropriate ways of moving towards CCS at scale exist in both the power and industrial sectors. Coupled analysis of these sectors with sinks shows that eight clusters may be developed throughout the country to sequester 403 Mt-CO 2 annually. These clusters are concentrated near Category-I oil basins and the Category-I coalfields (Damodar Valley), which may also create suitable financial incentives by incremental oil and coalbed methane recovery, respectively. Furthermore, a first-order costing analysis evaluates that the cost of avoidance across basins may range from –$31 to $107/t-CO 2 , depending on the type of storage reservoir and the proximity to large-point sources. A total of 12 suitable hubs and clusters were created based on annual emissions above 1 Mt-CO 2 of each large-point source and their proximity with geological sinks.

Deployment of CO2 capture and storage in Europe under limited public acceptance—An energy system perspective

In this paper we analyse how in Europe large-scale deployment of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) technology may be hindered by limited public acceptance. We develop scenarios for how public acceptance may constrain the diffusion of CCS, either by reducing the overall amount of installable CCS capacity or by delaying its introduction, and show with an integrated assessment model how the type of limitation in CCS acceptance can critically impact the development of all sectors in the overall energy system over time. We also demonstrate that a reduction or delay in CCS diffusion as a result of critical public opinion can have substantial energy system impacts that differ across not only the nature of acceptance profile but also the sector(s) in which limited public acceptance materializes. Applying a constraint to CCS deployment in both industry and the power sector simultaneously leads to an energy system that is fundamentally different from the one that emerges if the constraint is only applied to the power sector. Depending on how and where CCS diffusion is constrained, net additional annual energy system costs in 2050 can vary between -50 billion up to nearly 800 billon $/yr.

A process integration-based multiperiod energy planning model for CO2-intensive industries

Multiperiod carbon-constrained energy planning considers long-term demand variations as well as progressively stringent CO2 emission limits towards net-zero carbon goals. Previous work on multiperiod energy planning has predominantly focused on the power generation sector. Nevertheless, emissions originating from industries must be mitigated to achieve decarbonisation at different (e.g., corporate, national, or regional) scales. This work develops a multiperiod energy planning model to determine the optimum deployment of energy sources for CO2-intensive industries other than the power generation sector. A hybrid approach is employed in this work, making use of the combined automated targeting model (ATM) and superstructure models. The hybrid approach in this work overcomes the non-linearity in the CO2 intensity calculations. Solving the ATM and superstructure model simultaneously ensures that both demand and CO2 emission limits for all industries are satisfied in each period. The multiperiod energy planning model is demonstrated with a case study with and without CO2 load transfer scenarios. The case study is performed for 21 industries across three 5-year periods. For the CO2 load transfer scenarios, the CO2 emission limits may be violated in earlier periods, triggering CO2 debts. The latter are compensated by CO2 credits in later periods where the total CO2 load is below the emissions limit due to aggressive mitigation strategies. Alternatively, in the absence of CO2 load transfer, the CO2 emission limits for all periods must be satisfied. Results show that the deployment of low-carbon energy sources (e.g., biomass and biogas) is necessary for the satisfaction of the CO2 emission limits within each period. Once CO2capture and storage (CCS) is available, its deployment would complement existing mitigation strategies in later periods. The deployment of CCS on power plants fueled by biomass and biogas make them as negative emissions technologies (NETs) which are useful for CO2 removal (CDR). The development of the multiperiod energy planning model in this work allows decarbonisation strategies to be simultaneously employed across all industries for a cumulative CO2 emissions reduction.

Extended graphical approach for the implementation of energy-consuming negative emission technologies

The implementation of negative emission technologies (NETs) is vital to limit global warming to manageable levels. Despite the lack of technological maturity of NETs, their full-scale implementations are expected to take place within the next few decades. Potential interactions with energy infrastructures need to be considered during scale-up. This paper develops a graphical targeting technique for the implementation of energy-consuming NETs (EC-NETs) for sustainable energy planning. The graphical targeting technique is illustrated using a case study, which demonstrates the usefulness of EC-NETs for an effective carbon management strategy. However, the energy demand of EC-NETs requires compensation from additional renewable energy sources. The deployment of CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) decreases the requirement of renewable energy sources by 88%. On the other hand, the implementation of EC-NETs coupled with energy-producing NETs (EP-NETs) eliminates the need for renewable energy sources to compensate for the incremental demand, as EP-NETs supplies the energy requirements of EC-NETs. CCS deployment reduces the use of EP-NETs by 82%. The case studies illustrate how a systematic methodology for integrated energy planning can optimise decarbonisation while minimising the impacts on energy infrastructure.

A generic algebraic targeting approach for integration of renewable energy sources, CO2 capture and storage and negative emission technologies in carbon-constrained energy planning

Renewable energy sources, CO2capture and storage (CCS) and negative emission technologies (NETs) are important elements to incorporate during energy planning to achieve climate change targets by the end of this century. This paper develops a generic algebraic targeting approach based on carbon emissions pinch analysis (CEPA), for the integration of renewable energy sources, CCS and NETs during CO2-constrained energy planning. Since the recently established graphical targeting approach is both time-consuming and cumbersome, the algebraic targeting approach developed in this work eliminates the iterative procedure and provides rigorous targets that overcome the limitations of the previous approach. The algebraic targeting approach is demonstrated with a literature case study. Results show that the integration of energy-producing NETs (EP-NETs) reduces energy generation from fossil-based sectors, which leads to CO2 removal. By contrast, despite the removal of CO2 load, the integration of energy-consuming NETs (EC-NETs) demanded further utilisation of renewable energy sources as compensatory energy. Finally, CCS deployment aided in CO2 load removal, thus reducing the necessary integration of NETs during energy planning.

The Gradual Integration of CCUS into National and Regional Strategies for Climate Change Mitigation, Energy Transition, Ecological Transition, Research and Innovation: An Overview for France

CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is gradually gaining global recognition as a vital technology to complement the climate change mitigation portfolio. Since CCS entered the public arena with the publication of the IPCC Special Report in 2005, most of the international prospective scenarios compatible with keeping the temperature rise below 2°C rely on CCS (e.g. IPCC, IEA). International initiatives gathering many volunteer countries are playing a key role for enabling the development and deployment of CCS, such as IEAGHG since 1991, CSLF since 2003, ISO/TC 265 since 2011, Mission Innovation Challenge 3 since 2015, SET Plan Action 9 since 2016. Quite recently the use (U) of CO2 has entered the value chain to encourage the economic use of part of the captured CO2 as a raw material for the manufacture of new products before permanently storing the rest in the deep subsurface, this is why the technology is now often referred to as CCUS, or CCS and CCU. France has played a key role in the development of global climate policies (e.g. the Paris agreement in 2015), and is involved in the various international initiatives devoted to CCUS mentioned above. It is therefore interesting to take stock of how France is preparing to develop this technology and deploy it on its territory. Are we heading towards the deployment of the CCUS technology in France?

Profiting from CCS innovations: A study to measure potential value creation from CCS research and development

Globally, large private and public funds are invested into CO2 capture and storage (CCS) research to provide the knowledge and technology required to mitigate CO2 emissions below a sustainable level. A pertinent question to ask is whether this is the best way of spending limited resources. This paper presents a study aiming to quantify the potential economic gains from selected CCS innovations created in the international research centre BIGCCS and its successor NCCS. Development of CCS technology is currently driven by technology push and the lack of a market makes it hard to predict future potentials for increased revenue. Consequently, the study investigates potential cost reductions from implementing the innovations in full-scale industry projects based on qualified assumptions. The results show that even with limited deployment of CCS the potential cost savings from implementation of the innovations by far exceed the research investment. Additional value not considered is in this work is expected from commercialisation of the technologies for the technology providers, improved competitive edge for providers of CO2 free products and enhanced safety for people, equipment and environment. By developing illustrative examples from technology innovations, the study aims to contribute to a broader public CCS debate addressing also potential gains and commercial opportunities in addition to the current focus on costs and safety.

World Bank CCS Program activities in South Africa – Results and Lessons Learned

The World Bank Group (WB) Carbon Capture and Storage Trust Fund (CCS TF) was established in 2009 to support CO2 capture and storage (CCS) capacity and knowledge building in developing countries11The WB CCS TF donors include the governments of the United Kingdom and Norway, and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. This support is intended to create opportunities for the WB partner countries to explore their CCS potential and, if appropriate, to facilitate the inclusion of CCS options into their low-CO2 growth strategies and policies. Nine countries were selected in Phase 1 of the CCS TF support including South Africa.CCS TF Phase 1 support for CCS in South Africa included an allocation of US$ 1.35 million and had the objective of supporting the Government of South Africa by undertaking three specific studies:1.The development of a regulatory framework for CCS in South Africa2.A techno-economic review of CCS implementation in South Africa3.The development of a national and local public engagement plan for the South African Pilot CO2 Storage ProjectThe South African Department of Energy (DoE) and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) were the beneficiaries and counterparts for these WB supported CCS studies. The South Africa CCS Roadmap, developed by SANEDI and released in 2010, defined several milestones to understand and develop the potential for CCS in South Africa. The implementation of the Pilot Carbon Storage Project (PCSP) is planned as the next milestone in the Roadmap to be completed between 2017 and 2021. The PCSP scope includes the transport, geological storage and monitoring of between 10,000 and 50,000tCO2, sourced from an industrial facility.The WB selected the Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (ERM) as the lead consultant for the legal and regulatory assessment, undertaken in association with Carbon Counts and IMBEWU Sustainability Legal Specialists. The aim of the legal and regulatory assessment study was to review the existing legislation and regulation in South Africa to identify gaps and barriers for the authorisation and regulation of the PCSP with the view to informing the development of a CCS regulatory framework. The ERM consortium worked closely with the South African DoE and the Inter-Departmental CCS Task Team (IDTT), which was established in 2011 to inform, coordinate and promote the development of CCS in South Africa. The study recommended the following four options for regulating CCS in South Africa, using the existing regulations or a new regulatory framework:1.The National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM: Waste Act).2.The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)3.The NEMA and the Mineral Petroleum Resource Development Act (MPRDA).4.The development of stand-alone legislation, specifically for the purposes of regulating CCS.The aim of the second study was to develop a detailed technical and economic analysis for large-scale development and deployment of CCS across South Africa's industrial installations by 2050. The WB lead consultant for the technical and economic analysis study, Parsons Brinckerhoff, reviewed and recorded CO2 sources and CO2 storage locations (as identified in the Atlas on Geological Storage of CO2in South Africa) and conducted the subsequent analysis of how these sources and sink can be connected in the most cost effective way under varying roll-out scenarios. The analysis found that large-scale CCS could be deployed in South Africa at a levelized average cost of ZAR 422 per metric ton of CO2 across all industrial sectors. The study found that the capital up-front costs of this large-scale deployment were significant but could be mitigated by taking a phased approach to CO2 capture deployment.The aim of the public engagement study was to develop a comprehensive plan for raising public awareness, informing and engaging with various public stakeholders in South Africa, both at the national and local levels, on the CCS technology deployment and respective management of potential risk. The public engagement took into account international best practice as well as South African specific considerations. Specific aspects, addressed the study, included:•Raising awareness of CCS as a possible climate change mitigation measure;•Helping to develop an understanding of key concepts in the CCS technology, subsurface storage and key issues;•Outlining the benefits and potential risks of demonstration and deployment of the CCS technology in South Africa; and•Placing CCS in the context of South African climate change mitigation, energy production and use, coal use, resource development, job creation, amongst others.The WB selected SRK Consulting South Africa as the lead consultant for the study, in association with Finley-Greenberg, and the World Resources Institute (WRI), prepared National and Local Stakeholder Engagement Plans, which recommended that stakeholder engagement commence at the national level with government officials before proceeding in turn to the provincial, district municipal, and local municipal levels.Following the conclusion of these studies a number of lessons were learned with regard to: the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the scoping and delivery of studies; and, how results are communicated to maximise the impact of the work.

World Bank CCS Program Activities in Botswana – Results and Lessons Learned

The World Bank Carbon Capture and Storage Trust Fund (CCS TF) was established in 2009 to support CO2 capture and storage (CCS) capacity and knowledge building in developing countries11The WB CCS TF donors include the governments of the United Kingdom and Norway, and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. CCS TF Phase 1 support for CCS in Botswana included an allocation of USD 1.4 million and had the objective of supporting the Government of Botswana in the following areas:1.Identifying potential geological reservoirs that can be utilized to store CO2 captured from coal-fired power plants;2.Evaluating institutional and regulatory arrangements for CCS deployment in the country and recommendations for reinforcing institutional capacity; and3.Providing training, education and capacity building at all stages throughout implementation, including a Study Tour for key individuals.For all three studies, the WB selected Environmental Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM) as the lead consultant, in association with Wellfield Geosciences (Botswana) and Carbon Counts Company (UK) Ltd.The completed geological assessment found that there may be technical potential for geological storage of CO2 in Botswana's geological formations within the Kalahari Karoo Basin, including three areas of interest -- the Passarge Basin, the Lephephe Graben and the Mmashoro Low. There is, however, a general lack of CO2 storage-relevant geological data that needs to be developed, if a more accurate assessment of CO2 storage potential is to be undertaken. The Passarge Basin was seen to be worthiest of additional investigation, which could be done through the re-examination of existing data or through new geological exploration. The Mashoro Low and Lephephe Graben are in close proximity to the centres of current coal-bed methane (CBM) exploration, suggesting that the integration of CBM exploitation and CO2 storage processes could be considered.The regulatory and institutional assessment reviewed how CO2 storage could be implemented under the existing legislation and regulation, and identified the gaps, not covered within the existing framework. The assessment found that existing regulatory acts provide certain coverage for most of key elements of the CO2 storage life-cycle, including: storage site prospecting; storage site development licensing/permitting; regulatory oversight; and, provisions for mid- to long-term liability where a holder of the waste management license incurs a 30-year liability period. However, some clarification is needed to ensure this is the case. Also, the establishment dedicated government body, mandated to lead the development of CCS would benefit the ongoing CCS program in Botswana.If the Government of Botswana intends to pursue the development of the institutional and technical capacity for development and deployment of CCS technology in Botswana, the following activities should be considered:•Building CCS awareness and strengthening coordination across government and industry;•Establishment of a CCS technical implementation plan, including the preparation of a CCS roadmap; and•Carrying out additional analysis of existing geological data relating to one or more of the formations identified.Based on the experience gained from the execution of this study, the next phase of CCS development in Botswana, as well as similar activities elsewhere would benefit from:•Increased government and stakeholder involvement in all stages of the study;•A formally mandated government partner to support the undertaking of the study and to implement and take forward the findings; and•External technical input/review from experts with experience in the development and execution of CO2 storage projects. This could take the form of a project specific technical advisory panel or a technical panel we a broader mandate across all the CCS TF's activities.

Response of Integrated CO2 Capture and Storage Systems in Saline Aquifers and Fractured Shale Formations to Changes in CO2 Capture Costs

Fractured shale formations are new potential target reservoirs for CO2 capture and storage (CCS) and provide several potential advantages over storage in saline aquifers in terms of storage capacity, leakage risk, and cost savings from brownfield development. We used a geospatial-optimization, engineering-economic model to investigate the sensitivity of integrated CCS networks in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to reductions in CO2 capture costs. These reductions in CO2 capture costs were based on hypothetical cases where technological innovation reduced CO2 capture costs. There were small differences in the spatial organization of the CCS deployment when the capture costs were reduced. We also found that the percent reduction in average cost of CCS systems became smaller as the CO2 capture costs were decreased.

Enabling Onshore CO2 Storage in Europe: Fostering International Cooperation Around Pilot and Test Sites

To meet the ambitious EC target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) needs to move rapidly towards full scale implementation with geological storage solutions both on and offshore. Onshore storage offers increased flexibility and reduced infrastructure and monitoring costs. Enabling onshore storage will support management of decarbonisation strategies at territory level while enhancing security of energy supply and local economic activities, and securing jobs across Europe. However, successful onshore storage also requires overcoming some unique technical and societal challenges. ENOS will provide crucial advances to help foster onshore CO2 storage across Europe through:•Developing, testing and demonstrating in the field, under “real-life conditions”, key technologies specifically adapted to onshore storage.•Contributing to the creation of a favourable environment for onshore storage across Europe.The ENOS site portfolio will provide a great opportunity for demonstration of technologies for safe and environmentally sound storage at relevant scale. Best practices will be developed using experience gained from the field experiments with the participation of local stakeholders and the lay public. This will produce improved integrated research outcomes and increase stakeholder understanding and confidence in CO2 storage. In this improved framework, ENOS will catalyse new onshore pilot and demonstration projects in new locations and geological settings across Europe, taking into account the site-specific and local socio-economic context. By developing technologies from TRL4/5 to TRL6 across the storage lifecycle, feeding the resultant knowledge and experience into training and education and cooperating at the pan-European and global level, ENOS will have a decisive impact on innovation and build the confidence needed for enabling onshore CO2 storage in Europe.ENOS is initiating strong international collaboration between European researchers and their counterparts from the USA, Canada, South Korea, Australia and South Africa for sharing experience worldwide based on real-life onshore pilots and field experiments. Fostering experience-sharing and research alignment between existing sites is key to maximise the investment made at individual sites and to support the efficient large scale deployment of CCS. ENOS is striving to promote collaboration between sites in the world through a programme of site twinning, focus groups centered around operative issues and the creation of a leakage simulation alliance.

Multi-stage Stochastic Optimisation of a CO2 Transport and Geological Storage in the UK

Deterministic whole system multi-stage optimisation frameworks provide valuable insights into the cost effective design and operation of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) systems. However commercial deployment of CCS faces significant technical and economic uncertainties, which necessitate flexibility in system development strategies as well as coordination of all aspects of a CCS system across both time and space. This paper builds on a whole system dynamic CCS optimisation tool developed at Imperial College and presents a mixed integer linear programming approach for multi-stage multi-scenario stochastic optimisation of a spatially explicit integrated CCS system under uncertainty. The model provides great advantages through flexible strategies for all potential system state changes at every stage and early one-fit-for-all investment solutions that minimise financial loss and offer operational flexibility. The model is showcased through a case study set in the UK between 2015-2050 focusing on the techno-economic performance of the CCS value chain and considering uncertainties in the financial market and the storage capacity within a portfolio of Southern North Sea saline aquifer and depleted oil and gas fields.

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) cost reduction via infrastructure right-sizing

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be a critical component of a portfolio of low-carbon energy technologies required to combat climate change (IEA-GHG, 2013). As such, an extensive transportation infrastructure will be required to transport captured CO2 from different sources to the available sinks. Several studies in the literature suggest that shared oversized pipeline networks may be the most efficient long term option compared to single source to sink pipelines, based on increased CCS deployment over the years and therefore increased CO2 flowrate to the transport network. However, what is neglected in this vision is that the deployment of intermittent renewable energy tends to displace thermal power generation. This directly reduces the amount of fossil fuel burned, CO2 produced, captured and transported through the network. This paper presents an optimisation methodology to “right-size” CO2 transport infrastructure, explicitly accounting for the transient flow of CO2 arising from the co-deployment of intermittent renewable energy generators. By application of this methodology, we demonstrate that capital cost reductions of up to 28% are possible relative to a business-as-usual design case.

Off-shore enhanced oil recovery in the North Sea: The impact of price uncertainty on the investment decisions

Although CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is considered a key solution for CO2 emission mitigation, it is currently not economically feasible. CO2 enhanced oil recovery can play a significant role in stimulating CCS deployment because CO2 is used to extract additional quantities of oil. This study analyzes the investment decision of both a carbon emitting source and an oil company separately by adopting a real options approach. It is shown that when uncertainty is integrated in the economic analysis, CO2 and oil price threshold levels at which investments in CO2 capture and enhanced oil recovery will take place, are higher than when a net present value approach is adopted. We also demonstrate that a tax on CO2 instead of an emission trading system results in a lower investment threshold level for the investment in the CO2 capture unit. Furthermore, we determine a minimum CO2 selling price between the two firms and show that CO2-EOR has the potential to pull CCS into the market by providing an additional revenue on the capture plant. However, when CO2 permit prices are above an identifiable level, the EU ETS does not necessarily result in the adoption of CCS and stimulates oil production.

Pre-injection brine production in CO2 storage reservoirs: An approach to augment the development, operation, and performance of CCS while generating water

Two of the most important challenges facing the global energy sector are to reduce the CO2 intensity and the water intensity of energy production. Because many economies will continue to depend on fossil fuels as primary energy sources, CO2 capture and storage (CCS) must play a major role in curbing CO2 emissions. A large portion of CO2 storage will need to occur in saline reservoirs because these resources are more widely distributed than hydrocarbon resources—where CO2 capture utilization and storage (CCUS) can be deployed for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). CCS deployment can be accelerated with a pressure-management strategy, called pre-injection brine production that proactively manages project risks linked to reservoir pressure. In this approach, a CCS wellfield is deployed sequentially, one well at a time, with each well being used for three stages: (1) monitoring, (2) brine production, and (3) CO2 injection. Using the same well to produce brine before injecting CO2 provides pre-injection reservoir diagnostics needed for proactive planning of wellfield operations. Because pressure drawdown is greatest where CO2 injection will subsequently occur, reservoir pressure is efficiently managed per well, and per unit of removed brine. This approach to managing geologic CO2 storage can (1) identify resources with sufficient CO2 storage capacity and permanence, and provide information needed to effectively manage those resources prior to injecting CO2; (2) increase CO2 storage capacity and efficiency; (3) limit pore-space competition with neighboring subsurface operations; and (4) reduce the duration of post-injection site care and monitoring, while (5) creating the opportunity to generate water, using an emerging CCUS technology called enhanced water recovery (EWR). Although beneficial consumptive use of produced brine may be preferred in water-constrained regions, there may be situations where the brine composition is not economically treatable, which could necessitate reinjecting some or all of the produced brine into a separate reservoir. In this study we consider a range of brine-disposition options, from 100% reinjection in the subsurface to near zero net injection of fluid, which maximizes the water generation benefit per tonne of stored CO2. These options are analyzed for a case where a nearby saline reservoir overlying a CO2 storage reservoir is used to store some or all of the brine removed from the CO2 storage reservoir.

Study on the Mass-Transfer Performance of CO2 Absorbents with a Novel Chemical Regeneration Method

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is a technology with potential for large reductions in CO2 emission to avoid dramatic consequences of global warming for the decades to come. The significant barrier for CCS deployment is the high energy consumption in the CO2 capture process from flue gas generated by coal-fired power plants. A new CO2 capture process was provided as the absorption product was separated in precipitation form and the slurry mostly containing the absorption product was directly sent to the stripper for regeneration, while the entire solution needed to be heated for regeneration prior to use in the next-round absorption in the traditional method. The energy demand for the novel process was evaluated to be about 60% compared with the traditional process using the 30 wt % monoethanolamine absorbent (U.S. Patent 8771403 B2). The impact of a novel regeneration method on the mass-transfer coefficient of several CO2 absorbents was investigated, and the reaction mechanism is presented in the current study. The preferable absorbent of K2CO3 + 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine for this novel process was recommended based on its good mass-transfer performance.

An inexact optimization model for planning regional carbon capture, transportation and storage systems under uncertainty

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is widely recognized as a climate-change mitigation technology that can significantly sequestrate human-induced CO2 emission. However, there are two main issues that affect the development and deployment of CCS in a region/country: one is the shortage of planning tool for supporting effective decision making regarding timing, sitting and scaling of CCS capture, transport and storage facilities as well as dynamic sink-source matching between capture and storage. The other is uncertainty in technical, economic, political and other dimensions of CCS as the technology is still in early stage of commercialization. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop an inexact CCS optimization model (ICCSM) for supporting regional carbon capture, transportation and storage planning under interval-format uncertainty with a least-cost strategy. It could address issues related to optimal sink-source matching in a region with multiple capture and storage options. The developed model was then applied to a case study of long term regional CCS planning under uncertainty. To demonstrate its applicability and capability, further scenario analysis indicated that high concentration CO2 from coal-to-chemical/liquids/gas for EOR storage would be early opportunity for CCS in China. In addition, carbon price would be an effective policy instrument for encouraging deployment of CCS. Without sufficient carbon price, it could be difficult for moving CCS from demonstration stage to deployment stage in a short term.

Designing policy for deployment of CCS in industry

Attaining deep greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in industry in order to support a stringent climate change control target will be difficult without recourse to CO2 capture and storage (CCS). Using the insights from a long-term bottom-up energy systems model, and undertaking a sectoral assessment, we investigated the importance of CCS in the industrial sector. Under climate policy aimed at limiting atmospheric concentration of GHGs to 650 ppm CO2e, costs could increase fivefold when CCS is excluded from the portfolio of mitigation option measures in the industry sector as compared to when CCS is excluded in the power sector. This effect is driven largely by the lack of alternatives for deep emission reductions in industry. Our main policy conclusion is that a broader recognition of CCS in industrial applications in both current policy discussions and research, development, and demonstration funding programmes is justified. In recognition of the heterogeneity of the many types of industrial production processes, the size and location of industrial CO2 sources, the specific need for CCS-retrofitting, and the exposure of most industrial sectors to international trade, policies aimed at supporting CCS must distinguish between the different challenges faced by the power and industrial sectors.