Metric Tons Of CO2 Research Articles

Large Volume CO2 Storage and Plume Management in the Southeastern U.S.; Reservoir Characterization and Simulation

This paper summarizes a reservoir simulation study to evaluate the potential storage of 675 million metric tons of CO2 over 30 years at the Project ECO2S storage site—a 12,000-hectare storage complex adjacent to Mississippi Power Company’s (MPC) Plant Ratcliffe facility in Kemper County, Mississippi, USA. The project team studied the storage capacity of the target formations, estimated the CO2 plume size, performed a sensitivity analysis to examine the influence of reservoir and fluid properties, and tested the impact of active plume management—a process that includes extracting water from down-dip water production wells and re-injecting it through up-dip water injection wells within the storage formation—on CO2 plume migration and its extent. The ECO2S site appears to be capable of storing captured CO2 emissions from multiple Southern Company operated power sources, which together emit 22.5 million metric tons per year (675 million metric tons over 30 years). To investigate field development strategies for large volume CO2 injection and storage at ECO2S, the project team developed a base model using the latest geological interpretation. Thirty years of CO2 injection is simulated through seven injection pads with each pad hosting three injection wells, positioned in the center of the potential storage site, followed by 30 years of CO2 plume monitoring. The simulation results show that the 675 million metric tons of CO2 can be injected into the storage formations, safely and securely. The largest CO2 plume, which occurs in the shallowest reservoir, covers a 202-square kilometer area. Active plume management shows a small impact on controlling the plume size and its migration due to extremely high vertical permeability minimizing the impact of the water curtain. Project ECO2S is part of the CarbonSAFE Program and is financially supported by the USDOE-NETL and Mississippi Power Company. The project is managed by the Southern States Energy Board. Technical Support is provided by Southern Company Research and Development.

Quest CCS Facility: Microseismic System Monitoring and Observations

In August 2015, CO2 injection commenced at the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Facility located near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. Quest is a fully integrated CCS facility with a capture target of just over one million metric tonnes of CO2 per year. CO2 is injected into a deep saline aquifer, the Basal Cambrian Sandstone (BCS), at a depth of about two kilometers below ground. In order to demonstrate containment and conformance of the injected CO2, a Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) plan has been implemented. Although Quest is in an extremely quiet tectonic location, induced seismicity has been recognized as a potential risk for all large-scale injection sites. As a result, microseismic monitoring is a key component of the Quest MMV Plan to ensure the continued assessment of that risk and to provide early notice of any changes. The aim of this presentation is to detail why we monitor for microseismic activity and how we do this efficiently using proactive technical monitoring (PTM) and exception based surveillance (EBS), to report on six years of microseismic monitoring observations through the pre- and post-start of injection periods and to describe the empirical analysis that has allowed the Quest CCS Facility to de-risk microseismicity as an active threat to containment. Microseismic data is continuously recorded at the Quest CCS storage site using a commercial downhole geophone array installed in a deep monitoring well (DMW). The data are processed to produce trigger files using a common algorithm for event detection and triggering, based on the ratio of short-time-average to long-time-average (STA/LTA) amplitudes. The triggered events are analyzed, classified and reported daily. Categories for various trigger types are defined based on the characteristics of each event. Operationally, the status of the microseismic array is continually assessed by the presence of trigger events. A trigger event is defined to be locatable when it shows clear primary (P) and secondary (S) wave field arrivals. The locatable events are processed and located using an anisotropic velocity model. The p-wave velocities were derived from a vertical seismic profile survey, and the s-wave velocities were obtained from sonic well logs. Pre-CO2 injection recording of microseismic data began in November 2014. Most of the trigger files generated were related to surface, automatic and noise triggers. These events were used to assess the health of the system. No locatable events were detected during the pre-injection monitoring phase. The first locatable event was recorded 10 months after start of CO2 injection in July 2016 with a magnitude of -1.3. Since January 2017, sustained low level, small magnitude microseismic activity have been located within the Quest microseismic area of review (AOR) within the Precambrian basement. The AOR as defined in the 2017 Quest MMV plan, extends 10 km radially outwards from each active injection well (IW). As of December 31st, 2020, 486 locatable events have been detected, with an average magnitude of -0.7, a maximum magnitude of 0.8 and a typical occurrence rate of 1-2 events per week. Using the current methodology, all locatable events have been located within the Precambrian basement, below the injection zone. None of this microseismic activity has represented a risk to containment.

Wyoming CarbonSAFE: Advancing Commercialization of Low-Carbon Energy Technologies in Fossil-Rich Wyoming

Wyoming’s Powder River Basin (PRB) is the most prolific coal producer and exporter in the United States and the State of Wyoming’s largest oil-producing basin. In addition to being a leading energy producer, the PRB is the site of research programs whose aim is to develop and integrate low-carbon technologies into existing fossil fuel energy industries. Much of the PRB’s low-carbon research is focused around Dry Fork Station (DFS), which is the newest coal-fired power station in the western US. Currently, DFS hosts five carbon capture projects, including pilot-scale capture projects that utilize different capture technologies and a full front-end engineering and design (FEED) study, a commercial CO2 pipeline for nearby CO2-enhanced oil recovery industry, and is also co-located with the Wyoming Integrated Test Center, which is a host facility for unconventional carbon utilization research (i.e. flue gas carbon-to-products innovations). DFS is also the host site for the Wyoming CarbonSAFE project. Wyoming CarbonSAFE, funded by the Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory, is a multi-phased program (currently in Phase II) whose core objective is developing and validating storage sites within a complex capable of storing 50 million metric tonnes of CO2 over a 30 year project period using carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). This paper will provide an overview of the project to-date, showing that CarbonSAFE goals are achievable with respect to geologic, environmental, regulatory, CO2 source and economic conditions, and why the State of Wyoming offers one of the more favorable environments to advance the commercialization studies. In 2019, the project team designed and completed a ~10,000 foot stratigraphic test well just south of DFS. From this well, the team collected over 600 feet of core, fluid samples from target injection zones, and a full petrophysical log suite. In addition, legacy 2D seismic lines were acquired and a 3D seismic survey was acquired in the fall of 2020. The objective of these field activities has been to identify and characterize target storage reservoirs and associated caprock. This complex has several reservoirs that could meet commercial injection goals, and over 4000 feet of associated caprock. Simulations of site performance suggest that stacked injection provides the most effective storage strategy, and would necessitate several sites within the greater complex to meet final project injection goals. Other work within this project includes the development of a business-case around proximal fields with CO2-enhanced oil recovery potential and existing tax credits, assessment of regulatory conditions, including pore space ownership and Class VI injection well permitting requirements, implementation of a robust public outreach program, and surface site characterization activities that have focused on environmental factors. In the PRB and at DFS, the State of Wyoming and other entities have made carbon management a priority of its future energy industry by providing a regulatory and business framework that is favorable to advancing these technologies. These endeavors will become more realistic with the successful implementation of Wyoming CarbonSAFE, and its ability to secure and validate commercial-scale CCUS at the center of Wyoming’s premier low-carbon research efforts.

The investment portfolio of the Swiss National Bank and its carbon footprint

ABSTRACT This paper details the nature of the equity holdings of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and estimates its carbon footprint. By analysing SNB holdings in the 100 most polluting companies in the world, I find that the share of assets owned by the SNB is responsible for at least a quarter of Switzerland’s domestic CO2 emissions. This represents as much as the greenhouse gas emissions of all Swiss households combined or 0.05% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Using two different estimation methods, I find that the SNB’s portfolio generates between 12 and 20 million metric tons of CO2 per year. This could be reduced by 99.7% with an investment reallocation of just 2% of the equity portfolio of the SNB.

Introduction of the Surgical Providers Assessment and Response to Climate Change (SPARC2) Tool: One Small Step Toward Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Surgical Care.

Introduction of the Surgical Providers Assessment and Response to Climate Change (SPARC2) Tool: One Small Step Toward Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Surgical Care.

Assessing the socio-economic viability of solar commercialization and electrification in south Asian countries

Solar power is a promising alternative energy source for a sustainable environment for developing countries in the Asian continent. The assessment of its sustainability particularly in the South Asian countries necessitates a complete and rigorous statistical investigation. In the current study, we investigate solar energy profile and potential in Pakistan’s Sindh province as a case study. Although the electrification of Sindh Province using off-grid solar PV systems is relatively easy and also most convenient, the challenge is to measure the province’s capacity of solar power and its economic viability. Results show that the rural areas of Pakistan have sufficient solar irradiance in order to produce power. The suitable inclination angles of solar power modules contain the significant capacity of solar power for electricity production. Finding regarding economic viability shows that an off-grid solar photovoltaic system ensures the electricity at price of PKR 6.87/kWh while this is cheap source of energy as compared to traditional energy source (about 20.79 PKR /kWh). Furthermore, the system of off-grid solar photovoltaic could reduce, 119,000 metric tons of CO2 per year simultaneously it ensure the all remote rural areas implement the off-grid solar energy system. The study provides a useful renewable roadmap for energy in South Asian countries and those presently captivating distant and off-grid regions.

Let more big fish sink: Fisheries prevent blue carbon sequestration-half in unprofitable areas.

Contrary to most terrestrial organisms, which release their carbon into the atmosphere after death, carcasses of large marine fish sink and sequester carbon in the deep ocean. Yet, fisheries have extracted a massive amount of this "blue carbon," contributing to additional atmospheric CO2 emissions. Here, we used historical catches and fuel consumption to show that ocean fisheries have released a minimum of 0.73 billion metric tons of CO2 (GtCO2) in the atmosphere since 1950. Globally, 43.5% of the blue carbon extracted by fisheries in the high seas comes from areas that would be economically unprofitable without subsidies. Limiting blue carbon extraction by fisheries, particularly on unprofitable areas, would reduce CO2 emissions by burning less fuel and reactivating a natural carbon pump through the rebuilding of fish stocks and the increase of carcasses deadfall.

Impacts of Environmental Changes on Health in the Gulf Region

From the mid-20th century, there has been quite a radical change in environmental and climate patterns regionally as well as globally. The reason behind these changes is primarily linked to deforestation, industrialization, expanded use of fossil fuels, and the extreme production of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. The environment comprises the surrounding conditions such as the complex of biological, physical, and chemical factors that act upon the ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival. Environmental change encompasses the disturbances caused either by ecological processes or by the human influence which can be in the form of man-made disasters including but not limited to wars, oil spills, pollution, cyclones, etc. Environmental changes are a huge threat to humanity as a whole. These changes can be detrimental to health in a multitude of ways. Most significant ones being exacerbating existing health conditions or causing unforeseen health problems. These environmental changes affect human health by polluting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food that we eat. As a result of accelerated progressions in technology, active industrialization, ongoing wars, irrational use of pollutants like petroleum, etc., the whole of our planet is susceptible to environmental changes, but some areas like the Gulf region have been more sensitive to these.
 The gulf has shown climate deviations that have transmuted into various environmental extremes such as rising sea levels, melting of the arctic ice caps, droughts, and floods. According to the widely cited, "The Stern Review", a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius will see a 20-30% decrease in water availability in one of the regions of the globe, and a 4 Celsius rise will result in up to 50% decrease in water availability1. The latest example of this is Kuwait; where due to the environmental changes world's most scorching day was recorded recently in 20192.The Gulf region is the largest producer of oil and gas in the world fulfilling 1/3rd of the world’s needs. According to world bank statistics, UAE, Saudi Arab, and Qatar produce around 22.9, 19.4 & 43.9 metric tons of CO2 per capita against the global average of 5.0 metric tons of CO2 per capita. These materials when processed to make electricity and other products release greenhouse gasses which are highly susceptible to environmental changes that have a direct or indirect effect on the health in the region. The byproducts include particulate matter (PM2.5) that cause chronic respiratory diseases and also aggravate the asthma condition in many. Furthermore, the overall increase in urban smog also has an impact on the psychological health of a human being by making the environment dark and hazy.

Carbon capture firm raises $22 million

Clean Carbon Solutions (CCS), a carbon capture and separation specialist, has closed a $22 million series B investment round that included the venture arms of the oil companies Equinor and Chevron. CCS uses a proprietary solvent to capture CO2, which can then be released by heating. The British firm says its system is 40% cheaper to operate and 20% cheaper to build than industry-standard systems based on monoethanolamine. It hopes to reach a cost of $30 per metric ton of CO2 captured.

Predicting the performance of a photovoltaic system in the island nation, Mauritius

Existence of microclimatic conditions in tropical island poses a challenge to integrate a greater share of renewable energy, more specifically solar energy into the power grid. Because of the high humidity and sudden cloud coverage, the power output from solar photovoltaic (SPV) plants is severely affected. In this manuscript, the performance results of a study carried out on a 15.2 MW solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant in the island nation Mauritius are analyzed. The net annual yield was 22,162 MWh. This plant has prevented 22,162 metric tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. A model is deduced to forecast the yield from the SPV plants at that location. The grid operator, the National Central Electricity Board, needs to know a priori, the energy mix for the subsequent few days so that the level of operation of fossil fuel-fired thermal plants can be tuned accordingly to minimize the environment pollution of this pristine island.

Researching Candidate Sites for a Carbon Storage Complex in the Central Appalachian Basin, USA

The Central Appalachian Basin-Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) (CAB-CS) Integrated Prefeasibility Project identified several selected areas in eastern Ohio where the Cambrian-Ordovician age sandstones and carbonates show the most promising reservoir potential for carbon capture and storage (CCS). These selected areas are collocated near depleted oil and gas fields where oil recovery could be improved with enhanced oil recovery. This region has many large carbon dioxide (CO2) point sources that represent a diverse array of industries, including coal-fired power plants, natural gas processing, refineries, chemical plants, and natural gas power. In a carbon-constrained future, one of the most promising ways to make coal a viable fuel option for power generation or industrial processes is to capture and geologically store CO2 emissions. The project is a pre-feasibility study to mitigate the emissions from 1.67 million metric tons of CO2 per year by developing a storage complex capable of storing 50 million metric tons. The project team analyzed six source-sink scenarios in the CAB-CS study area with analysis of capture and transport; defined infrastructure needs for a CCS project; and conducted an economic, liability, and social assessment. Major accomplishments include experience in investigating CCS projects in the area (learning by doing), adding to National Energy Technology Laboratory best practices tools and tool sets, and building the elements of the CCS road map for the region.

Geophysical monitoring using active seismic techniques at the Citronelle Alabama CO2 storage demonstration site

Between August 2012 and September 2014, about 114,000 metric tonnes of CO2 was captured from the coal-fired Plant Barry Power Station at Bucks Alabama and injected into the Paluxy Formation above the oil pool in the southeast unit of the Citronelle Oilfield. Various monitoring methods were deployed at land surface and in project wells to measure system performance, comply with permit requirements and test new and innovative monitoring tools. The monitoring program relied heavily on active seismic methods for subsurface imaging of geologic structure and time-lapse seismic techniques to track the CO2 migration in the injection interval. Both conventional geophone/hydrophone and fiber-optic based Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) arrays were deployed and tested, allowing a side by side comparison of the equipment and techniques.Geophysical imaging of the subsurface was successful using DAS in the offset vertical seismic profile (OVSP) survey configuration. A high resolution OVSP image of the subsurface was obtained in 2014 with DAS, which exceeded project expectations in comparison to a lower resolution image obtained in 2012 using a conventional 80-level geophone array. A time-lapse image of the redistribution of CO2 after injection ended in September 2014 was obtained with two DAS OVSP surveys from June 2014 and December 2015, thus successfully demonstrating its proof-of-concept. Unfortunately, a pre-injection baseline survey with DAS, which was in its initial stage of technology development in 2012, did not have sufficient quality for use, making it difficult to interpret the acquired DAS time-lapse difference. Additional research in this area has since demonstrated the utility of time-lapse DAS OVSP. DAS data were also acquired during a cross-well seismic survey conducted in 2014. Unfortunately, the DAS technique was not success in the cross-well survey configuration because the system noise level was too high in the crosswell frequency output range (100–1200 Hz) of the piezoelectric source (increasing by a factor of ten compared to VSP frequency band). Additionally, the cross-well geometry causes sub-horizontal (broadside) incidence on the vertical DAS fiber cable, which is known to be problematic. Current research is focused on improving the DAS cable response to broadside acoustic energy.Time-lapse seismic surveys using commercially available conventional arrays were also acquired. In contrast to the DAS acquired data, the cross-well seismic results obtained with the conventional array was highly successful and clearly showed the CO2 remained in zone at the end of injection. Time-lapse differencing of the OSVP surveys acquired with the conventional arrays proved to be inconclusive. Changes in wellbore conditions between surveys and unavoidable changes in equipment (the array used for the baseline survey was retired) affected data quality, making it difficult to interpret the OVSP results.

Impact of agricultural land use and economic growth on nitrous oxide emissions: Evidence from developed and developing countries

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) establishes a hypothetical link between economic growth and environmental degradation and has been tested empirically using various measures of pollution, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. However, few studies have focused on N2O emissions, despite their projected lifetime of 114 years and 300 times greater warming potential than CO2. Employing panel data for the period 1980 to 2012, this study uses the EKC to investigate N2O emissions, including those resulting from agriculture, economic growth, agricultural land use, and exports. Two groups of data are extracted from the panel data: the first group contains the top 15 countries, ranked by N2O emissions, measured in thousand metric tons of CO2, while the second group contains the top 18 countries, ranked by share of agriculture in GDP. A pooled mean group approach developed by Pesaran et al. (1999) is used to determine whether long-run relationships exist between the variables after determined by the Hausman test. The results show that N2O emissions and economic growth are co-integrated in both panels, providing evidence in favour of the EKC. In addition, agricultural land use has a positive and significant effect on N2O emissions. That is, if countries wish to reduce their N2O emissions or agricultural N2O emissions, they should optimize or reduce the use of agricultural land.

The Feasibility and Environmental Impact of Sustainable Public Transportation: A PV Supplied Electric Bus Network

Limited fuel resources and the huge negative impact on the environment from using fossil fuels have led to an urgency to utilize the most energy efficient solutions for public transportation. Environmentally sustainable solutions can deliver the same benefits of traditional systems, but without the negative impacts. The Bus Rapid Transit Project of Amman (Amman BRT) is used as a case study. Proposed measures include using electric buses instead of diesel ones, and installing elevated photovoltaic systems above buses parking and routes, in addition to using LED street lighting. The feasibility study of applying the proposed measures on the Amman BRT project showed that only 7.1 years is needed to payback the incremental investment throughout this transformation. Capital expenditure (CAPEX) is higher than the baseline buses, while operational expenditure (OPEX) is much lower, resulting in a 32% lower total cost of ownership (TCO). In addition, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by 27,203.68 metric ton of CO2 per year and 408,055.26 metric tons for the 15-year lifetime of the project.

Electrified Airplanes: A Path to Zero-Emission Air Travel

The aeronautics industry has been challenged on many fronts to increase flight efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease dependence on traditional hydrocarbon fuels. Each year, aviation produces more than 900 million metric tons of CO2, which, without new interventions in policy, technology, and business practices, will further increase alongside the growing air transport market. Currently, aviation accounts for 4.8% of U.S. contributions to CO2 emissions, and the global aviation industry constitutes about 2% of all human-induced CO2 emissions. While this contribution may appear to be small when compared to other sources, it is likely to become more prominent in the years to come.

CarbFix2: CO2 and H2S mineralization during 3.5 years of continuous injection into basaltic rocks at more than 250 °C

The CarbFix method was upscaled at the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant to inject and mineralize the plant’s CO2 and H2S emissions in June 2014. This approach first captures the gases by their dissolution in water, and the resulting gas-charged water is injected into subsurface basalts. The dissolved CO2 and H2S then react with the basaltic rocks liberating divalent cations, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+, increasing the fluid pH, and precipitating stable carbonate and sulfide minerals. By the end of 2017, 23,200 metric tons of CO2 and 11,800 metric tons of H2S had been injected to a depth of 750 m into fractured, hydrothermally altered basalts at >250 °C. The in situ fluid composition, as well as saturation indices and predominance diagrams of relevant secondary minerals at the injection and monitoring wells, indicate that sulfide precipitation is not limited by the availability of Fe or by the consumption of Fe by other secondary minerals; Ca release from the reservoir rocks to the fluid phase, however, is potentially the limiting factor for calcite precipitation, although dolomite and thus aqueous Mg may also play a role in the mineralization of the injected carbon.During the first phase of the CarbFix2 injection (June 2014 to July 2016) over 50% of injected carbon and 76% of sulfur mineralized within four to nine months, but these percentages increased four months after the amount of injected gas was doubled during the second phase of CarbFix2 (July 2016 – December 2017) at over 60% of carbon and over 85% of sulfur. The doubling of the gas injection rate decreased the pH of the injection water liberating more cations for gas mineralization. Notably, the injectivity of the injection well has remained stable throughout the study period confirming that the host rock permeability has been essentially unaffected by 3.5 years of mineralization reactions. Lastly, although the mineralization reactions are accelerated by the high temperatures (>250 °C), this is the upper temperature limit for carbon storage via the mineral carbonation of basalts as higher temperatures leads to potential decarbonation reactions.

N2O no laughing matter for Lonza in Visp

Lonza is installing a $12 million catalytic converter to reduce nitrous oxide emissions created during niacin production at its complex in Visp, Switzerland. Although N2O, commonly referred to as laughing gas, poses no health risk and is not regulated, Lonza says, the gas is a potent contributor to global warming. The company says the catalytic converter should reduce annual N2O emissions, equal to about 600,000 metric tons of CO2, by at least 98%.

Guest Editorial: Why Should SPE Members Be Interested in Carbon Capture and Storage?

Guest editorial As chairperson of the SPE Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Technical Section, I have frequently seen and heard the debate about CO2 and climate change at conferences, meetings, and in SPE Connect forums, often very vigorous, deep into the nuts and bolts of climate science, and with passionate discussions both pro and con. From a purely cynical point of view, I could make the argument that the debate is already over, as it is largely political, it doesn’t matter what we think, we are stuck with results that can significantly impact our industries, and we should do what we can to minimize the damage. However, I prefer to look at this more as an opportunity, a way to advance our social license, and as a series of technical issues that members of SPE are uniquely qualified to address. Since the first commercial CO2 project in Scurry County, Texas, in 1972, more than 150 additional CO2 EOR projects have been put in place worldwide. These projects initially depended on natural CO2 and were located near three large natural CO2 resources: McElmo Dome in Colorado, Bravo Dome in New Mexico, and Jackson Dome in Mississippi. More than 100 current CO2 EOR projects are located in the Permian Basin and Gulf Coast as a result. These projects were not initiated to save the planet or to sequester CO2; they were created by brilliant engineers and scientists trying to squeeze additional resources from declining reservoirs, and they continued because they were economical and extended the lives of fields. CO2 EOR in miscible or near-miscible floods can revitalize mature fields, with a typical tertiary response on the order of the secondary recovery efforts in both duration and volumes. In the past, projects have been limited by chemistry, CO2 supply, and infrastructure. According to a report by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, only about 3–4% of potential US CO2 EOR sites—that is, those with proper pressure, temperature, and permeability for miscible flooding—are currently under flood. The remaining sites are awaiting available CO2, and, perhaps more importantly, favorable economics compared to other investment opportunities, such as unconventionals, where Permian shale oil is being produced for as low as $25 per barrel. Over 1 Bcf of natural CO2 is injected into the Permian Basin every day, and estimates are that between 800 million and 1 billion metric tons of CO2 have been stored during the past 45 years of CO2 EOR development in the region, more or less incidentally to the primary goal of producing incremental oil. This is very significant, because you are looking at numbers, which are on at least the same order of magnitude that the Paris Climate Agreement says we need to store over the next 20 years, and it has been done voluntarily, with existing technology, and with many more fields available for potential development.

The Investment Portfolio of the Swiss National Bank and its Carbon Footprint

This paper provides more details on the nature of the equity holdings of the Swiss National Bank (SNB)and estimates its carbon footprint. By analyzing the holdings of the SNB in the 100 most polluting companies in the world, I find that the share of assets owned by the SNB are responsible of between 23% and 38% of the domestic CO2 emissions of Switzerland. This represents as much as the greenhouse gas emissions of all Swiss households combined or 0.05% of global greenhouse gases emissions. Using two different estimation methods, I find that the SNB’s portfolio generates between 13 and 20 million metric tons of CO2 per year. This could be reduced by 99.7% to 0.07 million metric tons of CO2 per year with an investment reallocation of just 2% of the equity portfolio of the SNB.

Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Plant Biomass for Bioproducts, Biocatalysts and Biorefienry

Burgeoning population, fastest depletion of fossil fuel resources, alarming global climate change issues are the top most challenge to be addressed for a country to prosperous in energy, environmental and economic security. Greatest attention has been paid on renewable biomass for generation of alternative fuels, bio products and fine chemicals in a sustainable manner. It has been estimated that, every year photosynthesis alone accounts for conversion of 100 billion metric tons of CO2 and H2O to cellulose and other biomass products. Hence biomass driven industry is one of the fastest growing sector, their share on global economy is increasing about 5-20%. The total world annual biomass production is estimated at 2740 quadrillion BTU’s. At present, only about 7% of the annual production of biomass is used.