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Global CCS Institute Fact Sheet - Capturing CO2

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13 views2 pages

Global CCS Institute Fact Sheet - Capturing CO2

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will
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FACT SHEET

CAPTURING CO2
Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) is the first step in carbon capture and storage (CCS),
a suite of technologies that prevents large quantities of CO2 from being released into
the atmosphere.

Carbon capture can be applied to large-scale emissions Post-combustion processes separate CO2 from
processes, including coal and gas-fired power generation, combustion exhaust gases. CO2 can be captured using a
natural gas processing and fertiliser production, as well as liquid solvent or other separation methods.
the manufacture of industrial materials such as cement,
In an absorption-based approach, once absorbed by the
iron and steel and pulp and paper. The application of
solvent, the CO2 is released by heating to form a high
carbon capture technologies to these processes can
purity CO2 stream. This technology is widely used to
play a major role in reducing the world’s greenhouse
capture CO2 for use in the food and beverage industry.
gas emissions. Carbon separation/capture technologies
have been operational at large-scale in the natural gas Oxyfuel combustion processes use oxygen rather than
and fertiliser industries for decades and have recently air for combustion of fuel. This produces exhaust gas
become operational in the power sector. that is mainly water vapour and CO2 that can be easily
separated to produce a high purity CO2 stream.

HOW IS CO2 CAPTURED?


WHY IS REDUCING CO2 EMISSIONS FROM THE
Energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas POWER SECTOR CRITICAL?
is released in the combustion (burning) and conversion
process, which also results in the emission of CO2 as a Fossil fuel-fired power plants generate a larger percentage
by-product. of CO2 emissions than any other industry. Therefore,
applying carbon capture technology to that sector –
In systems where the coal is pulverised to a powder,
whether on new or existing plants – has the potential for
which makes up the vast majority of coal-based power
the greatest reduction of CO2 emissions compared to
plants through North America, Europe and China, the
other sectors. CO2 capture technologies can be installed
CO2 must be separated at diluted concentrations from the
into all types of new coal and gas-based power plants.
balance of the combustion flue gases. In other systems,
such as coal gasification (where coal is converted to However, CCS represents a significant financial
chemicals, natural gas or liquids), the CO2 can be more investment; appropriate climate policies and regulations
easily separated. that place a penalty on carbon emissions are required to
recover these costs and further CCS deployment.
There are three basic types of CO2 capture:
pre-combustion, post-combustion and oxyfuel with The same is true for retrofitting CCS into existing power
post-combustion. plants, which requires space and extensive integration to
accommodate the CO2 capture plant.
Pre-combustion processes convert fuel into a gaseous
mixture of hydrogen and CO2. The hydrogen is separated
and can be burnt without producing any CO2; the CO2 can
then be compressed for transport and storage.
The fuel conversion steps required for pre-combustion
are more complex than the processes involved in post-
combustion, making the technology more difficult to
apply to existing power plants.

FACT SHEET CAPTURING CO2


IS CO2 CURRENTLY BEING CAPTURED FROM PLANTS WHERE DOES CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY GO
THAT GENERATE ELECTRICITY FROM COAL OR GAS? FROM HERE?

The world’s first large-scale CCS project in the power Carbon capture has been clearly demonstrated at
sector commenced operation in October 2014 at the pilot scale and in a number of industrial processes at
Boundary large-scale for many years. The application of capture
technologies to large-scale power projects is now a
Dam power station in Saskatchewan, Canada. Two
reality. The technology already works, but more research
additional large-scale CCS projects in the power sector
is required to reduce the cost and energy penalties for
– at the Kemper County Energy Facility in Mississippi and
the next generation of capture technologies. There is a
the Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project in Texas – are
global need for significant financial investments to bring
planned to come into operation in 2016.
numerous commercial-scale demonstration projects
online in the near future. This portfolio of projects will
WHY IS REDUCING CO2 EMISSIONS FROM THE provide significant ‘learning by doing’ benefits which,
INDUSTRIAL SECTOR CRITICAL? along with continuing research, will contribute significantly
to a lowering of costs for carbon capture.
Industrial processes such as cement, steel, pulp and
paper, chemicals and natural gas processing are
significant emitters of CO2, accounting for around 25% of
energyrelated CO2 emissions. Capture application can be
applied in these industries to make a significant reduction
in global CO2 emissions. In some cases, CO2 emissions
are a byproduct of these processes rather than the result
of burning fossil fuels in the production process. For some
industrial processes (such as cement manufacture and
blast furnace steel making) CCS is the only technological
option that can help secure deep emissions reduction.

IS CO2 CURRENTLY CAPTURED FROM THE


INDUSTRIAL SECTOR?

Some of the earliest CCS projects are in natural gas


processing. For example, the Sleipner CO2 Storage
project in Norway, operating since 1996, captures around
one million tonnes of CO2 a year. This is then injected into
a deep saline formation in the North Sea for permanent
storage.
Construction is also underway on the world’s first large-
scale CCS project in the iron and steel sector, the Abu
Dhabi CCS Project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Other advanced CCS projects include a fermentation
project in Illinois in the United States and a large liquefied
natural gas project in Western Australia.

FOR MORE INFORMATION


Visit globalccsinstitute.com or email [email protected]

FACT SHEET CAPTURING CO2

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