Tag: Carbon Capture

UK carbon capture projects to boost North East England economy

[ad_1]

The UK is taking a bold step towards a sustainable future by signing contracts for its first carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) projects.

The East Coast Cluster in Teesside will spearhead this initiative, aiming to capture and store carbon emissions from regional industries.

With construction beginning in mid-2025, this landmark UK carbon capture project marks a pivotal moment in revitalising the UK’s industrial heartlands, addressing climate change, and fostering long-term economic growth.

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband commented: “This investment launches a new era for clean energy in Britain – boosting energy security, backing industries, and supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs in Teesside and the North East.

“This is the government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower in action – replacing Britain’s energy insecurity with homegrown clean power that rebuilds the strength of our industrial heartlands.

What is carbon capture, usage, and storage?

CCUS is an innovative technology designed to combat climate change by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before they enter the atmosphere.

The captured CO2 is then either repurposed for industrial use or stored deep underground in secure geological formations, such as beneath the seabed.

By preventing CO2 from contributing to global warming, CCUS offers a practical solution for reducing emissions in heavy industries, which are among the hardest sectors to decarbonise.

East Coast Cluster: A game-changer for the region

The East Coast Cluster in Teesside is at the forefront of UK carbon capture ambitions. Scheduled to begin construction in 2025, this flagship project will not only help the UK meet its net-zero targets but also reinvigorate local economies.

Once operational, the Net Zero Teesside Power project is expected to generate secure, low-carbon energy capable of powering up to one million homes by 2028.

This initiative is backed by the UK government’s recent £21.7bn funding commitment, reinforcing the country’s dedication to becoming a global leader in CCUS technology.

By focusing on the North East of England, the government aims to create thousands of skilled jobs and attract significant investment in innovative technologies.

Economic growth and job creation

The contracts signed for the East Coast Cluster will unlock an estimated £4bn in opportunities for supply chains across the UK.

This includes a surge in local business activity and investment in cutting-edge technology. Initially, the project is expected to support 2,000 jobs in the North East, with tens of thousands more anticipated as the UK carbon capture industry matures.

This initiative builds on the success of the Contracts for Difference scheme, which has propelled the UK’s offshore wind industry to world-leading status.

By applying similar innovative business models to CCUS, the government aims to attract long-term investment and position the UK as a global pioneer in clean energy solutions.

Government and industry collaboration

The success of the CCUS projects is a testament to years of collaboration between the UK government and industry leaders.

The innovative CCUS business models, such as the Dispatchable Power Agreement and the Revenue Support Agreement, are designed to mitigate risks for investors and drive the adoption of CCUS technologies.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) recently awarded the first-ever carbon storage permit to the Endurance store, marking a significant regulatory milestone.

Additionally, Ofgem’s new role as the regulator for CCUS economic licenses will ensure a streamlined construction process for the country’s first CCUS network.

The Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) will play a critical role in managing these agreements, further strengthening the UK’s commitment to net-zero emissions.

CCUS: A vision for a sustainable future

The investment in UK carbon capture technology underscores its commitment to addressing climate change while bolstering the economy.

By capturing and storing harmful carbon emissions, the UK is paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future while creating valuable opportunities for local communities.

Backing the carbon capture industry not only supports the transition to low-carbon energy but also cements the UK’s position as a leader in the global fight against climate change.

[ad_2]

Source link

December 12, 2024
UK expands trading scheme to further reduce carbon emissions
[ad_1]
The UK will continue to reduce carbon emissions as part of proposals to expand the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which will help the country meet its net zero goals while supporting economic growth.

The UK ETS Authority is consulting on proposals to expand the scheme to reduce carbon emissions from the maritime sector and recognise non-pipeline transport methods, such as shipping, road or rail, for moving captured carbon into geological storage.

The UK ETS Authority has also confirmed that it will make changes to free allocation rules to ensure participants who permanently cease their operations cannot benefit from surplus free allowances in their final year.

The changes include an exemption for sites ceasing activity to decarbonise. This will help support the UK ETS’s objective of incentivising a move to more carbon-efficient production across the UK’s industrial sectors.

UK ETS: Helping to reduce carbon emissions across key sectors

Launched in 2021, the UK ETS helps the UK reduce carbon emissions across aviation, power, and industry by setting a limit on emissions.

The scheme allocates allowances that can be traded, creating a carbon price that incentivises businesses to reduce their emissions.

The UK ETS Authority is made up of the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland.

The UK ETS Regulators are responsible for enforcing compliance with the UK ETS Regulations, including operational functions such as issuing and ensuring compliance with permits (for installations) and emissions plans (for aviation).

The regulators for each of the UK nations, controlled waters, territorial sea and the UK sector of the continental shelf are listed in article 10 of The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020.

By expanding the scheme to reduce carbon emissions in the maritime sector, businesses with ships operating domestic voyages would need to obtain allowances for every tonne of carbon they emit.

This will ensure that the price of fuels used by the sector better reflects their environmental impacts.

The role of carbon capture and storage in a net zero future

Carbon capture and storage will be crucial for achieving net zero targets, especially for energy-intensive sectors such as steel, cement, and chemicals.

Sites without direct pipeline connections will require alternative transport options, such as road, rail, or ship, to access carbon capture and storage technology.

Recognising this within the UK ETS will ensure that operators transporting CO2 for storage can deduct the amount they send to storage from their reportable carbon emissions, providing economic support for industrial sites without access to pipelines.

In a joint statement, UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority ministers Sarah Jones MP, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Gillian Martin MSP, Andrew Muir MLA, James Murray MP and Mike Kane MP said: “The expansion of the UK ETS is about engaging and providing clarity for business and incentivising them to reduce carbon emissions as we transition to a greener future.

“Expanding the UK ETS to include maritime and recognising non-pipeline transport for carbon capture and storage will encourage investment into clean technologies, a vital growth industry in the UK.”

How the expansion will further decarbonise industry

Today’s publications build on previous commitments to consult on the expansion of the scheme.

The two consultations cover:
- How the UK ETS will expand to include maritime emissions, outlining the definition of a domestic voyage under the scheme, details of the threshold for ships, proposed exemptions, including to Scottish island communities, and the greenhouse gases to be covered.
- How the UK ETS will recognise non-pipeline transport of CO2 using shipping, road or rail to permanent geological storage. This will mean emitters storing CO2 in this way would not have to pay a carbon price for CO2 they successfully capture.
This comes after the UK government confirmed funding to launch the UK’s first carbon capture sites, which will create 4,000 jobs and attract £8bn in private investment in the North West and North East of England.
[ad_2]

Source link
November 29, 2024
Why they alone can’t to stop global warming

[ad_1]

A groundbreaking study led by the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics sheds new light on the role of natural carbon sinks like forests and oceans in the fight against climate change.

While these natural systems are critical in stabilising global temperatures, researchers warn that relying on carbon sinks to offset fossil fuel emissions will not halt global warming.

Instead, they emphasise the need for a more robust strategy—geological net zero.

What are natural carbon sinks?

Natural carbon sinks are ecosystems that absorb more carbon dioxide (CO2) than they emit, helping to regulate the Earth’s climate.

Forests, oceans, wetlands, and soil are key players in this process, pulling CO2 from the atmosphere through biological and chemical mechanisms. For example, trees sequester carbon during photosynthesis, while the oceans dissolve CO2 into their waters.

Although these natural carbon sinks help mitigate climate change, their capacity is limited. Factors such as deforestation, land degradation, and rising ocean temperatures reduce their effectiveness.

Moreover, these carbon sinks cannot compensate for the ongoing, large-scale emissions from human activities, making them an insufficient solution on their own.

The misconception of net zero and natural carbon sinks

The concept of net zero, developed over 15 years ago, originally excluded natural carbon sinks from its definition of human-induced CO2 emissions.

However, governments and corporations often count on these sinks to offset fossil fuel use, creating a misleading perception of climate progress.

The study highlights a critical issue with current emissions accounting rules: they equate fossil fuel emissions with the natural drawdown of CO2.

This allows countries or companies to claim net zero while still contributing to ongoing warming. For instance, a nation might rely heavily on forests to balance its emissions, neglecting the fact that these natural carbon sinks only temporarily store carbon and are vulnerable to degradation.

Dr Glen Peters of the CICERO Center for International Climate Research, a study co-author, explained: “Countries report both emissions and removals, but using all removals in climate targets is a recipe for continued warming.

“Natural carbon sinks currently clean up around half our annual emissions for free, but this ecosystem service must be kept separate from the fossil emissions driving climate change. Relabelling things will not stop global warming.”

The case for geological net zero

The researchers advocate for a clearer distinction between emissions reductions and reliance on natural carbon sinks.

They propose ‘geological net zero’ as a solution, which involves permanently storing one tonne of CO2 in geological formations for every tonne emitted.

This approach directly addresses fossil fuel emissions and prevents them from lingering in the atmosphere.

However, achieving geological net zero is no small feat. It requires significant investment in carbon capture and storage technologies and, more importantly, a drastic reduction in fossil fuel use. Without this shift, the burden falls on natural carbon sinks, leaving the planet at risk.

Professor Myles Allen of the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics, who led the study, added: “We are already counting on forests and oceans to mop up our past emissions, most of which came from burning stuff we dug out of the ground.

“We can’t expect them to compensate for future emissions as well. By mid-century, any carbon that still comes out of the ground will have to go back down to permanent storage. That’s geological net zero.”

Protecting sinks without overreliance

While natural carbon sinks cannot solve global warming alone, their protection is essential. Forest conservation, sustainable land management, and ocean health initiatives ensure these ecosystems continue to absorb CO2 and moderate climate impacts.

The study also points to the ethical responsibility of high-emitting countries to acknowledge their historical carbon contributions and their reliance on global natural sinks.

The call to action is clear: governments and corporations must reduce emissions at the source and clarify the extent to which they depend on natural sinks in their climate strategies.

Only by combining emissions reductions, permanent CO2 storage, and natural sink protection can we hope to achieve meaningful progress toward a stable climate.

[ad_2]

Source link

November 19, 2024
Pioneering decarbonisation solutions in the oil and gas sector
[ad_1]
TriGen Energy’s decarbonisation solutions are supporting the oil and gas sector to meet the immense demands of the global energy transition.

The global energy transition is a monumental challenge, projected to require an investment of $100-200tn over the next 30-35 years to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This transition demands not only extensive resources but also innovative approaches to finance and scale groundbreaking technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), energy conversion, electrification, and power storage.

Example: Generation of Blue Barrels – Net Zero Aviation Fuels

These advancements must be integrated with IT and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to facilitate global emissions tracking and trading. Furthermore, the transition introduces new interdependencies across economic, industrial, and social systems, necessitating novel regulatory and fiscal policies to ensure acceptance and sustainability.

The oil and gas (O&G) sector, with its significant Scope 3 emissions – comprising approximately 80% of the industry’s total footprint – faces immense pressure to spearhead this transition. O&G companies are perceived to bear a moral obligation to address the emissions issue they contribute to.

TriGen Energy’s integrated decarbonisation solutions

TriGen Energy specialises in crafting comprehensive system solutions that economically capture greenhouse gas emissions. We partner with O&G companies to develop bespoke technical and commercial CCUS strategies that achieve significant emission reductions while remaining profitable. Our preferred technology for achieving substantial Scope 2 and 3 emission reductions is oxy-fuel combustion.

Why oxy-fuel combustion?

Among the three primary methods for CO₂ capture in hydrocarbon-fuelled power systems – pre-combustion, post-combustion, and oxy-fuel – oxy-fuel has traditionally been dismissed due to its high oxygen demand, which can consume 8-10% of a power plant’s output, thereby reducing thermal efficiency. However, TriGen Energy has identified key advantages of oxy-fuel in the context of oilfield decarbonisation, supported by over 20 global engineering studies.

Oxy-fuel combustion systems offer several strategic benefits:
- Reservoir-ready CO₂: The process generates CO₂suitable for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and storage.
- Fuel tolerance: It can handle low-quality CO₂or nitrogen-contaminated fuels.
- Water production: Instead of consuming water, oxy-fuel plants produce boiler-quality fresh water.
- Nitrogen production: These systems generate significant volumes of nitrogen, which can be repurposed for industrial and O&G applications.
Systems-level benefits

The combined outputs of an oxy-fuel plant – power, CO₂, fresh water, and nitrogen – create added value when evaluated at a systems level, particularly in the O&G sector. This integrated approach offsets the lower plant efficiency. TriGen’s solution involves coupling a fuel source (often a gas field) with a TriGen facility to produce dispatchable power, managing CO₂/water separation and pumping, and facilitating CO₂ storage or use in EOR. This results in ‘clean’ power generation, which commands a premium price or generates sellable carbon credits.

Working with TriGen Energy

TriGen Energy is committed to supporting the oil and gas industry in its decarbonisation journey. We invite O&G companies to collaborate with us in identifying and implementing decarbonisation opportunities within their field portfolios. Our deep expertise in oil and gas, oxy-fuel technology, power and EOR/CCUS integration can help transform oil-field emissions challenges into profitable, sustainable solutions.

Please note, this article will also appear in the 20th edition of our quarterly publication.
[ad_2]

Source link
November 15, 2024
The future of carbon reduction

[ad_1]

By removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial emissions or the atmosphere, CCUS either stores the gas underground or repurposes it for industrial use.

As net-zero emissions targets become more urgent, CCUS technologies are gaining momentum.

A recent IDTechEx report has highlighted how CCUS is evolving to meet growing market demands and technological advancements.

Focus shifts from utilisation to storage

A significant shift is occurring within the CCUS industry. Policymakers and industry leaders are increasingly focusing on CO₂ storage rather than utilisation.

Traditionally, around 75% of CCUS projects have relied on CO₂ utilisation, particularly through enhanced oil recovery (EOR), which increases oil extraction while storing CO₂ underground.

However, projections show that by the end of this decade, dedicated geological storage will surpass EOR as the primary method for managing captured CO₂. By 2045, global CO₂ storage capacity is expected to reach 1.6 gigatonnes per year.

CO₂ storage gains economic viability

The shift toward CO₂ storage is driven by evolving carbon markets and pricing mechanisms, which provide new financial incentives.

Unlike utilisation, storing CO₂ underground doesn’t create a direct product, but carbon pricing has made storage more economically viable.

For example, systems like the EU’s Emission Trading System (ETS) impose costs on greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging companies to reduce their carbon footprints.

As carbon pricing expands and prices rise, the cost of emitting CO₂ often exceeds the cost of capturing and storing it.

In the US, the 45Q tax credit offers further incentives for large-scale CO₂ storage projects. Major oil and gas companies like Shell and Chevron are now investing in CO₂ storage facilities, leveraging their expertise in subsurface geology to develop projects in saline aquifers.

Why CO₂ storage is crucial for climate goals

Permanently storing CO₂ offers greater sustainability benefits than utilisation, particularly when it comes to meeting climate targets.

Stored CO₂ results in net-zero or even net-negative emissions, while utilisation often returns the gas to the atmosphere after short periods, such as when synthetic fuels made from CO₂ are burned.

Moreover, global CO₂ storage capacity is enormous, estimated at over 15,000 gigatonnes—far more than the world’s current annual emissions of about 40 gigatonnes.

This potential dwarfs the demand for CO₂ utilisation, making storage a more promising long-term solution for reducing emissions.

The role of CO₂ utilisation

Despite the increasing emphasis on storage, CO₂ utilisation still plays a vital role, especially as a transitionary solution.

Existing fossil fuel infrastructure won’t disappear overnight, and certain sectors—like aviation and shipping—face challenges in adopting electrification. For these industries, low-carbon fuels made from captured CO₂, known as e-fuels, offer a decarbonisation path in the near term.

In some applications, CO₂ can be permanently stored in products, such as concrete, through processes that chemically bind the CO₂.

These applications may receive similar regulatory support as geological storage, with incentives provided under systems like the EU ETS. Such uses of CO₂ can also generate revenue, as the products, like concrete additives, can be sold commercially.

Infrastructure challenges

A key hurdle for the widespread adoption of CCUS technologies is the lack of infrastructure for large-scale CO₂ storage.

While significant projects like the Northern Lights Longship initiative are expected to be operational by 2024, many regions still lack the necessary pipelines and storage facilities to support extensive CCUS networks.

In the interim, CO₂ utilisation offers a practical solution, allowing existing carbon capture technologies to be deployed while storage infrastructure is developed.

As these projects come online, CCUS technologies will play a central role in helping industries and nations meet their emissions reduction goals.

CCUS technologies are becoming essential in the global fight against climate change. While CO₂ utilisation remains important, the trend is shifting toward permanent storage, driven by carbon pricing, government incentives, and the vast potential of underground storage.

As infrastructure expands, CCUS will be critical to achieving global decarbonisation targets and reducing atmospheric CO₂ levels.

[ad_2]

Source link

September 12, 2024
Transforming conventional oil barrels into ‘blue barrels’

[ad_1]

Using its oxy-fuel combustion technology, TriGen Energy is on a mission to produce ‘blue barrels’ to help oil and gas producers transition towards net-zero emissions.

In the oil industry, a barrel of oil is denoted by the unit ‘BBL’, representing 42 gallons or roughly 159 litres. The term BBL dates back to the 1860s when oil was transported in various containers, including beer, fish, and molasses barrels. By the 1870s, the 42-gallon wooden barrel became the standard, allowing for evaporation and leakage during transport. Standard Oil further solidified this standard by producing blue 42-gallon barrels for petroleum, giving rise to the term BBL.

Just as ‘blue hydrogen’ refers to hydrogen produced via steam reforming of natural gas with CO2 capture, we might envision ‘blue barrels’ of oil – oil whose equivalent CO2 emissions are ‘pre-captured’ during production. This concept could eliminate the need for additional, distributed CO2 capture in downstream processes, enabling zero-emission products for consumers.

TriGen Energy’s oxy-fuel combustion technology makes producing ‘blue barrels’ technically and commercially viable. This approach offers a transitional pathway for oil and gas producers to move towards net-zero emissions.

How TriGen Energy’s technology works

In oxy-fuel combustion, fuel – typically natural gas – is burned with pure oxygen, generating CO2, water, and heat. The heat can be converted into power, while the CO2 can be sequestered in gas fields or utilised in CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR). In CO2-EOR, most of the CO2 is stored in the oil reservoir, with the remaining CO2 either used in other EOR schemes or injected back into the original gas reservoir.

This process allows companies to assign captured CO2 to various products, effectively rendering them ‘clean’. Options include selling carbon credits, producing and selling ‘clean power’, or assigning certified CO2 volumes to oil production, thus creating ‘blue barrels’.

Benefits for oil and gas companies

The TriGen oxy-fuel solution offers oil and gas companies flexibility in navigating the transition to net zero, providing cost-effective options for their mid- and downstream clients. Critical to this approach is the independent verification and certification of CO2 volumes, enabling tokenisation and product assignment from source to end-customer.

Reducing scope 3 emissions, which account for over 80% of total emissions, is a significant challenge for oil and gas companies. The oxy-fuel route helps manage this by ensuring that CO2 produced from oil or gas is stored in the original reservoirs, allowing companies to monetise their reserves through clean power.

Aligning with emerging regulations

Another advantage of the oxy-fuel pathway is its alignment with the Carbon Take-Back Obligation (CTBO). This regulatory concept requires fossil fuel producers to offset carbon emissions by storing an equivalent amount of CO2 underground. Oxy-fuel solutions allow oil companies to meet these requirements more effectively, capturing greater value in the energy chain.

For oil and gas companies looking to decarbonise production and conversion, TriGen Energy offers the expertise and technology needed to make ‘blue barrels’ a reality.

Please note, this article will also appear in the 19th edition of our quarterly publication.

[ad_2]

Source link

September 3, 2024
VTT launches CO₂ conversion plant to create sustainable plastics

[ad_1]

In a groundbreaking development for sustainable industry, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and LUT University have officially inaugurated a state-of-the-art CO₂ conversion pilot plant in Espoo, Finland.

This facility, designed within sea containers, is dedicated to converting captured carbon dioxide emissions into plastic materials.

This initiative marks a significant advancement in the global quest to replace fossil-based raw materials with more sustainable alternatives.

Boosting Finland’s green economy and hydrogen sector

The newly operational CO₂ conversion plant plays a crucial role in Finland’s broader strategy to expand the use of technological carbon sinks as part of its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

By harnessing biobased CO₂ emissions from key industrial sectors such as the forest industry and waste incineration, the plant aims to promote sustainable industrial practices within the country.

This innovative project stems from the Forest CUMP research initiative, a collaboration between VTT and LUT University.

The research has focused on exploring how biobased CO₂ can be converted into valuable products like polypropylene (PP) and polyethene (PE), which are among the most commonly used plastics in everyday life.

Traditionally sourced from fossil fuels, these plastics can now be produced through a more environmentally friendly process, offering a sustainable alternative.

CO₂ conversion: Supporting the transition to a greener plastics industry

Located at the Bioruukki pilot centre, the new facility is a practical step towards realising the goals of the Forest CUMP research project.

The initiative operates within the Business Finland Veturi ecosystem and receives backing from major Finnish corporations, including Borealis, through its SPIRIT programme.

This collaboration is focused on facilitating the green transition of the plastics industry, advancing sustainable development, and contributing to Finland’s national carbon neutrality objectives.

The Forest CUMP project, which began in August 2022, is set to continue through the end of 2024, laying the groundwork for future advancements in CO₂ conversion technology and sustainable industry practices.

A major opportunity for Finland’s export market

VTT research professor Juha Lehtonen highlights the vast potential of this technology, noting that Finland generates approximately 30 million tonnes of biobased CO₂ each year.

If effectively captured and transformed into usable products, this CO₂ could establish Finland as a leading producer and exporter of polymers and transport fuels derived from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

“The technology creates a significant export opportunity for renewable high-value-added products,” explained Lehtonen.

“Due to its extensive forest industry, Finland has a huge potential to utilise biobased carbon dioxide. Outside the Nordic countries, large sources of biobased carbon dioxide are rare.”

As Finland continues to push the boundaries of sustainable innovation, the CO₂ conversion pilot plant in Espoo stands as a beacon of what can be achieved when cutting-edge research meets practical application.

With the potential to revolutionise the plastics industry and significantly reduce reliance on fossil fuels, this initiative not only underscores Finland’s commitment to environmental stewardship but also positions the country as a leader in the global transition to a greener economy.

[ad_2]

Source link

August 20, 2024
Can PrISMa Save Our Planet? Inside the New Carbon Capture Phenomenon
[ad_1]
The PrISMa platform transforms carbon capture technology by seamlessly integrating scientific research with practical applications, ensuring that new materials are both effective and economically viable. By bridging the research-to-implementation gap, PrISMa contributes significantly to sustainable climate solutions. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

PrISMa revolutionizes the field of carbon capture by combining insights from materials science, engineering, and economic analysis to predict the effectiveness of new technologies.

This innovative platform not only enhances the development of carbon capture solutions but also ensures their sustainability and economic viability, effectively closing the gap between laboratory research and practical implementation.

Mitigating the effects of climate change has become a major focus worldwide, with countries and international organizations developing various strategies to address the problem. Lowering CO₂ emissions is at the top, with carbon capture technologies being a promising way forward.

Nonetheless, bridging the gap between research and practical implementation of carbon capture solutions has proven so difficult, it has an actual name: “Valley of Death.” The challenge is compounded by the need to take into account the perspectives and priorities of different stakeholders along the process.

Innovating Carbon Capture With PrISMa

Traditionally, carbon capture tech development begins with chemists designing materials and engineers developing processes, while economic and environmental impacts are assessed later. The results are often suboptimal and only delay the implementation of real-world solutions.

In response to this, scientists led by Berend Smit at EPFL and Susana Garcia at Heriot-Watt University have developed the PrISMa (Process-Informed design of tailormade Sorbent Materials) platform: an innovative tool that seamlessly connects materials science, process design, techno-economics, and life-cycle assessment by taking into account multiple stakeholder perspectives from the outset.

Using advanced simulations and machine learning, PrISMa can identify the most effective and sustainable solutions, and predict the performance of new materials, which sets it apart as a powerful tool in the fight against climate change.

The four layers of the PrISMa platform. Credit: Charalambous et al. 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07683-8

Key Performance Indicators of PrISMa

PrISMa evaluates four Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), or “layers,” to assess the viability of a carbon capture material from its initial development to its implementation into a complete carbon capturing plant.
1. Materials Layer: Using experimental data and molecular simulations, the platform predicts the adsorption properties of potential sorbent materials.
2. Process Layer: PrISMa computes process performance parameters, such as purity, recovery, and energy requirements.
3. Techno-Economic Analysis Layer: PrISMa assesses the economic and technical viability of a carbon capture plant.
4. Life-Cycle Assessment Layer: PrISMa evaluates the environmental impacts over the plant’s entire life cycle, ensuring comprehensive sustainability.
Real-World Applications and Predictive Abilities

The scientists used PrISMa to compare over sixty real-world case studies, in which CO₂ is captured from different sources in five world regions with different technologies. By taking into account multiple stakeholder perspectives, PrISMa helped identify the most effective and sustainable solutions.

“One of the unique features of the PrISMa platform is its ability to predict the performance of new materials using advanced simulations and machine learning,” says Berend Smit. “This innovative approach accelerates the discovery of top-performing materials for carbon capture, surpassing traditional trial-and-error methods.”

Molecular Simulations Enhance Predictions

The platform integrates density functional theory (DFT) and molecular simulation to predict material properties needed for process design. The team tested this approach on a CO₂ capture plant looking at the indirect emissions over 30 years of the plant’s operation, and coupled this with a techno-economic assessment, which evaluated the cost of the process.

“We succeeded in connecting the movement of electrons at the DFT level to calculate the total amount of CO₂ captured over the 30-year lifetime of a capture plant, and at which costs,” says Berend Smit.

Stakeholder Insights and New Material Discovery

PrISMa provides invaluable insights for various stakeholders, offering engineers the tools to design the most efficient and cost-effective carbon capture processes, and guiding chemists on the molecular characteristics that enhance material performance.

Environmental managers gain access to comprehensive evaluations of environmental impacts, enabling more informed decision-making, while investors benefit from detailed economic analyses that reduce the risks and uncertainties associated with investing in new technologies.

Discovering New Materials

PrISMa can accelerate the discovery of top-performing materials for carbon capture, surpassing traditional trial-and-error methods. Its interactive tools allow users to explore over 1,200 materials, understanding the trade-offs between cost, environmental impact, and technical performance.

This comprehensive approach ensures that chosen solutions capture CO₂ efficiently while minimizing overall environmental impacts.

One way that Smit envisions PrISMa being used is in the discovery of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), porous materials with a wide range of applications, including carbon capture. “The idea is that chemists can upload the crystal structures of their MOFs, and the platform ranks these materials for all kinds of capture processes,” he says. “So, even chemists who do not have detailed knowledge of carbon capture technologies can get feedback on which MOF is the best performing and why.”

PrISMa can accelerate the development of carbon capture technologies, helping achieve net-zero emissions by uniting all relevant stakeholders early in the research process. By providing a comprehensive evaluation of materials and processes, PrISMa enables more informed decision-making, leading to the development of more effective and sustainable carbon capture solutions.

For more on this research, see This Platform Could Change Carbon Capture Forever.

Reference: “A holistic platform for accelerating sorbent-based carbon capture” by Charithea Charalambous, Elias Moubarak, Johannes Schilling, Eva Sanchez Fernandez, Jin-Yu Wang, Laura Herraiz, Fergus Mcilwaine, Shing Bo Peh, Matthew Garvin, Kevin Maik Jablonka, Seyed Mohamad Moosavi, Joren Van Herck, Aysu Yurdusen Ozturk, Alireza Pourghaderi, Ah-Young Song, Georges Mouchaham, Christian Serre, Jeffrey A. Reimer, André Bardow, Berend Smit and Susana Garcia, 17 July 2024, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07683-8

Other contributors:
- ETH Zurich
- Solverlo Ltd.
- Institut des Matériaux Poreux de Paris, ENS-Paris
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Funding: ACT Programme (Accelerating CCS Technologies, Horizon 2020), The UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK Research Councils (NERC and EPSRC), The Research Council of Norway (RCN), Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), U.S. Department of Energy, Total, Equinor, The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment (USorb-DAC Project), UKRI ISCF Industrial Challenge (UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre), U.S. National Science Foundation
[ad_2]

Source link
August 15, 2024
PrISMa Overcomes the “Valley of Death”

[ad_1]

The PrISMa platform highlights the different perspectives in carbon capture. Credit: Heriot-Watt University, edited

Scientists have introduced PrISMa, a groundbreaking platform integrating advanced simulations and machine learning to accelerate the discovery and implementation of carbon capture materials.

This platform evaluates potential materials through a comprehensive process involving quantum chemistry and life-cycle assessment, proving effective in global case studies and cutting costs significantly in industries like cement manufacturing.

A major obstacle for net zero technologies in combatting climate change is bridging the gap between fundamental research and its application in the real world.

This gap, sometimes referred to as ‘the valley of death’, is common in the field of carbon capture, where novel materials are used to remove carbon dioxide from flue gasses produced by industrial processes. This prevents carbon from entering the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Chemists have proposed and synthesized thousands of novel materials, such as metal-organic frameworks, with the specific purpose of capturing as much carbon dioxide as possible. However, while results may look promising in a lab setting, it is difficult to know how effective these materials will perform in actual scenarios. As a result, chances are slim that any will ever cross the valley of death.

Pioneering Solutions

Now, a team of scientists from Heriot-Watt University is behind a pioneering platform named PrISMa (Process-Informed design of tailor-made Sorbent Materials) which uses advanced simulations and machine learning to find the most cost-effective and sustainable material-capture process combinations prior to implementation.

The platform and its associated research were published recently in the internationally renowned journal, Nature.

Professor Susana Garcia led the study and is the project coordinator for PrISMa. She is also the Associate Director of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) at the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Professor Susana Garcia. Credit: Heriot-Watt University

She explains: “Over the past decade, there has been a huge amount of effort devoted to identifying promising materials capable of capturing CO₂.

“Chemists have proposed thousands of novel porous materials, but we did not have the tools to quickly evaluate if any materials are promising for a carbon capture process. Evaluating such materials requires a lot of experimental data and detailed knowledge of the capture process. And a careful evaluation of the economics and life-cycle assessment of the process.

“We cannot expect chemists to have all that knowledge. Here is where PrISMa can make a huge difference. The PrISMa platform is a modeling tool that integrates different aspects of carbon capture, including materials, process design, economic analysis, and life cycle assessment. We use quantum chemistry, molecular simulation, and Machine Learning to predict, for new materials, all the data that is needed to design a process. Alternatively, we can use the experimental data from materials synthesized in a lab. The platform then evaluated their performance in over 60 different case studies from around the world.”

Professor Garcia continues: “This innovative approach accelerates the discovery of top-performing materials for carbon capture, surpassing traditional trial-and-error methods. The platform can also inform the different stakeholders by providing engineers with options to identify economically and environmentally challenging factors in the design phase of optimal capture technologies, molecular design targets for chemists and environmental hotspots for materials, local integration benefits for CO₂ producers, and the best locations for investors.”

PrISMa: A Tool Transforming Carbon Capture

PrISMa is already yielding impressive results with the platform having been used to accurately simulate the implementation of carbon capture technologies in cement plants located in different regions of the world. It found suitable materials for each location, cutting costs by half when compared with previous technologies.

PrISMa also offers an interactive tool that allows users to explore the potential of over 1,200 materials for carbon capture applications.

Expanding Technological Frontiers With Machine Learning

“Identifying more top-performing carbon capture materials increases the likelihood of advancing some of them to the next Technological Readiness Level,” continues Professor Garcia.

Fergus Mcilwaine, a PhD student leading the Machine Learning activities in Professor Garcia’s team, added: ” Screening such a large number of materials requires huge amounts of computational time. We developed a Machine Learning model that significantly accelerates this process, allowing us to discover cost-effective materials from enormous chemical design spaces.”

PrISMa has been led by Heriot-Watt University in partnership with scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and ETH Zurich, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley in the US, and the Institut des Matériaux Poreux de Paris in France. The project has received funding from the ACT Programme, the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC).

Professor Garcia concluded: “This study highlights the need to follow a holistic approach when evaluating technologies to achieve our net-zero targets. The platform speeds up materials discovery for carbon capture applications and focuses Research and Development efforts towards achievable performance targets at scale.

“The tool can help tremendously our current industrial decarbonisation efforts. It can play a key role in informing investment strategies and policy decisions on more sustainable and cost-effective carbon-capture solutions.”

Reference: “A holistic platform for accelerating sorbent-based carbon capture” by Charithea Charalambous, Elias Moubarak, Johannes Schilling, Eva Sanchez Fernandez, Jin-Yu Wang, Laura Herraiz, Fergus Mcilwaine, Shing Bo Peh, Matthew Garvin, Kevin Maik Jablonka, Seyed Mohamad Moosavi, Joren Van Herck, Aysu Yurdusen Ozturk, Alireza Pourghaderi, Ah-Young Song, Georges Mouchaham, Christian Serre, Jeffrey A. Reimer, André Bardow, Berend Smit and Susana Garcia, 17 July 2024, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07683-8

[ad_2]

Source link

August 10, 2024
Breakthrough Technology Freezes Carbon in the Ocean Faster and Safer Than Ever Before

[ad_1]

A novel carbon capture technology developed by The University of Texas at Austin speeds up the conversion of atmospheric CO2 into hydrates for ocean storage, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to underground reservoir injection. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Researchers have developed a new method for carbon storage that accelerates the formation of carbon dioxide hydrates using a chemical-free process.

This technique, which converts CO2 into stable ice-like materials for ocean burial, could significantly reduce the atmosphere’s carbon levels and address climate change more effectively than traditional methods.

A new way to store carbon captured from the atmosphere developed by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin works much faster than current methods without the harmful chemical accelerants they require.

In new research published today (July 8) in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, the team developed a technique for ultrafast formation of carbon dioxide hydrates. These unique ice-like materials can bury carbon dioxide in the ocean, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.

The infrastructure of this new carbon storage technology. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin

Revolutionary Carbon Storage Technique

“We’re staring at a huge challenge — finding a way to safely remove gigatons of carbon from our atmosphere — and hydrates offer a universal solution for carbon storage. For them to be a major piece of the carbon storage pie, we need the technology to grow them rapidly and at scale,” said Vaibhav Bahadur, a professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering who led the research. “We’ve shown that we can quickly grow hydrates without using any chemicals that offset the environmental benefits of carbon capture.”

Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas and a major driver of climate change. Carbon capture and sequestration takes carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it permanently. And it is seen as a critical aspect of decarbonizing our planet.

Carbon-capturing hydrates created in Vaibhav Bahadur’s lab. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin

Addressing Challenges in Current Carbon Storage Methods

Today, the most common carbon storage method involves injecting carbon dioxide into underground reservoirs. This technique has the dual benefits of trapping carbon and also increasing oil production.

However, this technique faces significant issues, including carbon dioxide leakage and migration, groundwater contamination, and seismic risks associated with injection. Many parts of the world also lack suitable geologic features for reservoir injection.

A close-up look at the new carbon storage hydrate. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin

Breakthrough in Hydrate Formation for Carbon Storage

Hydrates represent a “plan B” for gigascale carbon storage, Bahadur said, but they could become “plan A” if some of the main issues can be overcome. Until now, the process of forming these carbon-trapping hydrates has been slow and energy-intensive, holding it back as a large-scale means of carbon storage.

In this new study, the researchers achieved a sixfold increase in the hydrate formation rate compared with previous methods. The speed combined with the chemical-free process make it easier to use these hydrates for mass-scale carbon storage.

Implications and Future Applications

Magnesium represents the “secret sauce” in this research, acting as a catalyst that eliminates the need for chemical promoters. This is aided by high flow rate bubbling of CO₂ in a specific reactor configuration. This technology works well with seawater, which makes it easier to implement because it doesn’t rely on complex desalination processes to create fresh water.

“Hydrates are attractive carbon storage options since the seabed offers stable thermodynamic conditions, which protects them from decomposing,” Bahadur said. “We are essentially making carbon storage available to every country on the planet that has a coastline; this makes storage more accessible and feasible on a global scale and brings us closer to achieving a sustainable future.”

The implications of this breakthrough extend beyond carbon sequestration. Ultrafast formation of hydrates has potential applications in desalination, gas separation, and gas storage, offering a versatile solution for various industries.

The researchers and UT have filed for a pair of patents related to the technology, and the team is considering a startup to commercialize it.

Reference: “Ultrafast Formation of Carbon Dioxide Hydrate Foam for Carbon Sequestration” by Awan Bhati, Mark Hamalian, Palash V. Acharya and Vaibhav Bahadur, 8 July 2024, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.
DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c03809

[ad_2]

Source link

July 9, 2024