Carbon Capture and Storage

CCS is an essential part of technologies needed to achieve the substantial global emissions
reductions.CCS is to prevent large quantities of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. It
is a mitigating technique for the contribution of fossil fuel emissions to global warming. Fossil
fuels power plants, heavy industry and refineries account for 52% of the worlds current CO2
emissions (15 billion tonnes CO2 emissions/year) and too much CO2 leads to Global warming

There are three existing technologies by which CO2 can be separated from everyday processes at
major emitters: pre-combustion, post-combustion and oxyfuel.

1. Pre-combustion
Pre-combustion allows us to capture carbon dioxide or CO2 and maximise power output. An air
separation unit produces a stream of almost pure oxygen, which flows into the gasifier and reacts
with fuel to form syngas, which is a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, CO2 and water.
Steam is added to the syngas in a shift reactor converting the carbon monoxide to hydrogen and
carbon dioxide. Using a physical wash, the CO2 is captured from the gas stream and after
compression and dehydration, is ready for transport and storage. Today, the hydrogen is burnt to
power turbines and makes electricity. Tomorrow it could also be used as a fuel for transport. The
excess heat is recovered and used to power steam turbines, optimising energy output.

2. Post-combustion

In post combustion, we're trying to remove carbon dioxide from a power station's output after a
fuel has been burned. That means waste gases have to be captured and scrubbed clean of their
CO2 before they travel up smokestacks. The scrubbing is done by passing the gases through
ammonia, which is then blasted clean with steam, releasing the CO2 for storage.

3. Oxyfuel

Oxy-fuel combustion burns fuel in pure oxygen instead of air. An air separation unit removes
nitrogen from the air, producing oxygen, which is injected with the fuel into a boiler where
combustion takes place. Steam is generated and used to power turbines and make electricity. The
flue gas, carbon dioxide and water vapour are re-circulated to control boiler temperature and
cooled, leaving the captured CO2 to be compressed and dehydrated, ready for transport and
storage.
CO2 Transport and Storage:

Once captured, the CO2 is compressed into a liquid state and dehydrated for transport and
storage.CO2 is preferably transported by pipeline. Conveyor belt system or by ships when a
storage site is too far from the CCS captures plant.

Storing carbon dioxide under Earth's surface is called geo-sequestration and uses things like
worked out oil fields, aquifers, or other rock formations deep underground. Oil companies
already pump CO2 into underground rocks to flush oil to the surface. Storing CO2 in the oceans.
Storing CO2 by reacting it with minerals, though that requires a lot more energy.

Liquid CO2 is pumped deep underground reservoirs.

deep saline aquifers (700m-3,000m)

depleted gas and oil fields (up to 5,000m)

Reservoir contains layer of porous rock to absorb the CO2 and an impermeable layer of cap
rock to cover the porous layer

Once the CO2 is trapped under the cap rock, three additional mechanisms: residual, dissolution
and mineral trapping ensure that the safety of CO2 storage sites actually increases over time.

Some of the CO2 injected into the smaller pores simply cannot move, even under pressure - this
is residual trapping

A portion of the CO2 dissolves into the salt water this is called dissolution trapping.

The CO2 rich-water is heavier than the surrounding liquids and migrates downwards, where it
may react to form minerals such as those found in limestone this is mineral trapping.
Advantages

CCS applied to a modern conventional power plant could reduce CO2 emissions to the
atmosphere by 80-90 % compared to a plant without CCS.The solvents used to capture CO2
from the flue gases will remove some nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides.

Disadvantages

Increase significantly the emissions of acid gas pollutants.

Capturing and compressing C02 requires much energy and would increase the fuel needs of a
coal-fired plant with CCS by 25-40%.

These and other system costs are estimated to increase the cost of energy from a new power plant
with CCS by 21-90 %.

Water consumption, however, may be an issue for carbon capture systems which rely on solvents
to remove CO2 from flue gases.

This increase in water consumption may make these systems less suited to dry regions.

Environmental Impacts

In ocean storage carbon dioxide reacts with water to form acid, so the oceans could become
significantly more acidic .Another difficulty is that the CO2 would also eventually return to the
atmosphere.

In addition to the global climate change impact of CO2 returning to the atmosphere, leakages
pose local risks to health and ecosystems. For storage sites under water, there are concerns about
chronic exposure of marine ecosystems to raised CO2 levels, such as might occur near injection
sites. For CO2 storage sites on land, there are concerns that large scale leakage could harm
people and wildlife in the immediate vicinity.

Conclusion:

Alongside more renewable and greater energy efficiency, CO2 Capture and Storage(CCS
Technologies) will help us get to the sustainable development of the future.
References

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demonstration programme for rapid CCS deployment. Energy Policy.
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Tzimas, T., Mercier, A., Cormos, C. and Petevas, S.D. (2007). Trade-off in emissions of
acid gas pollutants and of carbon dioxide in fossil fuel power plants with carbon capture.
Energy Policy. 35 (8):3991-3998.

Bickle, M., Chadwick, A., Huppert, H. E., et al. (2007). Modelling carbon dioxide
accumulation at Sleipner: Implications for underground carbon storage. Earth and
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Johansson, M., Mattisson, T., Lyngfelt, A. et al. (2008). Using continuous and pulse
experiments to compare two promising nickelbased oxygen carriers for use in
chemicallooping technologies. Fuel. 87 :988-1001.

Race, J.M., Seevam, P. N., Downie, M.J. (2007). Challenges for offshore transport of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Proceedings of OMEA2007, 10-15 June, 2007, San Diego,
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