China and Coal: The Reality Distortion Field is as Strong as Ever

Mind the Clean Energy Skills Gap

This article mentions a rarely mentioned issue when discussing the transition to a sustainable energy economy: engineer/expertise availability.

Energy Economist: Trying to make CO2 have an application, rather than just getting rid of it

Understanding the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative

ADM carbon capture nears initial goal; second permit sought

Along with the plans to capture CCS from a steel mill in the United Arab Emirates, the Illinois Basin Project is the second large-scale industrial project equipped with CCS that is expected to become operational over the next couple of years. 

UAE's carbon capture project to remove 800.000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year

Since the opening of Boundary Dam a month ago, there seems to be a significant uptick in CCS-related news around the net.  In particular, journalists have discovered the most recent "Global Status of CCS" report.  Although issued already in February, it has gone relatively unnoticed until recently.  However, along with the news from Boundary Dam, it provides a background narrative of CCS regaining momentum despite significant setbacks over the last years.  In particular, the report notes a 50 percent increase in projects under construction or in operation since 2011, with Boundary Dam as the most prominent example.

However, the report also mentions developments for CCS in the industrial sector, which until now has been little discussed.  Whereas CO2 emissions from power production can at least in theory be replaced (in the longer run) by renewable energy, no such substitution is possible in the production of commodities such as cement, petrochemicals and steel.  In these cases, the emissions do not so much stem from energy generation from fossil fuels, as from release of CO2 inherent to the input materials and manufacturing process itself.

Emissions from the industrial sector are significant.  According to IEA, they constitute between one fourth and one third of worldwide CO2 emissions.  Since changing to renewable energy sources will do nothing about these emissions, CCS is the only option available to curb them.  However, little has happened on this front.

Until now.

According to the aforementioned report, two industrial CCS projects will become operational over the next two years.  One is the Illinois Industrial CCS Project, which is expected to start operations in 2015.  The plant captures CO2 from the production of biofuels, which means that it may actually be producing negative emissions.  Moreover, the captured CO2 will be stored in an onshore saline formation, meaning it will not be used for enhanced oil recovery, like so many other CO2 injection operations in the US.

The other project mentioned by the report is the UAE carbon capture project to remove 800.000 tonnes of CO2 annually from steel production.  The captured CO2 will here be used for enhanced oil recovery.  Whereas critics may question the environmental friendliness of such a scheme, there are a few arguments why this is, in fact, a relevant event for emission reductions.  First of all, oil produced from CO2 injection will necessarily have a lower impact on total CO2 emissions due to the carbon locked up by the CO2 injections themselves.  Second, as a the pioneer CCS project for the steel industry, it will provide a very interesting case study both for the industry itself and the wider researcher community.  Lessons learned from this project may help develop the technology, bring down costs, and lower the barriers for applying CCS elsewhere.

Overall, the Illinois and UAE projects may become to the industrial sector what Boundary Dam has been for the electricity generating sector: powerful examples of CCS as proven technologies.

Strictly come warming: Swing time at the UN (bbc.com)

Carbon Capture and Storage has been given a prominent place in the recent synthesis report by the IPCC.  In itself, that ought to be a good thing; CCS is by most measures a necessary bridge to a more sustainable energy system, and should be treated as such.  However, one must be careful not to let the concept be hijacked by those whose vested interest really lies in preserving the status quo.

Carbon capture technology could take off this decade - report (rtcc.org)

"The development of technology allowing power plants to burn fossil fuels without spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is accellerating, a report has found."

The report is from the Global CCS Institute, which notes a significant increase in construction and operation of carbon capture and storage facilities since 2011.

It registers 13 operating plants wordwide, another eight to go online by 2016, and a total of 27 projects in the pipeline (twelve in China, nine in the US and six in Europe).

The next two large-scale CCS facilities projects expected to come online are Kemper County Energy Facility in Mississippi and the Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project in Texas.

Of course, the number of projects fall far short of where we should be at this point, but at least the arrows are turning (slowly) in the right direction.

A bit of thermodynamics (theenergycollective)

Some reasons why industrial uses of CO2 will never play any significant role in reducing CO2 emissions.

• CO2 sits at the bottom of a "deep thermodynamic well", meaning it has very low chemical energy, and any chemical use that converts CO2 into something else will need energy inputs similar to that produced when CO2 was created in the first place.
• Any use of CO2 for commodities such as plastic will most only mean a temporary delay before the CO2 is again released into the atmosphere when the commodity eventually is disposed of and decomposes.

Relevant citation: "[...] it is important to note that CO2 consumption by chemical processes (approx. worldwide ~ 100 Mt/y) cannot impact global CO2 levels, nor are they a means to address climate change (UK CO2 emissions in 2008 from power stations exceeded 200 Mt/y).  However, they could be a means to add value to a portion of the CO2 from carbon sequestration and storage processes."  (emphasis mine). 

The article also mentions using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, which is the single industrial use which:
- involves considerable quantities of CO2
- actually sequesters the CO2 underground

29 bullets tell all about climate change (Scientific American)

From the article, based on the recent report by IPCC: "It is highly unlikely the world will stay below 450 ppm without widespread use of carbon capture and storage technologies."

We need widespread adaption of this technology to curb climate change, and we aren't close

According to the IPCC, the cost of mitigating climate change without widespread CCS use will eventually be 138 percent greater than what it will take to limit damage if there's a lot of it.

By comparison, deploying solar and wind would only reduce the cost of mitigating climate change by 6 percent.  For nuclear, it's 7 percent.

IPCC: Cut emissions to zero by 2100 to avoid worst impact of climate change

Is carbon capturing from the air practical?

Countries call on the UN to support CCS development

New Gas Plant Venture Aims at Carbon Capture From a Different Angle

First-of-its-kind Carbon Capture and Conversion Demonstration Technology Opening in Texas

The Drivers and Status of the Texas Clean Energy Project

Carbon capture's energy penalty problem: Kemp

Natural underground CO2 reservoir reveals clues about storage

[UK] Government publishes CCS scoping document

Cameron calls for coal phase out
The exact words of the tweet from the UK Prime Minister during the UN General Assembly: "We’ve said no to new coal [without] carbon capture and storage and plan to phase out existing coal over next 10-15 years." 

The message is clear.  No new coal plants without CCS in the UK.  Taken at face value, this message could mean a lot of CCS activity in the coming years.

Second ADM sequestration OK'd
Another roadblock cleared for a second, significantly scaled-up sequestration project at Decatur!  With the FutureGen II project also moving forward, Illinois is becoming an interesting place from a CCS perspective.

SaskPower to launch carbon-capture power plant
Seems like the CCS operations at the Boundary Dam plant will finally start this week.  Whereas part of the captured CO2 will be sold for EOR operations, the article also suggest that a significant amount will be directly sequestered three kilometers underground.

Of course, some environmental organizations would rather see the money being invested in non-carbon energy.  But what would then happen with all the world's coal plants - could we assume they would just go away?

Carbon capture leak tests show minimal impact

WA Parish Carbon Capture Project

UN Climate Summit 2014: David Cameron's remarks

CO2 and Algae Projects

Carbon storage could lead the northeast's industrial renaissance

Sask poised to shatter myths with Boundary Dam CCS opening

Development in oxyfuel combustion of coal

Can Carbon Capture Technology Be Part of the Climate Solution?

With groundbreaking, large-scale carbon capture finds a home in the oil patch

Direct air capture makes pollution a cash cow

Capturing the communications opportunity for carbon capture and storage

NETL collaborations advance carbon management strategies

Shell fits final module on Alberta oil sands' first carbon capture project

How to fund CCS

Shell nears oilsands carbon capture launch

EPA approves FutureGen plan for carbon dioxide storage

World's largest post combustion CO2 capture system for a coal power plant

World's largest post combustion CO2 capture system for a coal power plant

Capturing the communications opportunity for carbon capture and storage

Capturing the communications opportunity for carbon capture and storage

University of Wyoming among federal grant recipients for CO2 storage efforts

University of Wyoming among federal grant recipients for CO2 storage efforts

West Virginia Senate candidate says Barack Obama is banning new coal power plants

West Virginia Senate candidate says Barack Obama is banning new coal power plants

Locals positive about carbon capture project

Locals positive about carbon capture project

U.S. and China Lead the Way on Carbon Capture & Storage

U.S. and China Lead the Way on Carbon Capture & Storage

PSE's New GCCS System Modelling Technology Used for Shell Peterhead Project

PSE's New GCCS System Modelling Technology Used for Shell Peterhead Project

Carbon capture raises possibilities

Carbon capture raises possibilities

UVA professor proposes resourceful approach to reducing emissions

UVA professor proposes resourceful approach to reducing emissions

Rock Solid Solution (Slate)

Rock Solid Solution

Free Exchange - Sun, Wind and Drain (The Economist)

Free Exchange - Sun, Wind and Drain

Can 1 Power Plant Clean Up Coal and Make Money? (Scientific American)

Can 1 Power Plant Clean Up Coal and Make Money? 

Corralling Carbon Before It Belches from Stack (New York Times)

Corralling Carbon Before It Belches From Stack

Renewables aren't enough. Clean coal is the future (Wired Magazine)

Renewables aren't enough. Clean coal is the future