Runninghead:CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO

INTHEGROUND
2

CarbonSequestration:
NotasSimpleasPuttingCO
IntotheGround.
2
DylanW.Jennings
PortlandStateUniversity


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

CarbonSequestration:
NotasSimpleasPuttingCO
IntotheGround.
2
Carbonsequestrationisthecapture,transportation,andstorageofCO
,specificallyfrom
2
energygenerationbyburningcarbonbasedfossilfuels.Ithasbeenconsideredasanimportant
steptowardsreducingtheamountofCO
enteringtheatmospherefromcoalandgas
2
emissions.GettingridofCO
mightsoundgreat,butasyouwillsoonlearn,manymorethings
2
needtobedoneinadditiontocarboncapturetoreduceourimpactonglobalclimatechange.
TheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,NationalEnergyTechnologyLaboratory[NETL](2007)says
thatitisnoteconomicaltoretrofitexistingcoalplantswithcarboncapturetechnology.This
retrofittingwouldincreasetheeconomiccostofenergyproductionbetween30and80percent!
Notonlythis,upto30percentoftheenergygeneratedwouldhavetoberedirectedtopowerthe
filtrationofCO
outoftheemissions.(U.S.DepartmentofEnergy,NETL,2007)Amorerecent
2
studyby
McDonald,T.M.,Lee,W.R.,Mason,J.A.,Wiers,B.M.,Hong,C.S.,&Long,J.R.
(2012)
hasshownprogressofincreasingtheefficiencyofcarbonsequestrationbyusingmore
efficientchemicals.AnotherarticlebyStout,B.,Lal,R.,&Monger,C.,(2016)givesseveral
differentpotentialmethodsofcarbonsequestrationinsteadofpostcombustion.
Becauseoftheinitialinfrastructurecostsandtheadditionalenergyconsumptionneeded
forcarbonsequestrationbymeansofCO
filtering,thispaperseekstoidentifysomealternative
2
possibilitiestoreduceglobalclimatechange.Therehasyettobeaneconomicallyplausible
propositionforthecollection,transport,andstorageofCO
,whichcanbeseenbythesmall
2
amountofadaptationbycompaniestoimplementcarboncapture.AccordingtotheCarbon
Capture&StorageAssociation(2011),thereareonly8companiesworldwidecurrentlyusing
carboncapturetechnologiesonacommercialscale,and
74largescaleintegratedCCSprojects
in2011
.(CarbonCapture&StorageAssociation,2011)


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

AlthoughcurrenttechnologiesofusingchemicalstocaptureCO
fromtheexhaustof
2
coalpowerplantsarecontinuouslybeingimproved,theyarestillrelativelynewtechnologies.
Somequestionsneedtobeaddressedbeforecarboncapturecanbecomeaccepted.Howcan
thecostofcarboncapturebelowered?Whereshouldthecapturedcarbonbestored,andhow?
Whatincentivesneedtobegiventomakecompanieswanttoimplementcarbonsequestration,
ifany?Willithaveenoughofanimpactonreversingclimatechange?Orwillmoresteps,or
differentsteps,needtobetaken?Thesearejustsomeexamplesofquestionsthatneedtobe
answeredbeforeanyheadwaycanbemadeinregardstoapplyingcarbonsequestration,and
reducingthehumanimpactonglobalclimatechange.Thispaperfocusesonthelastquestion
specifically,whatelsecanbedone?
Beforewetalkaboutalternativestocarbonsequestrationoffluegas,weshould
probablyknowwhatfluegassequestrationis,andtheadvancesbeingmadeincarboncapture
technology.Theprimarymethodofpostcombustioncarbonsequestrationutilizesapropertyof
mattercalledadsorption.Thisisnottobeconfusedwithabsorption.Absorptioniswhenafluid
permeatesordissolvesintoaliquidorsolid.Adsorptionistheadhesionofasolid,liquid,orgas
toasolidorliquidsurface.Carbonsequestrationbyadsorptiongenerallygoeslikethis:a
materialiscreatedthatattractsCO
molecules,whichisintroducedtothefluegascomingfrom
2
aCO
producingfacility.ThematerialadsorbstheCO
,whichcanthenbeeasilyremovedfor
2
2
confinementandstorage,orotherapplications.(Tutorvista,2010)
Arecentstudyby
McDonaldetal.(2012)testedanewmaterialthathasshowngood
potentialforsuccessinsequesteringcarbon.Thismaterial,calledmmenMg
(dobpdc),also
2
referredtoasmmen2,isametalorganicframeworkthatchemicallyhasalargesurfacearea
forCO
toadsorbonto.Intheirresearch,McDonaldetal.(2012)foundthatmmen2isinfact
2
extremelygoodatadsorbingCO
.IntestsdoneinairsimilarEarthscurrentatmosphere,
2


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

mmen2adsorbedCO
ataconcentrationof2.0mmol/g(millimoles/gram).Testswerealso
2
doneinconditionssimilartotheInternationalSpaceStationsinternalatmosphere,whichhasa
higherconcentrationofCO
.ZeoliteSA,thecurrentlyusedCO
adsorber,wasalsotestedalong
2
2
withmmen2.Mmen2adsorbed2.6mmol/gofCO
,whilezeoliteSAonlyadsorbed.85mmol/g.
2
McDonaldetal.(2012)foundthattheadsorptionrateofCO
ontommen2increased
2
dramaticallywiththeconcentrationofCO
.Thisisagoodsign,astheairthatisexcretedfrom
2
coalfiredpowerplantsandotherCO
generatingfactorieshashighconcentrationsofCO
.In
2
2
anenvironmentwitha15%CO
concentration,mmen2adsorbed3.13mmol/g,andat100%
2
CO
concentration,itadsorbed3.86mmol/g!Thisisahugeimprovementtothecurrentlyused
2
technologies.Theonlypotentialdownsidetommen2accordingtoMcDonaldetal.(2012)is
thatitisunknownhowwellitworksinthepresenceofwater,astestsweredoneincompletely
dryatmosphericconditions.ThemethodsthattheyusedtosimulateEarthsatmospheredidnot
allowforwatertobepresent.Soalthoughmmen2hasaveryhighpotentialforsuccess,itstill
needstobetestedmore.(McDonaldetal.,2012)
Althoughtheseresultsseempromising,anotherstudyby
Enkvist,P.,Nauclr,T.,&
Rosander,J.(2007)showedthatcarbonsequestrationactuallyplaysafairlyminorroleinthe
grandschemeofreducinggreenhousegasses[GHGs]intheatmosphere.Figure1isagraph
byEnkvistetal.(2007)thatsummarizesthecomparisonofcosttoreductionofGHGsofmany
proposedmeasureswecurrentlyhavethetechnologytouse.Thexaxisrepresentshowmuch
weneedtoeaseoffofourrelianceonthevarioustechnologiesormethods,inequivalenttonsof
CO
.Theyaxisrepresentstherelativecostofimplementingthesemeasures,ineuros.The
2
mostimpactfulsuggestionsincludeinsulatingbuildings,makingcommercialvehiclesmorefuel
efficient,avoidingandimprovingdeforestationmethods,andcarboncaptureandstorage(CCS).
Someofthesesuggestionsaresplitupthroughoutthegraphintosubcategories:notably


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

deforestationandCCS.Themethodstotheleft,includingvehicleandbuildingefficiencies,have
anegativecost,becauseonceimplementedtheywillsavemoney.Thosetotherighthavea
cost,butrepresentanimportantcontributiontoreductioninGHGs.Thebluedotsrepresent
breakpointsthatwillbereachedbyfollowingthesemethods.Afterimplementing18ofthese
goals,GHGsareestimatedtoreachabout550ppmby2030,after26,450ppm,andafter33,of
which7havenotbeenproposed,400ppm.(Enkvistetal.,2007)Accordingto
Rockstrm,J.,&
Klum,M.(2015),thelimitthatshouldbesetonGHGsis400ppm.Theywarnthananything
pastthis,whichcurrentlevelsarepast,risksdramaticchangesintheEarthsclimate.Itwillbe
throughmindshifts,suchasthemeasuresmentionedbyEnkvistetal.(2007),thatsocietywill
preventtheEarthfromreachingatippingpoint,irreversiblychangingthelivingconditionson
Earth.(Rockstrm&Klum,2015)

Exhibit1.Whatmightitcost?(Enkvistetal.,2007)


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

Anothermorerecentexampleofpossiblewayscarbonsequestrationcouldbe
implementedcanbeseeninthestudyby
Wu,M.,Yang,M.,Han,X.,Zhong,T.,Zheng,Y.,
Ding,P.,&Wu,W.(2016).Inthisstudy,anancient,3,700yearoldricepaddyneartheYangtze
RiverinChinawasinvestigated.Theremainsofricestrawhadbeenburied1.2meters
underneaththetopsoil,andhadturnedintocharcoal.ThiswasanexcitingfindforWuetal.
(2016),becauseitgaveproofthatthereispotentialforlongtermstorageofCO
inwhatis
2
knownassoilcarbonsequestration.Afterchemicalinspectionofthecharcoal,usingcarbon
datingamongothertests,theseresearchersdeterminedthatthisstrawbasedcharcoaltheyhad
foundwasverystableithadntbrokendownmuchatallinthe3,700yearsitwasburied.
Becauseofthis,carbonsequestrationinsoilsbymeansofcreatingcharcoalsfromricestrawsis
beingconsideredasanoption.(Wuetal.,2016)
AsnotedinthearticlebyStoutetal.(2016),CO
couldbeusedasafertilizertohelp
2
growplantsusedinsequesteringcarbon.AccordingtoStoutetal.(2016),thisCO
fertilization
2
hasalreadybegunbeingused,becauseofitswinwinpotential.Theatmospherewinsbecause
thereislessCO
init,andpeoplethatuseCO
fertilizationbenefitbecausetheircropsgrow
2
2
faster,havehigheryields,andevenhaveapotentialforanadditionalcropeachyear!Thecatch
is,currenttechnologiesonlyapplytogreenhouseswhichcanmaintainaninternalatmospheric
CO
levelaround1000ppm.Howtousethiscarbonfertilizertechnologyinfieldcropsis
2
currentlyunknown.AstudybytheUniversityofIllinois,referencedinthearticlebyStoutetal.
(2016),iscurrentlytestingapotentialsolutiontofieldcropsinapplyingliquidCO
tocrops.Itis
2
notedthatplantsalsorequireothernutrientstogrow,suchaswaterandnitrogen,andashort
supplyofthesecanlimitgrowthpotentialgainedbyusingcarbonfertilization.(Stoutetal.,2016)
Inconclusion,althoughcurrenttechnologiesareadvancingquicklytobetter,more
usableandreasonablecarbonsequestrationcapturefromfluegasofcoalplants,asshownby


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

McDonaldetal.(2012),thatisbyfarnottheonlymethodavailableforimpactingclimate
change,andshouldnotbeconsideredasthequickfixsolution.Insteadothermethods,
includingcurrentlyidentifiedmethodsaswellasmethodsyettobediscoveredordiscussed,
alsoneedtobeimplementedifwearetoreachthe400ppmlimitofGHGsproposedby
RockstrmandKlum(2015).Someofthesemajorlyimpactfulclimatechangingmethods,as
notedinthegraphbyEnkvistetal.(2007),includeincreasingbuildinginsulationefficiency,
increasingvehicleandtransportationefficiency,decreasingdeforestation,andimplementing
carboncaptureandstoragetechnologies.Othermethodsofcarbonsequestrationshouldalso
beconsidered,suchasusingricestrawasacarbonsinkasinresearchbyWuetal.(2016),or
growingplantsinhighCO
environmentsasintheresearchbyStoutetal.(2016).Ifsocietycan
2
cometogethertomakethesedrasticmindshifts,asRockstrmandKlum(2015)callit,then
wejustmightbeabletoavoidthecatastropheofglobalclimatechangethatbeganwiththe
industrialrevolution.


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2

References
CarbonCapture&StorageAssociation(2011).FrequentlyAskedQuestions:CCSGlobally.
Retrievedfrom
http://www.ccsassociation.org/faqs/ccsglobally/
Enkvist,P.,Nauclr,T.,&Rosander,J.(2007).Acostcurveforgreenhousegasreduction.
McKinseyQuarterly
,
1
,34.
McDonald,T.M.,Lee,W.R.,Mason,J.A.,Wiers,B.M.,Hong,C.S.,&Long,J.R.(2012).
Captureofcarbondioxidefromairandfluegasinthealkylamineappended
metalorganicframeworkmmenMg2(dobpdc).
JournaloftheAmericanChemical
Society
,
134
(16),70567065.
Rockstrm,J.,&Klum,M.(2015).
Bigworldsmallplanet:Abundancewithinplanetary
boundaries.
NewHaven,CT:YaleUniversityPress
Stout,B.,Lal,R.,&Monger,C.(2016).Carboncaptureandsequestration:Therolesof
agricultureandsoils.
InternationalJournalofAgriculturalandBiologicalEngineering,

9
(1),18.
Tutorvista(2010).AbsorptionandAdsorption[YouTubevideo].Retrievedfrom
https://youtu.be/djIzXvwIz5U
U.S.DepartmentofEnergy,NationalEnergyTechnologyLaboratory.(2007).Carbondioxide
capturefromexistingcoalfiredpowerplants.(Reportno.DOE/NETL401/110907).
Retrievedfrom
http://www.netl.doe.gov/energyanalyses/pubs/CO2%20Retrofit%20From%20Existing%2
Plants%20Revised%20November%202007.pdf
Wu,M.,Yang,M.,Han,X.,Zhong,T.,Zheng,Y.,Ding,P.,&Wu,W.(2016).Highlystable
ricestrawderivedcharcoalin3700yearoldancientpaddysoil:evidenceforaneffective
pathwaytowardcarbonsequestration.
EnvironmentalScienceandPollutionResearch,


CARBONCAPTURE:NOTJUSTPUTTINGCO
INTHEGROUND
2
23
(2),10071014.