Carbon Sequestration Techniques

Abstract

Global warming has been an issue of public concern for quite a long time. The concentration
of carbon dioxide has been increasing since the 19th century. The last three decades witnessed
unprecedented climatic changes all over the world. If this trend continues, the human race
will be facing bitter consequences in the coming years. Therefore devising methods to minimise
carbon emission has become the need of the hour. Carbon Sequestration – an approach
focusing on carbon capture and storage- is a popular technique in this respect. The most
promising and feasible method of carbon capture involves the removal of CO2 from large point
sources such as coal or gas power plants. This technique can also be applied to reduce
emissions from small scale units such as automobiles. However, the energy requirement for
the process is very high and hence it involves high cost. Researchers and scientists are putting
a great deal of effort to make the process more energy efficient and to find alternative routes
which are more economical and environment friendly. The present work illustrates the various
techniques adopted for carbon sequestration with a review of the related research findings.

Key words : Emission, sequestration, feasible,

of the earth’s surface mainly caused by
the emission of greenhouse gases such as
1. INTRODUCTION
Carbon dioxide, Methane etc. is the major
The development of a country is totally impact of fossil fuel burning. The current
dependent on the amount of natural warming trend is particularly significant
resources available. Fossil fuels are because most of it is caused by human
consider as the major source of energy activities and is proceeding at an
production in a country. If a country has an unprecedentant rate. With advancement in
abundant availability of fossil fuel then it is technology scientist have been abled to
said to be self-sustained in terms of energy collect significant evidences due to this
requirement. Fossil fuels are the fuels climatic change.
which are formed by the anaerobic
• Global temperature rise – The
decomposition of the dead remains of
planets average surface temperature
plants and animals. Mainly fossil fuels are
has increased to 1.1 o Celsius since
of three types: coal, petroleum and natural
the late 19th century [2].
gas.
• Warming Oceans – The oceans
Primitive methodologies of energy have absorbed much of this
production mainly focused on the burning warming heat showing an increase
of these fossil fuels. In 2005 nearly 81% of in 0.302 o Fahrenheit since 1969 [2].
the energy requirement were satisfied by • Shrinking ice sheets – The
fossil fuels [1]. However environmental Greenland and Antarctica have
impacts related to these burnings were quite decreased in mass recent reports
drastic and of serious consideration. show that Greenland lost 150 to 250
cubic kilometres of ice per year
“Global Warming” – a condition of
between 2002 and 2006 whereas
gradual increase in the temperature level
 Antarctica have lost nearly 152 density of carbon dioxide 1.98 kg/m3,
cubic kilometres of ice per year about 1.67 times that of dry air.
between 2002 and 2005 [3].
An important characteristic of carbon
• Sea level rise – The global sea level
dioxide that distinguish it from other
rose by 8 inches in the last century
substance is that its bulk transportation
however the rate in nearly doubled
through pipelines at critically low
in the last few decades.
temperature of 31.1 o C. Technically it
Republic of Maldives is highly
can be transported as gas , super cooled
vulnerable to this rise in sea level [2]
liquid or sub cooled liquid [5]. This
• Ocean Acidification- Since the
property of CO2 is made use for
beginning of industrialisation the
sequestration.
acidity of ocean water has increased
to 30%. This increase is as the result 3. SOURCES OF CO2
of more CO2 emission to the
The CO2 emitted from the human
atmosphere thereby more
activities arise from a number of
absorption by the ocean waters. The
different sources such as burning of
amount of CO2 absorbed by the
fossil fuel in the power generation plant,
upper layer of water has increased
burning of fossil fuels for
to about 2 billion tons per year [4].
transportation, residential burning etc.
If this trend continues then, human race In order to assess the potential of carbon
will be facing huge consequences in the capture and storage (CCS) as a means to
coming years. Advanced studies are reduce the CO2 emission we need to
taking place considering the situation analyse the geographical relation
more seriously and new strategies are between the emission source and the
developed to reduce global warming. proximity to potential storage. For
Carbon Sequestration is one such example when we consider the case of
strategy to reduce global warming. emissions from transportation or
residential burning the sources are
This theoretical paper mainly focuses
individually small and often mobile
on the carbon capture and storage
therefore the scope of CCS is often
including sources of CO2, transport of
negligible.
CO2 and geological and ocean storages.
Global emissions in the year 2000
This paper also devotes particular
totalled to around 23.5 GtCO2 yr -1 [6] .
attention to the cost and economic
Of these about 60 % were contributed
potential, challenges and the future
by large stationary emission sources.
advancement in this technique.
2. CARBON DIOXIDE
The main protagonist of this text is
Carbon dioxide (CO2). It consists of a
carbon atom covalently bonded to two
oxygen atoms. It is a colourless gas. At
low concentration the gas is odourless
however the gas exhibits a sharp acidic
odour at high concentrations. At
standard temperature and pressure the
Fig 1: industrial activity of worldwide large However as an alternative for
stationary emission source with emissions more underground geological storage it
than 0.1 MtCO2 per year
can also be directed to deep oceans.

Considering the economics aspects • In the second approach, the CO2 is

CCS is generally applicable for large captured directly from the
stationary emission sources such as atmosphere by enhancing the
fossil fuel power plants, chemical plants natural sequester process in plants,
etc . marine deposits or sediments and
soils[7].
The distance between the emission
location and the storage has significant Mainly carbon sequestration technique
role in determining whether or not CCS • Carbon capture
can reduce carbon emission or not. • Carbon transport
• Carbon storage

4. CARBON SEQUESTRATION
As we know Global Warming has bitter
consequences we need strategies to
meet the CO2 emission. The idea of
carbon sequestration is simple. In this
method CO2 is separated from the flue
gas and is subsequently compressed and
transported to the nearby sites or is
injected through a deep well into the
geological formations. The principle Fig 2: schematic diagram showing CCS
contributor to CO2 emission is the
burning of fossil fuels both in large 5. CARBON CAPTURE
scale (combustion units such as electric This section mainly focuses on the
power plant) and small scale carbon capture. As we know the
(distributed sources such as automobile primary candidate for CCS technology
engines and residential furnaces). are large scale emission sources such as
However considering the economic power generation plants, Industrial
aspects sequestration is applied for plants etc.
large scale emission sources.
This section of CCS technology mainly
Two basic approaches for CCS are focuses on getting a concentrated
available stream of CO2 at high pressure so that it
• In the first approach, the CO2 can be readily transported through
produced from the large emission pipelines to storage tanks. Depending
sources is captured directly and upon the process or power plant
concentrated into a nearly pure form applications there are mainly three
and later pumped deep underground approaches for carbon capture from
for long term storage [7]. fossil fuels.
 • Post combustion
This method mainly focus on the
removal of the CO2 from the flue
gas, produced by the combustion of
primary fossil fuels. This is
normally achieved with the help of
an external organic solvent to
capture small fraction of CO2
(typically 3-15 % by volume) of the
flue gas in which nitrogen is the
major component.[8]. In the case of a
modern pulverized coal (PC) power
plants or a natural gas combined
cycle (NGCC) power plants organic
solvents such as monoethanolamine
(MEA) is usually used for post
combustion process.

Fig 3: schematic diagram for post combustion

process