Carbon Catcher
Trapping greenhouse gases
Schematic diagram of carbon capture and storage
Increasing global population, ongoing urbanisation, and humanity's growing dependence on science and technology are leading to a sharp increase in the demand for energy. Fossil fuels, being the core source, account for 75 - 80% of today's global energy use and three quarters of humanity's total carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of the emissions-- a global temperature rise and natural calamities leading to catastrophes. Millions of dollars are spent on research to surmount this change, either through efficiency improvement, fuel switch or the use of renewable energy. But with oil, coal and gas to remain the primary sources of energy for decades to come, besides renewable energy sources, a technology is to be thought of that strikes the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability. One such technology is Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS). What's striking about CCS technology is that it isolates CO2 from the atmosphere by providing long term storage options that are economically feasible and environmentally acceptable. Carbon Capture and StorageWhen fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide and other pollutants are generated, which are released into the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases. CCS is a process through which CO2 can be diverted from the atmosphere by capture and storage. It is like a waste management strategy for carbon dioxide that provides a depository to keep it from harming the environment. The CCS process has three distinct elements namely, capture, transport and storage. CO2, resulting from combustion or other processes, is captured from other gases by post-combustion and pre-combustion processes. In the post-combustion approach, CO2 is captured from the gases emitted from burning coal or natural, while in the pre-combustion method, hydrogen and CO2 are stripped from natural gas by processing the primary fuel with steam and air or oxygen. In addition to theses conventional methods, a third capture technique is oxyfuel combustion. Once the CO2 is captured, it is transported to storage sites either through pipelines or mobile transport facilities. The final and the most critical stage in the CCS process is long term storage of CO2, which must be relatively permanent. Potential sites for long-term storage of CO2 are depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep saline aquifers, the ocean floor, etc. There is an old African saying--"The world is not ours, the earth is not ours; it's a treasure we hold in trust for future generations." As people, it is our right to advance and excel; but with progress comes responsibility. As world's dependence on fossil fuel consumption shows no signs of dwindling over the next few decades, significant contribution to global warming and climate change by carbon dioxide emission is inevitable. Carbon Capture and Storage is a technology that can help bridge the world's energy needs, by limiting the pace and scale of climate change and its associated impacts.
The writer is a chemical engineer
ReferenceJ.Technol. Manag. Innov. 2008, Volume 3, Issue 4: 111-118
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