EU and China launch first phase of carbon capture & storage research project

China’s CO2 emissions from using coal are set to double by 2030, the scale of which is significant in the context of mitigating global climate change. In view of the essential role of coal in China’s energy system, it is vital to minimise emissions where this most polluting fossil fuel is used. One of the most immediate interventions is the introduction of CO2 capture and storage (CCS), fitted to coal fired power plants. With the launch of the EU financed Near Zero Emissions Coal (NZEC) Phase 1 study in Beijing, today, Europe hopes to contribute to developing the science needed to achieve this.

The NZEC initiative was announced as part of the EU-China Partnership on Climate Change at the EU-China Summit in September 2005. The Joint Declaration on climate change stated that the EU and China will aim "to develop and demonstrate in China and the EU advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage" by 2020.

Biopact tracks initiatives that deal with carbon capture and storage, because the technology can be coupled to bioenergy and biofuel production, thus potentially opening an era of negative emissions energy. Contrary to nuclear power or renewables like wind, solar or hydropower, which are all 'carbon-neutral' at best, bioenergy with carbon storage (BECS) is 'carbon-negative': it takes CO2 out of the atmosphere. All the groundwork and research presently going into CCS for coal, is extremely useful for the development of a negative emissions energy industry that would emerge once a global carbon market is established.

In China, carbon-negative bioenergy systems could emerge sooner than expected. Another EU-project there looks at how coal fired power plants can be adapted to co-fire biomass; likewise, Chinese companies are doing similar retrofitting work in a commercial way (e.g. Enersave). If these biomass-powered plants were to be coupled to CCS, they would supply negative emissions.

The aim of the EU-China NZEC agreement is to bring forward the time when coal plants will be built with CCS in China and in the EU. It will build on planned European research and demonstration activity and will facilitate technology transfer between European industry and researchers, and their counterparts in China. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the UK and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) on December 19th 2006 to detail specific UK funded action.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) leads the British contribution to the cooperation effort, and attended the launch of the project today.

CCS offers the opportunity to reduce emissions per unit of electricity by 85 - 90%. Large-scale deployment of CCS in China has potential to significantly reduce future greenhouse gas emissions. - Dr. Nick Riley MBE, Head of Science for Energy at BGS

Phase 1 of the project involves the following aspects:

1. The assessment of the potential for carbon capture and geological storage in China;
2. The identification of opportunities for demonstration and deployment of carbon capture and storage in China;
3. The review of costs and economics of near-zero emissions coaltechnology through carbon capture and storage in China;
4. The identification of options for financing the research and demonstration of carbon capture and storage in China;

The geotechnical aspects of the research will involve selecting strategic sedimentary basins to be mapped for potential regional CO2 storage assessments (geocapacity), followed by more detailed assessment of sites potentially suitable for a demonstration of CO2 storage in China linked to a demonstration of CO2 capture from a coal-fired power station. A Geographical Information System (GIS) linking current and planned large CO2 point sources to potential geological storage options (source-sink matching) will be constructed.
energy :: sustainability :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: carbon capture and storage :: coal :: biomass :: negative emissions :: BECS :: China :: EU ::

BGS and the China University of Petroleum (Beijing) co-ordinate the CO2 geological storage part of the study, which also includes working in close partnership with Heriot Watt University, BP & Shell (UK) and the China University of Petroleum (HuaDong), Institute of Geology and Geophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Tsinghua University, PetroChina, Jilin Oilfield and China United Coalbed Methane Corp (CUCBM). NZEC is funded by the UK Government through Defra and DBERR and is co-ordinated by AEA Energy & Environment (UK) and ACCA21 (China).

The British Geological Survey (BGS), a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is the UK's principal supplier of objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and information for decision making for governmental, commercial and individual users. The BGS maintains and develops the nation's understanding of its geology to improve policy making, enhance national wealth and reduce risk. It also collaborates with the national and international scientific community in carrying out research in strategic areas, including energy and natural resources, our vulnerability to environmental change and hazards, and our general knowledge of the Earth system.

The BGS co-ordinates the CO2GeoNet European Research Network of Excellence on the geological storage of CO2 and is the UK's foremost public sector organisation conducting research into the feasibility of underground CO2 storage as a means of decarbonising fossil fuel emissions. The European Network of Excellence on geological storage of CO2 is sponsored by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme and promotes research integration within the scientific community to help enable the implementation of CO2 geological storage.

It is an integrated European scientific community comprising more than 150 established researchers and postgraduate students, durably engaged in enabling the efficient and safe geological storage of CO2 as a solution for clean and climate-friendly energy production and consumption. The partnership unites 13 research institutes, spanning 7 European countries, with a high international profile and critical mass in CO2 geological storage research. The initiative is the largest group of researchers in Europe working together on CO2 geological storage; together, CO2GeoNet's partners have the most direct and longest research experience on geological CO2 storage in the world. The Network provides independent scientific research and expertise integrating a wide range of knowledge.

Recently, Australia and China announced a similar research cooperation effort to study CCS opportunities in the People's Republic. This partnership agreement is smaller and more concrete, though: it paves the way for the installation of a post combustion capture pilot plant in Beijing next year (previous post).

References:
British Geological Survey: UK scientists lead China closer to carbon capture and storage - November 20, 2007.

UNFCCC: Near Zero Emissions Coal Initiative [*.pdf].

Biopact: EU project to help China use biomass in coal plants - November 23, 2006

Biopact: China EnerSave retrofits coal plants to burn biomass - June 18, 2007

Biopact: Australia and China partner to develop carbon capture and storage technologies - September 07, 2007