As climate change accelerates, bringing us closer to what the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called a code red for humanity, the need for efficient carbon capture technologies is more urgent than ever. But carbon capture and storage (CCS) innovations could nonetheless help us cut down the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being pumped into the atmosphere, to mitigate runaway global heating. This guide outlines the 10 most promising carbon capture innovations you should be familiar with.
1. Direct Air Capture
It’s the idea that instead of capturing carbon only where it’s emitted from smokestacks or flues, giant machines could be built that would pull CO2 directly out of the air, wherever and whenever… Direct Air Capture, in contrast to most historical carbon capture that focuses on emissions at point sources, targets CO2 in the atmosphere regardless of source. In general, DAC systems transform air via a set of large fans pulling air over chemical solutions or solid sorbents that capture CO2. The captured CO2 can then be buried or sold and used for a range of applications, including the generation of synthetic fuels.
2. Carbon Capture from Industrial Processes
Innovations in carbon capture are addressing industrial CO2 emissions from processes like cement and steel-making by capturing emissions before they are released into the atmosphere. These innovations improve and lower the cost of technologies such as amine scrubbing and membrane separation.
One of the examples is the industrial carbon capture system from the company Carbon Clean Solutions intended to capture the CO2 emitted by cement plants and other heavy industries. These examples can not only capture the CO2 but at the same time improve the overall energy efficiency of the industrial process, representing a win-win for both the environment and the industry.
3. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is a technology that works through the coupling of biomass energy production with carbon capture and storage. BECCS involves growing biomass (eg, crops or trees) and using this to generate energy, but then capturing the CO2 emitted through combustion and storing this CO2 subsurface, thus removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
BECCS could be a powerful means to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere – in addition to providing renewable energy. Another company, Drax Group, is leading the BECCS revolution, bringing the technology to its power plants to produce negative emissions by capturing more CO2 from the atmosphere than is released.
4. Ocean-Based Carbon Capture
Oceans are responsible for absorbing much of Earth’s CO2, and ocean-based carbon capture technologies are designed to accelerate this process, allowing more CO2 to be stored in the oceans. Possible approaches include ocean fertilization – the addition of nutrients to encourage the growth of phytoplankton – and ocean alkalinization, by which alkaline substances are added to the upper water column, allowing it to absorb more CO2.
5. Enhanced Weathering
Enhanced weathering refers to the idea of speeding up the natural process of mineral weathering to capture CO2 by spreading fine ground-up minerals (eg, basalt) over large areas of land. Released CO2 in the atmosphere reacts with the minerals to create more stable carbonates.
6. Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)
This approach of removing CO2 and using it to produce something has been dubbed carbon capture and utilization (CCU). In theory, CCU could achieve a dual goal of mitigating climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and generating economic value from captured carbon.
Additionally, innovative CCU technologies with the potential to convert CO2 into synthetic fuels, such as methanol and ethanol, could serve as alternative fuels to fossil fuels.
7. Solid Sorbent Technologies
Solid sorbent technologies capture CO2 from either flue gases or directly from the atmosphere using materials that adsorb CO2 on their surface. When a sorbent reaches its capacity to capture CO2, outgassing can liberate the CO2 into a stream for storage or use.
Designers and researchers are working on high-capacity, superfast, solid sorbent materials using nano-based adsorbents and kaolinized solvents. New inventions promise to increase the scope and efficiency of solid sorbent technologies, and researchers are working on cost-effective models and innovations that may make solid sorbents a viable avenue for large-scale carbon capture applications.
8. Mineral Carbonation
Mineral carbonation is akin to natural weathering, in which CO2 reacts with naturally occurring minerals to form solid carbonates, by injecting CO2 into environments consisting of mineral matter to react with olivine or serpentine to form solid carbonate compounds.
If companies such as Carbon Clean Solutions in the UK, or the lead-carbonation tests being carried out by the CarbFix project (trapping CO2 into Icelandic basalt, rather than ending up in the Pacific) succeed, mineral carbonation could be effectively sequestering CO2 for centuries, in a way that’s physically, geologically stable. It could even end with useful side products.
9. Membrane Separation Technologies
Membrane separation technologies rely on membranes that vary their permeability to CO2 to increase their separation from other gas streams in industrial emissions. This allows CO2 to pass through while blocking other gases so that they can be captured and concentrated for use or storage.
Membrane separation has seen various modifications, from advanced membrane materials to improved membrane design to induced-gravitation effects, to increase separation efficiency and prevent fouling while keeping costs low. Some firms, such as Membrane Technology and Research, are leading the advancement of this technology into practical large-scale CCS applications.
10. Carbon Capture from Biomass Gasification
Biomass gasification, which converts organic waste such as agricultural refuse or wood chips into gasses (a largely carbon-dioxide cocktail), can be coupled with carbon capture to make a low-carbon energy source while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
What are the benefits of using fluorinated solvents for CO2 capture??
Fluorinated solvents provide some advantages compared with traditional carbon-capture solvents in an advanced and efficient CO2 removal process:
Environmental Compatibility
- ODP = Low: Fluorinated solvents place very little burden on ozone layers, unlike most other solvents in widespread use.
- Negligible Global Warming Potential: Many of the fluorinated solvents have very low GWPs and, therefore little impact on climate change as compared with conventional solvents.
Chemical Stability
- High Stability: These are relatively unaffected by degradation and so can be used for a long time without a significant loss in effectiveness.
- Compatibility with Materials: The fluorinated solvent is compatible with many different kinds of materials. The anhydrous solvents will not react with the specialized equipment needed for carbon capture.
Efficiency and Performance
- Solvency Strength: Readily soluble in a wide range of organic compounds, which allows for the efficient absorption of CO2.
- Non-flammability: Their non-flammable nature reduces fire hazards, making them safer for industrial applications.
These properties have also made fluorinated solvents a strong candidate for innovation in carbon capture technologies, which we desperately need to address the next big challenge to our climate.
What are the potential cost implications of using fluorinated solvents for CO2 capture?
Using fluorinated solvents for CO2 capture presents several potential cost implications:
Higher Production Costs
- Manufacturing Costs: The average production costs of fluorinated solvents are typically higher than traditional amines due to a variety of synthesis steps and inflated raw material prices, which can translate into higher capital costs for carbon-capture operations.
Energy Consumption
- Regeneration Energy: due to their exceptional stability, solvents based on fluorinated solvents could potentially lead to lower degradation rates and, ostensibly, lower energy consumption. However, the energy requirement for solvent regeneration is another key contributor to overall costs. Therefore, if regeneration is energy-intensive, it could offset potential benefits within solvents based on fluorinated solvents.
Infrastructure Adaptation
- Equipment: Existing carbon capture facilities may require some retrofitting and new equipment to assist with the use of fluorinated solvents – an additional expenditure on new capital.
Long-Term Economic Viability
Market demand and sales prices: The willingness of the market to accept fluorinated solvents will depend to a large extent on the cost of CO2 capture, as well as the competitive performance of competing solvents. If they can be shown to have lower lifecycle costs (combining high upfront costs but low operating expenses), they may appear more favorable.
Overall, while they could facilitate CO2 capture, fluorinated solvents are not as widely studied, and their higher production and operational costs, as well as the necessary adjustments in infrastructure, might compromise the technology’s economic viability.
While these solutions won’t eliminate carbon dioxide created over millennia, they have the potential to become more efficient and widespread as research and development continue, so it is important to support them and invest in carbon capture technologies. All of these approaches, if paired with efforts to cut our emissions and switch to more renewable energy supplies, could help to put us on a path to stem the rising tide of greenhouse gas pollution that threatens to submerge our planet.
