NETL’s Carbon Sequestration Program is helping to develop technologies to capture, separate, and store carbon dioxide (CO₂) in order to reduce green-house gas emissions without adversely influencing energy use or hindering economic growth. Carbon sequestration technologies capture and store CO₂
that would otherwise reside in the atmosphere for long periods of time.

Weyburn Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Project

Worldwide CO₂ emissions from human activity have increased from an insignificant level two centuries ago to annual emissions of more than 33 billion tons today. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that, if no action is taken, the United States will emit approximately 6,850 million metric tons (7,550 million tons) of CO₂ per year by 2030, increasing 2005 emission levels by more than 14 percent.

The Carbon Sequestration Program contributes significantly to the President’s goal of developing technologies to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  NETL envisions having a technology portfolio of safe, cost-effective, commercial-scale greenhouse gas capture, storage, and mitigation technologies that are available for commercial deployment beginning in 2020.

NETL’s primary Carbon Sequestration research and development (R&D) objectives are: (1) lowering the cost and energy penalty associated with CO₂ capture from large point sources; and (2) improving the understanding of factors affecting CO₂ storage permanence, capacity, and safety in geologic formations and terrestrial ecosystems.  Once these objectives are met, new and existing power plants and fuel processing facilities in the U.S. and around the world will have the potential to be retrofitted with CO₂ capture technologies.

Carbon capture and sequestration begins with the separation and capture of CO₂ from power plant flue gas and other stationary CO₂ sources.  At present, this process is costly and energy intensive, accounting for the majority of the cost of sequestration.  However, analysis shows the potential for cost reductions of 30–45 percent for CO₂ capture.  Post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxy-combustion capture systems being developed are expected to be capable of capturing more than 90 percent of flue gas CO₂.

The next step is to sequester (store) the CO₂.  The primary means for carbon storage are injecting CO₂ into geologic formations or using terrestrial applications.  Geologic sequestration involves taking the CO₂ that has been captured from power plants and other stationary sources and storing it in deep underground geologic formations in such a way that CO₂ will remain permanently stored.  Geologic formations such as oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, and underground saline formations are potential options for storing CO₂.  Storage in basalt formations and organic rich shales is also being investigated.

The Carbon Sequestration Program involves three key elements for technology development: Core R&D, Infrastructure and Global Collaborations.

Core R&D, accomplished through laboratory and pilot-scale research, develops new technologies and systems for reducing greenhouse gas solutions that can then be tested and deployed in the field.  Core R&D integrates basic research and computational sciences to study advanced materials and energy systems.  For example, NETL research and ongoing data collection on CO₂ storage has resulted in computer models that predict storage capacity and the permanence of CO₂ storage.  Core R&D focuses on five focus areas: (1) CO₂ Capture (Pre-Combustion and novel concepts), (2) Geologic Storage, (3) Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA), (4) Simulation and Risk Assessment, and (5) CO₂ Use/Reuse.

DOE emphasizes monitoring, verification, and account (MVA), as well as risk assessment at the sequestration site.  MVA efforts focus on the development and deployment of technologies that can provide an accurate accounting of stored CO₂, and a high level of confidence that the CO₂ will remain permanently sequestered.  Effective application of these MVA technologies will ensure the safety of sequestration projects with respect to both human health and the environment, and provide the basis for establishing carbon credit trading markets for sequestered CO₂.  Risk assessment research focuses on identifying and quantifying potential risks to humans and the environment associated with CO₂ sequestration, and helping to ensure that these risks remain low.

Infrastructure speeds the development of new technologies through initiatives such as DOE’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships and other large-volume field tests where validation of various CCS technology options and their efficacy are being confirmed.   The Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships are collaborations between government, industry, universities, and international organizations funded by DOE to determine the most suitable technologies, regulations, and infrastructure needs for carbon capture and sequestration.  Starting in 2008, large-volume sequestration projects are scheduled to begin that will demonstrate the potential to store hundreds of years of CO₂ emissions.  Technologies are being validated at test sites in the United States and Canada, and ongoing data collection is confirming geologic and terrestrial sequestration capacity and effectiveness.

Global Collaborations benefits from technology solutions developed in the Core R&D and Infrastructure elements being able to be tested and participate in other international large-scale projects.  The collaborative learning will help to advance CCS overall at a lower cost and quicker timeframe.

DOE also participates in the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, an international climate change initiative that is focused on the development of improved, cost-effective technologies for the separation and capture of CO₂ and for its transport and long-term safe storage.  The purpose of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) is to make these technologies available internationally and to identify and address wider issues relating to carbon capture and storage.  Through the DOE NETL Carbon Sequestration Program, numerous international projects, that are also CSLF-endorsed, are supported by global collaborations and technology sharing.  U.S. technological advances and expertise in Greenhouse Gas mitigation are being shared in initiatives such as the Australian Otway Basin project [PDF-3MB], the European Union funded CO₂SINK project in Germany, the Algerian In Salah industrial-scale CO₂ storage project, and the IEA GHG Weyburn-Midale CO₂ Monitoring and Storage Project in Canada just to name a few.