Carbon capture gets cheaper: Least costly carbon capture system to date

PNNL scientists pave the way to benefit from carbon capture through carbon upcycling, unlocking critical steps in decarbonization and moving towards net zero emissions

The need for technologies that can capture, remove and recycle carbon dioxide grows with each generation of carbon dioxide₂ Molecules reaching the Earth’s atmosphere. To meet that need, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have achieved another milestone in their efforts to make carbon capture more affordable and widespread. Construction of a new system that efficiently recovers CO₂It is the least costly to date and is transformed into methanol, one of the most widely used chemicals in the world.

Snare Ring CO₂ It is a key factor in slowing global warming before it becomes airborne. However, creating incentives for the largest emitters to adopt carbon capture technologies is an important omen. The high cost of commercial capture technology has long been a barrier to its widespread use.

PNNL scientists believe methanol can provide that incentive. It has many uses as a key ingredient in fuels, solvents, plastics, paints, construction materials and automotive parts. Conversion of CO₂ Converting it into useful substances like methanol provides an avenue for industrial entities to capture and reuse the carbon.

PNNL chemist David Heldebrant, who leads the research team behind the new technology, compares the system to recycling. Carbon can also be recycled so that you can choose between disposable and recyclable materials.

“That’s essentially what we’re trying to do here,” Heldebrant said. “Instead of extracting oil from the ground to make these chemicals, we’re going to do it from CO.₂ It can be reconstituted into something useful as it is captured in the atmosphere and from coal-fired power plants. So to speak, we are making use of carbon, so it is not just “pulling it out of the ground, using it once and then throwing it away.” Efforts to recycle CO₂, like trying to recycle other things such as glass, aluminum, and plastic. ”

As described in the journal Advanced Energy Materials, the new system is designed to suit cement kilns and steel plants, as well as coal, gas or biomass-fired power plants. The system captures CO using a capture solvent developed by PNNL.₂ It breaks down molecules before they are released, transforming them into useful and marketable substances.

A long string of dominoes would need to topple to completely remove the carbon or prevent it from entering Earth’s atmosphere. This effort to bring capture and conversion technology to the world represents some of the first few important tiles.

Heldebrand says the technology will reduce emissions. But it could also stimulate the development of other carbon capture technologies and help establish a market for CO.₂・Materials contained. With such a market in place, the carbon seized by the anticipated direct air capture technology could be reconstituted into longer-lived materials.

Call for cheaper carbon capture

In April 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the report of Working Group III focused on climate change mitigation. Among the emission control measures outlined, carbon capture and storage were cited as necessary factors to achieve net-zero emissions, especially in difficult-to-decarbonize sectors such as steel and chemicals. .

In a news release issued alongside one of its 2022 reports, the IPCC noted that “Reducing emissions in industry involves more efficient use of materials, reuse and recycling of products, and reduction of waste. It includes minimization.” “To achieve net zero CO₂ It reduces emissions of carbon (e.g. plastic, wood, aviation fuel, solvents, etc.) needed by society,” the report said. ”

PNNL’s research is focused on doing just that, in line with DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot. By using a renewable source of hydrogen for the conversion, the team can produce methanol with a lower carbon footprint than traditional methods using natural gas as a feedstock. Methanol produced via CO₂ Transformations may be subject to policy and market incentives aimed at promoting the adoption of carbon-reducing technologies.

Methanol is one of the most widely produced chemicals in existence. Known as a “platform material”, it has a wide range of uses.In addition to methanol, the team can convert CO₂ to formic acid (another commodity chemical), methane, and others.

There is still a significant amount of work to be done to optimize and scale this process, and it could be years before it is ready for commercial deployment. But Casie Davidson, manager of PNNL’s carbon management and fossil energy markets division, says displacing traditional chemical commodities is just the beginning. “The team’s integrated approach opens up a new world of CO.₂ transformation chemistry. We feel like we are at the threshold of a whole new field of scalable, cost-effective carbon technology.It’s an exciting time. ”

collapse cost

Commercial systems absorb carbon from flue gas at about $46 per tonne of CO.₂, according to DOE analysis. The PNNL team’s goal is to continuously reduce costs by making the collection process more efficient and economically competitive.

The team has brought capture costs down to $47.10 per tonne of CO.₂ A new study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production examines the cost of running a methanol system using a variety of PNNL-developed recovery solvents, and the figure is now just over $39 per tonne of CO. is below₂.

“We looked at three CO₂Yuan Jiang, a chemical engineer who led the evaluation, said: “We have found that they can capture more than 90% of the carbon they pass through, at about 75% the cost of conventional capture techniques.”

Different systems can be used depending on the nature of the plant and kiln. But regardless of the setup, the solvent is central.In these systems the solvent washes out the CO₂-Rich flue gas before exhaust, leaving CO₂ Molecules bound within the liquid.

make methanol from CO₂ It’s nothing new. But his ability to capture carbon and convert it to methanol in one continuous flow system is excellent. Capture and conversion have traditionally occurred as two separate steps separated by their own, often non-complementary, chemical reactions in each process.

“Eventually, one technology can do both steps well,” Heldebrand said, adding that conventional conversion techniques typically require highly purified CO. .₂The new system is the first to produce methanol from ‘dirty’ CO₂.

Reduce tomorrow’s emissions

Process to capture CO₂ and converting it to methanol is not CO₂– Negative. Carbon in methanol is either released during combustion or sequestered when methanol is converted to a material with a longer life. But the technology “sets the stage” for the important task of trapping carbon inside materials and out of the atmosphere, Heldebrand said.

Other target materials include polyurethanes in adhesives, coatings and foam insulation, and polyesters, which are widely used in textile fabrics.Once researchers perfect the chemistry behind her CO conversion₂ A wide range of capture systems may be ready to carry out such reactions to transform them into substances that move away from the atmosphere on climate-related timescales.

Instead of the current chimney, Heldebrant envisions CO.₂ A refinery located in or attached to a power plant where CO is generated₂Products containing can be made on the spot. “We are at a tipping point,” Heldebrand and co-authors said in a recent article published in the journal Science. A century paradigm for integrated solvent-based carbon capture and conversion technology. “

This technology is available for licensing. For more information, please contact Sara Hunt, PNNL’s Commercialization Manager.

Original: Scientists Unveil Lowest-Cost Carbon Capture System Ever

Than: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory