Page 17 - Gi_August2021

Petroleum engineer and consultant Ian Palmer
explains why carbon capture is the obvious solution
for oil and gas companies

ossil fuel causes 73 per cent of looking at CCS technology is to offset
global greenhouse gas emissions the emissions of all the products
(GHG). Carbon capture and associated with their businesses –
storage (CCS) is an escape hatch, concrete, steel, and paper.
F or an offset, to be used if there
are ‘leftover’ GHG emissions. If a CCS FUTURES FOR US AND EU
country is on a pathway to reduce GHG Robert Balch, at New Mexico Tech, has
to zero by a certain date, but leftover argued that CCS is the only method
GHGs are still being emitted at that that can be scaled up to meet the
date, an amount equal to the GHG requirements of the Paris Agreement.
leftover can be buried using CCS. The The US has plenty of storage capacity
concept is called net zero. just in old oil and gas fields. US now emits
6,000Mt/year of GHG and this entire
WHAT IS CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE? amount could be stored for 23 years.
Carbon capture and storage means But new pipelines to transport GHG
collecting GHG (usually CO₂, the would have to be built or old gas pipelines
dominant component) and burying retrofitted. While 45Q tax credits from
it deep underground. ‘Bury’ means the US government exist and will help –
to inject CO₂ down a well where it is $50/ton of CO₂ injected by CCS, or $35/
contained by a non-leaking rock layer, ton if it is used for EOR – cost remains
and eventually merges chemically a question and carbon-pricing would
with the rock. The rock layer can be a probably have to be mandated.
depleted oilfield or a saline aquifer.
The process, called enhanced oil
recovery (EOR), has been used by the oil Carbon capture and storage
and gas industry in the US for decades. means collecting GHG
CO₂ is injected at one well to soften up (usually CO₂, the dominant
the residual oil that is then produced component) and burying it
from a second well along with some
of the CO₂. The CO₂ is separated and deep underground. ‘Bury’
reinjected while the oil is sent to the means to inject CO₂ down a
market. Roughly 40 per cent of the well where it is contained by
CO₂ eventually stays behind and is a non-leaking rock layer, and
locked in the reservoir. The CCS goal is
compromised to an extent because the eventually merges chemically
oil that is produced will later be burned with the rock. The rock layer
in cars and trucks and emit more CO₂. can be a depleted oilfield or a
saline aquifer
WHY CCS IS A NO-BRAINER
First, it will be a huge challenge for the
world to make it even close to true- Currently, 65 per cent of CCS occurs in
zero GHG emissions by 2050 (the most the US, with 10 per cent or so in each of
common goal) because the world’s fossil Europe, Australia and the Middle East.
energy economy and infrastructure are ExxonMobil is storing 9Mt (million
gigantic, worth $87 trillion. tonnes) of CO₂, equivalent to 11 million
Second, BP has predicted in its car exhausts, each year. The company
‘Rapid’ scenario that oil and gas will plans to invest $3 billion on 20 new CCS
still be 36 per cent of total global facilities – some to bury CO₂ from other
primary energy by 2050. Presumably, industries, such as cement or steel plants.
they also have in mind the manufacture Occidental Petroleum is building a
of ubiquitous plastics – for office, car, direct-air-capture wall of fans in West
home and clothing – not available via Texas that will suck in air and separate
wind and solar. CCS projects will be the CO₂ for underground injection. They
needed to offset the CO₂ that comes envisage a new business that will assist
from burning this 36 per cent. other companies to get rid of their CO₂.
CCS will also be needed for heavy The EU is in better shape than the
industries that are difficult to US in reducing GHG, as Climate Action
decarbonise, such as cement and Tracker reveals. Between 1990 and 2018,
steel-making plants that produce a the EU decreased GHG emissions by 25
significant amount of CO₂. One reason per cent. But in the US, GHG emissions
Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are actually increased by four per cent, even

17

15/07/2021 12:57
CarbonCapture.indd 2
CarbonCapture.indd 2 15/07/2021 12:57