Centre for Low Carbon Futures launch new report on Carbon Capture and Utilisation – using CO2 to manufacture fuel, chemicals and consumer products
Dear all,
We are pleased to launch a new report from The Centre for Low Carbon Futures (CLCF) which provides the first comprehensive technical and economic assessment of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) as a viable but poorly understood option for reducing carbon emissions. CCU is subject to much scientific debate and even controversy. CLCF commissioned the report not to support the case for or against but to highlight the technical and commercial potential of CCU that is not often heard.
The report is a collaboration between CO2Chem, a UK research council project aimed at developing a UK community towards a sustainable chemical feedstock supply by 2050, the University of Sheffield in the UK and Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN).
You can download the report here: http://www.lowcarbonfutures.org/news/post/62-carbon-capture-and-utilisation-in-the-green-economy-policy-brief-released
Rather than treating CO2 as waste, as is the case with carbon capture and storage (CCS), the CCU process converts it into commercially viable products such as bio-oils, chemicals, fertilisers and fuels. These could replace fossil fuel based products further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improve waste treatment. CCU includes using waste CO2 as a chemical feedstock for the synthesis of other chemicals, as a chemical source of carbon for mineral carbonation reactions to produce construction materials, and as a nutrient and CO2 source to make algae grow and supply fuels and chemicals. However the technology is in the research and development phase, is not yet commercialised on a large scale and requires more investment to make this happen.
Until now the favoured technology mitigating industrial and power sector carbon emissions has been carbon capture and storage (CCS). However significant drawbacks have been shown in recent years. High investment costs, uncertainty over potential storage capacity, possibilities for leakage, increased public resistance and energy costs means that alternative and complementary options must also be considered.
The report shows CCU can be profitable with short payback times on investment. Despite this the UK is lagging behind most developed countries in terms of investment and focus on the technology with the majority of research funding directed towards CCS. For example, the UK government is investing £1 billion in the first CCS demonstration project, but currently has no plans for investment in demonstration scale CCU technologies unlike in Germany, USA and Australia.
Some concrete policy recommendations are proposed to help accelerate research, development and deployment of CCU in the UK. Through a strategic policy group, investors could be made aware of potential benefits of CCU and barriers could be brought down. Whenever CCS is proposed, the possibility of CCU should also be considered. Internationally an IEA Implementing agreement on CCU could be founded, a Global Technology Roadmap should be initiated and CCU could be included in the IPCC Best Practices for greenhouse gas accounting for national greenhouse gas inventories to the UNFCCC.
