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Friday, November 16, 2007

Carbon Capture Moves Ahead

Continued from page 1

By Peter Fairley

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Blue Source CEO Bill Townsend says that developing the 16 carbon-storage projects the company is now pursuing would require more than $1 billion. Some projects, such as a fertilizer plant in Coffeyville, KS, that Blue Source will link to oil fields in Kansas or Oklahoma, provide concentrated and thus cheap carbon dioxide. But Townsend says that several are coal-fueled power projects and synthetic-fuel plants equipped with sophisticated carbon-capture equipment that is likely to double the cost of preparing the carbon dioxide for pipeline transport.

Such projects will face competition. Independent oil and gas firm Denbury Resources has signed two deals in the past six months to buy all the carbon dioxide produced by three planned gasification plants in Louisiana and Mississippi that will convert coal and petroleum coke (a low-grade product of oil refineries) into synthetic fuels and chemicals. And power producer NRG Energy, based in Princeton, NJ, announced plans earlier this month to capture and sell one million tons of carbon dioxide per year from a Texas coal plant using a novel carbon-capture system developed by pollution-controls firm Powerspan. (For comparison, Blue Source is sequestering 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year from the Colorado gas plant.)

Klein says that there is room for all of these projects because the oil industry is eager to do more carbon-dioxide-enhanced oil recovery and is short on carbon dioxide. "Over the last 20 years, most of the CO2 used in [enhanced oil recovery] has come from natural sources, [and] those are pretty much tapped out," he says. "If the industry is to grow and expand and meet their growth objectives, anthropogenic CO2 will have to play a role."

That could be very good news for the coal-dependent utilities that dominate the U.S. power industry--and for their customers. As Klein puts it, "The future for coal doesn't look bright unless they can address this carbon issue."

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Comments

  • the dreaded CO2
    devassocx on 11/16/2007 at 2:30 AM
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    People are treating this stuff like its cyanide gas
    or something. Of course its not and it isn't even
    CO.

    If this proves to be a decent and economical use
    for the stuff then fine.

    They might also consider canning the stuff and selling it to the soft drink makers. This way the soft drink guys won't have to have some other
    company make the stuff for them.

    I sort of think this whole thing is overblown by the politicians and the masses are buying into it.
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: the dreaded CO2
      Viv on 11/16/2007 at 7:06 AM
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      I have to agree with you, its the media silly season story of the century.

      co. co2 are valuable feed-stocks in a number of industries and co2s relevance as a raw material is growing, but all the press and politicians want to do is throw it away.
      Rate this comment: 12345
      • Re: the dreaded CO2
        kearns on 11/16/2007 at 12:26 PM
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        So what ever happened to Arbor Day?  For heaven's sakes, plant trees like we did when we were children.  Heck, this stuff's not plutonium, it's carbon dioxide for pity's sake.
        Rate this comment: 12345
        • Re: the dreaded CO2
          dboots on 01/01/2008 at 3:26 AM
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            You ever consider that this stuff mixes/binds
          well with plutonium or uranium?  Or maybe it repels it into another chemical, considering all
          the chemtrails they have been Xing our skies
          with in every state and COUNTRY ACROSS THE GLOBE.

            Think of all those Superfund clean up spots that
          still today after 15 years, they barely have done
          any clean up to any of the hundreds of sites in
          each state.
          Rate this comment: 12345
  • CO2 Scrubbing
    abcarterjr on 11/17/2007 at 11:18 AM
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    Send output of CO2 Scrubber to contiguous
    Algae Farm?
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: CO2 Scrubbing
      killian on 11/23/2007 at 4:06 PM
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      See http://www.greenfuelonline.com/
      Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: CO2 Scrubbing
      icsdam on 04/24/2008 at 9:12 AM
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      There is a patented process to do just what you suggest! Check A2BE Carbon Capture's website. I personally feel that underground sequestration is dangerous due to geological forces. Plus, it produces nothing usefull, as does A2BE's process.
      Seems all  other aproaches to algae farming as a mitigation solution concentrate on oil production. That's incidental compared to the myriad other downstream products available in A2BE's process. I've seen the mass balance on this-THESE guys got the goods!
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • Never gunna be a money spinner ...
    DJTal on 11/18/2007 at 9:11 AM
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    Thats becacause there are lots of creative profitable ways  of using C02 , the big one being plant growth . Why bury the stuff deep underground when it can stored in the soil and used to increase the growth of vegetation . see carbon negative energy etc.
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • out of the loop?
    markwaddle on 11/18/2007 at 5:24 PM
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    1
    The media? The media grabs on to anything sensational, and this is, for good reason. The source of the concern is from scientists. You might consider looking into the IPCC and other prominent international scientific groups. We are releasing CO2 from the earth into the atmosphere at an alarming rate!
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/science/earth/17climate.html
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: out of the loop?
      shomas on 11/23/2007 at 11:38 AM
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      The discussion on CO2 emissions has been agenda driven by special interest groups, that fallaciously argued that CO2 is the number one reason for global warming when water vapor contributes 95% of the greenhouse gases effect on earth. There are very view anthropogenic sources for it in our atmosphere. Take your guesses as to why water vapor is left out of their equations concerning how much effect man is having on global temperatures. In the global warming alarmist camp, if you dare question their science, you are demonized to be a pro pollution or at lest careless about the environment. I do believe its possible to be conscious about real pollution with out hyping CO2 as a number one source of greenhouse gas effects on earth. What ever happened to serous science, like answer why both Earth and Mars are warming. Do you believe man messed up mars too. What do you think?
      Rate this comment: 12345
      • Re: out of the loop?
        DJTal on 11/27/2007 at 11:14 AM
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        Discussion about the effect of CO2 is not driven by special interest groups , it is driven by climate scientist whom we should all listen to . To suggest that H2O is the cause of recent global warming is ridiculous . Water is one of the constituents of the atmosphere which origionally helped our planet to warm and continues to maintain a 'Relatively' stable climate , however water cannot stop other causes of global warming ( the reason why Prof Salter's solution to global warming is a non starter ) . The reason why Mars is warming is because the SUN is getting bigger and hotter over time . This is not the reason the Earth is getting hotter because the amount of heat radiating from inside the earth is dropping at the same time , so the two things cancel each other out .
        Rate this comment: 12345
        • Re: out of the loop?
          shomas on 12/04/2007 at 12:22 AM
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          The climate scientist community who, as you suggest "we should all listen too" is hardly settled on the mater of the sources and extent of effect those sources have on global warming. Your belief that it is ridiculous to look at H2O as a source of global warming i believe is short sited, as it is water vapor in the atmosphere accounts for roughly 95% of the greenhouse gas effects. and it isnt too far of a jump to sugest that maybe small variations in atmosphere water vapor or distribution could have large climatic effects. The increasing size of the sun over time you were referring to is at a rate measured over billions of years and couldn't possible be the current source of warming on Mars. Take note at how alternative suggestions to global warming are initially received and then draw your own conclusions as to the reasons why they are ridiculed, is it based in an irrational emotional attempt to save the planet from our selfs. How come CO2 levels found in ice core samples have been poor indicators of periods global warming and ice ages in the past, but only relevant now? Why blame CO2 if CO2 levels didn't play an important role in the past.
          Rate this comment: 12345
          • Re: out of the loop?
            DJTal on 12/08/2007 at 9:36 AM
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            Scientists have quite rightly asked the question .... What is the effect of adding carbon to our atmosphere ? They are right to do this because it is something which we humans are doing to the earth . Does adding carbon miraculously have no effect at all . Quite clearly not . Carbon atoms absorb the suns energy and trap heat in the atmosphere . Just because there are other things that affect the earths temperature is not a reason to ignore the effect of carbon . Water vapour in the atmosphere couldn't possibly be the CAUSE of global warming because water vapour's presence in the atmosphere is dependent on heat . As the atmosphere heats up it picks up water , as it cools down it deposits water . This is the reason why pumping water vapour into the atmosphere to combat global warming would not work . Water vapour reacts to changes in temperature . It acts as a greenhouse gas in it's pure vapour state but when it forms into clouds it reflects the Sun's energy back out to space , having a cooling effect on the earth , so on balance its effect may be negligible . The earths temperature has fluctuated many times in the past and there is nothing that changes in atmospheric water have been able to do about it . As to why levels of CO2 in ice core samples are a poor indicator of changes in temperature is simple . The majority of time rises in temperature preceed rises in CO2 levels , however there are many examples where the level of CO2 has risen before a rise in temperature . Showing that CO2 can affect the temperature . Why is the temperature of Mars inreasing ? We've not been studying it's temperature for very long so it may not be connected to the earths changes in temperature . CO2 is relevent now because it's a big effect that we are having on the earth . Questions for you ... What is the EFFECT of a rising level of CO2 on the earth ? What would be the effect of building a plastic bubble around the entire earth ? You may not agree that manmade global warming is a reality , and you don't have to , but if you do it is a motivation for change , and all of the things that need to be done to solve the problem are good things to do anyway . Peace Love Chill Out .
            Rate this comment: 12345
            • Re: out of the loop?
              shomas on 12/16/2007 at 11:18 PM
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              While looking for the sources of recent rises in global temperatures is a good thing from a scientific point of view. Some scientist have settled on CO2 as the cause. Claims that CO2 played an important role during this or that warming period but not these others is tantamount to selecting data that fits a particular climate model and ignoring the data that say other wise. Ignoring data that is at odds with prediction is clearly bad science.
              I'd like to bring to attention, a growing body of scientist that belive global temperature changes are more tightly coupled to changes in cloud cover resulting from solar cyclic activity than changes in CO2 concentrations. weather or not (no pun intended) good scientific processes prove or disprove that theory  it is reasonably clear that the scientific processes has been abandoned by many in the global warming alarmist camp in exchange for Marxist economies and falsely protecting the environment by displacing pollution production from developed nations to undeveloped nations through the Kyoto Protocol.
              Rate this comment: 12345
              • Re: out of the loop?
                DJTal on 12/17/2007 at 6:27 AM
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                Your concerns about socialist government action on global warming depend largely on how much people take personal responsibility for solving the problem . If people don't act , then governments will be forced to . All of the things that need to be done to solve the problem are good things for us to do anyway . Farmers have a vested interest in carbon , if farmers don't do what they can to remove carbon from the atmosphere and use it to build their soils , to make their land more productive then it is their own loss . You could apply this to all of the solutions to global warming , if we don't it's our loss . Are far as others causes of climate change go , those things are beyond our control , so whilst it may be interesting to learn about them it's not a reason to ignore those things which are under our control .
                Rate this comment: 12345
      • Re: Destroying Earth, Mars EVERY TREE A CELL TOWER
        dboots on 01/01/2008 at 3:31 AM
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        Absolutely Man has messed up the moon, Mars and
        Earth.

          And all those chemtrails they have been Xing our
        skies with have contributed to the so called
        "Global Warming " scenario of theirs.

          Those chemicals cause a reflecting surface which
        helps them make energy from the sun.  Then because
        they have no where to store this energy, they
        have made Earth's surfaces the storage area.
        They say EVERY TREE (N BUILDINGS) ARE CELL TOWERS.  My common sense says they are not talking
        about commications.
        Rate this comment: 12345
    • Re: out of the loop?
      devassocx on 12/19/2007 at 2:08 AM
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      We are hardly releasing CO at an alarming rate.
      Please do a web search on this and you will see.
      Rate this comment: 12345
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