{"id":334028,"date":"2021-09-03T00:08:59","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T21:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/carbon-capture-grows-more-affordable\/"},"modified":"2021-09-03T00:08:59","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T21:08:59","slug":"carbon-capture-grows-more-affordable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/carbon-capture-grows-more-affordable\/","title":{"rendered":"#Carbon capture grows more affordable"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Carbon capture grows more affordable<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\n Methane is the primary component of natural gas. Much of the methane used in the U.S. today is pumped from underground. But making methane from waste carbon dioxide instead, as PNNL researchers detail in a new study, could reduce carbon emissions while supplying a fuel with many app<\/a>lications. Credit: PublicDomainPictures \/ Pixabay.com
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In their ongoing effort to make carbon capture more affordable, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a method to convert captured carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>) into methane, the primary component of natural gas.<\/p>\n

By streamlining a longstanding process in which CO2<\/sub> is converted to methane, the researchers’ new method reduces the materials needed to run the reaction, the energy needed to fuel it, and ultimately, the selling price of the gas. <\/p>\n

A key chemical player known as EEMPA makes the process possible. EEMPA is a PNNL-developed solvent that snatches CO2<\/sub> from power plant flue gas, binding the greenhouse gas so it can be converted into useful chemicals. <\/p>\n

Earlier this year, PNNL researchers revealed that using EEMPA in power plants could slash the price of carbon capture to 19 percent lower than standard industry costs\u2014the lowest documented price of carbon capture. Now, in a study published Friday, August 21 in the journal ChemSusChem<\/i>, the team reveals a new incentive\u2014in cheaper natural gas\u2014to further drive down costs.<\/p>\n

When compared to the conventional method of methane conversion, the new process requires an initial investment that costs 32 percent less. Operation and maintenance costs are 35 percent cheaper, bringing the selling price of synthetic natural gas down by 12 percent. <\/p>\n

Methane’s role in carbon capture<\/b><\/p>\n

Different methods for converting CO2<\/sub> into methane have long been known. However, most processes rely on high temperatures and are often too expensive for widespread commercial use.<\/p>\n

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\n CO2 <\/sub>can be captured from many sources, including from pulp and paper mills to refineries like the one shown here. If there is a concentrated stream of CO2<\/sub>, it can be captured. Credit: michaelmep \/ Pixabay.com
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In addition to geologic production, methane can be produced from renewable or recycled CO2<\/sub> sources, and can be used as fuel itself or as an H2<\/sub> energy carrier. Though it is a greenhouse gas and requires careful supply chain management, methane has many applications, ranging from household use to industrial processes, said lead author and PNNL chemist Jotheeswari Kothandaraman. <\/p>\n

“Right now a large fraction of the natural gas used in the U.S. has to be pumped out of the ground,” said Kothandaraman, “and demand is expected to increase over time, even under climate change mitigation pathways. The methane produced by this process\u2014made using waste CO2<\/sub> and renewably sourced hydrogen\u2014could offer an alternative for utilities and consumers looking for natural gas with a renewable component and a lower carbon footprint.”
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Calculating costs and capturing carbon<\/b><\/p>\n

To explore the use of EEMPA in converting CO2<\/sub> to methane, Kothandaraman and her fellow authors studied the reaction’s molecular underpinnings, then assessed the cost of running the process at scale in a 550-megawatt power plant. <\/p>\n

Conventionally, plant operators can capture CO2<\/sub> by using special solvents that douse flue gas before it’s emitted from plant chimneys. But these traditional solvents have relatively high water content, making methane conversion difficult.<\/p>\n


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