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Experts in Teamwork – CO2 capture (TKP4852)

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CO2 capture

Projects in 2013

1) CO2 capture in transport sector

    In USA transport sector is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 counts for 97% of GHG emissions in transport (based on data from 2006). Similar numbers can be found for other countries. However CO2 capture concepts are typically designed for big point sources like power plants and industry. The objective of the project is to design a CO2 capture concept for transport sector. The project can be limited for one type of transport (for example diesel cars, ships) or it can be more general concept study covering the whole transport sector. The group can also limit the project to design a capture unit suitable for ships/cars/trucks…

2) Improved energy efficiency and use of renewal energy instead of using fossil fuels

    Many countries have target values for decrease of greenhouse gas emissions. In European countries the target typically varies from 50-90% by year 2050. These targets are difficult to achieve as they are, but would it be possible to achieve them without capturing CO2 from fossil fuel plants. This would mean that use of fossil fuel should be stopped/heavily decreased. What is actually the potential of renewal energy? What about increasing energy efficiency. What whould all this mean to normal people? Would we still be able to fly to holidays? What about cars? Would we still have them, or would we be using public transportation? What about heating and transport and production of goods?

3) Illustration of CO2 capture

    Background: We have several groups visiting yearly to see our labs and our research. Sometimes it would be useful to have illustrations/mini plant showing how CO2 capture actually works.

    The objective is to design (building this could be done, when possible) a setup which can be used to illustrated CO2 capture and/or global warming. The idea is not to build a “small scale real absorption plant”, but produce material/set-up that makes it easy to understand what is happening in the process. The set-up can a combination of several things (posters+a small set-up) or it can be one “miniplant” which illustrates absorption and/or desorption process or global warming.

    The main objective is to design this set-up. How would it look like? What would the illustrative miniplant be build from? What is the chemistry needed there? (Testing of different reactions/set-ups in the lab should be possible as long as the experiments are well designed and are approved by HMS-responsible.) Using posters? How would they look like?

4) Utilisation of CO2

    After CO2 is captured from a power plant it has to either be stored or utilized. Utilization would be an interesting option, since then the CO2 would be used to produce something useful. However the amounts of CO2 that needs to be stored globally is huge if we want to effect the global warming.

    The objective of the project is to study the potential of CO2 utilization. Some questions that could be answered are: What are the benefits? What are the disadvantages? Would CO2 utilization cause increased CO2 emissions? How big is the potential and markets for producing cement/methanol/insulation materials e.tc from CO2 .

    The project can concentrate on few utilization technologies or it can be more general overview of them. However the effect and potential of the technology must be discussed either considering the whole world, chosen continent or country.

5) CO2 capture from industrial sources

    The most studied CO2 capture source is big power plants using fossil fuels. However CO2 capture could be done also from industrial plants like cement production.

    Capturing CO2 from various industrial sources could potentially be very benefisial due to higher CO2 concentrations in many industrial streams. However since the gas has different composition, it also means that there will be different challanges.

    The objective is to identify potential industrial CO2 streams that could be captured. Find the advantages and disadvanatges and give an overview of potential and capacity for chosen industries. What CO2 capture technology would be suitable?

6) Combined CO2 and SO2 capture from coal fired power plant

    In coal fired power plants SO2 is capture from the flue gas. Adding additional CO2 caputre process makes the flue gas cleaning more complex and space taking. FOr that reason, it would be interesting to combine the SO2 and CO2 capture. Currently there are some research projects looking into this. What would be the benefits of combined SO2 and CO2 capture? What would be disadvantages? Are there potential process option available? Are there interesting chemicals tested? What are the chemical prisibles behind this? How effective this kind of process could be ( based on simulations?)?

    Capturing CO2 from various industrial sources could potentially be very benefisial due to higher CO2 concentrations in many industrial streams. However since the gas has different composition, it also means that there will be different challanges.