Man they got that right on CCS schemes...

[NNadir]

Last edited Tue Sep 27, 2022, 12:45 PM - Edit history (1)

I'll briefly excerpt for amusement the opening lines of the introduction of this paper: A Machine Learning-Aided Equilibrium Model of VTSA Processes for Sorbents Screening Applied to CO2 Capture from Diluted Sources Alexa Grimm and Matteo Gazzani, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2022 61 (37), 14004-14019.

I refer to the cited play myself when discussing energy schemes.

The text:

In Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot”, (1) two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, manage to keep the audience’s attention while nothing happens: indeed, Godot never arrives. Few would disagree that the play somehow represents the story of CO2 capture and storage (CCS): since the early 2000s, CCS has taken on a role in key climate mitigation technology but has so far failed to deliver the required CO2 capture capacity. However, as we keep burning fossil fuels to match the increasing energy demand, (2) a timely and cost-effective decarbonization will be relying more and more on CCS. (3) In order to limit global warming to 2 °C, the amount of CO2 captured needs to increase from the current 40 Mt per year to 1070 in 2030 and 7600 in 2050. (2) Notably, 70 Mt per year in 2030 and 630 Mt per year in 2050 need to be removed from the air using engineered technologies, for example, via direct air capture (DAC). While these figures may seem daunting, it is clear that the role of CCS in the energy system is becoming more and more essential. Even if the under performance of CCS is just remotely connected to technical reasons, one could say that CO2 separation processes are complex but also offered commercially with warranties by a few companies, it is important to keep improving CO2 capture technologies; the scale of deployment simply asks us for it. This is particularly true when considering gases with (ultra)diluted CO2 concentrations, e.g., DAC. Not surprisingly, the academic and industrial interest in DAC is growing significantly. (4?10)...

I often refer to waiting for Godot as the "nothing happening" associated with the grand so called "renewable energy" nirvana that did not come, is not here, and won't come.

CCS - carbon capture and storage - is a proposal to make dumps. It is unconscionable to build dumps with which future generations will need to deal. CCU - carbon capture and utilization - is another issue entirely although the energy and technical demands are indeed daunting.

It's not going to be easy; that's for sure, and the fact that we have used the planetary atmosphere as a dump will not be forgiven by history.

[CoopersDad]

1. I was confused at first by your subject line: "CSS"

And suspected you'd be describing CCS.

Thank you for the post!

[NNadir]

2. Typo. I fired this one off late at night.