WorldWide Drilling Resource

What’s the Big Deal about Carbon Capture and Storage? Adapted from Information by ExxonMobil The electricity we use each day is mostly generated by power plants which produce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions when operating. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered a key technology as society moves toward better addressing the risks associated with CO 2 entering the atmosphere. CCS is held in high regard by leading scientists and policy makers because it is one of the few human-engineered technologies with the poten- tial to stabilize global emissions of CO 2 by removing them before they reach the atmosphere. By using CCS technology in a 500-megawatt power plant, enough CO 2 could be eliminated to offset the amount of green- house gases emitted by hundreds of thousands of cars each year. It is anticipated a fully developed CCS could capture up to 20% of global carbon emissions. Some of these emissions could be safely stored underground, whi le others could be transformed into commercial products. At ExxonMobil, the need for CCS is wel l understood. Over the past 40 years, the company has captured the most CO 2 of any company, and they continue to make strides to develop more efficient ways to scale up this cru- cial technology. While the gas and oil industry has used CCS for years, a collaboration between ExxonMobi l and FuelCel l Energy is developing new CCS technol- ogy which could produce additional power while removing CO 2 emissions. Current technologies consume more power, which means even more power has to be produced, so more CO 2 has to be captured. Instead of drawing power, the carbon capture technology they are working on creates it, allowing the process to minimize the environ- mental footprint of the power plant. The new CCS technology uses fuel cells to separate CO 2 from the exhaust stream of a power plant, making the CO 2 easier to capture and pipe under- ground. Since fuel cells are modular, they can be easily deployed at a wide range of locations. Through the process, the majority of CO 2 will be removed and collected for storage, then compressed CO 2 is safely piped to depths over 3000 feet underground. While still early in development, the process vastly reduces the amount of CO 2 released, has the potential to dramatical ly reduce costs, and may create a pathway for widespread CCS use around the world. 45 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® NOVEMBER 2019 ENV