Theme A and its Relation to Other

Research Inside and Beyond

Carbon Management Canada

John Grace

Clean Energy Research Centre

University of British Columbia

CMC Annual Conference, May 2011

Background Contentions re GHGs • Climate change is a real and major issue.

• Effects are highly non-linear and complex.

• The scale and diversity of the problem are enormous. Hence:

Every energy-using sector is critical.

Both demand side and supply side are key.

Both incremental and transformative changes are needed.

No one country can solve the problems alone.

The challenges will persist for at least decades.

Government, industry and citizens are all important. All must pull together.

The Pasterze, Austria's

longest glacier, was about

2 km longer in the 19th C,

but is now completely out

of sight from this vantage

point.

Measurements began in

1889; it has been pulling

back since, in step with

increases in temperature.

The glacier is now ~8 km

long and loses about 15

m/yr.

Burning Gas

Hydrate

Climate change in

the Canadian North

Break-throughs Needed in R & D • Social: How do we sensitize the public to the issue?

• Educational: How do we prepare future generations

to take the issue seriously and to act responsibly?

• Motivational: How do we encourage people and

governments to accept meaningful measures that

overcome fear of the electorate, procrastination,

different times scales?

• Government: How do we ensure that different

ministries and different levels of government work

together effectively?

• Technological: How do we encourage Canadians to

develop and adopt the best technological solutions.

What else needs to be done? • Pick areas where Canada could be the world

leader (like Denmark in wind power): e.g.

– Biofuels and bioenergy

– Green buildings

– Materials related to solar energy

– Pumped energy storage

– Smart grid

– Decarbonization of energy.

• Then support them via research, venture capital,

taxation incentives, R&D credits, marketing, etc.

What are the Barriers?

• Lack of courage.

• Lack of imagination.

• Mentality that we are inferior.

• Jurisdictional ambiguities and turf wars.

• Failure to take a long term view and stick

to it.

• Failure to properly educate our children

and the public.

We look to Government for Leadership!

Where do Fossil Fuels Fit In?

• People are short-sighted, sceptical and pre-occupied by economic and other issues. There is no public urgency re climate change. Few people care enough to act.

• Jurisdictional straight-jacket in Canada. The provinces largely control energy sources.

• Realistically, we need time for a transition to renewables and non-carbon energy. But real long-term commitments are lacking.

Where Does CMC Fit In? • Current CCS technology is inefficient,

expensive, and in need of scale-up.

• Complex issues require multidisciplinary inputs and solutions.

• There are opportunities for innovative solutions crossing traditional boundaries, between disciplines and sectors; between renewable energy sources (e.g. solar, biomass) and fossil fuels; between Canada and other countries.

• Make Canada a leader in green technologies.

• Public outreach/public education

• Training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP).

Where Does CCS Fit In? • CCS could be a bridging technology.

• If it fails, there are few real alternatives.

• Barriers are social, as well as technical

and economic.

• Potential sequestration scale is limited.

• All possible solutions must be explored,

but tranformative changes are key.

• One bad experience could set back

the entire endeavour.

Major CCS Projects in Western Canada

Alberta Carbon Trunk Line (ACTL) –

Enhance Energy Inc.

Boundary Dam Project – SaskPower

Fort Nelson – Spectra Energy

North West Upgrading

Project Pioneer – TransAlta

Shell Quest Project

Swan Hills Synfuels

Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project, Cenovus

Why is CMC not

more involved in

these projects?

Where does Theme A Fit In? Recovery: How can we make better usage of

energy resources and waste materials?

Processing: How can we significantly reduce

fossil fuel and energy usage in industrial

processes?

Capture: The most costly component of CCS. Can we deliver nearly pure CO2 to sequestration

sites at low economic and energy penalty cost?

Theme A, Round 1 Projects

• Fluidized bed gasification of low-grade coals

and petcoke (Hills, Pugsley et al.)

• Integrated gasification and looping CO2 capture (Ellis, Mahinpey et al.)

• Rapid routes to carbon-efficient recovery of

bitumen and heavy oil (Gates, Larter)

• Development of direct air capture technology

(Keith, Grace, Lim, Anthony)

• Hydrogen production from waste asphaltenes (Pereira Almao).

Fluidized bed gasification of low-grade coals

and petcoke (UofC, USask, UofT, Poly, UofA, UBC)

• Objective is to develop a fluidized bed

catalytic gasification process that will

improve gasification efficiency and produce a

stream of capture-ready CO2.

• The gasifier will be fuelled by Saskatchewan

lignite, Alberta sub-bituminous coals, and

Alberta oilsands petroleum coke (petcoke)

residue, mixed with catalytic species.

Integrated gasification and looping CO2 capture UBC, UofC, UofO, Laval, UWO

Combining sorption of CO2 with Gasification is one of

the few cases where Capture of CO2 could actually

improve the process, since most reactions are

equilibrium-controlled, so that capture of CO2 shifts

forward the equilibrium (LeChatelier’s Principle).

E.g. CaO + CO2 ⇌ CaCO3

CO + H2O ⇌ H2 + CO2

Gasifier

Calciner

CaCO3

CaO

CO2 Team is studying novel sorbents,

sorbent attrition and pelletization,

reactor hydrodynamics, modeling

and techno-economics.

Rapid routes to carbon-efficient recovery of

bitumen and heavy oil (UofC)

• J-well thermal gravity drainage processes such as JAGD are superior in complex reservoir settings.

• The strategy of starting a steam chamber in the low-viscosity oil at the top of a reservoir with a J-shaped production well has major advantages, including cutting production wells, ease of steam trap control and reduced start-up times.

• Another advantage is that the production well cuts through barriers of the reservoir, and since the chamber grows from toe to heel, communication of the chamber with a bottom water zone is delayed until the end of the process.

Development of direct air capture technology (UBC, UofC, UofO)

DARS/LIME Process >900˚C

CO2

Capture

Using

Caustic

Soda

Ambient

T&P

HIGH TEMPERATURE

Supported by Carbon Engineering, as well as CMC.

Goal is to improve key aspects of the Process for

capture of CO2 from ambient air.

Structured packing

Hydrogen production from waste asphaltenes

(UofC)

• This project aims to catalytically gasify

asphaltenes, with dry reforming used to

produce hydrogen.

• Development of novel solid-structured

catalysts.

• Process aims to cut total CO2 emissions

in bitumen upgrading by ~50%.

• Three papers already in 2011.

Theme A, Round 2 Projects • Easy-Release CO2 Capture Sorbents at the

Molecular Level (Shimizu, Woo)

• High Performance Amine-Impregnated Solid Sorbents for Post-Combustion CO2 Capture (Gupta et al.)

• Material Development and Optimization for Zero CO2 Emission Energy Production (Sayari,

Birss, Thangadurai)

• CO2-microbubbles for increased sequestration and EOR potential in oil/gas reservoirs (Trivedi

et al.)

Easy-Release CO2 Capture Sorbents at the

Molecular Level (UofC, UofO)

• Use metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and physi-sorption rather than chemi-sorption to reduce regeneration costs.

• Seek to design pore size and shape to facilitate capture.

• Experiments with slip stream to be conducted at a Canmet pilot reactor.

• Plan to use amine organic groups, but will also explore other groups for selective capture of CO2.

• Will use fundamental computational predictions of the relative chemical functionalities to give maximum affinity for CO2.

High Performance Amine-Impregnated Solid

Sorbents for Post-Combustion CO2 Capture (UofA)

• Synthesize amine-functionalized supported solid sorbents.

• Determine Capture capacity, Adsorption-desorption kinetics.

• Small-scale parametric tests in packed bed using simulated flue gas..

• Determine the stability and regenerability of the selected sorbent compositions using simulated flue gas containing SOx and NOx.

• Techno-economical assessment of CO2 capture.

Material Development and Optimization for Zero

CO2 Emission Energy Production (UofO, UofC)

• Integration of novel nano-porous materials with

efficient electricity production.

• Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide

electrolysis cell (SOEC) coupled with

compatible solid sorbents for CO2 capture.

• Include SO2 sensors.

• Scale-up is said to be possible.

• Dependent on new proprietary sorbent developed

at UOttawa, involving organic amines on porous

solids.

CO2-microbubbles for increased sequestration

and EOR potential in oil/gas reservoirs (UofA)

• Project seeks to understand formation,

behaviour and properties of micron-size

bubbles covered with protective shells of

biopolymer surfactant, their migration, their

stability and liquid drainage.

• Will compare mechanical and ultrasound

generation of these bubbles.

• Idea is to provide long-term CO2 storage in

this form.

These Projects were Chosen:

• For their potential to be game-changing

• To harness excellent Canadian researchers,

working together in teams

• For their relevance to long-term Canadian

needs.

• For their linkages, or potential linkages, with

Canadian industry.

• For their potential to train high-quality HQP.

Challenges for Theme A • How do we bridge between participating

universities to optimize the research?

• How do we ensure effective collaboration

with industry and government?

• How do we avoid doing research that repeats

what is being done in other countries?

• How do we ensure optimal HQP training?

• How do we link effectively among projects in

Theme A and with Themes B, C and D?

Other Thoughts • Our focus is on CO2, but we must not forget other

GHGs, in particular CH4 and N2O. Also do not

forget CO2 from non-energy processes (e.g.

calcination, metallurgical).

• The challenges will persist: we need more focus on

educating and mobilizing the young.

• Not doing anything will ultimately be more

expensive than acting. (Stern report)

• CMC could be an agent for change in addressing

an unprecedented global problem.

• Public attention and support tend to be transitory.

Therefore:

Let’s make the best of the CMC opportunity!

Let’s learn from each other at this meeting.

Thank you and good luck!