This is the final episode of Visionary seriesLooking at someone who is trying to change our lives.
Every year, humans emit about 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.According to numerous continuous and increasingly powerful reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the numbers are in order to avoid the worst effects of global warming. 2050..
However, after decades of inaction in the face of this scientific consensus, emissions have become so high that only so far reductions have been made, such as by improving energy efficiency and moving to renewable energies. I can’t get it. “We know how to do 40 gigatons,” said Julio Friedman of Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy. “That is, we need to remove 10 gigatons.”
He mentioned carbon capture and storage, known as CCS. It essentially sucks carbon dioxide back from the atmosphere or from its source and traps it somewhere.
Almost 20 years ago, Jennifer Wilcox realized that removal was the key to achieving net zero emissions. As a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, Dr. Wilcox described nature-based solutions: tree planting and wetland restoration. both Of which Really good at Absorb carbon dioxide — you could only do that. Carbon also needs to be captured from the air. So in 2012 she wrote a textbook on how it is done. The National Academy of Sciences approached Dr. Wilcox’s view in 2018. report The technology will need to be developed and advanced to get rid of the required amount.
Wilcox, 45, is currently playing a leading role in the US Department of Energy’s Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Department, where she is responsible for doing just that. But spending $ 10 billion on her investment in carbon recovery and storage is only part of her job. Proven technologies need to be cheap, large-scale, and in some cases integrated with other systems. They need to be deployed both at sources of carbon dioxide, such as power plants and factories, and in the wild through a system called direct air capture. And you have to find a place where you can store the captured gas for centuries, which can be tricky. Dr. Wilcox “has explained every aspect of this work path,” said Dr. Friedman, who has known her for decades. “She wakes up every day thinking about how to deploy clean energy technology.”
This interview has been edited and summarized.
What is blocking the recovery and storage of carbon today? Is it a technique?
The types of carbon recovery are often confused with each other. There is point source carbon recovery. This modifies existing facilities and prevents emissions from entering the atmosphere. Next is the removal of carbon dioxide — direct air capture. Techniques exist for both approaches.
But then there is the question of what to do with all the CO2. One approach to scaling is depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Inject deep underground. So for me it’s definitely not technology.
Is underground storage safe, achievable and cost effective in the long run?
Deep underground storage of CO2 is not new. The oil industry has done so for nearly 40 years through the enhancement of oil production, which is today’s commercial scale activity. Throughout this industry, we have gained expertise in safe and secure storage. The same skills, workforce and expertise apply to dedicated CO2 storage projects. A similar trap mechanism that has allowed oil and gas to form deep underground for millions of years will eventually trap CO2 and infrastructure as it tackles the backflow of carbon into the underground. We are working on the construction of.
Where do you think carbon recovery and storage will be in 10 years? Do you think the point source system has been introduced by then?
I think 10 years from now, CCS will be deployed in industrial point sources that are difficult to decarbonize today: cement, mainly steel in some cases. Carbon recovery in a cement plant really helps reduce the carbon strength of the product. We are also considering pulp and paper.
Do customers want to buy low carbon paper?
yes. Apple, Amazon — People who use a lot of paper. They are willing to pay for low carbon supply chains, but they don’t exist today. Therefore, they have to pay for very expensive carbon removal.
And my point is, how about adding CCS to raise money for the production of low carbon cement, low carbon steel and low carbon paper? Avoiding emissions is much cheaper than removing them later. I don’t think it’s difficult to decarbonize these sectors today.
I never think of carbon recovery as a tool for offsetting emissions that know how to decarbonize. But the question of who is willing to pay for these projects will help drive some of them. The bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden in November supports at least two demonstrations.
Speaking a year and a half ago, “We need government spending, incentives and investments related to the economic benefits of putting more carbon into the planet than the products we produce when we use it. “You said.Well, that’s really a description of your work..
Understand the latest news about climate change
Great Salt Lake. Local politicians and scientists warn that climate change and rapid population growth are creating toxic dust bowls that can shrink the lake and pollute the air around Salt Lake City. .. However, there is no easy solution to avoid the consequences.
Can you believe it? Thank you for reminding me of that. To be honest, this is a tough job. But every day, I am very grateful to be selected for this position. My previous work provided cost model estimates, but it takes money to actually build them. And it needs to be transparent. The policy will then be properly priced for the private sector to follow the rest of the road. The work of the Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Bureau can build a more costly first-time demonstration.
How do you implement your vision through the government bureaucracy?
I turned the mission upside down. The previous mission of the Office of Fossil Energy was to increase fossil fuel production in the country. Today, the focus is on approaches and technology investments that minimize the impact on the climate and environment of continued reliance on fossil fuels.
What do you think are the challenges facing carbon recovery and storage for widespread deployment on the scale required to achieve 10 gigatons removal per year?
Lack of education and effective communication. An example in my textbook is that the same chemicals that capture CO2 also capture acid rain gases, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides that also affect human health. The first step in carbon recovery is actually purifying the particulate matter. In some communities where this technology may be introduced, there are concerns about air pollution, so it is very important to understand those aspects. And part of what we’re doing in this administration is to be very thoughtful about quoting projects and to be very clear about the benefits that the community sees.
One possible use of CO2 recovered through CCS is to inject it into oil wells to facilitate the extraction of fossil fuels. What do you say to critics who argue that carbon recovery and storage can be a contaminating license for oil and gas companies and is a dangerous strategy given the need to focus on emission reductions? ??
I say they are right. It may be. However, this administration is to install guardrails and evaluate other indicators such as health benefits, community benefits, and reduction of air pollution. But given the short-term distraction and the use of fossil fuels for mining is the only result of these investments, we freeze, paralyze, and become inactive, which is more harmful.
You grow chickens, grow vegetables, and your home has solar panels. Are individual efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions sufficient? Do you think that time is better, as it is a far greater impetus for climate change to put pressure on governments and businesses to accelerate energy transitions and stop deforestation?
I think it’s all of the above. But I think people’s individual decisions are a mode of communication. If your neighbor sees you installing solar panels, you talk about it. And I think sending a message with an example is a really important factor. Therefore, efforts that begin with people’s individual decisions will ultimately have an impact.