This article discusses why carbon capture is gaining importance recently. The positives and negatives of this technology have also been discussed in brief.
Many countries of the world have realized the fact that it might be impossible to reduce carbon emissions. Increasing rates of industrialization and growth of population will only lead to increased carbon emissions in the years to come. With this in mind, researchers are now working towards building technology that will capture carbon emissions and inject it underground.
The process
The carbon dioxide is separated from the mixture of waste gases released from fossil fuel combustion and is stored separately in liquid form. It is then pumped through wells to locations deep below the earth and stored there permanently. The construction of these sites is such that it prevents the release of gases back into the atmosphere.
Hence, it can be seen that it is extremely important to select the right place for the storage of the gas under the ground. Favorable locations for this purpose are old oil fields, coal beds, and deep saline locations. Any cracks in the storage structure will lead to escaping of the gas back into the atmosphere.
The significance of this process
Most of our industrial processes are dependent on fossil fuels for energy. These fuels on combustion release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Thes process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and injecting it into the ground, from where it can never return to the atmosphere, is termed as carbon sequestration.
The removal of carbon dioxide is becoming extremely necessary. Carbon dioxide is the greatest promoter of green house effect, which leads to the increase in the earth’s temperature. With increased industrialization, more and more carbon dioxide is being added to the atmosphere, leading to increase in global temperatures.
Applications of this technology
This technology is currently applicable only to fixed sources of carbon dioxide, like power plants and factories. Carbon emissions from mobile sources like vehicles still can’t be reduced. But since most of the current carbon emissions are from fixed sources, this technology can be extremely effective.
According to a report from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the earth has a massive capacity for storing emissions underground for hundreds of years, which furthermore increases the significance of this technology.
To know the negative effects of this process, read Dangers from Carbon sequestration.
