Carbon Capture and Storage: One Approach for Managing Greenhouse Emissions

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could offer a means to allow the continued use of the world’s abundant hydrocarbon resources in a carbon constrained environment, Sherri K. Stuewer, vice president, Environmental Policy and Planning, Exxon Mobil Corporation, said today at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

“Large near-term carbon dioxide reductions can be achieved by switching from coal to gas for power generation even without CCS, until carbon dioxide prices are high enough to support CCS installations”

The largest opportunities for implementation of CCS will be in the capture of carbon dioxide from the exhaust of electric power generation plants, Stuewer noted. “The economic viability of CCS is affected by the type of fuel used for power generation. The application of CCS to reduce emissions from gas-fired plants is attractive over a much broader economic range than many people realize,” according to Stuewer. "Large near-term carbon dioxide reductions can be achieved by switching from coal to gas for power generation even without CCS, until carbon dioxide prices are high enough to support CCS installations," Stuewer added.

ExxonMobil has extensive experience in all of the component technologies of CCS, including participation in major projects over the past three decades.

• Since 1986 ExxonMobil has captured carbon dioxide from produced gas streams and marketed it for enhanced oil recovery and other industrial uses through the world’s largest carbon dioxide capture plant located near LaBarge, Wyoming, USA.
• Also in Wyoming, USA, ExxonMobil is commissioning a commercial demonstration plant to test its unique Controlled Freeze Zone process to separate carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other components from natural gas. The CFZ technology could make carbon dioxide capture more affordable and efficient as it requires fewer processing steps and less equipment, compared to existing technologies.
• ExxonMobil is a partner in one of longest-running CCS projects in the world in Norway, which has stored over 10 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• In Australia, ExxonMobil with its joint venture partners in the Gorgon LNG Project is developing the largest commercial scale CCS project in the world.
• ExxonMobil has a long history of patents and technologies for carbon dioxide removal in industrial applications.
• ExxonMobil supports CCS research program through a variety of partnerships including the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University in California, USA, and the International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme. The company is a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute.

While the individual carbon capture technology components are known, demonstration of their large-scale, integrated application is necessary before CCS opportunities can be fully implemented, Stuewer said. “Widespread deployment of CCS will require construction of major new infrastructure on a scale comparable to existing oil and gas production-handling infrastructure in place today.”

“There is no single answer to the question of how the world can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the projected growth in energy demand,” she said. “A wide range of options must be investigated, and ExxonMobil is playing a leading role in supporting this vital work.”

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com.