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KTH research: Increased combustion reduces carbon dioxide emissions

November 23, 2001

New, previously overlooked technology could dramatically reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Bio-energy facilities that capture carbon dioxide from combustion gases would even make it possible to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The idea of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it in bedrock is not actually new. In recent years it has attracted considerable attention in efforts to come to terms with growing problems tied to the greenhouse effect. But until now discussions have dealt with the combustion of fossil fuels. Kenneth Möllersten, Jinyue Yan, and Mats Westermark, researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, have studied the same technology but applied it to bio-fuels. "If we speculate about a scenario where we use large amounts of bio-fuels and capture the carbon dioxide from the combustion, we can envisage extremely positive effects," says Kenneth Möllersten.

Techniques for the rapid reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases are becoming increasingly important, and the Royal Institute researchers' thinking is clearly interesting. Their findings have caught the attention of several scientists from various countries, which has resulted in collaboration leading to an article in the respected journal Science in late October. According to their calculations, the use of bio-fuels combined with methods for concentrating carbon dioxide from combustion gases and storing them in geological formations would make it possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 500 billion metric tons in the coming century. This represents more than 35 percent of total emissions. If the amount of fossil fuels is also brought down, there could even be a net reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before the end of the century.

It turns out that very few experts have factored in the possibility of combining the use of bio-fuels with capturing carbon dioxide. For instance, this alternative is not at all included in the IPCC's (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) comprehensive carbon dioxide scenarios, according to Kenneth Möllersten and Jinyue Yan. They suspect that the explanation for this might lie in the fact that bio-fuels have an aura of being environmentally friendly and that those working with these issues may therefore have the attitude that bio-fuels do not need to be made even more environmentally friendly.

This ongoing research at the Royal Institute into bio-energy combined with carbon dioxide capture has opened a new dimension in the development of technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

This technique is particularly interesting to Sweden, since the country largely lacks major point emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, where it would be possible to capture carbon dioxide. On the other hand, Swedish pulp works release huge annual amounts of carbon dioxide from biomass, which in combination with capture techniques would represent a tremendous potential for major reductions.

Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council)