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Sharing infrastructure for transporting and storing captured carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across multiple industrial facilities could cut costs by over 60% and reduce pipeline buildout by over 75% in Louisiana, according to new research led by engineers at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.
The research team modeled optimal carbon capture, transport, and storage network designs in the state, highlighting the advantages of shared infrastructure over single-user pipeline approaches. They also demonstrated how CO2 transportation and storage networks could be designed to avoid historically overburdened and underserved communities. The team published their findings on August 6 in Environmental Science & Technology.
Technologies for capturing and storing industrial CO2 emissions have been around for decades. Still, only a handful of industrial carbon capture facilities around the world are currently in operation. In most situations, the costs to install such facilities are greater than the value they provide.
“The challenge with carbon capture and storage is who should pay the added costs,” said co-author Eric Larson, senior research engineer at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and leader of the Energy Systems Analysis Group. “It’s a question of economics rather than technical feasibility.”