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Carbonscape proposes CCS by microwaving plants
March 16, 2009 - by Emma Ritch, Cleantech Group
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Blenheim, New Zealand-based startup Carbonscape says it has developed an industrial microwave process to turn plants, trees and other biomass into charcoal in order to store carbon dioxide emissions for thousands of years.
Carbonscape's technology is based on the principle that plants can remove carbon from the atmosphere but eventually die and rot, releasing the stored gases. Turning the biomass to charcoal prevents microbial breakdown and locks away the emissions, the company says. Such charcoal is referred to as biochar.
Carbonscape calls other carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies dangerous because of the potential for the accidental release of underground or underwater gases. Carbonscape says its technology is also superior because there's no need for new technology to capture carbon emissions.
Last week, Danish shipping and oil company A.P. Moller-Maersk announced it was investigating whether sea vessels can transport greenhouse gases for underwater storage more efficiently and more cheaply than pipes (see Ships, not pipes, for CO2 ocean burial). Scientists are still seeking ways to quantify the underground storage capacity for carbon sequestered from power plants (see MIT unlocking carbon capture and storage).
Carbonscape says the process converts 40 percent to 50 percent of wood debris into charcoal, with each unit having the capability to lock away one metric ton of CO2 into charcoal each day.
Carbonscape has proposed plantations of fast-growing trees that can be cut down and subjected to the industrial microwave, at which point the charcoal could be buried underground.
Carbonscape says the industrial microwaving is a net winner when it comes to emissions. Although the process produces carbon dioxide emissions, the amount is significantly less than the carbon dioxide captured in the charcoal.
In September, the company began using its prototype in a pilot run in South Island, New Zealand.
Carbonscape was founded in December 2006. The company says it has multiple international patents on its technology.
Copyright © 2009 Cleantech Group LLC. All rights reserved, including right of redistribution.
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Comments
Biochar Updates; Soil as C Sink, CRS Biochar Report
Submitted on March 19th, 2009 by Erich J. Knight (not verified)Soils as a Carbon Sink;
UNCCD Submission to Climate Change/UNFCCC AWG-LCA 5
"Account carbon contained in soils and the importance of biochar (charcoal) in replenishing soil carbon pools, restoring soil fertility and enhancing the sequestration of CO2."
http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/AWGLCA5/menu.php
This new Congressional Research Service Biochar report (by analyst Kelsi Bracmort) is the best short summary I have seen so far - both technical and policy oriented.
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40186_20090203.pdf .
lemons to lemonade - carbon to energy storage
Submitted on March 26th, 2009 by Unregistered user (not verified)FREE IDEA: develope technology to manipulate carbon molecule to produce a storage medium for off-peak solar/wind. Sequester the carbon and produce off-peak power.
Microwave
Submitted on March 19th, 2009 by dan bessire (not verified)Sounds great, but first, are you saying that by microwaving dead wood and plants,debris,ect., that there are no emissions from that process. 2nd, if they are converted into charcoal and put into the ground; can they then be used as fossil fuels in the future...or just more pollution pumped into the ground that is less dangerous?
Re: Microwave
Submitted on March 20th, 2009 by Emma RitchDan, see the seventh paragraph. The process produces carbon dioxide emissions, but the company says they capture significantly more emissions in the charcoal than they produce. Thus, they claim to be a net reducer of emissions.
Emma Ritch
Senior reporter, Cleantech Group
Industrial microwave charcoal technology
Submitted on March 22nd, 2009 by Yahia Ghourab (not verified)Dear Sir Firstly , The process of producing the charcoal in Egypt is done in a harmful primitive way which is destructive to the environment, especially the ground as the process of production is done in a hole . Moreover , the produced charcoal has a bad quality espescially that of moisture beacuse of using water to submerge coal to complete its production. Taking into account that such a primitive way takes about 20-30 days. During this period , duge amounts of somke laden with volatile harmful carbon that damages both man and the surrounded environment emit . In Egypt however , there are than 3000 sites for producing charcoal in this primitive way . Secondly , due to my sincere desire to produce the wood charcoal in a modern technological way that keeps the environment completey clean on one hand , and doesn't take a long time on the other hand . Moreover , the produced charcoal has a very high quality.Looking forward to hearing from you. Yours Faithfully, Yahia Ghourab
biochar
Submitted on March 23rd, 2009 by Sylvie Chen (not verified)There is a French firm using pyrolysis to achieve 500c temperature to slow burn biomass to charcoal.
A pilot plant Pyro 7 in Mali funded through a foundation Altran uses agricultural residues or renewable biomass and transforms them into biochar and then, where needed, into briquettes of "green charcoal', a sustainable and alternative cooking fuel. Savannah weeds, reeds, straw of wheat or rice, cotton and corn stems, rice or coffee husk, bamboo and even sawdust can be used, and yield around 3 times more than using classical batch processes. Each Pyro-7 machine allows the economical and ecological production of between 4 and 5 tons of biochar per day. Cost per machine 80,000 euros.
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