Sino-US cooperation: The first carbon capture demonstration project will be used at Shenhua

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Author/Source: China Chemical Industry News Date: 2009-4-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- China Shenhua Group has recently revealed that it is exploring the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-to-oil projects, and is currently carrying out research, development, and evaluation work on demonstration projects. An official from China Shenhua Coal-to-Oil Chemical Co., Ltd. said that as the first carbon capture and storage project carried out in the country, various methods of carbon storage are currently being considered, including geological storage. To date, no assessment of the inputs and outputs of the pilot project has been conducted; for now, the focus is merely on carrying out the pilot, with further expansion planned in the future. According to officials from the Beijing Research Institute of China Shenhua Coal-to-Oil Chemical Co., Ltd., the demonstration project is expected to be implemented on a larger scale within 1 to 2 years. This project, designed to support the group’s 1 million tons per year direct coal-to-oil demonstration facility, will **reduce carbon dioxide emissions during the production process, thereby enabling the clean use of coal. Studies show that using modern direct coal liquefaction processes, approximately 3 tons of carbon dioxide are emitted for every ton of refined oil produced; most of this carbon dioxide is of high purity, and the cost of capturing it is low. At present, a feasible and effective way to reduce carbon emissions is to use appropriate technologies for carbon dioxide capture and storage. The research and development work for this demonstration project is included in the Sino-U.S. cooperation agreement on fossil fuels; the Chinese side is responsible for it through China Shenhua Group, while the U.S. partners include West Virginia University and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.