News Carbon Emission Reduction

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Breakthrough in China’s research on carbon dioxide sequestration. Author/Source: China High-Tech Industry Herald. Date: January 19, 2011. Views: 24. Recently, at a specialized academic symposium on “Carbon dioxide storage in Carboniferous strata and abandoned coal mines” held at China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), He Manchao, director of the university’s Key Laboratory of Deep Geomechanics and Underground Engineering, pointed out that the method of carbon dioxide sequestration in abandoned coal mines (CSAC) holds great prospects for development and practical value in China in the future. He Manchao said that in recent years, through cooperation with the Jiangsu Xuzhou Mining Group, his laboratory has successfully overcome the technical challenges associated with carbon dioxide sequestration under different geological conditions in coal mines. In particular, by taking advantage of the adsorption and desorption properties of carbon dioxide in soft rocks, an advanced set of equipment has been developed that can detect methane and carbon dioxide gases under various temperature and humidity conditions, thereby enabling the analysis of the corresponding geological structures. With this device, the laboratory successfully resolved the problem of carbon dioxide seepage and leakage at the Jiangsu Qingshanquan Coal Mine. Research data from this laboratory indicate that China has the potential to carry out CSAAC projects more efficiently and at lower costs by utilizing existing abandoned coal mines along with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. At present, the basic research work on the CSAAC project in this laboratory has been completed. Data shows that China’s situation regarding energy conservation and emission reduction remains extremely severe; by 2008 it had surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, with annual emissions reaching 5.96 billion tons. In addition, China currently has over 2,000 coal mines of medium size or larger. Due to their long history of operation, some of these mines have been abandoned, and as the mining industry continues to develop, more mines will be left unused in the future. The combination of these two conditions precisely provides the realistic conditions for the development of CSAC; China may thus offer a new pathway for global emissions reduction in response to climate change. He Manchao said that the main reasons why China has used carbon sequestration technology less in the past were cost and environmental risk considerations. On the one hand, carbon sequestration technologies rely on high energy consumption and high costs; for a developing country like China, their large-scale adoption and application are not feasible ； On the other hand, unless all aspects such as site selection, operating procedures, post-operation monitoring, and emergency measures are thoroughly in place, its safety cannot be fundamentally guaranteed. The success of the tests at the Aoyamaquan Coal Mine undoubtedly provides the best evidence for the promotion and widespread adoption of the CSAAC project. It is reported that this seminar was jointly organized by the **Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of China, the **National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering. Experts and scholars from 6 countries, including China, the United States, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, and Portugal, participated in the exchanges and discussions. The attendees also presented information on the research and application status of carbon capture technology in their respective countries, analyzed the risks associated with carbon sequestration, and discussed the positive impact of carbon capture technology on global efforts to reduce emissions and conserve energy.