Transport

The US Department of Energy is backing two post-combustion carbon capture and storage demonstration projects in Texas and Virginia.

The Texas project will see NRG Energy receive a $154 million grant to set up a post-combustion CO₂-capture demonstration project in Thompsons, Texas.

The six-year project will construct a 60 MW carbon capture demonstration facility that will integrate Fluor’s Econamine FG PlusSM capture process using novel amine solvents and Ramgen’s CO₂ compression system.

Starting operations in 2013, the captured CO₂ will be used for enhanced oil recovery in one of the nearby Texas Gulf Coast oilfields.

Meanwhile, UOP, a Honeywell company, has been awarded $1.5 million to set up CO₂ capture technology on the exhaust stacks of its existing Hopewell facility.

The captured CO₂ will be fed to an algae cultivation system to produce biofuel, with any residual material used to generate renewable electricity.

Working with the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NREL), UOP will also use wastewater from the manufacturing facility in the algae cultivation system.

“Integrated approaches such as these are our best hopes for creating economically sustainable renewable energy solutions,” says UOP’s Jennifer Holmgren.

For further information:
www.nrgenergy.com/
www.uop.com/
www.energy.gov
www.nrel.gov

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US takes steps to boost biofuels and clean coal (4-Feb)
US announces $3 billion investment in clean coal (7-Dec 2009)
US Department of Energy releases first phase of $1.4 billion CCS funds (5-Oct 2009)