Summary
Carbon emitted on account of our continued use of fossil fuel can be offset
using carbon capture and storage (CCS). The technology for this exists, but the
economics of it is context dependent, and CCS has shown itself to be not very
cost effective in oil sands. Committing to the large-scale sequestration
projects needed without properly considering alternatives can prove costly at
both the economic and social levels. Charcoal sequestration, discussed earlier
by Gupta, provides a few advantages, such as being less costly and lacking any
post-operation liabilities. Above all, it is reversible, allowing flexibility
of policy and operation and avoiding long-term or large-scale commitments.
The economics of the charcoal approach mainly depends on two factors--the
cost of the feed biomass and the cost of processing. The first of these is
addressed by using municipal waste as feedstock, which can be available free of
charge. Expectedly, the cost of processing, the second factor, depends on the
apparatus and the scale of operation.
In this paper, the authors discuss the benefits and drawbacks of prominent
traditional and modern apparatus used for conversion of biomass to charcoal and
describe a simple and pragmatic apparatus that could be assembled relatively
easily for a small-scale operation such as processing industrial-camp-generated
solid organic waste.
Offsetting carbon in this manner obviously can be a good way to initiate
demonstration projects for the charcoal-sequestration approach because it also
helps with waste management. These demonstration projects in turn will help
evaluate various aspects of this novel method of sequestration and enhance
public awareness on the subject, which in turn will help society make an
informed choice to embark on a correct course of action for atmospheric carbon
abatement. Additionally, in light of the growing per capita waste worldwide,
use of municipal waste as feedstock for charcoal sequestration can be a
significant measure of carbon offset at global scale in its own right.
© 2011. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
7 November 2010
- Meeting paper published:
19 October 2010
- Manuscript approved:
4 April 2011
- Published online:
30 November 2011
- Version of record:
16 December 2011
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