Deep Impact
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Research into reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions could add $25 billion to Queensland's economy.
Dr Paul Massarotto, Principal Research Fellow on the CO2 Program, said the technology had the potential to help lock away most of the current 45 million tonnes per year of CO2 emitted from Queensland's coal- fired, power-generating plants.
He said the process involved injecting the CO2 into deeper and uneconomic coal seams, sending the carbon back to where it came from.
"The beauty of the process is that as coal adsorbs the CO2, it releases extra coal seam methane, which can be recovered as a clean -burning fuel," Dr Massarotto said.
"The complete cycle could make our coal-fired power plants zeroemission facilities."
He said by using this technology, many large industrial sites in Queensland and around the world could reduce atmospheric emissions of CO2 and gain economic benefi ts as well.
"Queensland could derive large economic benefits were it to become a world-first site for CO2 sequestration, attracting carbon credits of up to $500 million a year or more for the next 30 to 50 years," Dr Massarotto said.
"This alone could be worth more than $15 billion. The technology also has the potential to increase Queensland`s recoverable coal seam methane resources by 25 to 50 percent, potentially adding another $7 to $10 billion to Queensland`s economy through sales of this clean fuel."
He said the International Energy Agency had identified Australia as a prime region for implementing this geological CO2 sequestration technology, particularly at large point source emitters such as coal-fired power plants and big industrial processing plants.
The extensive research program seeks to accelerate technical and environmental capabilities in deep-coal sequestration of CO2, extending to field trials and eventual adoption in Queensland and New South Wales if demonstrated to be viable.
Though pilot-tested in the United States and Canada, several knowledge gaps were being investigated by the 14-member research team.
The project is supported by the Australian Research Council through two substantial grants.
Researchers recently presented the technology program to other supporting organisations including Origin Energy CSG Limited; Stanwell Corporation Limited; Southern Pacific Petroleum NL; Queensland Environmental Protection Agency; the CSIRO; and The Illinois Geological Survey at the University of Illinois.
More Information: http://www.cheque.uq.edu.au/research/entri
