Air Capture (main)
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Air Capture
- Featured Article Methods for Capturing Carbon DioxideCapturing CO2 is already a standard practice for several industries. For example, natural gas treatment plants and ammonia fertilizer factories separate CO2 from their product... More »
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Methods for Capturing Carbon Dioxide Last Updated on 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Capturing CO2 is already a standard practice for several industries. For example, natural gas treatment plants and ammonia fertilizer factories separate CO2 from their product streams, but often just vent the CO2 to the atmosphere. Yet not a single large power plant (generating more than 500 MW) currently captures CO2, although several facilities are under construction. [1], [2], [3] The reasons are largely economic: Carbon capture almost doubles a power plant’s construction cost and adds 50% to electricity generation costs. Only with adequate financial incentives does carbon capture become a viable option. Power plants could capture CO2 either during fuel processing, before combustion, or from the flue gas, after combustion. Capture before combustion is straightforward for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) electric power plants, in which the water– gas... More »