BLUEFUELENERGY.COM: As reported recently on the website, Mineweb, the advance of methane recovery and monitoring equipment technology is helping companies in a broad range of fields to improve safety and generate new revenue.
In terms of background, coal mine methane (CMM) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) with a global warming potential 21 times greater than that of CO2. Author John Chadwick estimates that by 2020 CMM emissions from the world's coal mines will increase by 30% from current levels and represent about 8% of methane emissions generated by human activity.
Although capturing methane emissions is both a mine safety issue and a necessity for decreasing GHG emissions, it is also a business opportunity. For example, methane gas can be burnt to create electricity. In 2007 UK Coal, a pioneer in the use of this technology, earned a US$10m profit by using gas extracted from its mines to power over 40,000 hones.
Chadwick also asks the question: what are the wider opportunities which this advanced method of methane monitoring is now helping facilitate? To give some examples, captured methane can be used for natural gas pipeline injection, electric power generation, co-firing in boilers, district heating, mine heating, coal drying, vehicle fuel, and manufacturing uses such as feedstock for carbon black, methanol - and, most importantly for readers of this blog, the production of dimethyl ether.
Also, for the very low concentration methane in mine ventilation air, technological development has progressed to the point that this CMM source can be oxidised and the resulting thermal energy used to produce heat, electricity, and refrigeration.
Although the Mineweb article does not state specifically that methane drainage techniques are being used for Blue Fuel/DME production, it is interesting to note that China - the world's leading DME producer - is also the leader in purchasing this new-generation methane capture equipment.
Showing posts with label greenhouse gas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greenhouse gas. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
BC Government sets 2007 GHG emission baseline
BLUEFUELENERGY.COM: On July 30 BC Environment Minister Barry Penner and Minister of State for Climate Action John Yap reaffirmed the BC Government’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions by releasing the British Columbia Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report 2007. According to the report, in 2007, BC emitted 67.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Trends in GHG emissions in BC show a 21% increase from 1990, a 7.6% increase since 1997, and a 3.8% increase since 2006.
2007 was established under the provincial Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act as the base year for calculation of GHG emissions targets. The Act puts into law BC’s target of reducing GHGs by at least 33% below 2007 levels by 2020 and includes the long-term target of an 80% reduction below 2007 levels by 2050.
Complying with the Act it created is a daunting task for the BC Government. On a page of its LiveSmart BC website discussing BC’s greenhouse gas emissions, the government recognizes that the two primary drivers for the growth in GHG emissions since 1990 are population growth and expansion of the natural gas industry. Although the industry did boom from 1990 to 2007, it is now poised for a gas boom to end all gas booms as a result of natural gas discoveries in the Horn River Basin in northeastern BC. Indications are that the Horn River discovery is the largest discovery of natural gas in Canadian history.
Given the demise of the forest industry in BC and other economic shortcomings that have resulted in substantial revenue shortfalls for the government, the prospect of exploiting the natural gas resources of the Horn River Basin is enticing. Too enticing for the government to ignore. That said, the processing of natural gas generates huge volumes of carbon dioxide. Too much carbon for the government to ignore. A dilemma indeed.
Fortunately, there is a solution—producing Blue Fuel/DME using wind energy—which is also abundant in northeastern BC—and waste carbon dioxide from natural gas processing. Energy synergy at its finest. The BC Government has been apprised of this opportunity to make BC a wind energy powerhouse, a natural gas powerhouse—and a Blue Fuel/DME powerhouse. It will be fascinating to see how the government responds. Stay tuned to this blog for more.
2007 was established under the provincial Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act as the base year for calculation of GHG emissions targets. The Act puts into law BC’s target of reducing GHGs by at least 33% below 2007 levels by 2020 and includes the long-term target of an 80% reduction below 2007 levels by 2050.
Complying with the Act it created is a daunting task for the BC Government. On a page of its LiveSmart BC website discussing BC’s greenhouse gas emissions, the government recognizes that the two primary drivers for the growth in GHG emissions since 1990 are population growth and expansion of the natural gas industry. Although the industry did boom from 1990 to 2007, it is now poised for a gas boom to end all gas booms as a result of natural gas discoveries in the Horn River Basin in northeastern BC. Indications are that the Horn River discovery is the largest discovery of natural gas in Canadian history.
Given the demise of the forest industry in BC and other economic shortcomings that have resulted in substantial revenue shortfalls for the government, the prospect of exploiting the natural gas resources of the Horn River Basin is enticing. Too enticing for the government to ignore. That said, the processing of natural gas generates huge volumes of carbon dioxide. Too much carbon for the government to ignore. A dilemma indeed.
Fortunately, there is a solution—producing Blue Fuel/DME using wind energy—which is also abundant in northeastern BC—and waste carbon dioxide from natural gas processing. Energy synergy at its finest. The BC Government has been apprised of this opportunity to make BC a wind energy powerhouse, a natural gas powerhouse—and a Blue Fuel/DME powerhouse. It will be fascinating to see how the government responds. Stay tuned to this blog for more.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Scientific innovation is key to powering the future
BLUEFUELENERGY.COM: With the planet facing the double threat of global climate change brought on by greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of the world's petroleum reserves, humankind has some choices to make. We can carry on as present and face both an energy crisis and a climatic crisis in the near future, we can drastically slow our consumption of energy thereby staving off these twin calamities but hobbling what we call modern civilization, or we can innovate to develop technologies that will both solve the threats we face and advance civilization.
Most people would agree that the choice to innovate and advance civilization is the most desirable, and it is always fascinating to see how innovation manifests itself. While the general population might consider the development of Blue Fuel/DME as an alternative fuel innovative in its own right, two recent announcements regarding innovations in the production of alternative fuels go a step further.
The first idea comes from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore where scientists have demonstrated a method of converting CO2 into methanol via a non-toxic room-temperature process. In a media release they explain that "IBN scientists have made carbon dioxide react by using N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), a novel organocatalyst. ...Hydrosaline, a combination of silica and hydrogen, is added to the NHC-activated carbon dioxide, and the product of this reaction is transformed into methanol by adding water through hydrolysis." Research is continuing to make the process even more cost-effective.
The second idea comes from scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Their article, "Concentrating-Solar Biomass Gasification Process for a 3rd Generation Biofuel," was published in the online journal Environmental Science and Technology. The abstract states: "A new concept of producing synfuel from biomass using concentrated solar energy as its main energy source is proposed in this paper. The aim of the concept is to obtain an easy-to-handle fuel with near-zero CO2 emissions and reduced land-use requirements compared to first- and second-generation biofuels. The concept's key feature is the use of high-temperature heat from a solar concentrating tower to drive the chemical process of converting biomass to a biofuel, obtaining a near-complete utilization of carbon atoms in the biomass." An excellent synopsis of the paper can be found on the Green Car Congress website.
These are only two ideas, but they are representative of the widespread effort being put forth to develop innovative technologies to tackle some of the challenges facing the world today.
Most people would agree that the choice to innovate and advance civilization is the most desirable, and it is always fascinating to see how innovation manifests itself. While the general population might consider the development of Blue Fuel/DME as an alternative fuel innovative in its own right, two recent announcements regarding innovations in the production of alternative fuels go a step further.
The first idea comes from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore where scientists have demonstrated a method of converting CO2 into methanol via a non-toxic room-temperature process. In a media release they explain that "IBN scientists have made carbon dioxide react by using N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), a novel organocatalyst. ...Hydrosaline, a combination of silica and hydrogen, is added to the NHC-activated carbon dioxide, and the product of this reaction is transformed into methanol by adding water through hydrolysis." Research is continuing to make the process even more cost-effective.
The second idea comes from scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Their article, "Concentrating-Solar Biomass Gasification Process for a 3rd Generation Biofuel," was published in the online journal Environmental Science and Technology. The abstract states: "A new concept of producing synfuel from biomass using concentrated solar energy as its main energy source is proposed in this paper. The aim of the concept is to obtain an easy-to-handle fuel with near-zero CO2 emissions and reduced land-use requirements compared to first- and second-generation biofuels. The concept's key feature is the use of high-temperature heat from a solar concentrating tower to drive the chemical process of converting biomass to a biofuel, obtaining a near-complete utilization of carbon atoms in the biomass." An excellent synopsis of the paper can be found on the Green Car Congress website.
These are only two ideas, but they are representative of the widespread effort being put forth to develop innovative technologies to tackle some of the challenges facing the world today.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Federal advisory agency urges Canadian government to adopt cap-and-trade system
BLUEFUELENERGY.COM:The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) has just published a report, Achieving 2050: A Carbon Pricing Policy for Canada, recommending that the federal government implement a unified carbon pricing policy across the country as a means of achieving Canada's medium- and long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Canada has pledged to reduce emissions to 20% below 2006 levels by 2020 and to 65% below 2006 levels by 2050.
“The Round Table’s report concludes that a unified national carbon price through an economy-wide cap-and-trade system across all jurisdictions, emissions, and sectors is necessary to allow Canada to reach its emission reductions targets at the least economic cost,” said NRTEE Chair Bob Page. The report acknowledges the challenges Canada faces in transforming its economy for a low-carbon future, yet provides a realistic framework within which the economy can evolve. Part of this framework entails dove-tailing Canada's cap-and-trade system with those of other countries, particularly the United States, which is planning to implement a cap-and-trade system by 2012.
DME is an emerging fuel and the current emphasis in the industry is on developing international standards, conducting long-term durability tests with DME vehicles, fine-tuning distribution infrastructure, raising awareness, and establishing markets. What the NRTEE report underscores, however, is that for the full potential of DME to be realized in a low-carbon world, the industry must also focus on reducing its carbon footprint. It could do this by exploring opportunities to:
1) Incorporate renewables such as wind, hydro, and geothermal into fossil fuel-based production processes (as explained by Professor Weidou Ni of TsingJua University in Beijing in his presentation How to Make the Production of DME More "Green";
2) Use biomass to produce DME, as the BioDME projects promotes
3) Use renewables, water, and waste carbon dioxide to produce DME, as Blue Fuel Energy promotes
Failure of DME producers to minimize DME's carbon footprint compromises the potential of this multi-purpose fuel to be adopted in jurisdictions with stringent GHG emissions—and the ability of producers to take advantage of the green credits that will accrue to producers of carbon-neutral energy. Sooner rather than later there is going to be an international price on carbon emissions and it behooves DME producers to develop strategies to put themselves in a position where they have a competitive advantage over other fuels in the drive to mitigate climate change.
“The Round Table’s report concludes that a unified national carbon price through an economy-wide cap-and-trade system across all jurisdictions, emissions, and sectors is necessary to allow Canada to reach its emission reductions targets at the least economic cost,” said NRTEE Chair Bob Page. The report acknowledges the challenges Canada faces in transforming its economy for a low-carbon future, yet provides a realistic framework within which the economy can evolve. Part of this framework entails dove-tailing Canada's cap-and-trade system with those of other countries, particularly the United States, which is planning to implement a cap-and-trade system by 2012.
DME is an emerging fuel and the current emphasis in the industry is on developing international standards, conducting long-term durability tests with DME vehicles, fine-tuning distribution infrastructure, raising awareness, and establishing markets. What the NRTEE report underscores, however, is that for the full potential of DME to be realized in a low-carbon world, the industry must also focus on reducing its carbon footprint. It could do this by exploring opportunities to:
1) Incorporate renewables such as wind, hydro, and geothermal into fossil fuel-based production processes (as explained by Professor Weidou Ni of TsingJua University in Beijing in his presentation How to Make the Production of DME More "Green";
2) Use biomass to produce DME, as the BioDME projects promotes
3) Use renewables, water, and waste carbon dioxide to produce DME, as Blue Fuel Energy promotes
Failure of DME producers to minimize DME's carbon footprint compromises the potential of this multi-purpose fuel to be adopted in jurisdictions with stringent GHG emissions—and the ability of producers to take advantage of the green credits that will accrue to producers of carbon-neutral energy. Sooner rather than later there is going to be an international price on carbon emissions and it behooves DME producers to develop strategies to put themselves in a position where they have a competitive advantage over other fuels in the drive to mitigate climate change.
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