Comprehensive Guide to Coal That's Been Cleaned: Its Features and Benefits

The world is facing a daunting challenge in its pursuit to combat climate change: the need for a significant increase in carbon capture and storage (CCS) capacity. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global storage rate could exceed 7 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year, but the high cost of CCS is a major hurdle in its development.

A report from the Global CCS Institute's 2022 report suggests that a total investment sum of between $650 billion and $1.2 trillion will be necessary to meet climate goals by the 2050 deadline. This is a steep price tag, but one that is deemed necessary to prevent the Earth's temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius.

The IEA found that the world needs to capture and store almost 5,600 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of CO2 in 2050 to meet this scenario. However, current carbon capture capacity for projects in operation or under construction stands at approximately 40 MTPA, a small fraction of the needed capacity.

One of the largest CCS projects to date is the Petra Nova plant, located 30 miles southwest of Houston. The Obama Administration invested $84 million in this plant, which captures 1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, making it the world's first post-combustion plant.

Despite the high costs, several companies have shown interest in CCS. EnBW and RheinEnergie, co-owners of the Rostock coal-fired power plant in Germany, are involved in efforts related to carbon management. Universities and patent offices, such as the University of Duisburg-Essen, have also been supporting research and development in CCS technology.

However, specific new CCS plant projects or corporate announcements were not detailed in the available search results. The high cost of building and maintaining CCS technology, as well as the challenges of retrofitting it onto older plants, continue to be major obstacles in its widespread adoption.

While CCS can capture around 90 percent of the CO2 produced at power plants, it does not address other pollutants like mercury, nitrogen oxide, and other poisonous contaminants that coal plants could still produce. This underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change, one that includes not only CCS but also the transition to renewable energy sources.

David Grossman, a staff writer for PopularMechanics.com, previously wrote for The Verge, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, and several other publications, based out of Brooklyn. His reports highlight the ongoing efforts to develop and implement CCS technology, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. As the world continues to grapple with the consequences of climate change, the role of CCS in the global response cannot be overstated.