Cryogenic Carbon Capture
Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES)
Cryogenic Carbon Capture
Technical Categories:
Program:
Location:
Provo, UT
ARPA-E Award:
$5,297,254
Project Term:
07/14/2010 to 12/31/2014
Website:
Project Status:
ACTIVE
Critical Need:
Coal-fired power plants provide nearly 50% of all electricity in the U.S. While coal is a cheap and abundant natural resource, its continued use contributes to rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere. Capturing and storing this CO2 would reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas levels while allowing power plants to continue using inexpensive coal. Carbon capture and storage represents a significant cost to power plants that must retrofit their existing facilities to accommodate new technologies. Reducing these costs is the primary objective of ARPA-E's carbon capture program.
Project Innovation + Advantages:
SES is developing a process to capture CO2 from the exhaust gas of coal-fired power plants by desublimation - the conversion of a gas to a solid. Capturing CO2 as a solid and delivering it as a liquid avoids the large energy cost of CO2 gas compression. SES' capture technology facilitates the prudent use of available energy resources. Coal is our most abundant energy resource and is an excellent fuel for baseline power production. SES capture technology can capture 99% of the CO2 emissions in addition to a wide range of other pollutants more efficiently and at lower costs than existing capture technologies. SES' capture technology can be readily added to our existing energy infrastructure.
Impact Summary:
If successful, SES' process will enable coal-fired power plants to produce low-cost, carbon-neutral, on-demand electricity while positioning the U.S. as a global leader in the carbon capture industry.
Security:
Enabling continued use of domestic coal for electricity generation will preserve the stability of the electric grid.
Economy:
Improving the cost-effectiveness of carbon capture methods will minimize added costs to homeowners and businesses using electricity generated by coal-fired power plants for the foreseeable future.
Environment:
Carbon capture technology could prevent more than 800 million tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.
