From CCS To CCU - A New Technology For Carbon Capture And Utilization

R&D efforts so far have been concentrated on the development of CCS (Carbon Capture and Sequestration), with the main focus on how to remove CO2 from flue gases and how to bury it forever in deep aquifers or exhausted oil & gas reservoirs. The present paper illustrates a completely different approach: not CO2, but solid carbon is captured, not for disposal, but for re-utilization (CCU = Carbon Capture and Utilization). The CarbonSaver® process, developed by Atlantic Hydrogen Inc., Canada, treats natural gas with a low energy ‘cold plasma’ in order to remove solid carbon. What remains is a ‘decarbonized natural gas’ (with ratio's H:C=4.5-6) which can be used with the benefit of reducing GHG emissions without the need of CO2 capture and sequestration. The technology has a large application potential: all natural gas users can benefit from the ‘cleaner’ natural gas with less CO2 emissions: prime movers (motors and turbines), CNG mobility as well as residential gas networks (‘green gas’). The removed carbon is a high-value product with properties similar to ‘carbon black’. While offering interesting development possibilities on the gas side, the CarbonSaver® process represents a potential ‘game-changer’ in the carbon black market. World carbon black production - today oil-based and highly CO2 emission intensive - could be replaced by a clean natural gas based technology which is completely emission-free. The combined benefit for both natural gas users and carbon black producers represents an interesting environmental and economic impact potential of this technology. The process has been tested in a pilot plant and two demonstration projects are under development as a first step into an industrial application