BTC BECCS plants

To stop climate change, it will not be enough just to replace fossil with renewables and non-fossil. Some fossil emissions will be hard to be abated, like transoceanic shipping and long haul flying. To compensate these emissions, carbon-negative technologies need to be implemented. These technologies actively reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere. The CO2 in the emissions from a biopower plant originate from the atmosphere by way of the photosynthesis. For this reason, biopower is considered climate neutral. By capturing the CO2 in the flue gas from a BTC plant and storing it permanently, the energy generated will be carbon negative. This kind of plant is referred to as a BECCS plant, BioEnergy Carbon Capture and Storage.

Capturing the CO2 in the flue gases is typically done by passing the flue gases through a solvent in a stripper that binds with the CO2 molecules at low temperatures. The solvent is then heated in a reboiler where the CO2 is boiled off from the solvent, regenerating the solvent so that it can capture CO2 again. The pure CO2 is then captured in the process, compressed and normally liquified for transport to permanent storage or industrial utilization. Depending on application, different technologies are optimal for integration with the BTC technology.  

The high efficiency of the BTC technology combined with a high level of technical integration with carbon capture technology results in unmatched net electrical efficiencies and cost of capture for a BTC BECCS plant. Studies show that the net efficiencies are 50 – 120% higher than traditional biopower BECCS plants. The high underlying base electrical efficiency also results in almost half the capture cost of green CO2.

Carbon captured can either be stored permanently in deep aquifers several thousands of meters below ground or be used for industrial purposes to replace fossil CO2 feed-stock gases.