Research: Post combustion capture
A carbon capture plant is currently being developed on the Central Coast of NSW through a joint initiative by Delta Electricity and CSIRO. The research-scale post-combustion capture (PCC) pilot facility will capture greenhouse gas emissions from the Munmorah Power Station using a process called 'ammonia absorption technology'.
After coal is combusted, the resultant gases are separated using different forms of ammonia through a process of cooling, cleaning and heated stripping of the gases to create a liquid CO2. The liquid CO2 can then be transported to a suitable site for storage.
The PCC pilot facility is undertaking a range of experimental trials to determine the potential to adapt the technology to NSW coal and power station conditions. There is also drilling currently underway, to look for potential CO2 storage sites. Researchers are drilling down two kilometres to take core samples for further testing to predict if underlying rocks in the Sydney and Gunnedah Basins are capable of safely storing large volumes of CO2 captured from power stations.
If successful the pilot project will provide the foundation for a large-scale $150 million 'post combustion capture and storage' demonstration project in NSW planned for operation by 2012, capturing up to 100 000 tonnes of CO2 each year.1
Find out more about post-combustion capture at:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/research/demo_postcombustion.html
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1Minister Macdonald, media release, 'NSW's first carbon storage search begins on Central Coast',