The Battle of the CO 2 escapes into the ground

The European plan to slash emissions of greenhouse gases are increasingly more complicated. The nuclear suffer a serious blow to its credibility, which seems to prevent them from being the pillars that support the production of clean electricity until it is fully developed, renewable energy. In this context, and on the same day that certified the nuclear outage, Germany decided on Thursday to approve research technology of CO2 capture and storage, a controversial procedure which was opposed by environmentalists and socialists in Parliament.It is that power plants do not expel this gas fireplaces, but is caught before issued and injected into suitable underground.
In this country now wants to explore Germany came in 2007 a group of Spanish scientists now have at hand the most advanced project in the investigation of this complex technology. So much so that, just these days, the machinery of Compostilla in El Bierzo (León), has begun to achieve the first milestones almost industrial levels. There, in 2009 launched a scientific and technological project, backed by 180 million euros from the EU to achieve carbon black to make something more sustainable.
The program director CO2 capture, Vicente Cortés, explains that the technology is being developed near Ponferrada is the "only way" to maintain the coal mining without compromising the goal of reducing emissions. That's what the government asked in 2007 to those responsible for the Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), which were the ones who laid the cornerstone concept of what is now the Energy City Foundation that promotes the program.
Among the various technological ventures that could in theory get the desired results, was the Ciemat which opted for the development of oxy-fuel (coal combustion with oxygen). In this phase, the first of three, which is research proving that the CO2 can be segregated from other harmful elements that come from burning coal to generate electricity.
Trade Projection"And not in a laboratory or in small installations, as has been done so far, but like the industrial size of this plant," said Cortes, proud that his team is "world leader" in the development of this technology will use Endesa and market in Foster Wheeler is ready, around December this year.
Explains the professor of chemical engineering at the University of Seville, this plant with 45 workers in active practice is the size of a cement plant generates electricity and not to prostitute the project because "it is associated with technological development". Although, yes, the marketing of its patents will generate the appropriate copyright for this Spanish technology.
In Compostilla working in parallel with two very different types of boilers to be referred to the two main ways of exploiting the coal used in the world, and thus have solutions for everyone. Every hour of work is 4,000 euros in European investment while burning three tons of coal homeland. The second phase will involve the development of appropriate mechanisms for compression and transportation of this gas in a stable condition to the point of storage, the third phase.
This critical point is that more problems may arise, both from a technical perspective as well as the social response that may result. The injection of CO2 underground implies "learn a lesson from nature," said Modesto Montoto, program director of storage. It is about finding optimal land to play on the rock the same stage that occurs in the precious bags of gas or oil. The development of gas injection procedures in the soil and leak detection technologies are being prepared in Hontomín, Burgos.
According to projections by the Energy City Foundation, the CO2 capture and storage will be a reality in some industrial operations in 2015. A bet that must provide 20% reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases under the EU in 2050, according to the International Energy Agency.
But technology is not like anything to environmental organizations who are committed to putting all the chips in the field of clean energy. "It is wrong that public money is removed from the true solution, renewables, to keep alive this harmful energy system," said Aida Vila, Greenpeace, which criticizes the coal is subsidized in the extraction and burning, and now in this development. "The thing to do is restructure the sector, there continue patching as storage in the basement, which can leak," he warns.