Carbon sequestration and Carbon capture and
storage (CCS)
Clean development mechanism (CDM
Carbon trading
Future clean technology
Renewable and alternative energy,
Module 7 Green building, eco-friendly plastic.
Carbon
� Carbon is life.
� A chemical element, like hydrogen or nitrogen, carbon is a basic building block
of biomolecules.
� It exists on Earth in solid, dissolved and gaseous forms. For example, carbon is in
graphite and diamond, but can also combine with oxygen molecules to form
gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2).
� Carbon dioxide is a heat trapping gas produced both in nature and by human
activities.
� Man-made sources of carbon dioxide come from the burning of fossil fuels such
as coal, natural gas and oil for uses in power generation and transportation.
� Carbon dioxide is also released through land use changes, biologically through
oceans, the decomposition of organic matter and forest fires.
� The build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
can trap heat and contribute to climate change.
Carbon Sequestration
� The process of capturing, securing and storing carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere.
� The idea is to stabilize carbon in solid and dissolved forms so
that it doesn’t cause the atmosphere to warm.
� The process shows tremendous promise for reducing the
human “carbon footprint.”
� Two main types of carbon sequestration: biological and
geological.
Biological Sequestration
� Oceans:
� Absorb roughly 25 percent of carbon dioxide emitted from human activities
annually.
� Carbon goes in both directions in the ocean. When carbon dioxide releases
into the atmosphere from the ocean, it creates what is called a positive
atmospheric flux. A negative flux refers to the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide.
� Colder and nutrient rich parts of the ocean are able to absorb more carbon
dioxide than warmer parts. Therefore, the polar regions typically serve as
carbon sinks. By 2100, much of the global ocean will become large sink of
carbon dioxide, potentially altering the ocean chemistry and lowering the pH
of the water, making it more acidic.
Biological Sequestration
� Soil
� Carbon is sequestered in soil by plants through photosynthesis and can be
stored as soil organic carbon (SOC).
� Agroecosystems can degrade and deplete the SOC levels but this carbon
deficit opens up the opportunity to store carbon through new land
management practices.
� Soil can also store carbon as carbonates. Such carbonates are created over
thousands of years when carbon dioxide dissolves in water and percolates the
soil, combining with calcium and magnesium minerals, forming “caliche” in
desert and arid soil. Carbonates are inorganic and have the ability to store
carbon for more than 70,000 years, while soil organic matter typically stores
carbon for several decades.
Biological sequestration
� Forests
� About 25 percent of global carbon emissions are captured by plant-
rich landscapes such as forests, grasslands and rangelands.
� When leaves and branches fall off plants or when plants die, the
carbon stored either releases into the atmosphere or is transferred into
the soil.
� Wildfires and human activities like deforestation can contribute to the
diminishment of forests as a carbon sink.
Biological sequestration
� Grasslands
� While forests are commonly credited as important carbon sinks,
California’s majestic green giants are serving more as carbon sources
due to rising temperatures and impact of drought and wildfires in recent
years.
� Grasslands and rangelands are more reliable than forests in modern-day
Unlike trees, grasslands sequester most of their carbon underground.
When they burn, the carbon stays fixed in the roots and soil instead of in
leaves and woody biomass.
� Forests have the ability to store more carbon, but in unstable conditions
due to climate change, grasslands stand more resilient.
Geological sequestration
� The process of storing carbon dioxide in underground geologic
formations, or rocks.
� Carbon dioxide is captured from an industrial source, such as steel or
cement production, or an energy-related source, such as a power plant
or natural gas processing facility and injected into porous rocks for long-
term storage.
� Carbon capture and storage can allow the use of fossil fuels until
another energy source is introduced on a large scale.
Technological Carbon Sequestration and storage
� Graphene Production
The use of carbon dioxide as a raw material to produce graphene.
Graphene is used to create screens for smart phones and other tech devices.
Graphene production is limited to specific industries
� Direct Air Capture (DAC)
Capture carbon directly from the air using advanced technology
plants. However, this process is energy intensive and expensive, ranging from
$500-$800 per ton of carbon removed.
� Engineered Molecules
Specialized molecules can change shape by creating new kinds of
compounds capable of singling out and capturing carbon dioxide from the
air. They act as a filter, only attracting the element it was engineered to seek.
Future Clean Technologies
Plastics: A major
concern
Green Plastics
� In 1868 John W. Hyatt invented Celluloid from plant fibers (cellulose).
� After 1907,with the invention of first petroleum based plastic s only conventional
plastic was steadily growing
• Green plastics can be made from many different sources like –
• Plant Oil,
• Starch,
• Potato Starch,
• Corn
• Sugarcane, Weeds etc.
• Cellulose
• Examples: Polylactic acids (PLA), Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) etc.
Applications
•Bottling, resins, packaging, etc
•Advantages over conventional
plastics:
•[Link] GHG in production
•[Link] no petrochemicals.
•[Link]
•[Link] end-of-life
options
•[Link] carbon footprint
Future
Identifying problems
� Pinpointing global emissions hotspots with satellites and machine learning
� Spotting global supply chain emissions through artificial intelligence (AI)
� Recognizing energy leaks online
Future
Stopping further climate damage
� Farming seaweed for biofuel with sensor-driven drones
� Solar-collecting fabric
� Twenty-first century waterpower
� Elevator generators
Future
Boosting energy efficiency
� Carbon fiber
� Transparent wood
� Power-saving programming
Future
Reversing existing damage
� Carbon-based concrete
� Carbon-eating crops
� Carbon-sequestering fertilizer
� Trapping carbon in rock