Leo on CCS

Introduction

This weeks guest stakeholder contribution comes from Leonardo Di Caprio!

Leo on CCS

 I am Hollywood's face of environmentalism. I have experienced a successful acting career, and in some ways, feel that I have been bestowed with the power to induce change. I have championed the battle against climate change, producing and starring in documentaries such as Before the Flood and Biomimicry.

 Climate change represents an existential threat to humanity. Peters et al., (2013) suggests RCP2.6 (see this skeptical science blog for description), the only IPCC scenario that limits temperature rise to below 2 degrees, would require near immediate emission reductions and negative emissions beyond 2070.

 So where does CCS come in? Reiner (2016) suggests that the 2 degree limit can only be attained through carbon capture technologies and that the technology must NOW make the transition from pilot to industrial scale, or 2 degrees of warming will be locked in.

 However, having read posts in this blog over previous weeks, I agree with Lewis Holden in that many CCS pilot projects have been hijacked by big oil. So how can CCS work for the environmentalist?

Blue Planet

 I recently joined the board of Blue Planet, a CCS development company based in Los Angeles. This company has recognised that, economically, CCS is only viable if a monetary incentive is presented. For example, Saskpower sold their captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

 Worrell et al., (2001) calculates that the global cement industry accounts for 5% of all CO2 emissions and Gregg et al., (2008) notes the rapid growth of this industry in China, which now accounts for 50% of all global CO2 emissions from cement production. At Blue Planet we are developing (and have patented) technology that captures CO2 from industrial power plants and utilises it in cement production. The process is outlined in my documentary, Biomimicry (starts a 7:50).

 How wonderful! A double CO2 sequestration. Captured in the chimney and stored in the cement! Professor Peter Claisse wrote this article discussing the method and the unresolved issues associated with it. These are summarised below:

• CO2 captured from power stations reacts with concrete and is sequestered. However, the process is very slow and very large surface areas of concrete to are required for the process to be economical.
• 260 million tonnes of CO2 could be sequestered in cement each year (though such figures are associated with huge uncertainties).
• The enhanced carbonation increases the risk of steel corrosion within concrete. Hence, there are many engineering applications where such concrete would be unsafe, such as in bridges or buildings.
• An engineering application where the technique would be useful is a floor of a warehouse. Here the risk of steel corrosion is very low, hence carbonated concrete could be used.

Conclusion

 For too long we have sat and and argued about how to fight the enemy. It is already rolling over the horizon. We find ourselves with the lesser hand. We must, of course, move towards 100% renewable energies as soon as possible. Can we do this tomorrow? No. CCS must play a role in reducing carbon emissions in the meantime. Evidently, CCS must first be monetised, and in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The technology is largely unproven, but I think CCS and concrete production may be the answer.