Ever wonder how carbon capture works? This infographic breaks it down. | Graphic by Carly Wilkins, Energy Department.
Fossil energy sources, including oil, coal and natural gas, are non-renewable resources that formed when prehistoric plants and animals died and were gradually buried by layers of rock. Over millions of years, different types of fossil fuels formed -- depending on what combination of organic matter was present, how long it was buried and what temperature and pressure conditions existed as time passed.
Today, fossil fuel industries drill or mine for these energy sources, burn them to produce electricity, or refine them for use as fuel for heating or transportation. Over the past 20 years, nearly three-fourths of human-caused emissions came from the burning of fossil fuels.
The Energy Department maintains emergency petroleum reserves, ensures responsible development of America’s oil and gas resources and executes natural gas regulatory responsibilities. In addition, scientists at the Energy Department’s National Labs are developing technologies to reduce carbon emissions and ensure fossil energy sources play a role in America’s clean energy future.
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On June 30, Allentown, PA-based Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. successfully captured and transported, via pipeline, its 3 millionth metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) to be used for enhanced oil recovery. This achievement highlights the ongoing success of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
The U.S. and China announced six new EcoPartnerships during the recent U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, China. Among the new partnerships is a collaboration between Alabama-based Chemical and Metal Technologies (CMT) and China’s CPI Yuanda Environmental Protection Engineering Company. CPI Yuanda is a subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), one of China’s largest generating power companies.
The Houston-area Petra Nova project is designed to capture 1.4 million tons of CO2 per year -- making it the world's largest post-combustion carbon capture facility.
For the first time since 1995, U.S. domestic oil production exceeded foreign imports in October.
Emerging low-carbon technologies, like "chemical looping," are forging new pathways for using fossil fuels as part of a clean energy future.
