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  • The 2013 Carbon Management Technology Conference (CMTC 2013) focused on engineering perspectives regarding key issues related to the management of carbon and adaptation to issues including technologies and strategies, policies, and metrics.  CMTC 2013 was held Oct. 21-23, 2013 in Alexandria, VA  and included 34 sessions focused on four tracks:  Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS); Carbon Management Pathways from Electricity Generation to End-Use; Potentially Game-Changing Technology and Evaluation; and Engineering Challenges and Solutions for Adaptation to Climate Change. 

    Featured speakers included David K. Owens (Executive Vice President, Edison Electric Institute), Michael Godec (Vice President, Advanced Resources International, Inc.), Joe Powell (Chief Scientist, Shell), Gerald Galloway (Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering, University of Maryland), and Ah-Hyung (Alissa) Park (Columbia University).  The conference chair was Dave Rogers (General Manager of Climate Change, Chevron).  Click here to view an article on the conference written by Chris McManes, IEEE-USA’s public relations manager, and click here to view the proceedings of the conference. 

     
  • On Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, about 47 high school students from the bay area participated in the Outreach session at AIChE's Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.  Part of the Outreach session included Tony Butterfield, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah, presenting the "Carbon Capture in Water" and "Carbon Captured Chalk" teaching modules arranged by RCN-SEES on CCUS.  Check out the full blog post at the ChEnected link below:

     
  • "Carbon Footprint of Supply Chains:  A Scoping Study" from the Transportation Research Board defines a standardized, conceptual approach to assessing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the transportation component of supply chains, critiques current methods and data used to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and outlines a work plan to develop a decision tool to help estimate the carbon footprint of the transportation component of supply chains.

     
  • Tackling change:  Future-proofing water, agriculture, and food security in an era of climate uncertainty

    This document from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) discusses adapting water and food management to climate change.


    Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change:  Anticipating Surprises 

    This report by the National Research Council is an updated look at the issue of abrupt climate change and its potential impacts.  The report also summarizes the state of our knowledge about potential abrupt changes and abrupt climate impacts and calls for action to develop an abrupt change early warning system to help anticipate future abrupt changes and reduce their impacts.


    National Stormwater Calculator

    Feb. 2014 - EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records.


    Despite Climate Campaigners Efforts, Germany's New Coal Boom Reaches Record Level

    Jan. 2014 - This article from The Global Warming Policy Foundation and Dr. Benny Peiser discusses the use of coal in Germany and some other parts of Europe.


    Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources 

    Jan. 2014 - Presented in the January 8, 2014 Federal Register, the proposed rule that was signed in September 2013,  Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, can be found here.


    NOAA Global Analysis - Annual 2013

    Dec. 2013 - This report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the year 2013 has tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year globally since records began in 1880.  The report includes global and U.S. data and covers the state of the climate, temperature, precipitation and more.


    Ecohydrologic Impacts of Climate and Land Use Changes on Watershed Systems:  A Multi-Scale Assessment for Policy 

    Sept. 2013 - This dissertation by Paul A. Ekness at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst completes a continental and regional scale assessment using statistical and simulation modeling to investigate ecohydrologic impacts within watershed systems.


    Carbon Footprint of Supply Chains:  A Scoping Study

    June 2013 - This document from the Transportation Research Board defines a standardized, conceptual approach to assessing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the transportation component of supply chains, critiques current methods and data used to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and outlines a work plan to develop a decision tool to help estimate the carbon footprint of the transportation component of supply chains.

     
  • This article from The Global Warming Policy Foundation and Dr. Benny Peiser discusses the use of coal in Germany and some other parts of Europe.

     
  • Newberry Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Scientist Wallace Broecker's article "Does air capture constitute a viable backstop against a bad CO2 trip?" highlights RCN member Klaus Lackner's work on air capture and the need to narrow its wide range of cost estimates.

     
  • Dr. Camille Petit, a former post-doc in Prof. Alissa Park's group, has been appointed as a Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College, London. Congratulations, Dr. Petit!

    Prof. Petit's research focuses on the design, characterization and testing of novel multi-functional materials for environmental sustainability, with applications in CCUS and water purification. Prof. Petit has published extensively in the area of carbon capture using liquid-like nanoparticle organic hydrid materials (NOHMs).                         
           
    Her most recent work on the synthesis and characterization of NOHMs by ionic grafting of polymer chains onto nanoscale silica units called polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), titled, "Design and Characterization of Liquidlike POSS-Based Hybrid Nanomaterials Synthesized via Ionic Bonding and Their Interactions with CO2", was published in Langmuir (2013, 29 (39),12234–12242).

    Liquidlike nanoparticle organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) were designed and synthesized by ionic grafting of polymer chains onto nanoscale silica units called polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). The properties of these POSS-based NOHMs relevant to CO2 capture, in particular thermal stability, swelling, viscosity, as well as their interactions with CO2 were
    investigated using thermogravimetric analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, and NMR and ATR FT-IR spectroscopies.

    The results indicate that POSS units significantly enhance the thermal stability of the hybrid materials, and their porous nature also contributes to the overall CO2 capture capacity of NOHMs. The viscosity of the synthesized NOHMs was comparable to those reported for ionic liquids, and rapidly decreased as the temperature increased. The sorption of CO2 in POSS-based NOHMs also reduced their viscosities. The swelling behavior of POSS-based NOHMs was similar to that of previously studied nanoparticle-based NOHMs, and this generally resulted in less volume increase in NOHMs compared to their corresponding polymers for the same amount of CO2 loading.

    Read abstract

     
  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    December 19, 2013

    EPA Rule Provides a Clear Pathway for Using Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies

    WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule that helps create a consistent national framework to ensure the safe and effective deployment of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies.

    “Carbon capture and sequestration technology can help us reduce carbon pollution and move us toward a cleaner, more stable environment,” said Mathy Stanislaus, EPA assistant administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Today’s rule provides regulatory clarity to help facilitate the implementation of this technology in a safe and responsible way.”

    CCS technologies allow carbon dioxide to be captured at stationary sources - like coal-fired power plants and large industrial operations - and injected underground for long-term storage in a process called geologic sequestration.

    The new rule clarifies that carbon dioxide streams captured from emission sources, injected underground via UIC Class VI wells approved for the purpose of geologic sequestration under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and meeting certain other conditions (e.g., compliance with applicable transportation regulations), will be excluded from EPA’s hazardous waste regulations. Further, EPA clarifies that carbon dioxide injected underground via UIC Class II wells for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is not expected to be a waste management activity.

    EPA concluded that the careful management of carbon dioxide streams under the specified conditions does not present a substantial risk to human health or the environment. EPA’s determination will help provide a clear pathway for the deployment of CCS technologies in a safe and environmentally protective manner while also ensuring protection of underground sources of drinking water.

    Today’s rule is complementary to previous EPA rulemakings, including Safe Drinking Water Act regulations that ensure the Class VI injection wells are appropriately sited, constructed, tested, monitored, and closed.

    EPA is also releasing draft guidance for public comment that provides information regarding transitioning Class II wells used to inject carbon dioxide for oil and gas development to Class VI wells used for carbon capture and sequestration. The comment period for the draft guidance is 75 days.

    Information on the final rule – http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/industrial/geo-sequester/

    Information on the Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide: http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/wells_sequestration.cfm

    Read the draft guidance on transitioning from Class II to Class VI wells: http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class6/gsguidedoc.cfm

    R207

     
  • June 25, 2013 - this fact sheet presents President Obama's plan to cut carbon pollution.  Read it here.

     
  • The report provides information on key challenges in assessing the quality of different types of offsets and options for addressing key challenges associated with offset quality. This information would be important if the US adopts a program to limit emissions. GAO reviewed relevant literature and interviewed selected experts and stakeholders such as project developers, verifiers, and program officials. However, the report contains no recommendations.

     
  • Handbook, newsletters, webinars, events, and more.

    At the Carbon Management Technology Conference 2013 in Alexandria, VA, on October 20, 2013, GCCSI held a workshop entitled “CCS/CCUS Overview:  What It Is and What Are Its Implications?”  Information on the workshop and the presentations can be found here

     
  • The FTSE Group, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and BlackRock, has launched a first equity global index series that excludes companies linked to production of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. The index is called “FTSE Developed ex-Fossil Fuels Index Series” and has more than 2000 securities from 25 nations. The goal is to discourage the fossil fuel companies from further extracting carbon-based fuels and provide an impetus to the renewable energy industry. This is the first investment tool that completely excludes stocks of fossil fuel-related companies and thus allows environmentally-conscious investors (e.g. university endowment funds, etc.) to invest in securities that match their values. Read more about it here.

    This development closely follows similar other developments related to the energy industry. Students of the Harvard University have started a Divest Harvard campaign which calls upon the University to freeze new investments in fossil fuel companies, and divest direct and indirect holdings in publicly-traded fossil fuel companies. Rising awareness among investors and shareholders has also led to companies acknowledging the risks related to “stranded assets” – these are the carbon assets that a company may not be able to exploit in order to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. ExxonMobil recently issued an environmental report disclosing its “carbon risk” in response to demands from shareholders.

    Learn more

     
  • In May 2014, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released the Third National Climate Assessment, the authoritative and comprehensive report on climate change and its impacts in the United States.  The report is presented on an interactive website - view it here.

     
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their "Global Analysis - Annual 2013," showing the year 2013 has tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year globally since records began in 1880.  The report includes global and U.S. data and covers the state of the climate, temperature, precipitation and more.  To read the report, click here.

     
  • Prof. Andrew Bocarsly at Princeton University has focused his research efforts in understanding inorganic materials chemistry and electrochemistry, particularly electrochemical and semiconductor based photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2. He is also a founder and President of the Science Advisory Board for Liquid Light Inc., which aims to commercialize the formation of organic commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide using alternate energy sources. 
    Prof. Bocarsly is the co-author on a recent paper published in J. Amer. Chem. Soc., titled "Electrochemistry of Aqueous Pyridinium: Exploration of a Key Aspect of Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Methanol". The link to the paper is provided below: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja4064052
     
     
  • The 15th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET 2016) will take place in Singapore from July 19-22, 2016.  SET 2016 is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed international conference on sustainable energy sources and technologies.  For more information, click here.

     
  • The UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC) is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of the Research Councils UK Energy Programme, with additional funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

     
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