Carbon Capture Pilot Projects in the Asia Pacific Region

In recent years, many efforts have been made to research and develop carbon capture technology in the Asia Pacific region. The primary aim of such efforts is to reduce carbon capture cost which constitutes the majority of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) whole chain cost. Substantial funding has been provided by public and private sectors into this area. Pilot scale testing plants have been built, commissioned and operated. Significant benefits have been harvested through those projects. This paper focuses on some prominent pilot projects in the APAC region.

Compared with the ones in the United States, pilot projects in this region have some unique characteristics. The technical levels of carbon capture technology development across the region vary greatly. For some countries, such as Australia, pilot projects represent the state of the art or pioneering novel technologies and they make great contribution to the global knowledge in carbon capture. For some other countries, the pilot projects use conventional technology and the key benefits are to provide training and to promote awareness and confidence in carbon capture and storage as an energy technology and an emission reduction technology.

In this region, Australia has been the early mover for some of the capture technologies and has conducted pilot testing in a systematic way. Those pilots include amine solvent, aqueous ammonia, adsorption, membrane, and cryogenic in post-combustion, pre-combustion and oxy-fuel. Japan, as a major engineering technology provider, has numerous corporations investing in the R&D of carbon capture technology. Those companies have gone beyond the geological jurisdiction and conducted larger pilots experiments elsewhere while there are still several pilot projects within Japan. Korea had been focusing on its resources on two pilot projects – solvent and sorbent, which are managed by Korea Electric Power Corporation. China has gone through several phases during the last few years, from a learner, follower and to an advanced technology contender with funding from government, industry and international organizations. China has adopted a comprehensive approach which supports the development of various carbon capture technologies. Other countries in the region have, to various extents, conducted R&D in this area.

Another distinct feature is that international collaboration plays significant role in finance, design, construction, personnel training and operation. This region has extensive collaborations with Australia, Europe, the United States, Canada and others. Several example projects will be discussed.

In summary, the reduction of carbon capture cost needs continued R&D efforts and international collaboration. Knowledge-sharing could play a significant role in coordinating efforts around the globe in carbon capture technology development.