Carbon Management
Canada has ratified the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases (GHG). CO
2 is the greatest contributor to total emissions. Canada’s equivalent CO
2 emissions are estimated at 692 Mt/yr.
Reduction of CO
2 emissions can be achieved by use of more efficient technology, use of energy fuels with low carbon content and increased use of alternative sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal and nuclear. It is unlikely that the reduction of CO
2 emissions, required to meet the Kyoto agreement, could be reached by these measures alone. CO
2 sequestration will likely be an important component.
BC’s CO
2 emissions total @ 65.9 Mt/yr, of which 82.4% results from the combustion of fuels for energy generation.
CO
2 sequestration involves the capture and extraction of CO
2 from flue-gases or industrial streams, transportation of CO
2 and its disposal in an appropriate sink. There are several different methods for sequestering CO
2 that are potential options for BC:
- In Oil and Gas Reservoirs
- In Deep Coal Seams
- In Deep Saline Aquifers
- In Deep Ocean
- Mineral Carbonation
This background was directly extracted from GeoFile 2003-11: CO2 Sequestration (
2.5MB) by D.A. Voormeij and G.J. Simandl.
