Queensland carbon capture project

The Queensland project funded by CSIRO and Tarong Energy will see the installation of a post-combustion capture (PCC) pilot plant at Tarong Power Station, 45 km south of Kingaroy.

The pilot plant is designed to capture 1500 tonnes per annum of CO₂ from the power station and is part of a broader research program to identify ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector.

The two-year project will start immediately, with the pilot plant expected to be operational in the first half of 2009 and the research activities associated with the technology completed in 2011.

The director of CSIRO’s Energy Transformed National Research Flagship, Dr John Wright, said low-emission energy generation was a key research area for the flagship.

“About 80% of the energy consumed in Australia is generated from large, coal-fired power stations,” Dr Wright said.

“It is critical that we find ways to make coal a cleaner energy source and we’re pleased to be working with Tarong Energy to help find these solutions.

“When coupled with CO₂  sequestration, post-combustion capture offers the potential for near zero emissions from coal-fired power stations.

“While this project won’t immediately reduce emissions, the information gathered from the research work will be used to assist the selection of the technology for a commercial-scale application.”

In the PCC process the power station’s flue gas is passed through a chemical solution (sorbent) where 85–95% of the CO₂ is captured. The CO₂-rich sorbent is heated which releases the CO₂. After compression and cooling, the CO₂ then forms a liquid ready for pipeline transport to a sequestration site.

The Tarong trial will focus on assessing the performance of an amine-based PCC pilot plant that will be integrated into the existing coal-fired power stations.