Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Phase III - Task 14: Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Water Working Group White Paper on the Nexus of Carbon Capture and Storage and Water - D78
To investigate the relationship between water and carbon capture and storage (CCS), members of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) formed the Water Working Group (WWG). Each RCSP has its own unique set of challenges related to water utilization and the implementation of CCS activity, and the WWG was formed to help to address those concerns. The goal of this white paper was to summarize the influence CCS is expected to have on water issues and the influence of water issues on CCS. Water is of utmost importance in every step of the CCS process, from the industrial sources where CO2 is generated to long after the CO2 is injected into the ground. Water is relied upon heavily for cooling, especially in power generation facilities, but is also needed for other processes, such as boiler operation and during the regeneration of solvents used for CO2 capture. Each technique for capture and compression may require water for cooling the additional equipment and for makeup water in the various processes. Currently, a majority of the water used by power plants is provided by surface water and groundwater resources which face competition from agricultural and municipal uses across the United States. The additional water load required for CCS may be problematic or require other solutions in water-stressed areas. New technological developments in capture and compression technologies also promise to reduce the impact of these technologies on increasing water demand.View/Download Document