The goal of the energy transition is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the environment while continuing to meet the world’s energy needs. While most often expressed in relation to the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to less than 2ºC, the transition also underpins the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal, SDG-7, “to ensure access to affordable, reliable sustainable and modern energy for all”. Another SDG, SDG-12, aims to “ensure responsible consumption and production, including the minimisation of waste going to landfill or otherwise polluting our planet”. This goal also predicates the shift away from less sustainable energy crops to advanced biofuels. The use of waste as a feedstock in refineries to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels supports both of these goals. Already, refineries have adapted hydrotreaters and are recycling used cooking oil (UCO). Processing UCO is straightforward, and the product, either in the form of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) or hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), is drop-in fuels that can be blended in diesel or aviation kerosene fuels. More complex waste streams include forestry and agricultural residues, the biogenic components of municipal waste, and unrecyclable waste plastic. These need more vigorous conversion processes, such as gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction, and pyrolysis. Gasification is a commercially proven technology, while the other two processes are at an advanced technical readiness level, ready for commercialisation. Increasingly, refiners are looking to invest and build to increase capacity. However, it will take decades for fossil fuels to become fully redundant. While some refineries are now dedicated biorefineries, others are coprocessing waste-derived feedstocks with crude oils. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a waste stream from combustion or from chemical processes such as cement manufacture. Where possible, capturing the CO 2 from such processes is becoming a requirement. E-fuels and other uses for captured carbon are emerging and should be considered as an addition rather than an alternative to permanent storage. Both options reduce the emissions of CO 2 to the atmosphere, so can contribute towards the fundamental goal of the transition. However, a massive increase in the scale of carbon capture from industrial processes is mission-critical. Direct air capture (DAC) to draw down CO 2 from the atmosphere will also be essential. Achieving DAC at an impactful scale is one of the generational challenges for modern society. In the meantime, policy and regulation that disincentivise capture from industrial flues make no sense at all. Renewable fuels such as ammonia or methanol, for shipping with kerosene range e-fuels for sustainable aviation fuels, although carbon neutral, will still result in CO 2 emissions. However, marine vessels fuelled by renewables and equipped with carbon capture raise the prospect of carbon-negative shipping.
Managing Editor Rachel Storry
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Consulting Editor Robin Nelson robin.nelson@ decarbonisationtechnology.com
Editorial Assistant Lisa Harrison lisa.harrison@emap.com
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Cover Story nVent RAYCHEM mission-critical solutions keep processes running safely, efficiently, and reliably in biofuels, hydrogen, carbon capture and LNG facilities. nvent.com/RAYCHEM
Dr Robin Nelson
www.decarbonisationtechnology.com
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