DECARBit project tries to capture carbon the cheapest way possible: before combustion

The DECARBit project is an investigation paid for by the European Union to study carbon capture technologies during the precombustion process of coal and gas. Norway is also part of the project, via SINTEF (Norway does not belong to the EU).

Current carbon capture techniques, mostly post-combustion, use chemicals applied directly to the resulting fumes of combustion. This is an expensive and complex process. DECARBit tries a different approach: instead of capturing CO₂, the idea is to capture as much carbon as possible before the combustion, which leaves a hydrogen-rich fuel. The idea is making carbon atoms form CO (carbon monoxyde) molecules which become CO₂ with water (more or less like this: CO + H₂O CO₂ + H₂). This leaves a much cleaner fuel, rich in hydrogen and it's actually a current process of obtaining H₂.

This is not the only carbon capture project SINTEF is working in: up to five concurrent projects are being coordinated by this Norwegian entity, together with the EU. Norway is a country pioneer in carbon capturing: back in 1996 Statoil used an empty natural gas reservoir to store CO₂.

[Source: Sintef via Econoticias]