A life cycle assessment study of a hypothetical Canadian oxy-fuel combustion carbon dioxide capture process

For at least the next few decades, fossil fuels will be used to supply energy globally, and without a proper control technique, carbon dioxide (CO2) atmospheric emissions will continue to increase and pose an even more serious threat to human and environment. Therefore, the use of an effective carbon dioxide capture technology has become important in ensuring reduction of CO2 emissions. However, more raw materials and energy are required for the CO2 capture systems operation. Consequently, it is necessary to evaluate the environmental performance of the complete life cycle of the CO2 capture process in order to fully understand its environmental impacts. This study presents a life cycle assessment study on a hypothetical oxy-fuel combustion CO2 capture system in Saskatchewan, Canada. The study analyses the oxy-fuel carbon dioxide capture and compares it with the lignite coal fired electrical generating station that has no capture system. TRACI, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method, is used to convert life cycle inventory data into environmental impacts. The observed results include a reduction in global warming and emissions to air impact categories due to capture of particulate matter (PM), trace elements, CO2 and acid gases. However, the emissions captured would eventually leach to soil and then to the ground water when landfilled. Thus, an increase in the impact categories associated with soil and water was also observed.