Monitoring the impact of fugitive CO2 emissions on wheat growth in CCS-EOR areas using satellite and field data

In-situ monitoring of the environmental impact is essential for the verification of clean operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. We conducted an empirical study based on remotely sensed data and field observations from an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in China. Geostatistical analysis and general linear model regression were performed to detect the impact of fugitive CO2 emission from oil buffer tanks. Results show that the emitted CO2 resulted in CO2 enrichment about 25-100 m away from the buffer tanks. The spatial pattern and semivariogram parameters of normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) in the CCS core operating area had not been altered significantly. The CO2 concentration is not a statistically significant explanatory factor for the variation of wheat growth in the present CCS-EOR site that located in Gaoqing County in the east of China. The impact of fugitive CO2 emission on wheat growth appears limited because of the instability and rapid diffusion of emitted CO2. However, we emphasize that these results were extracted from the in-situ monitoring that characterized by macro-level and short term. Long-term biology-based study at a micro-level is imperative for further understanding and determining the environmental impact of fugitive CO2 emission. Moreover, considering the incidental CO2 breakthrough and the unknown impact of emitted gas, including CO2 and hydrocarbons, on the quality of wheat plant and grain, long-time field monitoring, and improvement of production equipment and technique are essential to ensure the clean production of CCS-EOR.