Testing Technology to Keep CO2 Out of the Atmosphere

With its deep strata, Utah's geology may be ideal for safely storing CO2 from coal-fired power plants.

About USTAR's Fossil Energy Research

Based at the University of Utah’s Energy and Geoscience Institute, USTAR researcher Brian J. McPherson, Ph.D., leads a team testing a dramatic proposition: That CO2 can be captured at the point of power plant emission and safely confined thousands of feet underground, out of the atmosphere. Utah’s geology may foster a new “green” industry to help utilities mitigate climate change.
2008 Highlights

Large Federal Grant Spurs Investigations

  • Secured the largest Dept. of Energy grant to study carbon capture and sequestration ($88 million, multi-year).
  • Ran small-scale CO2 injection tests near Blanding, UT and in New Mexico.
  • Identified a test site in Carbon County for a commercial-scale experiment.
  • Negotiated a testing plan with federal, state, county and private business stakeholders
  • Conducted sophisticated computer modeling to predict the behavior of CO2 injected below thick strata.
  • Won a $4 million industry-sponsored research grant from Southern California Edison (SCE).
  • Appeared in documentaries on climate change for Discovery Channel and BBC1.
  • Launched a new company.
2009 Goals

The Proof is in the Pumping

  • Begin injection of CO2 (up to 1 million tons per year). The test should bring up to $30 million to the Central Utah economy over several years.
  • Monitor the underground “CO2 plume” to validate computer models
  • Continue work with SCE to develop the first clean hydrogen power plant in the Western U.S. utilizing carbon sequestration(site: Emery County)
ROI: External grants secured by Dr. McPherson are many multiples of the USTAR investment made in his research to date.

Growing Utah's Economy and Making Energy Cleaner

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is the bridge technology to a hydrogen economy. CCS could extend the world’s ability to exploit coal as a hydrogen source without emitting large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, essentially buying time to bring cleaner alternative energy technologies to scale. USTAR is putting Utah in the forefront worldwide, and new jobs and businesses in rural Utah should result.