U.S. Department of Energy • Office of Fossil Energy • National Energy Technology Laboratory

Announcements

5th Version of NETL’s CCS Database Now Available. 

NETL’s CCS Database includes active, proposed, and terminated CCS projects worldwide. The information is sourced from 

publically available information to provide the public with information regarding efforts by various industries, public groups, 

injection has sustained pressure increases below regulatory limits. 

The injected CO2 is expected to remain hundreds of feet below a 300-

foot thick shale formation that acts as a seal. The project is part of 

DOE’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSP) Initiative, 

which is developing and deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) 

technologies across the United States. MGSC, led by the Illinois 

State Geological Survey (ISGS), is evaluating CCS options for the 

60,000-square-mile Illinois Basin, which underlies most of Illinois, 

southwestern Indiana, and western Kentucky. From NETL News Release

on January 8, 2015.

“Oil Operators Gain Powerful, UserFriendly Enhanced Oil Recovery 

Planning Software.”

Under a cooperative agreement with DOE’s National Energy Technology 

Laboratory (NETL), NITEC LLC developed new software, called 

COZView/COZSim, that enables quicker, more affordable technical 

studies of CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) for small- to midsized U.S. oilfield operators. The software has the following features: 

(1) addresses the physical and chemical factors that impact the flow 

and recovery of reservoir fluids, such as solubility of CO2 in water and 

oil or swelling of oil in the presence of CO2; (2) allows an integrated 

feasibility study to be completed within one month, compared to the 

six or more months required for other approaches; and (3) integrates 

a friendly, interactive user interface (COZView) for pre- and postprocessing of simulation results with a reservoir simulator (COZSim). 

The COZView/COZSim software can reduce the cost to small- and 

mid-sized operators for commissioning technically sophisticated studies 

to assess the feasibility of CO2 EOR. The NETL-funded version of the 

software can be downloaded from the NITEC LLC website at no cost. 

The website also includes a comprehensive user manual and a number 

of tutorials. As of December 2014, more than 80 copies of the software 

had been downloaded. By injecting CO2 into oilfields that are nearing 

the end of prime oil production, operators can extract a portion of the 

remaining oil and increase geologic CO2 storage. From NETL News 

Release on December 15, 2014.

January 2015

 What’s Inside?

Announcements

Carbon Storage in the News

Science

Policy

Geology

Technology

Terrestrial

Trading

Recent Publications

Legislative Activity

Subscription Information

Highlights

“Energy Department Project Captures and 

Stores One Million Metric Tons of Carbon.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the Midwest 

Geological Sequestration Consortium’s (MGSC) Illinois Basin-Decatur 

Project successfully captured and stored 1 million metric tons of 

carbon dioxide (CO2) in a saline formation. The CO2 is captured from 

the Archer Daniels Midland Company ethanol-production facility in 

Decatur, Illinois. It is then compressed and transported by pipeline for 

injection approximately 7,000 feet below the surface into the Mount 

Simon Sandstone formation. Since initiation in November 2011, the
Carbon Storage in the News

“Drax CCS Well Drilling Design Contract Signed.” 

National Grid awarded the front-end engineering and design (FEED) 

contract to Applied Drilling Technology International (ADTI) for well 

drilling in the North Sea to store CO2 from the White Rose CCS project

in the United Kingdom. ADTI will design a shallow water well envelope 

with features making the wells suitable for storing CO2. ADTI will 

also research suitable materials and programming and estimate these 

costs. The White Rose CCS project is a collaborative effort of Capture 

Power, a consortium of Drax Power, Alstom, and BOC. The project 

will capture carbon from a 426-megawatt power plant planned for land

next to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire. The White Rose 

CCS project was awarded European Union funding in July 2014 and 

also won initial FEED funding from the UK government in December 

2013. From The Chemical Engineer on December 22, 2014.

Science

“Wall Brown Butterfly ‘May Be a Victim of Climate Change.’” 

According to Belgian scientists, the population decline of the wall 

brown butterfly from areas of southern England may be the result of 

potentially warming weather patterns. Recent research claims that

Announcements (Continued)

and governments towards development and eventual deployment of CCS technology. As of November 2014, 

the database contained 274 CCS projects worldwide. The 274 projects include 69 capture, 60 storage, and 145 

for capture and storage in more than 30 countries across 6 continents. While several of the projects are still 

in the planning and development stage, 128 are actively capturing and injecting CO2. NETL’s CCS Database 

is available as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and also as a customizable layer in Google Earth. 

U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change. 

The United States of America and the People’s Republic of China announced bilateral cooperation on climate change and will collaborate 

with other countries to adopt a protocol, another legal instrument, or an agreed outcome at the United Nations (UN) Climate Conference 

in Paris, France, in 2015. Under the agreement, the United States would cut its 2005 level of carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent before 

the year 2025. China would peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and will also aim to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary 

energy consumption to approximately 20 percent by 2030. 

NETL Collaborations Advance Carbon Management Strategies. 

The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative (CCSI) and the National Risk Assessment 

Partnership (NRAP) are using predictive computational modeling to help DOE meet its 

goal of having CCS technologies ready for demonstration in the 2020 to 2025 timeframe. For more information, 

visit DOE’s national laboratories webpage. 

ETI Seeks Partners for New CCS Storage Project. 

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) made approximately 3 million dollars available through 

the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) for the further evaluation of CO2 storage sites beneath the North Sea. The project will identify 

the next phase of storage sites that are suitable for secure, long-term storage of CO2 captured from coal or gas power stations and heavy 

industry, such as steel and cement factories. 

BSCSP Kevin Dome Carbon Storage Project Blog Available. 

The Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership (BSCSP) has created a “News from the 

Kevin Dome” blog on their website as a means to regularly update the public about work 

being done on the Kevin Dome Carbon Storage Project. BSCSP expects to post updates 

on a weekly basis and as developments occur in the field. 

RGGI States Initiate Bidding Process for Auction 27.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) released the Auction Notice and application materials for the 27th CO2 allowance 

auction scheduled for March 11, 2015. The Auction Notice provides participants with the information needed to submit a Qualification 

Application and indicate their intent to bid in Auction 27. The states will offer 15,272,670 CO2 allowances for sale at a reserve price 

of $2.05 in 2015. There is also a 10 million CO2 allowance cost containment reserve (CCR) available for this auction, which will be 

accessed if the interim clearing price exceeds the CCR price of $6.00.

2
3

Science (Continued)

warming conditions are causing the butterfly to hatch too late in the year 

to survive, falling into a “development trap.” Instead of spending the 

entire winter as a caterpillar, the wall butterfly offspring are turning into 

butterflies later in the year (September and October), when it is too cold 

and there is insufficient food supply. Since 1976, the wall butterfly has 

decreased by 86 percent in England. The butterfly has nearly disappeared 

from most of central and southern England, but continues to survive 

at coastal sites. The research, published in the online journal “Oikos,” 

showed that the micro-climate at the inland sites was an average of 

1.2°C warmer than the coastal sites, leading scientists to suggest that 

the butterfly can maintain its traditional life cycle at coastal sites due to 

cooler conditions by the sea. From The Guardian on December 24, 2014.

“Mussel Shells Being Affected Due to Climate 

Change.”

According to researchers from the University 

of Glasgow in Scotland, the mussel population may be affected by 

potential climate change, as their shells have become more brittle as 

water becomes more acidic. The more acidic oceanic water may also 

be affecting the yields of mussels available for the fishing industry. 

According to the study, mussels growing in the wild may be more prone 

to attacks by predators and may also be affected by other ocean forces. 

The researchers came to their conclusions by studying common blue 

mussels in laboratory tanks and changing the water temperature and 

pH levels to simulate different types of ocean waters. Some experts’ 

projections claim the world’s oceans may become more acidic in 

the coming decades. From Austrian Tribune on December 29, 2014.

“Top Weather Conditions that Amplify Lake Erie Algal Blooms 

Revealed.” 

A study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University claims 

that wind is the most important weather-related factor contributing to 

harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie, suggesting that potential 

climate change may have to be incorporated into HAB prevention 

efforts by environmental agencies. The researchers analyzed nine 

environmental factors in Lake Erie from 2002 to 2012, using data 

from the sensor onboard the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite 

Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) to examine how 

the lake water changed colors (an indication of the concentration of the 

toxic blue-green algae present in HABs). The study found that spanning 

the 10-year period, wind speed contributed to HABs more consistently 

than other environmental factors, such as sunshine, precipitation, water 

temperature, and water quality. From Science Daily on December 17, 

2014.

Policy

“Alberta’s Climate Change Regulations Extended.” 

The Government of Alberta announced the extension of four climate 

change regulations through the end of June 2015 to allow for the continued

analysis of new approaches and partnership opportunities discussed at 

the UN climate change conference in Peru in early December 2014. The 

four regulations are the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER), the 

Specified Gas Reporting Regulation (SGRR), the Administrative Penalty 

Regulation, and the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund 

Administration Regulation. The SGER outlines compliance options and 

sets Alberta’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target from 

business as usual at 12 percent for facilities emitting more than 100,000 

metric tons of GHGs. The SGRR requires facilities emitting more than 

50,000 metric tons of GHGs annually to report emission levels. The 

Administrative Penalty Regulation provides authority to issue a penalty 

for compliance breaches under SGER and SGRR. Finally, the Climate 

Change and Emissions Management Fund Administration Regulation 

enables the Climate Change Emissions Management Corporation to 

decide how to administer money paid to the corporation. The regulations 

were set to expire on December 21, 2014. The new climate change 

framework will be introduced in 2015. From Government of Alberta 

News Release on December 19, 2014.

“In silico science for climate policy: How policy-makers process 

and use carbon storage simulation data.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Knowledge gained 

from computer simulations in new earth-related technologies is not 

limited to the scientific community itself but impacts other domains of 

society such as politics, business and industry, and the public at large. 

In general business and industry in the oil and gas business are using 

computer simulations on a daily basis. In this case it is using computer 

simulations to gain understanding of the risk of a new technology 

which would affect the subsurface on a large scale and hence in Europe 

a substantial amount of people. So far, research did not consider in 

depth patterns of in silico science for policy. This paper [analyzes] how 

policymakers process and use simulation data based on a case-study 

of geo-scientific [CO2] capture modeling. The empirical results are 

based on 19 qualitative interviews with decision-makers from politics, 

business and industry, and society. The empirical results reveal a great 

variety of co-existing perception, evaluation and use patterns of how 

decision-makers deal with simulations. The field work reveals that 

the current state-of-the-art in research literature which emphasizes 

an overall misperception, misunderstanding and misuse of simulation 

data by policy-makers is, in general, not backed by the case-study 

results. However, scientific simulations do leave considerable room for 

misunderstandings for experts not disposing on specific geo-scientific 

and simulation expertise.” Dirk Scheer, Environmental Science & 

Policy. (Subscription may be required.)

Geology

“Fractal analysis in pore structure of coal under conditions of CO2

sequestration process.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “A high pressure 

supercritical CO2 (HP-ScCO2) geochemical reactor was used to 

simulate CO2 [storage] into deep coal seam under around 40 °C 

and 9.8 MPa for 72 h and fractal analysis were employed to study 

the mercury intrusion data of 4 different coal rank samples before 

and after the ScCO2–H2O treatment, focusing on the pore structure. 
4

“APTES grafted ordered mesoporous silica KIT-6 for CO2 

adsorption.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Pure KIT-6 was synthesized 

using pluronic P123 (PEO20PPO70PEO20, mw ~ 5800 Da) surfactant 

in mild acidic condition. It was functionalized with (3-aminopropyl) 

triethoxysilane (APTES) by grafting in dry and aqueous solvent at 

80 °C. Cubic (Ia3d) structure and uniformity of the adsorbents were 

analyzed by small angle powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and highresolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Physical 

properties of the adsorbents were characterized by nitrogen adsorption/

desorption behavior, infrared spectroscopy (IR) and thermo gravimetric 

(TG) analysis. CO2 adsorption/desorption behavior of the adsorbents 

was studied in a gravimetric analyzer. Optimum amine loading was 

substantially increased from 1.74 mmol N g−1 in dry grafting to 2.75 

mmol N g−1 in aqueous grafting. The adsorption capacity was also 

remarkably increased from 0.90 mmol CO2 g−1 (An_K_9.0A) to 1.56 

mmol CO2 g−1 (Aq_K_0.20W_9.0A) at 30 °C. The heat of adsorption 

of the process was in the range of 20–32 kJ mol−1. The adsorbent 

showed its stability with the adsorption capacity remaining constant 

over 10 adsorption/desorption cycles.” Rupak Kishor and Aloke 

Kumar Ghoshal, Chemical Engineering Journal. (Subscription may 

be required.)

“Molecular dynamics simulation on volume swelling of CO2–alkane 

system.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “The microscopic 

mechanism of the volume swelling of CO2–alkane (decane, octane, 

hexane and cyclohexane) systems and the effects of temperature, 

pressure and alkane structure on the volume swelling of CO2–alkane 

systems are investigated by performing molecular dynamics simulation. 

It is shown that the increase in pressure, the reduction in temperature 

and the straight-chain structure of the alkane are of benefit to the volume 

swelling of CO2–alkane systems by calculating the volume swelling 

coefficient; CO2 in supercritical state plays a dominant role in the volume 

swelling of CO2–alkane systems. The microscopic process of the volume 

swelling of CO2–decane system shows that the increase in the average 

separation distance between decane molecules and the stretch of decane 

molecules result in the volume swelling of decane as CO2 dissolve 

into decane. The calculations of interaction energies in CO2–decane 

system indicate that the interaction between CO2 and decane molecules 

is responsible for the volume swelling of CO2–alkane system. Further 

study on the interaction between CO2 and decane molecules shows that 

the dispersion interaction, resulting in the different solubility of CO2 in 

alkanes, is the essence of the volume swelling for CO2–alkane system. 

This work is a good start on understanding the mechanism of alkane 

swelling influenced by CO2 at the molecular level and provides useful 

information for guiding CO2 enhancing oil recovery.” Bing Liu, Junqin 

Shi, Baojiang Sun, Yue Shen, Jun Zhang, Xu Chen, and Muhan 

Wang, Fuel. (Subscription may be required.)

Geology (Continued)

It is revealed from the mercury porosimetry data that after exposure to 

the ScCO2–H2O fluid, the true density of coal samples are changed as 

well as total pore volume and porosity most importantly in the increase of 

micro-pore range. Fractal analysis is introduced to distinguish inter- and 

intraparticle pores at lower mercury intrusion pressure and to identify the 

initial pressure associated with the coal compressibility. Three values of 

fractal dimension (D1, D2, and D3) are obtained under different pressure 

ranges, which can be classified corresponding to three different mercury 

intrusion processes. Varied D1 values are mainly due to the accumulation 

mode of samples in the penetrometer and can be used to distinguish 

the interpore and intrapore intrusion process at lower pressure range 

of mercury intrusion. D2 values represent the mercury intrusion into 

intrapores. D3 value is decreasing as coal rank increased and can be used 

to describe the initial pressure when coal samples begin to be compressed 

or deformed at higher pressure of mercury intrusion. The experiments 

revealed that CO2 [storage] process changed the physical properties of 

coal samples, especially in compression resistance. Coal rank and ash 

content in coal are important factors which will affect the variation of 

coal structure during CO2 [storage].” C.J. Liu, G.X. Wang, S.X. Sang, 

W. Gilani, and V. Rudolph, Fuel. (Subscription may be required.)

“Mineral carbon storage in pre-treated ultramafic ores.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Mineral carbon [storage] 

(MCS) is a type of carbon storage based on natural rock weathering 

processes where CO2, dissolved in rainwater, reacts with alkaline 

minerals to form solid carbonates. Although MCS has advantages over 

other carbon storage techniques, an economic MCS process has not yet 

been developed. Two approaches were taken in this work to attempt to 

reduce the cost of MCS. The first approach was to use a waste material, 

serpentine waste from ultramafic nickel ore processing, as a feedstock. 

The second approach was to develop pre-treatments to increase the 

carbon storage capacity of the feedstock. Two pre-treatments were 

investigated in this work, including microwave pre-treatment and 

leaching with ligands at neutral to alkaline pH. The carbon uptake 

of ultramafic ores was found to increase with increasing microwave 

pre-treatment after a threshold heating time of 4 min was surpassed. A 

maximum carbon uptake of 18.3 g CO2/100 g ore (corresponding to a 

carbonate conversion of 36.6 [percent]) was observed for microwave 

pre-treated ore. The increase in carbon uptake was attributed primarily 

to the conversion of serpentine to olivine in ultramafic ores that occurs 

as result of microwave pre-treatment. The effect of five different ligands 

(catechol, citrate, EDTA, oxalate and tiron) on the carbon uptake of 

ultramafic ores was investigated. Of the ligands tested, only catechol and 

tiron were found to both improve the leaching of magnesium from the ores 

and the quantity of CO2 stored. A maximum carbon uptake of 9.7 g/100 

g ore (corresponding to a carbonate conversion of 19.3 [percent]) was 

observed for ultramafic ore pre-leached and carbonated in tiron solution 

at pH 10. This is the first time ligands have been reported to improve the 

carbon uptake of mineral carbon [storage] feedstock. Although process 

optimization work was not conducted, both microwave pre-treatment 

and leaching with ligands at neutral to alkaline pH show promise as 

ways to lower the cost of MCS.” Erin R. Bobicki, Qingxia Liu, and 

Zhenghe Xu, Minerals Engineering. (Subscription may be required.)
Technology

“Assessment of the recovery and front contrast of CO2-EOR and 

sequestration in a new gas condensate reservoir by compositional 

simulation and seismic modeling.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “While mature oil reservoirs 

and [formations] are considered to be good potential candidates for 

CO2 [storage], [the authors] proposed and investigated an alternative 

which combines CO2 [storage] and CO2-EOR at the start of production 

in a gas condensate reservoir. First, [the authors] established a cosimulation workflow with a combination of compositional reservoir 

simulation and synthetic seismic simulation. Next, [the authors] 

conducted compositional reservoir simulation and synthetic seismic 

simulation in a five-spot well pattern to investigate whether seismic 

data can monitor the CO2front and gas condensate bank with CO2

injected from the beginning of well production. Then, [the authors] 

compared the compositional simulation results with the seismic 

simulation results. Although the density contrast among reservoir gas, 

injected CO2, and condensate is lower than the density contrast in the 

case of CO2

 [storage] in [formations], the seismic signal may have the 

potential to capture this smaller difference, monitor the CO2 injection 

front, and locate the condensate zone, depending on the temperature, 

pressure and phase properties. When no adequate data are available for 

reservoir characterization at an early period of production, the seismic 

data is the only direct measurement of inter-well properties. It may be 

valuable for reservoir characterization and for the evaluation of the 

condensate block. It can serve as the basis for time-lapse monitoring. 

[The authors] compare production by natural depletion with production 

by CO2-EOR and [storage] started at the beginning of well production. 

It shows that the latter will speed up the recovery process and increase 

the recovery rate while simultaneously storing a large amount of CO2

in the reservoir.” Chengwu Yuana, Zhong Zhang, and Kaijian 

Liu, Fuel. (Subscription may be required.) 

“Fully coupled wellbore-reservoir modeling of geothermal heat 

extraction using CO2 as the working fluid.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “[The authors] consider using 

CO2 as an alternative to water as a working fluid to produce geothermal 

electricity through the application of a coupled reservoir, wellbore, and 

surface power-plant model. [The authors’] approach has relaxed some of 

the simplifying assumptions others have made in previous work, through 

the application of a subsurface reservoir model fully coupled with a 

detailed wellbore simulator. [The authors] also include a simplified 

representation of CO2 turbomachinery for a surface plant optimized 

for direct use of supercritical CO2. The wellbore model includes heat 

transfer between the fluid in the well and the surrounding formation, in 

addition to frictional, inertial, and gravitational forces. [The authors’] 

results show that thermophysical operating conditions and the amount 

of power production are greatly influenced by wellbore flow processes 

and by wellbore/caprock heat transfer. [The authors] investigate 

competing effects that control development of a thermosiphon, which 

enables production of geothermal electricity without the need for a 

continuously operating external pump.” Lehua Pan, Barry Freifeld, 

Christine Doughty, Steven Zakem, Ming Sheu, Bruce Cutright, 

and Tracy Terrall, Geothermics. (Subscription may be required.)

5

“Ground Gas Monitoring: Implications for Hydraulic Fracturing 

and CO2 Storage.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Understanding the 

exchange of CO2

 and methane (CH4) between the geosphere and 

atmosphere is essential for the management of anthropogenic emissions. 

Human activities such as CCS and hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) 

affect the natural system and pose risks to future global warming and 

to human health and safety if not engineered to a high standard. In this 

paper an innovative approach of expressing ground gas compositions is 

presented, using data derived from regulatory monitoring of boreholes 

in the unsaturated zone at infrequent intervals (typically 3 months) 

with data from a high frequency monitoring instrument deployed over 

periods of weeks. Similar highly variable trends are observed for time 

scales ranging from decades to hourly for boreholes located close to 

sanitary landfill sites. Additionally, high frequency monitoring data 

confirm the effect of meteorological controls on ground gas emissions; 

the maximum observed CH4 and CO2 concentrations in a borehole 

monitored over two weeks were 40.1 [percent] v/v and 8.5 [percent] v/v 

respectively, but for 70 [percent] of the monitoring period only air was 

present. There is a clear weakness in current point monitoring strategies 

that may miss emission events and this needs to be considered along 

with obtaining baseline data prior to starting any engineering activity.” 

Christopher J. Teasdale, Jean A. Hall, John P. Martin, and David 

A. C. Manning, Environ. Sci. Technol. (Subscription may be required.)

Terrestrial

“The importance of soil sampling depth for accurate account of soil 

organic carbon sequestration, storage, retention and loss.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Soil organic carbon 

distribution within soil profile is highly influenced by management 

practices, especially tillage systems where soil environment is altered. 

Such changes in soil environment will affect soil carbon retention 

or accumulation in different layers of the soil profile. However, 

much published research in the area of soil organic carbon (SOC) 

sequestration focuses on shallow sampling depths within the 0–30 

cm tillage zone when determining SOC stocks and sequestration. The 

objectives of this study are to quantify the SOC stock differences with 

depth between tillage treatments after 20 years and to determine the 

appropriate sampling depth when assessing SOC stocks as influenced 

by management practices. A 20-year moldboard plow (MP), chisel plow 

(CP) and no-tillage (NT) study was established with a maize–soybean 

rotation. The 75-cm root zone was sampled in 5-cm intervals to measure 

SOC stocks. The SOC sequestration, storage, retention and loss were 

determined for the0–5 cm, 0–15 cm, 15–75 cm and 0–75 cm layers. 

The NT treatment did retain more SOC stock than the MP treatment 

to a 20 cm depth but the SOC stock of the 20–35 cm layer NT system 

was lower than the MP system. It is recommended that the depth of 

soil sampling has to include the entire root zone to accurately report 

SOC stock and the effect of tillage system on change in SOC.” K.R. 

Olson and M.M. Al-Kaisi, CATENA. (Subscription may be required.) 
6

Terrestrial (Continued)

“Short-term carbon dioxide emission under contrasting soil 

disturbance levels and organic amendments.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Agriculture can be either 

a source or sink of atmospheric CO2 depending on soil management. 

The application of swine slurry in conventional tilled soils could 

enhance soil CO2 emission depleting soil organic C stocks. However, 

the use of recalcitrant C-rich organic fertilizers in no-till soils can 

offset soil CO2 emission promoting soil C [storage]. This hypothesis 

was tested by evaluating short-term CO2-C emissions from a Rhodic 

Nitisol under contrasting soil disturbance levels (disturbed (DS) and 

undisturbed soil (US)) top-dressed with mineral or organic fertilizers 

(urea (UR), raw swine slurry (RS), anaerobically digested swine slurry 

(ADS), and composted swine slurry (CS)). Soil CO2 emission was 

evaluated for 64 days using static chambers where gas samples were 

collected and [analyzed] by photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy. Soil 

water-filled pore space (WFPS), temperature and meteorological data 

were concomitantly registered and a first-order exponential decay 

model was used to assess the decomposition of organic fertilizers and 

CO2 emissions induced by soil disturbance. Soil CO2-C emission was 

correlated with soil temperature, while limiting soil aeration impaired 

CO2-C efflux when WFPS >0.6 cm3 cm−3. Disturbance increased soil 

CO2-C efflux (36.3 ± 2.2 kg CO2-C ha−1 day−1) in relation to US (33.3 ± 

1.6 kg CO2-C ha−1 day−1). Extra labile C input through RS amendment 

induced an increased soil CO2-C efflux for a longer period (t1/2 = 

16.9 and 9.6 days in DS and US treatments, respectively), resulting 

in higher CO2-C emissions than soil amended with other fertilizers. 

The recalcitrant C input by ADS and CS had limited effect on soil 

CO2-C emissions. CS presented a genuine potential for substantial soil 

organic C accumulation while offsetting increased CO2-C emissions 

in comparison to RS amended soils.” Roberto André Grave, 

Rodrigo da Silveira Nicoloso, Paulo Cezar Cassol, Celso Aita, 

Juliano Corulli Corrêa, Morgana Dalla Costa, and Diego Daniel 

Fritz, Soil and Tillage Research. (Subscription may be required.)

Trading

“South Korea Launches World’s Second-Biggest Carbon Market.”

South Korea opened its CO2

 cap-and-trade system on January 12, 2015, 

limiting CO2 emissions from power generators, petrochemical firms, 

steel producers, car makers, electro-mechanical firms and airlines. 

The market covers 525 South Korean companies that will be allotted 

a fixed amount of permits (totaling 1.687 million metric tons of CO2

equivalent) to cover emissions for the next three years. Any company that 

exceeds its allotment must buy credits from another firm. South Korea’s 

goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 30 percent by 2020. South Korea 

follows Kazakhstan as the second country in Asia to launch a nationwide 

emissions market; China and Japan operate regional schemes. The 

South Korean market is considered the second largest cap-and-trade 

system in the world behind Europe. From Reuters on January 12, 2015.

“Carbon pricing versus emissions trading: A supply chain planning 

perspective.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Carbon pricing (taxes) 

and carbon emissions trading are two globally practiced carbon 

regulatory policy schemes. This paper presents an analytical supply 

chain planning model that can be used to examine the supply chain 

performance at the tactical/operational planning level under these two 

policy schemes. Model implementation and analyses are completed 

using actual data from a company operating in Australia, where these 

environmental regulatory policies are practiced. Numerical results 

provide important managerial and practical implications and policy 

insights. In particular, the results show that there are inflection points 

where both carbon pricing and trading schemes could influence costs 

or emissions reductions. An erratic nonlinear emissions reduction trend 

is observed in a carbon pricing scheme as the carbon price increases 

steadily; whereas emissions reduction in a carbon trading scheme 

follows a relatively linear trend with a nonlinear cost increase. Overall, 

a carbon trading mechanism, although imperfect, appears to result in 

better supply chain performance in terms of emissions generation, cost, 

and service level; even though a carbon tax may be more worthwhile 

from an uncertainty perspective as emissions trading costs depend 

on numerous uncertain market conditions.” Atefe Zakeri, Farzad 

Dehghanian, Behnam Fahimnia, and Joseph Sarkis, International 

Journal of Production Economics. (Subscription may be required.)

“Gains from Emissions Trading Under Multiple Stabilization 

Targets and Technological Constraints.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “This study quantified the 

effectiveness of emissions trading by considering multiple technological 

constraints, burden sharing schemes, and climate stabilization targets. 

[The authors] used a global computable general equilibrium model, 

and evaluated the effectiveness of emissions trading using welfare 

losses associated with climate mitigation for scenarios with and without 

emissions trading, as measured by the Hicksian Equivalent Variation 

(HEV). [The authors] found that emissions trading contributed to a 

reduction in the economic losses associated with climate mitigation for 

all technological assumptions, burden sharing schemes, and stabilization 

targets. The net global welfare losses in scenarios without emissions 

trading ranged between 0.7 [percent] and 1.9 [percent], whereas 

emissions trading reduced the losses by 0.1 [percent] to 0.5 [percent]. 

The range depended on the assumptions in the burden sharing schemes, 

technological constraints, and stabilization targets. The percentage 

change in welfare gain from emissions trading varied regionally, and was 

relatively high in low-income or middle-income countries (0.2 [percent] 

to 1.0 [percent] and − 0.1 [percent] to 1.2 [percent], respectively) 

compared to high-income countries (− 0.1 [percent] to 0.3 [percent]). 

Some regions displayed negative values with regard to the effectiveness 

of emissions trading, which might be due to the change in goods and 

service trades associated with emissions trading. If the usage of [CCS] 

was constrained, welfare loss became large and the effectiveness of 

emissions trading ultimately increased. The use ofa burden sharing 

scheme was a significant factor in changing the effectiveness of 

emissions trading, and the per capita emissions convergence in 

2050 was more effective for emissions trading than a per income 

convergence.” Shinichiro Fujimoria, Toshihiko Masuia, and Yuzuru 

Matsuokab, Energy Economics. (Subscription may be required.)
7

Recent Publications

“Imaging Techniques for Analyzing Shale Pores and Minerals.”

The following is from the Introduction of this NETL-published document: “Shales have long played an important role in acting as seals for 

oil and gas reservoirs, and more recently have been exploited as reservoirs themselves. Shale gas and oil reserves around the world are now 

estimated at 7,299 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 345 billion barrels of oil that are now technically recoverable due to advances in horizontal 

drilling and hydraulic fracturing. The same properties that allow shale formations to seal hydrocarbon reservoirs may also allow them to act 

as seals for carbon storage, and unconventional oil and gas shales show that it may be possible to simultaneously exploit shales as seals and 

reservoirs. Studies have shown that CO2 can be used as a hydraulic fracturing fluid, and in the future it may prove advantageous to couple 

hydrocarbon extraction and carbon storage through the injection of waste CO2 to enhance shale, production during drawdown. In order to take 

full advantage of shale’s potential either as a carbon storage caprock or reservoir, it is important to understand the void spaces within shales that 

control flow pathways and potential storage volumes. Various imaging techniques can be applied to the study of this problem. The goal of this 

report is to ease the learning curve of researchers attempting to examine shale for the first time by presenting various imaging techniques, basic 

explanations of their operations, their capabilities and limits, and their potential application to the study of shales. Particular focus will be given 

to visualizing pores and compositional variations, both of which are important to shale’s sealing properties. While the descriptions and analyses 

presented in this report are applicable to the study of all shales, samples presented are mainly Marcellus Shale due to regional availability.”

Legislative Activity

“Inslee Announces Slate of Proposals to Curb Pollution, Transition 

Washington to Cleaner Sources of Energy.” 

Washington’s Governor announced a set of proposals to transition 

Washington to cleaner sources of energy and meet statewide CO2 

emission limits adopted by the state Legislature in 2008. The proposed 

“Carbon Pollution Accountability Act” (CPAA) would create a 

new, market-based program that limits CO2 emissions and requires 

major emitters to pay for their emissions. The emissions limit would 

decrease over time, allowing emitters time to transition to cleaner 

technologies and/or improved operations. According to the release, 

the program would generate approximately $1 billion in the first year. 

The proceeds could be used for transportation, education, tax relief, 

and other purposes. The proposal is founded upon recommendations 

provided by the Carbon Emissions Reduction Taskforce, which included 

representative input from several groups, including business, labor, 

health care, utilities, at-risk communities, government, and others. 

The proposals build on an executive order previously issued by the 

Governor. In addition to the CO2 emission limits, the proposals aim 

to promote cleaner transportation options for consumers, growth in 

the clean energy industry, and lower energy costs through energy 

efficiency. More information on the proposal is available online. From 

Washington Governor Jay Inslee News Release on December 17, 2014. 

“Constructing a Legal Framework for Carbon Capture and Storage 

in New Zealand: Approaches to Legislative Design.” 

The following is the Abstract of this article: “In 2009 the International 

Energy Agency called attention to the need for states to regulate [CCS] 

activities. The New Zealand Government has responded to this call by, 

among other things, commissioning a report on the regulation of CCS. 

This report, authored by Professor Barry Barton, Kimberley Jordan and 

the author of this paper, was launched in December 2013. This paper 

starts by providing a brief overview and update of the New Zealand 

legal and regulatory position on CCS. The bulk of the paper then seeks

to address in more detail one particular issue - that of legislative design 

for a fledgling CCS regime.” Greg Severinsen, Energy Procedia. 

(Subscription may be required.)

“Implementation of the EU CCS Directive in Europe: Results and 

Development in 2013.”

The following is the Abstract of this article: “Directive 2009/31/EC of 

the European Parliament on the geological storage of [CO2], entered 

into force on June 25th 2009. By the end 2013 the CCS Directive has 

been fully transposed into national law to the satisfaction of the EC in 20 

out of 28 EU Member States, while six EU countries (Austria, Cyprus, 

Hungary, Ireland, Sweden and Slovenia) had to complete transposing 

measures. In July 2014 the European Commission closed infringement 

procedures against Cyprus, Hungary and Ireland, which have notified 

the EC that they have taken measures to incorporate the CCS Directive 

into national law. Among other three countries Sweden has updated its 

legislation and published a new law in their country in March 2014, 

permitting CO2 storage offshore. The evaluation of the national laws 

in Poland, which were accepted at national level in November 2013, 

and Croatia, which entered the EU on 7 July 2013 and simultaneously 

transposed the CCS directive, is still ongoing in 2014. The first storage 

permit under the Directive (for the ROAD Project in the offshore 

Netherlands) has been approved by the EC.” Alla Shogenova et al., 

Energy Procedia. (Subscription may be required.) 
8

About NETL’s Carbon Storage Newsletter

Compiled by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, this 

newsletter is a monthly summary of public and private sector 

carbon storage news from around the world. The article titles 

are links to the full text for those who would like to read more.

National Energy Technology Laboratory

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of DOE’s 

national laboratory system, is owned and operated by the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE). NETL supports DOE’s mission to 

advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States. 

626 Cochrans Mill Road

P.O. Box 10940

Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940

3610 Collins Ferry Road

P.O. Box 880

Morgantown, WV 26507-0880

13131 Dairy Ashford Road, Suite 225

Sugar Land, TX 77478

420 L Street, Suite 305

Anchorage, AK 99501

1450 Queen Avenue SW

Albany, OR 97321-2198

Contacts

Traci Rodosta

304-285-1345

traci.rodosta@netl.doe.gov

Disclaimer

This Newsletter was prepared under contract for the United States Department of Energy’s 

National Energy Technology Laboratory. Neither the United States Government nor any 

agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or 

assumes any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, 

apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe 

privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, 

or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily 

constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States 

Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein 

do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

About DOE’s Carbon Storage Program

The Carbon Storage Program is implemented by the U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and managed by the National Energy 

Technology Laboratory. The program is developing technologies to 

capture, separate, and store CO2 in order to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions without adversely influencing energy use or hindering 

economic growth. NETL envisions having a technology portfolio of 

safe, cost-effective, carbon dioxide capture, transport, and storage 

technologies that will be available for commercial deployment.

The Carbon Storage Program Overview webpage provides detailed 

information of the program’s structure as well as links to the webpages 

that summarize the program’s key elements.

Carbon Storage Program Resources

The U.S. Department of Energy’s 2012 United States Carbon Utilization 

and Storage Atlas (Atlas IV) shows that the United States has at least 

2,400 billion metric tons of potential carbon dioxide storage resource 

in saline formations, oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal. 

Data from Atlas IV is available via the National Carbon Sequestration 

Database and Geographic Information System (NATCARB), which is a 

geographic information system-based tool developed to provide a view 

of carbon capture and storage potential.

Newsletters, program fact sheets, best practices manuals, roadmaps, 

educational resources, presentations, and more are available via the 

Carbon Storage Reference Shelf.

Get answers to your carbon capture and storage questions at NETL’s 

Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

There are several ways to join the conversation and connect with NETL’s 

Carbon Storage Program:

NETL RSS Feed

NETL on Facebook

NETL on Twitter

NETL on LinkedIn

NETL on YouTube