Electric power generation represents one of the largest carbon dioxide CO2 emitters in the United States. Roughly one-third of all the United States' carbon emissions come from power plants. Since electricity generation is expected to grow, and fossil fuels will continue to be the dominant fuel source, power generation can be expected to provide even greater CO2 contributes in the future. Consequently, an important component of the United States Department of Energy's (DOE's) research and development program is dedicated to reducing CO2 emissions from power plants by developing technologies to capture CO2 for utilization and/or sequestration. A primary goal of this research is to develop technology options that dramatically lower the cost of eliminating CO2 from flue gas and other streams by use of either pre- or post-combustion processes. This research is in its early stages, and is exploring a wide range of approaches, including membranes, improved CO2 sorbents, advanced scrubbing, oxyfuel combustors, formation of CO2 hydrates, and economic assessments. This paper presents an overview of the DOE research program in the area of CO2 separation and capture, while specifically addressing the status of research efforts related to promising pathways and potential technological breakthroughs.
