Date of Award

1-1-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Environmental Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Mann

Abstract

Global Climate Change is arguably one of the most important global crises of our times. Global Climate Change is the result of increasing global ambient temperatures around the world. These increased temperature changes have been impacting all aspects of human life and activity as wells as impacting all biological and physical systems of Earth. The primary cause of Global Climate Change are anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases. Fossil fuel combustion is a primary source of these emissions. The initiation of anthropogenic Global Climate Change has been scientifically traced back to the Industrial Revolution. From the Industrial Revolution to current times, Greenhouse Gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have steadily increased. The current carbon dioxide average recorded concentrations are the highest concentrations ever identified over the past 800,000 years. There are significant effects associated with Climate Change and global average temperature rise. Some of these effects include rising sea levels, the melting of the polar ice caps, reduction in the polar and hemispheric albedo, higher global temperatures, increased range of disease caring vectors, increased droughts, increased severe weather, effects on crop production and wildlife biological effects. These negative Global Climate Change effects will disproportionately affect the most economically disadvantaged and most vulnerable populations of the world. There are a number of Greenhouse Gases that are associated with Global Climate Change; however, carbon dioxide has been proven to be the most significant. One of the largest sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is from the electrical power generation sector. From this sector, coal-fired power generation plants emit the most carbon dioxide, followed by natural gas-fired power generation plants. Climate Change is an extremely complex global challenge. As a complex global challenge, addressing this issue will require a number of complex and collaborative solutions, from many experts, from a number of scientific and professional fields. This dissertation addresses only one specific aspect of the Global Climate Change challenge. This dissertation addresses carbon dioxide capture, sequestration and beneficial reuse for the electrical power generation sector. Specifically, the dissertation evaluates the primary carbon dioxide capture technologies in order to maximize carbon dioxide capture, sequestration and beneficial reuse at optimum cost efficiencies for fossil fuel fired electric generating power plants. An algorithm has been developed as part of the dissertation that addresses the most critical variables to maximize carbon capture from coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants while maximizing beneficial carbon dioxide reuse, both at the most efficient economic value. The dissertation contains three examples of the algorithm in use for three different regions of the world. The dissertation also presents an implementation strategy to capture carbon dioxide from fossil-fueled electric generation plants. The total reduction in carbon dioxide sequestration from the global fossil-fueled power generation sector could be approximately 31% of the total global anthropogenic emissions if all fossil-fired plants employ carbon dioxide capture. Results from this dissertation can be replicated and used to estimate the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from other major global carbon dioxide emissions sectors.

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