A Geospatial Analysis of Pathways for Carbon Sequestration
Abstract
The 2007 IPCC report detailed the warming of the earth is unmistakable and is most
likely due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The earth’s natural processes
are unable to reabsorb GHGs at the rate at which they are being emitted, subsequently
increasing climate temperatures and affecting ecosystems and populations around the
world. Carbon capture and sequestration technologies are a possible mitigating solution
to preventing emission of GHGs into the atmosphere. This analysis takes a geospatial
approach to understanding the interconnecting pathways between carbon sources and
sequestration sinks for future CO2 pipeline networks in the United States. Using
geographical information systems (GIS), engineering, environmental, and social factors
important to the pipeline siting process are evaluated and combined to make a geographical
cost surface. A least cost path sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure confidence
in the suitability of the cost surface. The final CO2 pipeline cost surface investigates
the spatial dynamics of carbon sequestration and the relative cost elements that will
influence the pipeline network. Utilities and other organizations can use the cost
surface in future projects as an analytical tool showing areas of relative high and
low pipeline costs. A scenario analysis was performed using the final CO2 cost surface
as a tool to examine future spatial configurations of sequestration sites. The analysis
found that a sequestration scenario with multiple points of CO2 injection across the
United States would yield the lowest total relative costs for a national pipeline
network.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/534Citation
Frankel, Anna (2008). A Geospatial Analysis of Pathways for Carbon Sequestration. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/534.Collections
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