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Carbon sequestration potential of the South Wales Coalfield

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Vasilis SarhosisORCiD

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This is the final published version of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by ICE Publishing , 2018.

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Abstract

This paper presents a preliminary evaluation of the carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity of the unmined coalresources in the South Wales Coalfield, UK. Although a significant amount of the remaining coal may be mineablethrough traditional techniques, the prospects for opening new mines appear poor. Also, many of the South Wales coalseams are lying unused since they are too deep to be mined economically using conventional methods. There is instead a growing worldwide interest in the potential for releasing the energy value of such coal reserves through alternative technologies – for example through carbon dioxide sequestration with enhanced coal bed methane recovery. In this study, geographical information systems and three-dimensional interpolation are used to obtain the total unmined coal resource below 500m deep, where the candidate seams for carbon dioxide sequestration are found. The ‘proved’, ‘probable’ and ‘possible’ carbon dioxide storage capacities of the South Wales Coalfield are then obtained using an established methodology. Input parameters are based on statistical distributions, considering a combination of laboratory coal characterisation results and literature review. The results are a proved capacity of 70·1Mt carbon dioxide, a probable capacity of 104·9 Mt carbon dioxide and a possible capacity of 152·0 Mt carbon dioxide.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Sarhosis V, Hosking L, Thomas H

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Environmental Geotechnics

Year: 2018

Volume: 5

Issue: 4

Pages: 234-246

Print publication date: 01/08/2018

Online publication date: 26/08/2016

Acceptance date: 03/08/2016

Date deposited: 26/08/2016

ISSN (electronic): 2051-803X

Publisher: ICE Publishing

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/jenge.16.00007

DOI: 10.1680/jenge.16.00007


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