Sequestration of CO2 from High CO2 Gas Field via Bicarbonate Solution for Microalgae Cultivation for Sustainable Biofuels

Abstract

Abstract It is anticipated based on study, that Natural Gas demand will increase by 65 percent by 2040 (IER, 2014). Hence, oil & gas industries are exploring technologies to unlocking the unconventional natural gas fields. Unconventional gas field contains mostly high contaminants such as carbon dioxide of up to 70 % and 30 % of hydrocarbons gas (Pellegrini et al.,2019). These contaminants can be sequestered in depleted offshore gas fields. However, this approach requires high pressure gas compression energy and availability of storage sites. To resolve this issue, these contaminants can be sequestered as bicarbonate solution through the injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into artificial seawater. The formed bicarbonate solution can be the feedstocks for the cultivation of microalgae (Ferreira et al., 2019) to produce sustainable biofuels, bioplastics and bio-based superfood. This method not only promote the effort to lower carbon emissions but also providing solution to enhancing the productivity of biomass production and contribute to the energy demand supply in the form of biofuels. Additionally, the sequestration of CO2 in the form of bicarbonates could benefit in terms of carbon tax savings which can benefit in overall techno economics. It has been demonstrated through lab experimentation that by harnessing the power of photosynthesis from microalgae and integrating with bicarbonate solution, it has the potential to enhance algae growth and fixing more carbon to the algae as biomass. In conclusion, this novel approach can be the key in helping to reduce the amount of CO2 from extracted unconventional gas fields.