Analysis of Direct Air Capture Integrated with Wind Energy and Enhanced Oil Recovery

Area of Science:

• Climate Change Mitigation
• Carbon Capture Technologies
• Energy Economics

Background:

• Direct air capture (DAC) is crucial for decarbonization but faces challenges in energy needs, capital costs, and CO2 sequestration/utilization pathways.
• Optimizing DAC deployment involves strategic site selection near sequestration or use sites with abundant low-cost renewable energy.
• US policy, such as the Inflation Reduction Act's 45Q tax credits, offers incentives for DAC deployment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a techno-economic assessment of two DAC configurations: temperature swing adsorption and membrane-based DAC.
• To evaluate the integration of DAC with wind energy in West Texas for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations.
• To identify economic viability by assessing the levelized cost of DAC and the cost of CO2 sequestration via EOR.

Main Methods:

• Techno-economic assessment of temperature swing adsorption-based DAC and membrane-based DAC.
• Integration modeling with wind energy in West Texas.
• Analysis of CO2 sequestration costs through enhanced oil recovery (EOR) under varying recovery factors and oil prices.

Main Results:

• Co-locating DAC facilities with renewable energy sources and proximal CO2 utilization sites (like EOR) can significantly reduce costs.
• Membrane-based DAC technologies show particular promise for cost reduction and accelerated deployment.
• Policy support, such as 45Q tax credits, further enhances the economic feasibility of DAC.

Conclusions:

• Strategic deployment of DAC, leveraging renewable energy and EOR, coupled with supportive policies, can accelerate carbon removal.
• Membrane-based DAC integrated with wind power in West Texas presents a viable pathway for cost-effective CO2 sequestration.
• Economic profitability is influenced by EOR recovery rates and fluctuating oil prices, highlighting the need for robust economic models.