Researchers at Imperial College were pleased to launch the Imperial College Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage (IC4S) to an industry-based audience.

Imperial College Centre for CCS Launched

Researchers at Imperial College were pleased to launch the Imperial College Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage (IC4S) to an industry-based audience. The college-wide research centre, a part of the Energy Futures Laboratory and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, will act as a focal point for work at Imperial on all aspects of Carbon Capture and Storage. It will draw upon the international reputation and multidisciplinary nature of Imperial's programmes to partner with industry, government and other organisations in a holistic way to help address the challenges of delivering CCS.

Perhaps the most significant engineering challenge today is to minimise carbon emissions whilst enabling continued economic growth and stability. Carbon Capture and Storage is central part of international initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and combat global warming by storing carbon dioxide generated by industrial processes such as power plants equipped with carbon capture technology. The principle method of storage considered viable is to pump carbon dioxide into subsurface formations such as saline aquifers and depleted petroleum reservoirs. Injection into oil fields may also assist in the extraction of remaining petroleum as well as storing the carbon dioxide away from the atmosphere.

Earth Science and Engineering plays an important role in the work of the centre due to our expertise in the flow of liquids and gases within the subsurface. Evaluating the carbon storage capacity of reservoirs and aquifers and understanding their potential for secure long-term storage will be crucial if commercial-scale carbon storage is to be a reality.

Further details can be found at www.imperial.ac.uk/ccs or by contacting the IC4S Director, Jon Gibbins (j.gibbins@imperial.ac.uk).

Associated Personnel

• Tara LaForce