round 1 final outcomes report: soda ash and bicarbonate ... · australia new sky turned its...
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NewSkyEnergy,LLC
CCEMCGrandChallengeProjectID:K130125
Round1FinalOutcomesReport:SodaAshandBicarbonatefromaLowEnergy
NaturalGasSweeteningProcess
NewSkyPrincipalInvestigator:DeaneLittle,CEO720-839-9718
CCEMCProjectAdvisor:VickiLightbown
ProjectCompletion:March12,2016
CCEMCFunds:$350,000CNreceived;$150,000CNhold-back
Submitted:May31,2016
CONFIDENTIAL
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ExecutiveSummary................................................................................................................3
IntroductionandProjectOverview.........................................................................................5
NewSkyTechnologies–ProcessFlowCharts..........................................................................8
ProjectGoals........................................................................................................................11
ProjectFinalOutcomes.........................................................................................................13DesulfurizationofSourGas,RegenerationofNaOH&CaptureofCO2....................................................13MineralizationofCarbonateSolutions......................................................................................................15ProcessingGasStreamswithVariableCO2toH2SRatios..........................................................................21CO2CaptureandMineralizationatAveryBrewing....................................................................................29
GreenhouseGasImpacts......................................................................................................36
OverallConclusions..............................................................................................................40
NextSteps............................................................................................................................42
CommunicationsPlan...........................................................................................................44
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ExecutiveSummaryBackground:Albertaisaleadingglobalproducerofnaturalgas,whichisanaffordable,low-carbonfossilfuel.However,asmuchasone-thirdofAlberta’sgasproductionhashistoricallybeensourgas,containinglargeamountsofcarbondioxide(CO2)andhydrogensulfide(H2S),andasaresult,producinglowerenergyvalueandmuchhigherdirectandindirectlifecycleCO2emissionsthansweetgas.DuetotheseundesirablecharacteristicslargereservesofsournaturalgasremainuntappedinAlberta.IfsuchreservescouldbeeconomicallyandsustainablytreateditwouldenableAlbertatoleadafarmorerapidglobaltransitionfromcoaltonaturalgaspowerandestablishtheprovinceasamajorcleanenergyleader.In2014NewSkyEnergywasawardeda$500,000CADgrantfromCCEMCtodemonstrateanddevelopanenergyefficientgassweeteningstrategythatremoveshydrogensulfideandCO2fromsournaturalgasandmineralizestheCO2toformcommerciallyvaluablecarbonatessuchassodaashandsodiumbicarbonate.Conventionalprocessestosweetensourgasandproducecarbonatesareexpensive,energeticallywastefulandcreatesubstantialGHGemissions.TheNewSkygassweeteningprocessreliesontwotechnologiesinventedandcommercializedbyNewSky;SulfurCycleE,whichcapturesandconvertsH2Sintosulfurandhydrogen,andCarbonCycle,whichconvertsCO2andsodiumsulfate,anabundant,lowcostnaturalsalt,intosodiumhydroxide,carbonates,hydrogenandsulfuricacid.Togetherthesetechnologiesprovidealowcost,energyefficient,highlysustainablestrategytosweetensournaturalgasandcreatemultiplehighvalueproductsfromthewastehydrogensulfideandCO2.Progress:InthetwoyearssincereceivingCCEMCgrantmoneyNewSkyhasachievedthefollowingtechnicalandbusinessmilestones:• OptimizedCarbonCycleandSulfurCycleEchemistriesinthecompany’sBoulderCO
laboratories.Bothchemistriesperformedasexpected,withdramaticenergysavingsobservedwhensodiumsulfide(theproductofgassweeteningtoremoveH2S)waselectrolyzedinaSulfurCyclereactor
• PilotedCO2capture/mineralizationandSulfurCycleEelectrochemistryatalargenaturalgasfieldinOklahoma,treating30,000SCFofsournaturalgasperday.BothSulfurCycleelectrochemistryandNaOHbasedcaptureofH2SandCO2performedasexpected
• PilotedCO2captureandmineralizationtoformsodaashandbicarbonateatAvery
Brewing,aworld-classcraftbreweryinBoulderCO.Two-literand200-literscrubberswereusedtogeneratehighqualitysodaashandsodiumbicarbonate
• Invented,optimizedandpatentedSulfurCycleR,agassweeteningtechnologythat
selectivelyremovesH2SbutnotCO2fromgasstreams.Theremainingstreamofnatural
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gasandCO2canbetreatedwithNaOH(producedbyCarbonCycleorSulfurCycleE)tocreatesweetgasandcarbonatesformarket
• Signedmulti-milliondollarlicensesforuseofSulfurCycleEandRinUSoilandgasmarkets
andreceived$3.5MUSDinroyaltyandrevenuepaymentsforuseofthesetechnologiesintheUnitedStates
• SuccessfullypilotedSulfurCycleRatmunicipalwastewatertreatmentplantsinColorado
andLosAngeles,treating75,000SCFofsourbio-methaneperday• CommerciallydeployedSulfurCycleRatanaturalgasfieldinSWWyominginMarch2016,
initiallytreating300,000SCFDofsournaturalgas.• SoldanddeployedasecondcommercialgassweeteningsysteminWyoming,whichis
scheduledtobegintreating1millionSCFDofsourgasinMay2016• Establishedahundred-foldrangeofCO2toH2Sratios(1:10to10:1)that“work”
effectivelyforNewSkygassweeteningandCO2mineralization.ThegreatmajorityofsourgasfieldsinAlbertafallwithinthisbroadrangeofCO2:H2Sratios
• WithsupportfromUSenergyindustrypartnersandCCEMCfundingNewSkymorethan
doubleditsstaff,addingtenchemists,chemicalengineersandmachinists.• Inadvancednegotiationstosellbiogassweeteningsystemstowastewatertreatment
plantsinColorado,WashingtonandBritishColumbia• DevelopedplanstodeploySulfurCycleandCarbonCycletechnologiesinCanadaand
signedaLetterofIntentwithAlberta-basedImagineaEnergy• AttendedGlobe2016conferenceinVancouverBCandestablishedbusinessconnections
likelytoleadtocommercialgassweeteningprojectsinAlbertaandBritishColumbia,aswellasotherprojectsintheUS
HavingreceivedCCEMCRoundOnefundinginthespringof2014,NewSkysetouttodemonstrateitsnovel,lowenergystrategytosweetennaturalgasandmineralizeCO2.Twoyearslaterwehaveaccomplishedeverythingwesetouttodo.InaseriesofsuccessfulpilotandlaboratoryprojectsinOklahomaandColorado,NewSkyuseditsSulfurCycleEprocesstoefficientlycaptureH2SandCO2,mineralizetheCO2intovaluablecarbonates,andproducecarbonneutralhydrogenasabonus.ThegreatmajorityofsournaturalgasinAlberta--trillionsofcubicfeetofgas--iswellsuitedtotreatmentwiththeNewSkyprocess,generallyatpriceswellbelowcurrentgassweeteningcosts.
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IntroductionandProjectOverviewBackground:AnIdealCO2MineralizationStrategyforAlbertaNewSkyEnergywasfoundedin2007todevelopandcommercializeCarbonCycle,acarbonnegativemanufacturingstrategythatcapturesandmineralizesCO2withoutproducingby-productchlorine.NewSkyandothercompaniesthatmineralizeCO2generallyrelyonsodiumhydroxide(NaOH),astrongbasethatreactswithacidgasessuchasCO2,SOxandH2S.Conventionalstrategiesformanufacturingsodiumhydroxideareenergyintensiveandproducelargeamountsofby-productchlorine,atoxic,volatilechemicalthatwaswidelyusedasaWorldWarItrenchgas.ChlorinehasanIDLH(ImmediatelyDangeroustoLifeandHealth)concentrationof10ppm.TradingCO2forchlorinegasisabadidea.Toavoidchlorineproduction,NewSkypatentedthecompany’sCarbonCycleProcess,anovelstrategyofwatersplittingthatusessodiumsulfatetogenerateNaOHandsulfuricacid.Sodiumsulfateisanabundantnaturalsalt,particularlyinAlbertaandSaskatchewan,andalsoacommonindustrialwasteproductknownassaltcake.Sulfuricacidistheworld’slargestcommoditychemicalandcanbeusedtodigestcellulosetoformsimplesugarsforproductionofCO2neutralbiofuelsandbiopolymers.Thisduelstrategy--avoidingchlorineandgeneratinganon-toxicsulfuricacidbyproductwithpotentiallyenormous,lowcarbonmarketsofitsown--isthereasonthatwebelieveNewSky’sCarbonCycleprocesswillultimatelyprevailasthemostsustainableandcost-effectivepathwaytogeneratesodiumhydroxideforCO2mineralization.HavingsuccessfullydevelopedandpatentedCarbonCycleintheUS,Canada,ChinaandAustraliaNewSkyturneditsattentiontogassweeteningandhydrogensulfidecapture.Hydrogensulfideisahightoxicchemicalthatmustberemovedfromsournaturalgas,biogasandmanyotherindustrialgasstreams.FortunatelyH2ScontainssignificantpotentialenergyasachemicalreducingagentandservesasasourceofCO2-neutralhydrogen.NewSkyscientistssawasignificantopportunitytoexploithydrogensulfideasausefulchemicalandenergyresourceandthisbecamethebasisofthecompany’sSulfurCycleEtechnology.ThereactionofH2Swithsodiumhydroxidecreatessodiumsulfide(Na2S)andsodiumbisulfide(NaSH).Concentratedsolutionsofthesesulfidescancontributeenergyandelectronsinanelectrochemicalcell,effectivelyactinglikebatteryelectrolytes.Thiscontributionofenergycreatesthepotentialtodramaticallyreducetheenergycostofsodiumhydroxideproduction,whichinturnreducestheenergyandCO2emissionsassociatedwithgassweeteningandCO2mineralization.Attheanode,SulfurCycleEreactorsconvertsodiumsulfideintosulfurandpolysulfides;atthecathodethereactorproducessodiumhydroxideandhydrogen.Thecontributionofenergyandelectronsfromsulfideionsattheanodereducestheminimumvoltagepotentialforsodiumhydroxideformationfrom2.06Vto0.43V,aremarkableimprovementinenergyefficiency.SincesodiumsulfideisthebyproductofgassweeteningtoremoveH2SitsuseinSulfurCycleE
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reactorsrepresentsanovel,lowenergystrategytosweetengas,regeneratesodiumhydroxideandconvertH2Sintohydrogenandsulfur.AnysodiumhydroxidethatinsteadreactswithCO2formsvaluablecarbonatesformarket.DuringNewSky’sOklahomagassweeteningproject,NewSkyscientistsconceivedofanovel,highlysustainablestrategytoseparateH2SfromCO2andmethaneinsournaturalgasorbiogasstreams.Thisprocess,SulfurCycleR,utilizesasafe,lowcostsuspensionofmetaloxidenanoparticlesinwatertoreactwithhydrogensulfideinsourgas,temporarilyformingametalsulfidesuspension.Whenthemetaloxidesuspensioniscompletelyorpartiallyspent(i.e.,convertedtometalsulfide)itcanbefullyregeneratedbyexposuretoair,whichoxidizesthemetalsulfidetoelementalsulfurandregeneratedmetaloxide.EighteenmonthsafterinitialexperimentsconfirmingtheprocesschemistryNewSkycommerciallydeployedSulfurCycleRatasournaturalgasfieldinSWWyoming.
SkidmountedSulfurCycleRgassweeteningsystem(center)atasournaturalgasfieldnearRockSprings,Wyoming,May2016.Sournaturalgasentersthebaseofthescrubbercolumnandrisesthroughawaterbasedmetaloxidesuspension.H2Sreactswiththemetaloxideandisconvertedtometalsulfide;pipelinespecgas(<4PPMH2S)emergesfromthecolumn.Spentmediaisregeneratedbyexposuretoairinasmallercolumnlocatedinanearbybuilding(farright)toprotectthemediafromcoldweather.SulfurCycleRcantreatgasstreamscontaining10PPMto50,000PPMofhydrogensulfide.
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SulfurCycleRspecificallycapturesH2SbutnotCO2fromgasstreams,andisusefulinsweeteningawidevarietyofgasstreamsthatarenotimmediatelysuitedtoSulfurCycleEandCarbonCycleprocessing.Forexample,manysourgasstreamscontainsmallamountsofH2SandhigherlevelsofCO2.ForsafetyandregulatoryreasonstheH2Smuststillberemoved,butitslevelsmaybetoolowtosupportcosteffectiveSulfurCycleEoperations.SulfurCycleRcantreatsuchlowH2SgasstreamstoproduceH2S-freegasthatcontainsvaryinglevelsofCO2.ThecarbondioxidecontainedinthesegasstreamscanthenbecapturedbysodiumhydroxideproducedbyCarbonCycleorSulfurCycleE,producingpure,sulfide-freecarbonatesformarket.CarbonCycle,SulfurCycleEandSulfurCycleRcanbedeployedinvariousconfigurationstotreatavarietyofsourgasstreamsatcomplexgasfields.Individualwellsatsourgasfieldsfrequentlyhaveverydifferentgascompositions,andselectiveuseofNewSky’sgassweeteningtechnologieswouldallowoperatorstocreategasmixturesthatareidealforcosteffectivegassweeteningandCO2mineralization.ThefollowingpagescontainprocessflowdiagramsillustratingSulfurCycleE,CarbonCycleandSulfurCycleR.Whenusedincombination,CarbonCycle,SulfurCycleEandSulfurCycleRcreateprofitable,highlysustainablestrategiestosweetensournaturalgasorbiogasandproducecarbonneutralcarbonatesandhydrogengas.ThispromisingstrategywasthebasisofNewSky’s2014CCEMCgrant,andtwoyearslaterwearehappytoreportthatthestrategy,throughmultiplepilotsandlabexperiments,hasworkedexactlyasexpected.TherestofthisfinalreportsummarizestheworkthatwehavecompletedunderourRound1CCEMCgrant,itsconclusionsandtheireconomicandenvironmentalrelevancetotheprovinceofAlberta,andproposednextstepstocommerciallydeployNewSky’sgassweeteningandCO2mineralizationtechnologiesinCanadaandglobally.
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NewSkyTechnologies–ProcessFlowCharts
NewSky’sCarbonCycleProcessisaanenergyefficientelectrochemicalprocessthatconvertssodiumsulfateandcarbondioxideintosodiumcarbonate,sodiumbicarbonate,sodiumhydroxide,hydrogen,oxygenandsulfuricacid.Usingrenewableorotherlowcarbonelectricity,CarbonCyclecarbonatesareCO2negative,incorporatingmorecarbondioxidethanisproducedduringtheirmanufacture.CarbonCycle’sinputsalt,sodiumsulfate,isacommonindustrialwastesaltandanabundantnaturalresourceinAlbertaandSaskatchewan.CarbonCyclethusprovidesanexcellentstrategyforCanadiancompaniestoconvertalowcostnaturalresourceandwasteCO2intovaluablecarbonnegativechemicals.UnlikeconventionalchloralkaliprocessCarbonCycledoesnotproduceby-productchlorine,animportantadvantageinlargescaleCO2mineralizationstrategies.CarbonCyclecanserveasthesourceofsodiumhydroxideforuseinSulfurCycleEgassweetening.TheCarbonCycleProcess(USPatent8,227,127)ispatentedintheUS,Canada,ChinaandAustralia.
New Sky Confidential Information
CarbonCycleProcessFlow
CO2RichGas
SodiumSulfateBrine
CO2Absorber
NewSkyReactor
CarbonateProducts(forHighCO2applica4ons)
SodiumSulfateElectrolyte
DiluteSodiumSulfateHydrogenSulfuricAcid
FreshWater
SodiumHydroxide
Crystalizer
DiluteBrine
ChillingCrystalliza;on
DiluteCarbonateSolu4on
SodiumCarbonateSolu4on
CO2FreeGas
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SulfurCycleEisanenergyefficientgassweeteningprocessthatconvertsCO2intousefulcarbonatesandhydrogensulfide(H2S)intoelementalsulfur.SulfurCycleEutilizessodiumhydroxide,aCarbonCyclechemicaloutput,asthecaptureagentforCO2andH2S.Sodiumsulfide,theH2Scaptureproduct,isconvertedinaSulfurCycleelectrochemicalreactorintohydrogengasandsodiumhydroxide,whichisavailableforadditionalsourgasprocessing.SulfurCycleEtakesadvantageoftheinherentchemicalenergyofthesulfideiontoreducethetheoreticalminimumvoltagerequiredtogeneratesodiumhydroxidefrom2.06Vtojust0.43V,nearlyan80%energysavings.Effectivelythesulfidecapturesolutionactslikeabatteryelectrolyte.SulfurCycleEisthemostenergyefficientprocessknownforconversionofhydrogensulfideintohydrogengasandsulfur.WithSulfurCycleE,wastehydrogensulfidefromsournaturalgasorbiogasrepresentsacarbonfreesourceofhydrogengas,offeringadditionalGHGbenefitsbeyondtheconversionofCO2tocarbonates.
New Sky Confidential Information
SulfurCycleEProcessFlow
SourGasSourceH2SCO2
CH4etc.
FreshCaus.c
SulfurProductsSolidSulfurPolysulfides
SweetGasPipeline
AcidGasScrubber
NewSkyReactor
SulfurRecovery
CarbonateProducts(forHighCO2applica<ons)
SpentCaptureAgent
SweetGas
SourGas
FreshWater
RecycledWater
RegeneratedCaus<c Hydrogen
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SulfurCycleRisNewSky’shighlysustainable,lowcostmethodofselectivelyremovinghydrogensulfidefromsournaturalgasandbiogas.SulfurCycleRutilizesawater-basedsuspensionofalowcostmetaloxidereagenttocaptureandconverthydrogensulfideintoelementalsulfur.InventedduringNewSky’sCCEMCpilotprojectinwesternOklahomainNovember2014,NewSkyfullycommercializedSulfurCycleRwithin18months,andnowoperatesa1MMCFDgassweeteningplantinSWWyoming.SulfurCycleRprovidesanexcellentmethodofseparatinghydrogensulfidefromCO2insournaturalgasandbiogas.Thischaracteristicallowsfine-tuningofsourgasstreamstoachieveoptimalH2StoCO2ratiosforenergyefficientproductionofcarbonatesfromCO2utilizingSulfurCycleEandCarbonCycle.
New Sky Confidential Information
SulfurCycleRProcessFlow
SweetGas
SournaturalgasSourbiogasH2SCO2CH4
AirO2N2
O2DepletedAir
Sulfur
Freshslurry
Spentslurry
Absorp<o
n
Regene
ra<o
n
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ProjectGoals
Goal • Achievement1. IdentifyanAlbertabased
energycompanypartner(executeapilotagreementwithanAlberta-basedenergyindustrypartner)
• • NewSkypartneredwithaUSoilandgascompanytopilotitsSulfurCycleEtechnologyatasournaturalgasfieldinwesternOklahoma.In2016,NewSkysignedaLetterofIntentwithAlberta-basedImagineaEnergytodeployitsSulfurCycletechnologyduringRound2oftheCCEMCGrandChallenge,ifNewSkyisselected.WeareseekingotherAlbertaenergyindustrypartnersaswell
2. Scaleupallprocessesby20-50x • • Completed.3. Completeconstructionand
commissioningofallpilotequipmentatpilotsite
• • Completed.
4. Generateengineeringdesignsfora50MCF/daygassweetening/CO2mineralizationpilot.
• • Completed.TheOKpilotutilizeda50MCF/dayslipstreamfroma300MCF/daywell.
5. Demonstratesweeteningofupto100MCF/dayofsournaturalgastoproducecommercialqualitynaturalgas,for>100hours.
• • Treated50MCF/dayofsourgas,producingandsellingpipelinequalitygasfortwoweeksinNovember2014
6. Captureandconvertupto100kgofCO2perdayinto200+kgofhighqualityanhydroussodaashorbicarbonateforsaletoVeralliaandotherinterestedbuyers
• • CapturedhundredsofkilogramsofCO2andH2SinOklahomaandColoradopilotprojectsandWyomingcommercialscaleSulfurCycleoperations
7. Achieveprofitablesourgassweetening
• • Inearly2016,NewSkypermanentlyinstalledandbeganoperatingaSulfurCycleplantinWyoming.To-date,thisplanthasoperatedatacostbelowtheconventionalMEAtriazinesysteminusepreviously,andatacostsufficienttoearnaprofitongassoldat$2/MCF
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ProjectFinalOutcomes
DesulfurizationofSourGas,RegenerationofNaOH&CaptureofCO2Aftersignificantlaboratoryandengineeringprogresstowardscaleupofthecompany’senergyefficientSulfurCycleEgassweetening/carbondioxidemineralizationprocess,NewSkyconductedalarge-scalefieldpilotinwesternOklahomainlate2014.Duringthispilot,wesuccessfullydemonstratedallSulfurCycleEprocesssteps,producingpipelinequalitynaturalgas,industriallyusefulcarbonatesandsulfur.Afterinstallation,eachsubsystemoftheSulfurCycleEtechnologywascommissionedusinghigh-pressuresourgasandcorrosiveprocesschemicals.OnNovember5,2014,NewSkycompleteditsfirstoperationalrunofthegasscrubbersystem.NewSkylatermadein-fieldmodificationstothescrubbingandcapturesolutiontreatmentsystems,includingaddingadew-pointcontrolsystem,heatingcableandinsulationforthescrubber,andanadditionalfilterforthegascapturetreatment.OnNovember14th2014,NewSkyoperatedtheelectrochemistrysystemusingcommercialsodiumsulfideaselectrolyte.Thecommissioningphaseoftheprojectculminatedwithafulldemonstrationofthecomplete,closed-loopprocess.
Duringpilotoperations,NewSkysuccessfullysweetenedasignificantslip-stream(upto30CFMoutof200CFM)ofthenaturalgasfromtheexistingsourgaslineupstreamofexistinggassweeteningequipment.ThedivertedsourgaswasbubbledthroughaNewSkyscrubbercolumncontainingsodiumhydroxidesolutiontoremoveH2SandCO2,andthesweetenednaturalgaswasreturnedtothesalespipeline.ThecapturedH2SandCO2,thenintheformofsodiumsulfideandsodiumcarbonate,weretreatedtoremoveundesirableorganicsandparticulates.TheresultingcleancapturesolutionwaselectrolyzedinaSulfurCycleEreactorto
Left:NewSkySulfurCycleEpilotprojectnearWoodwardOK,November2014.Thetallscrubbercolumnatleftsideofthepilotskidcontainsasodiumhydroxidesolution,usedtosweetenupto30MCF/dayofsournaturalgascontainingapproximately7000ppmofCO2and350ppmofH2S.VirtuallyallCO2andH2Swereremovedaftertreatment.SodiumsulfidesaltsinthespentcapturesolutionwereelectrochemicallyregeneratedinNewSky’sSulfurCycleEreactor.
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regeneratesodiumhydroxideandconvertsulfidetosulfur.Theremainingbrinewasrichinsodiumcarbonate(>15%w/vol),whichwasthenrecoveredascrystallinesodiumcarbonatedecahydratebychillingthesolution.Intotal,approximately100pounds(45Kg)ofsodiumcarbonatewasrecoveredfromtheOklahomapilotwell.TherawnaturalgasinourOklahomatestwellcontainedapproximately7,000ppmofCO2and350ppmofH2S.Aftertreatmenttheseacidgaseshadbeenreducedtotracelevels<4ppm),withtheresultingsweetenednaturalgassuitableforsaleaspipelinequalitygas.TheposttreatmentH2Slevelinthesweetenedgaswastypicallyat0.1–2ppm,wellbelowthe4-ppmlimitallowedinmostcommercialnaturalgaspipelines.Asakeypartoftheonsitepilotactivities,NewSkyregeneratedspentsodiumhydroxidecaptureagentusingaSulfurCycleEelectrochemicalreactor,closingthecaptureloopatmuchlowerenergy,costandCO2footprintthanbuyingconventionallymanufacturedsodiumhydroxide.Inaddition,SulfurCycleE’sregenerationstepproducedhydrogengas,whichincreasedtheBTUvalueofthenaturalgasindirectproportiontoitsoriginalH2Sconcentration.NewSky’sOklahomafieldpilotandsubsequentlaboratoryresearchconfirmedthatSulfurCycleEefficientlyremovesbothH2SandCO2fromnaturalgasstreams,producingpipelinequalitynaturalgas,carbonatesandsulfur.Inthepilottest,upto30,000scfofnaturalgasperdaycontainingsignificantlevelsofCO2andH2Swasscrubbedwithasodiumhydroxidesolutioninafluidfilledbubblecolumn(seephoto).Thescrubbingprocessgeneratedaconcentratedsodiumcarbonate/sodiumsulfidesolution,whichweelectrochemicallyprocessedinaSulfurCycleEreactortoregeneratesodiumhydroxidefromthesulfidesalt.Theremainingsodiumcarbonatesolution,largelysulfide-free,wasthenfurtherprocessedtoprecipitatesodiumcarbonate,whichwasthenrecrystallizedanddriedtoproducehighqualitydensesodaashsuitableforglassmanufacturing.NewSky’sOklahomapilotprojectconvincinglydemonstratedthefeasibilityofusingthechemicalenergyofcapturedhydrogensulfidetomineralizeCO2viaasustainable,lowenergypathway.NewSky’sprocesssimultaneouslycapturedH2SandCO2fromsournaturalgasandthenusedaSulfurCyclereactortoregeneratethesodiumhydroxidecaptureagentatafractionoftheenergycostofconventionalNaOHmanufacturing.Overalltheprocessproducedsweetnaturalgas,hydrogen,sulfurandmarketablecarbonatesmadefromthecapturedCO2.
SulfurCycleEreactoratNewSkyOklahomapilotproject,November2014.Thereactorefficientlyconvertedsodiumsulfide,capturedasH2Sfromsournaturalgas,intohydrogen,sulfurandsodiumhydroxide.
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MineralizationofCarbonateSolutionsSodiumhydroxideisapowerfulcausticreagentthatreadilycapturesCO2fromgasstreamsandconvertsitintosodiumcarbonate.TocaptureandmineralizeCO2,NewSkyresearcherstestedfluidfilledbubblecolumns,packedbedsandfallingfilmcontactors.Alloftheseapproacheswereefficientandsimpletooperate,andprovedtobereliableCO2capturestrategies.However,thereactionofCO2withcausticsolutionsisjustthebeginningofsodaashmineralizationprocess,andconversionofthesesolutionsintosolidsodaashorsodiumbicarbonateiscriticaltocarbonatecommercialization.Thedesiredfinalcarbonateproductanditsqualityspecificationscanaffectthechoiceofcaptureequipmentandoperatingproceduresaswellasthehandoffofrawsolutionstomineralizationequipment.Byintegratingcaptureandmineralization,NewSkywasabletoproducedensesodaash,sodiumcarbonatedecahydrate,sodiumbicarbonateandprecipitatedcalciumcarbonatefromCO2capturedinfieldsitegasscrubbingoperations.
NewSkymineralizedcarbonatesproducedfromCO2.SodaAshSodaashistraditionallyproducedinathermalevaporativecrystallizerfromasolutionofsodiumcarbonate.Thesolutionissubjectedtoevaporationatelevatedtemperaturesbetween40°Cand100°Cinordertoconcentratetheliquorbeyonditssaturationpoint,therebyformingsodiumcarbonatemonohydratecrystals.Thesecrystalsaredewatered,driedandsizedtoproduceanhydroussodaash(1-2).Preparingastocksolution:Basedonthissimplifieddescriptionofsodaashproduction,onemayconcludethatgeneratingsaturatedsodiumcarbonatesolutionsfacilitatescrystallizationandlowersenergydemand.However,absorbersarechallengedbysaturatedcarbonate
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solutions,whichformprecipitatesthatclogaerators,seizepumpsandaffectfluiddynamics.Tofurthercomplicatetheprocess,sodiumcarbonatesolutionsareverytemperaturesensitive,withlowsolubilityatlowtemperatures(<1.0Mbelow10°C),andmuchhighersolubilityatwarmtemperatures(>4.0Mabove35°C).HenceitiscriticaltooperateCO2contactorsataconcentrationslightlybelowtheirsaturationpointatagivencontacttemperature,tooptimizetheconcentrationofthecarbonatesolution.InNewSky’sfieldpilots,allcontactorswereoperatednear20°C.Sodiumhydroxidewastypicallyprovidedat≤4Mtoproduce≤2Msodiumcarbonate,accordingtotheformula:2NaOH+CO2àNa2CO3+H2OThisfinalsodiumcarbonateconcentrationislowenoughtopreventcrystallizationinthecontactequipmentat20°C.Carbonatesolutionsproducedoff-siteweretransportedtoNewSkyandcrystalizedathighertemperaturestoformsodiumcarbonatemonohydrate,whichwasharvestedanddriedtoformdensesodaash.Ideallyinfutureindustrialdeployments,thecontactorandcrystallizerwillworktogetherundersteadystateconditionsthatmaintainoptimalNaOHconcentrations(near4.0M)andtemperature(>40°C)tominimizeenergydemandforthermalevaporation.AtNewSky’sOklahomasourgasfieldsite,sodiumcarbonatesolutionsfreshlygeneratedfromCO2capturedatthewellheadwerechilledtoprecipitatesodiumcarbonatedecahydrate,thusremovingagreatdealofthewater(~50%)fromthecarbonateproduct.This“coldconcentrationmethod”reliesontheunusualprecipitationcharacteristicsofsodiumcarbonatesolutionsanduses10xlessenergytoremoveexcesswaterthanthermalevaporation.Whenwarmed,theresultingsodiumcarbonateproductdissolvesandattemperaturesabove35°Cessentiallybecomesasaturated(~4.0M)solutionofsodiumcarbonatemonohydrate.Theresultingsolutionisidealfordensesodaashproductionusingconventionaltechniquesusedinthesodaashindustry.Theenergyefficientprocessesusedtoproduceconventionalsodaashfromtronaoreresultinproductionof411kgofCO2pertonofsodaash.HoweverthereleaseofCO2whenconventionalsodaashiscalcinedduringglassmanufacturingresultsinreleaseofanadditional415KgofCO2pertonofsodaash.NewSky’ssodaashcontainsCO2capturedfromsournaturalgas.MostoftheCO2containedinAlberta’ssourgasisreleasedtotheairduringnaturalgascombustionorsourgassweeteningprocesses.NewSky’sSulfurCycleEprocesscapturesthatCO2andformsacarbonneutralsodaash,henceavoidingthereleaseof415KgofCO2pertonwhenoursodaashisusedinglassmanufacturing.Ineffectconventionalgassweeteningandsodaashproduction/usereleasetwoCO2molecules,onefromfossilfuel(sourgas)andonefrom“fossilcarbonate”(trona),whereasNewSky’sprocessreleasesjustone:theCO2capturedfromsournaturalgasthatisusedtomakeNewSkysodaash.Pretreatment:Sincesodiumhydroxideissuchapowerfulcausticreagent,italsoreactsstronglywithhydrogensulfide(H2S),whichistypicallyco-producedwithCO2insournaturalgasand
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biogas.Thecoldprecipitationmentionedabovehastheaddedbenefitofseparatingprecipitatedcarbonatesfromdissolvedsulfides.Asingleprecipitationremovesthemajorityofthesulfides(>98%)fromtherawcarbonatesleavingapreferredhighsulfide/lowcarbonateelectrolyteforSulfurCycleEandamuchcleanercarbonateproduct.However,theodorthresholdofsulfidesiswellbelow1ppm,soseveralstrategieswereconsideredtoremovetheremainingsulfidesfromthecarbonatepriortothermalevaporativecrystallization.Onestrategyinvolvesmultiplecoldcrystallizationsofsodiumcarbonatedecahydrate.Althougheffective,theenergydemandishighandbestsuitedforinitialbulkseparationofcarbonatesandsulfides.Oncesulfidesareatconcentrationsbelow100ppm,treatingwithmetalionssuchasiron,zincorbariumsaltsisaneffectiveapproach.NewSky’sSulfurCycleRchemistrycanalsobeusedtoremovetracelevelsofhydrogensulfidefromgasandliquidstreams.WhenaddedtoacarbonatesolutioncontaininglowlevelsofsulfidetheSulfurCycleRcapturemediareactswithsulfidesandprecipitatesironsulfide,effectivelyremovingthetraceH2Sfromthecarbonatesolution.SulfurCycleRcanalsobeusedupstreamoftheNaOHcapturesolution,separatingH2SandCO2captureintoseparatesteps.ThisapproachmakessenseiflevelsofH2SaretoolowtooffersignificantenergybenefitswhenelectrolyzedinSulfurCycleEreactors.TheresultingdesulfurizedgasstreamcanbescrubbedwithNewSkyNaOH(producedbyCarbonCycleorSulfurCycleE),creatingpuresodiumcarbonatesolutionsandsweetnaturalgas.Crystallizer:Byapplyingknowhowfrompreviousfieldprojects,NewSkydesignedandbuiltasodaashcrystallizerwhichincorporatedthefollowingkeydesigncriteria:
• Amechanismtosupersaturatethesolution(evaporatewater)• Amechanismtocapturesteam(condenser)• Amechanismtonucleateandgrowcrystalsfromsuper-saturatedsolutions• Indirectheating• Forcedcirculation• Amechanismtofacilitatemasstransfer(airflowtocarryawaysteam)• Amechanismtoharvestcrystalcarbonateproducts
Afterreviewofthemanyknowncrystallizersystems,NewSkychosetobuildaforcedcirculationcrystallizerbasedontheSwensondesign(3-4).Thephotobelowshowsthekeydesignfeaturesandequipment.Thissmalldemonstrationcrystallizerisveryinefficientcomparedtotheindustrialscaleequipmentusedinconventionalsodaashproduction,whichhavesophisticatedheatrecoverysystems.Inlarge-scalesodaashproductionNewSkywouldadoptthemostenergyefficientcrystallizationanddryingprocesses,matchingorimprovingonthebestpracticesoftheindustry.ThisstrategywillmaximizetheGHGbenefitsofourCO2captureprocess.AlifecycleassessmentofGHGemissionsduringconventionalsodaashproductionindicatesthatapproximately410KgofCO2isgeneratedduringproductionofonetonofdrysodaash.Anadditional415KgofCO2isemittedduringcalcinationofconventionalsodaashinaglass
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furnace.(5)NewSky’sprocesshasthepotentialtoreducesodaashemissionsby415Kg,sinceCO2releasedduringcalcinationwaseffectivelyanavoidedCO2emissionduringgassweetening.
NewSkycrystallizerconfiguredforstandardoperation.Thisimageshowsasmallsodaashcrystallizerwithkeyequipmentlabeled.Allhotequipmentrequiredinsulationtoavoidthermallossesduetoarelativelylarge∆Tbetweenambientandsteadystatetemperature(~70°C).Thesystemalsobenefitedfromtheairflowprovidedbytheblowerwhichallowedthesystemtooperateat70°Cratherthan90°C.Theblowerincreasedmasstransferandreduceddemandonthecondenser.Notshownisthetangentialentryoftheworkingliquortoallowlongerresidenceinthecrystalgrowthchamberofthecrystallizer.
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Sodiumcarbonatemonohydratecrystalsrequirepostprocessingtoproducedensesodaash.Thefirstchallengeinvolvedremovingcrystalsfromthereactor.Tosimplifythesystem,thecrystallizerwasruninabatchmodeuntilsufficientproductwasproduced.Thecrystalswereimmediatelyremovedthroughalowpointdrainwhilestillhotandallowedtosettleinatanktodecanttheexcessliquorandvacuumfiltertoremoveexcesswater.Themonohydratecrystalswerethendriedinanovenat>102°Ctoproducesodaash.Steadystatecontinuousprocessestypicallyemployin-lineparticleremoval,hydro-cyclonesfordewateringandrotarykilnsforfinaldryingwithoutneedforcrushingandsieving.Theproductswereanalyzedbyinfraredspectroscopy,whichidentifiedtheproductaspuresodiumcarbonatemonohydate.Inlaboratoryexperiments,NewSkyproducedsodaashusinganon-evaporative“warmcontact”process.Ratherthansupersaturatingasolutionofsodiumcarbonatebyvaporizingwater,thisprocessgeneratessupersaturatedsolutionbyreactingCO2withveryconcentratedwarmhydroxide(~40°C).AsCO2isabsorbed,theconcentrationofsodiumcarbonateincreasespastitssaturationpoint,andifthetemperatureisgreaterthan37°C,sodiumcarbonatemonohydrateprecipitates.Toextendtheprocess,solidhydroxideisaddedtomaintainreagentconcentrations.Benefitsofthisprocessincludesimplifiedequipment,lowercapitalcosts,lowerreagentcostsandlessenergyconsumption.Thecaveatsincludepotentialcloggingofthecontactorandtherequirementforsolidorhighlyconcentratedhydroxide.Nonetheless,theprocessisuniquetoCO2captureandmineralizationstrategies,mayoffersignificantenergyandGHGbenefits,andwarrantsfurtherstudyinRoundIIresearch.SodiumbicarbonateSodiumbicarbonatehasanaddedcarbonbenefitcomparedtosodaash:itmineralizestwicetheamountofCO2permoleofsodiumhydroxide.Furthermore,processingdoesnotrequireevaporationoflargequantitiesofwaterandthereforehasamuchsmallerenergydemandformineralizationthansodaash.Theseadvantagesarecounter-balancedwiththerequirementforrelativelyconcentrated,pressurizedcarbondioxide,whichisanotreadilyavailableinfluegas.Howeversuchconcentrated,pressurizedCO2streamsarewidelyencounteredinsournaturalgasstreams,makingbicarbonateproductionalogicallowcarbonproductforNewSkytoproduceinAlberta.NewSkywasabletoaddresstheCO2specificationsrequiredforbicarbonateproductionbyworkingwithAveryBrewing,whichproducesanidealCO2streamforbicarbonateproduction.TheAverygasstreamdidcarrysomearomaticchemicalsfromthebrewingprocess,whichwerealsocapturedbythehydroxide.However,acarbonfilterupstreamofthecontactorremovedanynoticeableodorfromtheproduct.Analysisofthekineticsrevealedthatformationofbicarbonateissignificantlyslower(7-10times)thanformationofcarbonate.Thus,optimizingmasstransferandCO2inputisimportanttodrivethebicarbonatereaction.
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Despiteformingsolidsinthecontactor,thespargerdidnotclogandallowedthegastoflowuninhibited.Bicarbonateprovedmucheasiertohandleinacontactorthancarbonateandisamendabletoinlinefiltration.Thepostprocessinginvolvesdewateringinafilterpressanddryinginstreamofwarmdryair.Thisresultedinauniform,free-flowingproductthatrequirednofurtherprocessing.PrecipitatedcalciumcarbonatePrecipitatedcalciumcarbonateisaproductthatisusedasafillerandwhiteningagentinmanymaterialsincludingpaper,plasticsandconcrete.Inmanyoftheprocessingsystemsmentionabove,processwaterisgeneratedwithlowlevelsofcarbonate.Itwouldbeimpracticaltoevaporatesuchlargeamountsofwatertorecoversuchasmallamountofcarbonate.Hence,NewSkydemonstratedtheprecipitationofcalciumcarbonateasafinalrecoveryofcarbonateandausefulstepinwatermanagement.Theprocessinvolvesadditionofcalciumchloridetoasodiumcarbonatesolution,whichimmediatelyprecipitatesinsolublecalciumcarbonate.Postprocessingcanbeassimpleasdecantingthewatertoproduceaconcentratedslurry,orfiltrationfollowedbydryingtomakeauniformpowder.Theremainingsodiumchloridesolutioncanberecycledthroughthesystemseveraltimesbeforebuildingconcentrationsrequirepurging.
1. Zoller,UriandSosis,Paul,HandbookofDetergents,PartF:Production,2002,CRCPress.
2. Samant,KetanD.andO’Young,UnderstandingCrystallizationandCrystallizers,InternalReportforClearWaterBayTechnologies,Inc.,2002,www.aiche.org/cep
3. Green,DonW.andPerry,RobertH.,Perry’sChemicalEngineers’Handbook,8thEdition,2008,McGrawandHill.
4. Myerson,AllanS.HandbookofIndustrialCrystallization,2ndEdition,2002,Butterworth-Heinemann.
5. “ProducingGHGReductionsbySequesteringCO2inInorganicChemicals”,ReportbyWSPEnvironmentandEnergy,October14,2009.
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ProcessingGasStreamswithVariableCO2toH2SRatiosTaraYoder,PhDandDeaneLittle,PhD,NewSkyEnergyIntroductionDuringNewSky’sOklahomapilotprojectwelearnedthatveryhighCO2toH2Sratios(>20:1)insourgasresultsinverylowsodiumsulfideconcentrationsintheresultingcapturesolution.Thisinturnminimizestheamountofsodiumhydroxiderecyclingthatcanoccurduringmultiplecaptureandregenerationcycles.Ideally,abalancedmixofH2SandCO2wouldmaximizetheGHGandenergybenefitsofNewSky’sCO2mineralizationstrategy.Toaddressthisissue,inFebruary2016NewSkyR&DteambeganexperimentstogaininsightintotherangeofpotentialgasmixturesthatcanbeefficientlytreatedusingNaOHcaptureandSulfurCycleEelectrochemistry.Tothatend,weutilizedoursophisticatedlab-scalescrubbersandSulfurCycleEreactortotestcustomgasmixturesofH2S,CO2,andnitrogen.Thegoalsofthisstudywereto:
1. ObservethecaptureperformanceofNaOHsolutionsongasmixtures,2. Measuretheelectrochemicalperformanceofthesesolutionsand3. Betterunderstandthepotentialapplicationsandmarketsforourtechnology.
GasScrubbingCustomizedgasmixturescontainingvariousratiosofCO2toH2Swereproducedbymixingnitrogen,H2S,andCO2usingmassflowcontrollers.GasstreamswithCO2toH2Sratiosof1:1(0.5:0.5vol%),5:1(0.5:2.5vol%)and25:1(0.1:2.5vol%)wereusedtofeedabubblecolumncontainingsodiumhydroxidesolutionsatflowratesof3SLPM(standardlitersperminute).Thegasstreamswerespargedthrougha3-inchdiameter,4feettallPVCcolumnwitharubbergasketspargerholding1-2Lof1-2MNaOHcapturesolution.Thefollowinggraphs(figure1)showthecaptureperformancewhenthemixedgasstreamcontainedequalamountsofH2SandCO2(1vol%ofeach).Ontheleft,theH2Scaptureperformancewas>99.9%fortheentiretyoftherununtilthesolutionwasspent.Ontheright,theCO2captureefficiencywasobservedtodropmorerapidlythantheH2Scaptureefficiency,indicatingapreferenceforH2ScapturewhentheNaOHsolutionwasnearlyspent.
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Figure1:Captureperformancefora2Lsolutioncontaining2MNaOH.Thegasstreamcontained1vol%H2Sand1vol%CO2Thegraphsbelow(figure2)displaythecaptureperformancewhen1Lof1MNaOHwastreatedwithgasstreamscontainingH2S:CO2ratiosof1:1,1:5,and1:25.ItwasfoundthatH2SwassomewhatpreferentiallycapturedoverCO2whenCO2waspresentinexcess,withthemoleratioscapturedbeing1:0.96,1:3.86,and1:16.86,respectively.ThisselectivityisimportanttoourgoalofremovingH2Sfromsourgasstreams,asitiscriticaltoreduceH2Sbelow4ppmtoproducepipelinequalitygas.
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Figure2:Captureperformancefor1Lsolutionscontaining1MNaOH.Thefollowingtable(figure3)outlinesthecharacteristicsoftheabovescrubbingexperiments.WhilethegasstreamscontainingequalamountsofH2SandCO2werecapturedinrelativelyequalamounts,thecausticsolutionsselectivelycapturedtheH2SwhenitwaspresentinlowerconcentrationsthantheCO2.Additionally,theamountsof
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sulfideandcarbonatecapturedtotaledabouthalfoftheconcentrationofsodium,indicatingtheformationofsodiumbisulfideandsodiumcarbonateaccordingtothefollowingequations:
H2S+2NaOHàNa2S+2H2OCO2+2NaOHàNa2CO3+H2O
Asthesodiumisexhausted,thesolutionisabletocapturesomeadditionalH2SandCO2basedonthefollowingequations:
Na2CO3+H2SàNaHCO3+NaSHNa2CO3+CO2+NaHCO3à2NaHCO3
Figure3:Capturecharacteristicsforcausticsolutions
FigureNo.
H2S:CO2RatioGasStream
Volume%H2S/CO2
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1 1:1 1/1 2.00M/2L 1:1.04 1.08M 1.13M2A-B 1:1 0.5/0.5 1.04M/1L 1:0.96 0.27M 0.25M2C-D 1:5 0.5/2.5 0.99M/1L 1:3.86 0.12M 0.46M2E-F 1:25 0.1/2.5 1.01M/1L 1:16.86 0.04M 0.59MElectrochemistryOncethescrubbingstepwascomplete,theresultingsolutionswereconvertedtosulfurandpolysulfidesusingaSulfurCycleEelectrochemicalcell.Theflowcellusedthecapturesolutionsastheanolytewiththefollowingconfiguration:twochambers,graphitefeltanodesandstainlesssteelcathodeswithasurfaceareaof200cm2,Nafioncationexchangemembranes,anda0.2MNaOHcatholyte.Twoexperimentswereperformedoneachcapturesolution.First,theappliedvoltagewassweptfromzeroto2.2V(totalcellvoltage),whilethecurrentwasrecorded.Thenthecellwasrunat2V,monitoringthecurrentachieved,untilthecurrentdroppedsignificantly.ThesolutionsfromtheexperimentsinFigure2weretreatedinthiswayandtheresultsaredisplayedbelowinFigure4and5.Asexpected,the1:1ratioofsulfide:carbonateproducedthebestcurrentdensities,andthe1:25ratioproducedtheworst.However,thesurprisingresultwasthe1:5ratio:thesolutiongavecurrentdensitiesnearlyashighasthe1:1andreachedapolysulfidechainlengthofnearly4comparedto3forthe1:1solution(seeFigure5).The1:25ratioonlyhadasulfideconcentrationof0.04M,resultinginarapiddropoffincurrentdensityduringtheexperimentcomparedtothehigherratios.Thisdeclinemayhavebeenless
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dramaticifahighervolumehadbeenusedtoincreasethetotalsulfideavailablefortheelectrochemicalreaction.
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Figure5:Electrochemicalcharacteristicsforcapturesolutions
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3A-B 1:1 0.5/0.5 0.27M 0.25M 260A/cm2 33C-D 1:5 0.5/2.5 0.12M 0.46M 230A/cm2 3.93E-F 1:25 0.1/2.5 0.04M 0.59M 145A/cm2 2.5ConclusionsBasedontheresultsofthisstudy,weconcludedthatoperatingtheelectrochemicalcelloncapturesolutionsfromgasstreamswithlessthana10:1ratioofCO2toH2Sisrecommended.Attheseratiosthesulfideionscontributelargeamountsofenergytothecell,reducingthenetenergycostandmaximizingtheGHGbenefitsofCO2mineralization.FortunatelythegreatmajorityofsourgasfieldsinAlbertaproducegaswithCO2toH2SratiosinNewSky’spreferredrange.Similarconcentrationratioscouldbeachievedbyothermethods,suchasprecipitatingthecarbonatefromasaturatedsolution,mixingthesolutionwithmorecaustic,andcapturingagain.Thisprocesscouldberepeatedcyclicallyuntilasufficientamountofsulfideispresenttoperformelectrochemistry.Mostimportantly,itwasclearthataverybroadrangeofCO2toH2Sratios(roughly1:5to5:1)willalloweffectiveSulfurCycleEelectrochemistryandCO2
mineralization.TheseacidgasratiosareanidealfitforAlberta,whichholdstrillionsofcubicfeetofsourgaswithsimilarCO2toH2Sratiosinreserve.
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CO2CaptureandMineralizationatAveryBrewingMeganCousinsandJoeKosmoski,PhDBackgroundNewSkyEnergy’spatentedCarbonCycletechnology(USPatent#8227127,alsopatentedinCanada,ChinaandAustralia)capturesCO2fromindustrialexhauststreamssuchasfluegas,naturalgasandfermentersconvertsitintosodaash,bicarbonate,andotherusefulcarbonates.NewSky’sCarbonCycleprojectwithAveryBrewingtreatedbrewerygasstreamsabouttoentertheatmospheretocaptureCO2fromarelativelyclean,concentratedsourceofgas.Theresultingcarbonatesolutionsservedasexcellentrawinputsformineralizationwithoutallthechallengesofpre-treatmentrequiredforfluegasoperations.Appliedtofermentergasstreams,CarbonCycleproducescarbonneutralorevencarbonnegativecarbonates.ThesemineralizedCO2productshavemanyindustrialuses,includingglassmanufacturing,plasticsandconstructionmaterials.ChemicalPrinciplesTwoCarbonCycleCO2scrubbershavebeeninstalledatAveryBrewingtocaptureCO2fromtheirexhaustgases.A2-literscrubberprovidedqualitycontroltestingandCO2analysis.ThisscrubberisattachedtotwoCO2sensors(oneupstreamandonedownstream)foruseinanalyzingCO2beforeandaftercaptureinsodiumhydroxide.A200-literscrubbercolumnwasusedtoproduceconcentratedsodiumcarbonateorsodiumbicarbonatefromsodiumhydroxidesolutions.Thechemicalmechanismstakingplaceinthisprocessareasfollows:
1. 2NaOH aq + CO! g → Na!CO! aq + H!O l k!2. Na!CO! aq + H!O l + CO! g → 2NaHCO! s k! ≅ 7k!
Inpractice,reaction1proceedstocompletionbeforereaction2canoccur.Theproductionofcarbonateiskineticallyfavoredovertheproductionofbicarbonate,indicatedbytherelativerateconstants(kvalues)measuredinthelab.Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderthestateofmatterofeachreagentandproduct.Notably,bicarbonatecanbedirectlyproducedasasolidprecipitatewithoutunitoperationsspecificformineralization,whereascarbonaterequirescrystallizationtoproducesodaash.TheproductendpointforeachreactionisdeterminedfromthepH.Thisisdepictedinthefollowing(figure6):
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Figure6:SpeciationdiagramforfractionofcarbonateionsasafunctionofpH.
ThisgraphreflectsthefractionofcarbonateionsthatarepresentinsolutionasmoreandmoreCO2isdrivenintosolution(fromrighttoleft).WhenCO2isabsorbedintoNaOH,Na2CO3isspontaneouslyformedandNaOHisconsumedatpHrangeof10-12.ThisisfollowedbykineticallyslowerformationofNaHCO3andconsumptionofNa2CO3atpH8-10.Sinceformationofbicarbonateisarelativelyslowreaction,coolconcentratedCO2isrequiredtopushthereactiontocompletion.Hence,Avery’sexhaustisanidealreagentforformationofbicarbonate,whereasmostfluegasornaturalgasstreamsaretoodilutetodrivethebicarbonatereactiontocompletion.EngineeringDesignsOverthecourseoftheprojectatAveryBrewing,NewSkyhasgreatlyexpandeditspracticalknowledgeofscrubbingtechniquesandmechanisms.Belowaresomemainpointsthatwereobserved:2-LiterScrubber:
• Theuseofabubblecolumnforthe2-literscrubberprovidedhighliquidcontactforincominggas.Thisdesignwassimpleandtailoredtothequalitycontrolaspectofthesmallscrubber.
• Acarbonfilterwasinstalledupstreamofthescrubber.Carbonfiltershavehighsurfaceareaforadsorptionandgaspurification,especiallywhenwetsurfacesareavailabletohelptransferthegastothesolidphase.Theuseofacarbonfilterprovedessentialforremovalofhops,oils,andotherorganicsco-producedfromthebrewingprocess.Itwasalsobeneficialinodorcontrol,aswasobservedbycomparingproductsgeneratedwithandwithoutthecarbonfilter.
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• A100-foldscaleupofthescrubberhadnoobservableeffectonthefunctionofthesystem.
• Thelarge200-literscrubberwasdesignedtoaccommodateseveraldifferentoperationalmodesincludingatraditionalbubblecolumn,fallingfilm,andpackedcolumns.
• ThebubblecolumnmodeprovidedefficientandcompletescrubbingofCO2duetothelongresidencetimeinherenttothedesign.However,breweryexhaustisclosetoatmosphericpressureandrequiredablowertodrivethegasthroughthecolumn.Theblowerwasdifficulttomaintainforcontinuousoperationsinthechallengingenvironmentofthecellarfloor,andconsumedarelativelylargequantityofenergy.Thus,whenminimizingthecarbonfootprintisacriticaldesignconsideration,theuseofblowersisnotrecommended.Fortunatelysournaturalgasisgenerallypressurized,whichallowshighlyeffective,lowenergybubbleorpackedcolumndesignswithoutneedforablowerorpump.
• PackedcolumnmodewasnottestedatAveryduetopotentialcrystallizationofmineralsonthepacking,andtherequirementforablowerandcirculationpump.
• Fallingfilmmodewasusedforthe200-literscrubbertocreateveryhighliquidturnoverforlongtermCO2adsorptioninasystemthatisnotpressurized.Thismethodprovedeffectiveandreliableatproducingsodiumcarbonateandsodiumbicarbonatewithminimalenergyrequirements.Directmeasurementofelectricaldrawfromthesystemindicatedthatonly15%oftheenergywasrequiredtorunthefallingfilmcirculationpumpcomparedtothebubblecolumnblower.AnymasstransferadvantagesofthebubblecolumnmodewerenegatedbythehighconcentrationofcoolCO2,whichallowedforhighscrubbingefficienciesinfallingfilmmode.
BlockFlowDiagramThefollowingfigureshowsabasicblockflowdiagramofthemovementofgasthroughthescrubbersinstalledatAveryBrewing:
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Figure7:BlockflowdiagramformovementofgasflowthroughsystemsinstalledatAveryBrewing.
• Twoscrubbersallowflexibleoperations.Thegascanexitthesystemafterthefirstscrubber,orcanproceedtothe200-literscrubberbeforeexiting.
• The2-literscrubbercanbeusedasaformofpre-treatmentforthe200-literscrubber.
• Thecarbonfiltercontainstheoptionforbypass.
ProcessFlowDiagramThefollowingfigureshowsamoredetailedprocessflowdiagramofgasmovingthroughthe2-literand200-literscrubbersinstalledatAveryBrewing.Initially,the200-litersystemwasdesignedanddeployedtostudythemechanicalaspectsofdifferentscrubbermodes.Oncethe200-litersystemwasreadytoreceiveCO2,the2-litersystemwasaddedtomonitorgasflows,concentrations,andproductquality.
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Figure8:ProcessflowdiagramforunitsinstalledatAveryBrewing.
• The2-literscrubberandassociatedprocessunitsareattachedtoaportableskidwithbuilt-inspillcontainment.Knockoutvesselswereincorporatedintothedesigntopreventliquidsfromtravelingthroughthesystem.
• A3/8”stainlesssteellinetapsdirectlyintotheCO2exhaustline,providingaslipstreamoftheexhaustgas.
• The200-literscrubbersystemwasbuiltasastandaloneunitwhichcouldbetiedintothe2-litersystemasneeded.
Thefollowingimagesshowthe2-literscrubberstationandthelarger200-litersystemasbuilt.Thetwosystemswereinstalledonthebrewery’scellarfloor,whichisahighlyactivearea.Steam,foam,water,andtemperatureswingsarecommonissuesinbreweryoperationsandwereaddressedbyusingindustriallyhardenedequipment,designcriteria,andcompatiblematerials.
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Figure9:Imagesofthe2-litersystem(left)and200-litersystem(right)atAveryBrewing.
ResultsBelowisanexampleofanexperimentruninthe2-literscrubber.ThepurposeofthisexperimentwastostudytheCO2patternsatAvery,aswellasdetermineifthecarbonfilterremovesorganicscarriedintheexhauststreambeforeenteringthescrubber.
• ThemaximumpercentofCO2intheexhaustwasmeasuredaround69%.TheexhaustwaslikelymixedwithairbeforeenteringtheCO2analyzer.
• TherearefluctuationsintheflowrateofCO2leavingtheexhaustoverthecourseofthedaydependingonwhichbrewingprocessisunderway.
• TwosourcesofCO2aregeneratedatthebrewery.Thefirstoriginatesfromfermentationandtheotherisprocessgasusedtoblanketequipment.
• ThesampleshownscrubbedCO2through1literof2MNaOH.NotethatessentiallyalloftheCO2wasremovedfromthegasstreamoverthecourseofanhour,afterwhichtimebreakthroughoccurred.
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Figure10:ExampleofCO2capturedatafromthe2-literscrubber.
DiscussionandMovingForwardInstallingscrubbersatAveryBrewingandrunningexperimentswiththeirCO2exhaustwasbeneficialinprovingthefundamentalideasbehindNewSky’sCarbonCycleprocess,aswellasunderstandingmoreaboutscrubbingmechanismsinlargecolumns.Sodiumcarbonatethatwasproducedinthelarge200-literscrubberwascrystallizedtomakepuresodaashfromthisnaturalCO2source.ThetechnologyimplementedatAveryBrewingforgesasolidpathwaytoexpandingtheuseofCarbonCycleglobally.Aninterestingroutetofurtherexpanduponthistechnologycouldbeasystemthatusesathree-phasereactor.CarbonCycleinherentlyandelegantlyinvolvesthreephasesofmatter(gas,liquidandsolids),anddesigningasystemthatcancaptureandmineralizeCO2inonecohesiveunitishighlydesirable.Thefallingfilmmodenotonlyworkswellforabsorbinggasses,butisamendabletoin-linesolidsremovalduetotheconstantflowofliquids.Literatureonthistopicissparse,asmostthree-phasereactorspertaintoasolidcatalystadsorbingthegasratherthanamineralizationprocesshappeningwithin.OtherliteraturepertainstodirectmineralizationofCO2fromfluegas(Werneretal.),whichinitselfisaninterestingconcept.AllofthesetopicsareviableforfuturedirectionsofNewSky’sCarbonCycleprocess.ReferencesWernerM.,HariharanS.,MazzorriM.FluegasCO2mineralizationusingthermallyactivatedserpentine:fromsingle-todouble-stepcarbonation.Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys.,2014,16,24978-24993.
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GreenhouseGasImpactsSummaryTheNewSkyProcessisanovel,verylowenergymethodofsweeteningsourgasthatresultsinproductionofanumberofvaluableproducts.Theseincludesweetenednaturalgas,carbonatesmadefromcapturedCO2,andsulfurorsulfuricacid.TheNewSkyProcessresultsindirectCO2emissionreductionsby:
• Capturingupto6MT/yearCO2fromsournaturalgasinAlbertaandconvertingitintousefulcarbonatessuchassodaashandsodiumbicarbonate
• Displacing"fossilcarbonates"suchasconventionallymanufacturedsodaashandsodiumbicarbonatefromthemarketplace
• DramaticallyreducingenergyrelatedCO2emissionsinsourgassweeteningbyreplacingfossilfuelbasedthermalregenerationwithenergyefficientelectrochemicalregenerationofthecapturesolvent
• Regeneratingsodiumhydroxide,animportantcommoditychemicalandreliablegassweeteningagent,with75%energysavingsrelativetoconventionalchloralkaliproduction
• Usingco-producthydrogeninafuelcelltofurtherreducetheenergyrequiredtoregeneratesodiumhydroxide,resultinginupto94%energysavingsrelativetoconventionalNaOHmanufacturing,orifNewSky’stechnologydisplacedinthemarket,theproductionofhydrogenviaelectrolysis,itwoulddisplacetheemissionof3MT/yearCO2e
QuotinganApril2016letterfromJulieSinistore,PhD,aGHGaccountingexpertoriginallyhiredbyNewSkyin2013toassessthecarbonbenefitsofNewSky’sprocessduringourRound1CCEMCapplication:
“Asasustainabilityprofessional,myassessmentoftheNewSkyEnergy(NSE)processisthatitisnovelbecauseitprovidesmanyopportunitiesforthereductionoftheemissionofGreenhouseGases(GHGs)thatcontributetoGlobalWarmingPotential(GWP).TheNSEprocessisbothenergyefficientandproducesmultipleco-products.Twovaluableco-productsfromthegassweeteningprocessaresodaashandsodiumbicarbonate.Finally,thoughnotdirectlyapplicableintheconventionalGHGemissionsaccountmethodology,itisimportanttonotethatproducingsodaashandsodiumbicarbonatefromthecarbonthatwouldotherwisebereleasedduringconventionalgassweeteningrepresentsare-useofthatcarbonandcouldpotentiallysupplantthereleaseofcarbonfromtheproductionoftheseproductsfromconventionally-minedores.ThecombinationofallaspectsofNSE’smultifunctionalprocessmakesacompellingargumentforthesubstantial
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reductionsinGHGemissionsthatcouldberealizedfromthefull-scaleimplementationoftheirprocess.
DirectCO2BenefitsInAlbertaalone,NewSky’sgassweeteningprocesshasthepotentialtoreducedirectCO2emissionsbyupto6megatonsperyear.With19%ofAlberta’s2014productionof4.6tcfcomingfromsourgas,whichcontainedasmuchas10%CO2,weestimatethatAlberta’ssourgascontainedover7MtofCO2.Forasenseofperspective,worldreservesofsourgascontaining>10%CO2areestimatedat700tcfrepresentingmorethan36gigatonsofrawCO2notcountingcombustionofmethanefromthatgas.InAlberta,aportionoftheacidgasesfromsweeteningarere-injected,perhaps0.5–1.0Mt/yrofCO2,slightlyreducingthepotentialsavings.BycapturingtheportionofCO2insourgasthatisreleasedintotheatmosphereandusingittomakecarbonatesfortheNorthAmericanmarket,NewSky’stechnologyhasthepotentialtoreducedirectCO2emissionsinAlbertabyasmuchas6Mt/yr.ThesebenefitsarefocusedentirelyonthenaturalgasindustryinAlberta;oilrefineryoperationsmayrepresentacomparableorlargeropportunitytocaptureandconvertCO2andH2Sintousefulchemicals.NewSkyproposestoincorporatethissequesteredCO2intosodaashandothercarbonate/bicarbonateproductsusedinglassmanufacturing,pulpandpaper,agriculture,andotherindustries.SodaashproductioninNorthAmericatotalsroughly15Mt/yr.Byweight,thissodaashcontains6.2MtofCO2thatislateremittedwhenthesodaashisusedinglass-makingorotherindustrialprocesses.Coincidentally,thetotaldirectCO2emissionsfromgassweeteningprocessesareapproximatelyequaltothosefromtheNorthAmericansodaashindustry.NewSky’sprocesscoulddisplacethesedirectCO2emissions,withCO2thatwouldotherwisebeemittedinconventionalgassweeteningprocesses,effectivelyhalvingthecombineddirectcarbonemissionsofthesourgasandsodaashindustries.Wearenotincludingthesesavingsinourcalculations,butwedopointoutthatNewSky’sGHGreductionsaresustainablebothupstreamanddownstreamandcouldaccruetoeitherindustry.LifecycleAnalysisStudyInordertoexaminethefulllifecyclecostsoftheCO2-sequesteringproducts,NewSkyhiredtheLCAconsultingfirmPE-International.PEexaminedNewSky’smassandenergybalancenumbersandcomparedNewSky’slifecycleGHGemissionstoestablishedprocessesforsodaashandbicarbonateproduction.PEfoundthat,relativetosodaashfromtrona,NewSky’sprocessresultsina42–58%reductionincradle-to-gate(indirect)emissionsanda29–41%reductioninlifecycleemissions(includingreleaseofCO2attheendoflife,intheglass-makingprocessforinstance).Byscalingtheseindirectemissionreductionstothesizeofthesodaashmarket,wefindthatNewSky’sprocesscouldreduceemissionsbyanadditional1.8–2.5Mt/yrforatotalGHGbenefitofupto8.7milliontonsperyearinNorthAmerica.WhencomparedtotheSolvayProcess
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usedoverseas,PEfoundthatNewSky’sprocessresultsina63-73%reductionincradle-to-gateemissionsanda49-57%reductioninlifecycleemissions.IfNewSky’sprocessmakessodiumbicarbonate,theGHGemissionreductionsareevengreater.HydrogenOneaspectthatthePEassessmentdidnottakeintoaccountistheaddedabilityoftheNewSkytechnologytoproducehydrogen.Whentheadditionalco-productionofcommercial-gradehydrogenfromNewSky’sgassweeteningprocessisaddedtotheotherGHGbenefits,apowerfulpictureemergesforthereductionoftotalGWP-causinggases.ForeveryonekilogramofhydrogenproducedbyNewSkyEnergy’sgassweeteningprocess,thereisthepotentialtodisplacetheproductionofhydrogenbyconventionalmeanssuchascrackingofcrudeoilorelectrolysis.ThisdisplacementofhydrogeninthemarketplaceonakilogramperkilogrambasishasthepotentialtosupplanttheemissionsofGreenhouseGases(GHGs)fromtheproductionofhydrogenbyconventionalmeans.AccordingtotheLifeCycleAssessment(LCA)informationavailableintheGaBiDatabase,theGWPofhydrogenproducedviacrackingandelectrolysisare3.18and51.8kgCO2eq/kghydrogen,respectively.TherelativeweightofhydrogentosulfurinH2Sis1:16.ApproximatelysixpercentoftheweightofhydrogensulfidethatNewSkyEnergytreatswillbeconvertedtohydrogengasthatcoulddisplacetheconventionalmeansofproductionofhydrogengas.Canadaproduces6.8TrillionCubicFeet(TCF)ofnaturalgasperyear.Ofthis,68%comesfromAlbertaandapproximately19%ofthisgasissour.Ofthesourgas,threeandathirdpercentisH2Sonaverage.Thisequatestothepotentialtoproduce60,000tonnesofhydrogenthatcouldbeproducedviaNewSky’stechnologyperyear.UsingtheconservativeGWPforhydrogenproducedviacracking(3.18kgCO2eq/kghydrogen),productionofhydrogenwithNewSky’stechnologycouldavoidtheemissionof0.2MtofCO2eannually.IfthehydrogenproducedviaNewSky’stechnologydisplacedtheproductionofhydrogenviaelectrolysis(abestcasescenario),thenthiswoulddisplacetheemissionof3MtofCO2eannually.GHGProjectionsAssuminganincreasinglyrapidadoptiononcetheinitialmarketproofhasbeenestablishedfollowedbyalongtailofslowergrowthtocapturethelastfractionsofmarketpotential,NewSkyprojects15MtofCO2einGHGbenefitsduringthe1st10yearsfollowingtheprojectcompletion.GHGReduction(TonnesofCO2e):Year/GHGValue(TonnesofCO2e)Year1/20Year2/200
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Year3/10,000Year4/50,000Year5/250,000Year6/750,000Year7/2,000,000Year8/3,000,000Year9/4,000,000Year10/5,000,000Total15,060,220tonnesofCO2eThesecalculationsdonotincludetheGHGbenefitsrelatedtosodaash(orsodiumbicarbonate)production,nordotheyincludethedownstreambenefitsoflowercostproductionofnaturalgasfromsourgas.SourgasisexpectedtocompriseagrowingshareofnaturalgasproductioninAlbertaandaroundtheglobe.Lowernaturalgaspricingwillfacilitatefastertransitionawayfromhigh-GHGfossilfuelstowardrenewablesourceswhichoftenrelyuponnaturalgastobalancethepowersupplyduringperiodsoflowwindsorweatherresultinginlowPVvalues.NewSkyGHGemissionsresultfrombothelectricalusagebySulfurCycleEandCarbonCyclereactorsandheatconsumptiontoproducedrycrystallinecarbonates.UsingrenewableelectricityandwasteheatminimizestheseemissionsandallowsNewSkytoproduceCO2negativecarbonates.
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OverallConclusions1.Aspredictedinour2014CCEMCgrantapplication,NewSky’sSulfurCycleEgassweeteningprocesssuccessfullyconvertedlargeamountsofCO2insournaturalgasintousefulcarbonates,includingsodaashandsodiumbicarbonate.2.Alsoaspredicted,sodiumsulfideformedbycaptureofH2Swasregeneratedtoformsodiumhydroxideandsulfur/polysulfidesatsignificantlylowervoltagesthanexpectedforconventionalsodiumhydroxideproduction.TheseenergysavingsmaximizetheCO2benefitsachievedinConclusion1above.3.NewSky’spatentedCarbonCycleProcesselectrochemicallyconvertssodiumsulfate,anabundantnaturalresourceinAlbertaandSaskatchewan,intosodiumhydroxide,sulfuricacid,hydrogenandoxygen.Unlikeconventionalsodiumhydroxidesynthesis,nochlorineby-productisformed,providingasustainablepathwayforCO2mineralization.4.ThefourchemicalproductsoftheCarbonCycleprocessallhavesustainable,lowcarbonsyntheticuses.TheseincludeformationofCO2negativecarbonates(sodiumhydroxide),digestionofcelluloseintosimplesugarsforethanolproduction(sulfuricacid)andcombustiontoproducezerocarbonelectricityorheat(hydrogenandoxygen).5.NewSkyscientistsandengineersalsodevelopedasustainable,costeffectivegassweeteningprocess(SulfurCycleR),whichselectivelycapturesH2Sfromsourgasandconvertsitintoelementalsulfur.SulfurCycleRmediaisawater-basedmetaloxideslurry,andcanberegeneratedsimplybyblowingairthroughspentmedia.6.NewSkylicenseditsSulfurCycletechnologiesintheUStoNorthShoreEnergy.In2016NewSkysuccessfullydeployedSulfurCycleRatcommercialscale(300KMCFDand1MSCFD)attwositesinaNorthShoreownedsourgasfieldinSWWyoming.6.NewSky’ssuiteofgasprocessingtechnologiescanbedeployedtogetherorseparatelytotreatthewidevarietyofgasstreamsthatareusuallypresentinsourgasfieldsinAlberta.7.ThegreatmajorityofsourgaswellsinAlbertacontainCO2toH2Sratiosbetween1:5to5:1,whichoverlapstheoptimalrangeforSulfurCycleEoperation.8.Annually,sourgasproducedinAlbertacontainsapproximately6milliontonsofCO2,muchofwhichisreleasedtotheairduringgassweeteningorcombustion.UseofSulfurCycleE,incombinationwithCarbonCycleandSulfurCycleRasneeded,willallowAlbertaoilandgasproducerstocosteffectivelyconvertcarbondioxideinsourgasstreamstocarbonates,insteadofreleasingittotheatmosphere.
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ScientificAchievementsWoodwardOklahomaPilotProject:
• SuccessfullydemonstratedSulfurCycleEcaptureofH2SandCO2fromsournaturalgas.Inletgasstreamflowwas~20SCFM,H2Sat~300PPM,CO2at7000PPM.Outletgaswasconsistentlylessthan4PPMH2S(pipelinespec)
• Successfullydemonstratedelectrochemicalconversionofsodiumsulfideinspent
caustic(NaOH)capturemediabacktosodiumhydroxide.ProcessvoltageandenergycostweresignificantlylowerthanconventionalNaOHproduction,duetocontributionofenergyandelectronsfromcapturedsulfide
• SuccessfullyconvertedcapturedCO2into~50Kgofdrycarbonates,including
sodaashandsodiumbicarbonate
• Conceived,demonstrated,optimizedandhavenowfullycommercializedSulfurCycleR,asustainable,water-based,onsitere-generablegassweeteningprocess.SulfurCycleRpatentswerefiledinMarch2016andtechnologylicensedintheUSforO&Goperations
AveryBrewingPilotProject:
• Designed,builtanddemonstrated2literand200literCarbonCycleabsorbercolumnsforCO2captureatAveryBrewing
• DemonstratedCO2captureandmineralizationusingaCarbonCycleabsorber
columnatAveryBrewinginBoulderCO
• ProducedhighqualitysodaashandbicarbonatefromcapturedCO2inahotcrystallizer
LaboratoryResults:
• DemonstratedthatoptimalCO2toH2SrangeforeffectiveSulfurCycleEperformanceis1:5to5:1.ThisrangeincludesthegreatmajorityofsourgaswellsinAlberta
• OptimizedSulfurCycleelectrolysisanddeterminedidealreactordesignand
construction
• Demonstratedeffectivemethodsofremovingsulfidesfromcarbonatesolutions
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NextStepsNextsteps/commercializationplanswithintwoyearsofprojectcompletion.NewSkyhasachievedpromisingtechnicalandbusinessvalidationofthecompany’sSulfurCycleE,SulfurCycleRandCarbonCycletechnologiesintheUS.Thisvalidationincludesmultiplesuccessfulpilotandnowcommercialscaleprojects(forSulfurCycleR),aswellasmulti-milliondollarlicenseagreementstoaUSbasedoilandgasindustrypartner.CommercialscaleSulfurCycleRgassweeteningprojectscurrentlyoperateatasournaturalgasfieldinSWWyoming,andabiogassweeteningpilotprojecthasoperatedforthepast3monthsataLosAngeleswastewatertreatmentplant.ToachievefullsuccessatNewSky’sgoalofcommercialscaleCO2captureandmineralization,weneedtobuildandoperateaSulfurCycle/CarbonCycledemonstrationplantinAlberta.SuchaplantwillallowNewSkytooptimizeandde-riskthetechnologyandencourageAlbertaoilandgascompaniestoinvestingassweetening/CO2mineralizationplantsbasedonNewSky’stechnology.WhileNewSky’sCO2mineralization/gassweeteningtechnologieshasbeenproventoworkinthefield,NewSkyneedstocontinuetoexpanditsengineeringanddesignexpertisetoaddressissuessuchasharshwinterweatherandprocessingofconcentratedacidgasstreams,suchasamineplantacidgas.Suchenhancementstothetechnologycanonlycomefromprojectswithoilandgaspartners,preferablyinAlberta.NewSkycontinuestoworkonacquiringadditionalpartnersfromamongAlberta’soilandgascompanies.Todate,NewSkyhasanLOIsignedwithImagineaEnergyforacommercialscaleplantutilizingNewSky’sSulfurCycletechnologiestosweetensourgasandmineralizecapturedCO2intovaluablecarbonates.TofundsuchAlberta-basedenergyprojects,NewSkyplanstoapplyforCCEMCGrandChallengeRound2funding.IfNewSkyissuccessfulinacquiringCCEMCRound2fundingwewillhavetheopportunitytodemonstrateatcommercialscaleinAlbertathatNewSky’sgassweeteningtechnologiescost-effectivelysweetensournaturalgasandproducecommerciallyviablecarbonates.Atthatpoint,NewSkywouldnotrequireadditionalgrantfundstodeploySulfurCycleandCarbonCyclecommerciallyinAlberta.IntheUS,energyindustrycustomershavealreadyprovenwillingtofinanceNewSkyprojects,howevertheseprojectsdidnotinvolveCO2captureandmineralization.InAlbertathepriceoncarboncreatesstrongincentivesforcompaniestoreducetheirCO2emissions.AdditionalcustomerorinvestorsupportwouldfocusonacceleratingthedeploymentofNewSkytechnology,and,giventheadvanceddevelopmentofthetechnologyandcommercialproofintheUS,suchinvestmentwouldofferrapidpaybackforcustomers.NewSkyhaspreliminaryplanstoopenanofficeinCalgary,ABin2017toacceleratethecommercializationofthecompany’stechnologies.
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IfNewSkyisnotawardedaRound2grant,wewillfocusonestablishingproofinU.S.markets,whereNewSkycurrentlyhassufficientfundsandmarkettractionforoperations.UnfortunatelyUSoilandgascompaniesarelessinterestedinCO2captureandmineralization,butsournaturalgascontainingbothH2SandCO2isverycommonandrequirestreatment.NewSky’sSulfurCycleE,CarbonCycleandSulfurCycleRgasprocessingtechnologiesprovidemultiplesustainableandcosteffectivestrategiestotreatsuchgas.ProgressintheUSmarketplacemaypositionNewSkytoobtainstrategicandinvestmentpartnersinAlbertaaswell,butprogresswilloccurmuchmorequicklywithRound2fundingtosupportAlberta-basedgasprojects.Long-termplanforcommercializationoftheprojecttechnology/learnings.NewSkyplanstodeployitsSulfurCycleandCarbonCycletechnologiesglobally.OnceoperationsinAlbertaortheUSdemonstratetechnicalviabilityandmarketacceptanceofourcarbonateproducts,NewSkywillworkwithoilandgascompaniesandglassmanufacturersandotherindustrialusersofcarbonatestodeployNewSkytechnologyaroundtheglobe.NewSkyis,orhasalready,securedworldwidepatentprotectionforitstechnologies.Potentialpartnershipsunderdevelopmentwithtechnologyintegrators,adopters,etc.IntheUS,NewSkyworkswithNorthShoreEnergy,sweeteningsourgasunderalong-termlicenseofNewSky’stechnology.NewSkyhasalsoworkedwiththeCityofBoulderandLACSD(LosAngelesCountySanitationDistrict)topilotNewSky’sSulfurCycleRtechnologytosweetenbiogasproducedduringanaerobicdigestionofsewagesludge.Upgradingbiogastorenewalnaturalgas(RNG)isanotherpotentiallyimportantapplicationofNewSky’stechnology.ExtendingourpartnershipsintothemineralizationofCO2,NewSkyrecentlysignedaletterofintentwithImagineaEnergytocommerciallydeployNewSky’ssweeteningandcarbonmineralizationtechnologyinAlberta,whichwillbecompletedduringRound2oftheGrandChallengeGrant,ifNewSkyisselected.NewSkyhasanexistingbusinessrelationshipwithglobalglassmanufacturerSt.Gobain,relatedtouseofNewSkysodaashproducedfromcapturedCO2.NewSkyranasuccessfulfeasibilitystudyforSt.Gobain,provingthatSt.GobaincouldcaptureitsownCO2tomakesodaashneededforitsglassmanufacturing.NewSkyhasastandingorderfromSt.Gobainfordeliveryofsufficientsodaashtosupplyanentireproductionrunofglass(~100tonsofdrysodiumcarbonate).ThisisascaleachievablewithcommercialdeploymentofNewSky’sSulfurCycleEandCarbonCycletechnologies.NewSkyisalsopursuingrelationshipswithleadingchemicalandequipmentsupplierstotheoilandgasindustryandwithelectrochemicalreactormanufacturers.Theserelationshipsareintendedtoachievesufficientscaleforcostandreliabilitydemandedbytheoilandgasindustry.
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CommunicationsPlanNewSkyrecentlyupdateditswebsiteandcompletedaprofessionalbrochuredescribingitsSulfurCycleandCarbonCycletechnologiestoprospectivecustomers.NewSkyusestheseinformationaltoolstoengageprospectivecustomerswemeetatconferencesandviaintroductionsfrominterestedparties.NewSkyregularlyseeksspeakingandexhibitionopportunitiesatconferencesintheUSandCanadatopresentNewSky’sinnovativegasprocessingandCO2mineralizationtechnologies.In2016,NewSkyCEODeaneLittleattendedthefollowingconferences:CleantechForum,SanFrancisco,CA,January2016WorldWaterTechInvestmentSummit,London,UK,February2016Globe2016SustainabilitySummit,VancouverBC,March2016CO2SummitII,TechnologiesandOpportunities,HyattTamaya,NewMexico,April2016AttheGlobe2016SustainabilityConferenceweidentifiedaninterestedconsultantwhoappearslikelytoorderaSulfurCyclesystemforaCanadianwastewaterindustryclient.ThesameconsultanthasrecentlyidentifiedEuropeancompaniesthatareinterestedinlicensingNewSky’sSulfurCycletechnologies.Dr.LittleplansatriptoAlbertainJune2016tomeetwithpotentialenergyandwastewaterindustryclientsaswellasourCCEMCprojectmanagerVickiLightbownandotherrepresentativesfromCCEMCandAlbertaInnovatesDr.LittlewillalsoattendtheCalgaryStampedeInvestmentForuminJuly2016