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NASA, EPA share plans for greenhouse gas initiative at COP28

A new initiative from federal agencies hopes to enhance access to information about greenhouse gas emissions. Photo via nasa.gov

Two of Houston's top industries are in for a collaboration of sorts, according to a recent announcement at the 28th annual United Nations Climate Conference, or COP28.

NASA, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and other U.S. agencies have unveiled the plans for the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center, a hub for collaboration for the federal agencies and nonprofit and private sector partners.

“NASA data is essential to making the changes needed on the ground to protect our climate. The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center is another way the Biden-Harris Administration is working to make critical data available to more people – from scientists running data analyses, to government officials making decisions on climate policy, to members of the public who want to understand how climate change will affect them,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says in a news release. “We’re bringing space to Earth to benefit communities across the country.”

NASA is taking the lead implementing agency position for the new center, which will be run by Argyro Kavvada, center program manager, who's based in NASA headquarters in Washington. The EPA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will also be involved and provide greenhouse gas datasets and analysis tools.

“A goal of the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center is to accelerate the collaborative use of Earth science data,” Kavvada says. “We’re working to get the right data into the hands of people who can use it to manage and track greenhouse gas emissions.”

The center’s data catalog will be available online and target three areas: greenhouse gas emissions from humans, naturally occurring greenhouse gas emissions, and large methane emission event identification and quantification from aircraft and space-based data.

According to the release, the center is one piece of the current administration's effort to amplify information on greenhouse gas emissions, as outlined in the recently released National Strategy to Advance an Integrated U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System.

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A View From HETI

PETRONAS will use Carbon Clean's scalable CCS technology as a part of the agreement. Photo via carbonclean.com

Carbon Clean announced a new partnership with PETRONAS CCS Solution, a subsidiary of PETRONAS, to collaborate and evaluate Carbon Clean’s carbon capture and storage technology.

The two companies will assess carbon capture technology by aiming to “identify synergies and explore future collaboration opportunities,” according to a news release.The primary focus of the MOU is Carbon Clean's CycloneCC tech, which can reduce the installed cost of carbon capture by up to 50 percent. Both companies will collaborate to develop how the modular technology can be used for post-combustion CO2 capture.

“PETRONAS has a pioneering approach to decarbonization, viewing carbon capture as a lever to transform its business,” Aniruddha Sharma, chair and CEO of Carbon Clean, says in the release. “It is turning the low-carbon energy transition into an opportunity to drive green growth. Carbon Clean is proud to support PETRONAS in achieving its net zero targets by providing a cost-effective approach to carbon capture.”

The modular design assists with easily installation and makes it more efficient to integrate with operations that are already up and running. The physical footprint of CycloneCC occupies up to 50 percent less space than conventional carbon capture solutions. The equipment itself is 10 times smaller and includes rotating packed bed (RPB) technology that uses centrifugal force to make carbon capture process run more efficiently.

“CycloneCC’s modular design enables companies to stagger their investment, adding units in line with their decarbonization goals,” Sharma said in a news release. “We are making carbon capture logistically viable and easy to scale.”

Carbon Clean also has partnered with AGRA Industries, as the biofuel industry could use Carbon Clean’s CaptureX technology. The United Kingdom-based company operates its U.S. headquarters in the Ion.

Carbon Clean’s other customers include companies in the cement, steel, refinery, and energy-to-waste sectors. Among the investors in Carbon Clean are Chevron, Samsung Ventures, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, and WAVE Equity Partners. Since it's founding in 2019, the company has raised $260 million in funding, according to data platform Tracxn.

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