Emissions reduction potential from CO2 capture: A life-cycle assessment of a Brazilian coal-fired power plant

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an effective technology for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from large-scale fossil fuel use. Nonetheless, it is not yet commercially viable on a large scale, and its inclusion into countries' energy planning agendas depends on realistic assessments of its emission reduction benefits. The use of CCS leads to energy penalties resulting from direct consumption of additional energy, and results in indirect CO2 equivalent emissions outside plant boundaries, due to both energy consumption and leakages. Accounting for these emissions allows for an evaluation of the mitigation benefits of CCS. This study performs a life-cycle assessment (LCA), with and without CCS, for a coal-fired power plant located in Brazil. Findings show that when indirect emissions are taken into account, a plant which captures 90% of its CO2 will have its CO2 equivalent emissions capture potential, based on a global warming potential metric with a 100-year time horizon, reduced to 72%. The advantage of the use of carbon capture towards climate change mitigation is reduced mainly as a result of an increase in CH4 emissions, significant in the coal-mining stage, an effect which is only taken into account when a LCA is performed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.