Rising Toward a Cleaner Future: Pennsylvania’s CCS Ladder for Industrial Decarbonization
After presenting the broad picture of carbon capture and storage (CCS) prioritization in the United States, we now investigate the specific case of Pennsylvania, as the state is funding multiple decarbonization projects. Here is a look at decarbonization strategies, with details on the state’s top industry: steel.
Pennsylvania has led U.S. energy generation from coal mining to oil and natural gas production from Marcellus shale. Pennsylvania has also played a leadership role in critical industrial sectors like steel and cement. Now, the state works to preserve its leadership role by transitioning to lower-carbon energy resources and deploying comprehensive industrial decarbonization strategies through the RISE PA program.
Previously, our team from Penn’s Clean Energy Conversions Lab developed a CCS ladder for the U.S., identifying sectors to be prioritized for CCS deployment. Here, we present a CCS ladder and recommendations specific to Pennsylvania (Figure 1).
Steel makes up 40% of Pennsylvania’s industrial emissions. With 18 facilities in the state, and almost 200 years of steel expertise, Pennsylvania is ripe for steel decarbonization. It is also taking first steps toward it with a recently awarded carbon capture project at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson facility ($8.85M) and a furnace electrification demonstration project led by Cleveland-Cliffs’ Butler Works (up to $75M).
Strategic allocation of funding through RISE PA with suggestions from this ladder can potentially set Pennsylvania apart and lead industrial emissions reductions. In our U.S.-scale CCS ladder, we recommended CCS as a transition solution in steel decarbonization.
Pennsylvania exemplifies this path. CCS at the Edgar Thompson facility will reduce emissions in the short-to-medium term. Blast furnaces like those at Edgar Thompson can last 15–20 years, however are often in operation long after this, given maintenance is not economically prohibitive, and carbon capture is typically financed over 30 years.
These near-term emissions reductions allow the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic hydrogen hubs to mature, and high-grade steel recycling supply chains to emerge, indicating alternative pathways to high-grade steel. From there, other decarbonization opportunities at steel facilities may be more attractive, such as direct reduced iron (DRI) using hydrogen coupled with electric arc furnaces.
But for now, Pennsylvania took the first step toward large-scale industrial decarbonization. These first-of-a-kind demonstrations are pivotal in achieving commercial CCS on steel and Edgar Thompson will begin proving CCS on blast furnaces. Steel facilities hosting blast furnaces with long lifetimes could follow this path, while others may invest in alternate decarbonization approaches. Through its national labs, DOE will combine incumbent and emerging decarbonization technologies to bridge technological gaps.
In Figure 2, we partitioned industrial emissions by sector, showing capturable emissions versus remaining emissions, and in Figure 3 further delineated the steel sector. Half of Pennsylvania’s steel emissions come from blast furnaces at Edgar Thompson, units on which carbon capture will be demonstrated. Many of the sector’s emissions come from coking and coke oven gas (COG) processes. Coke usage in steelmaking produces COG, which is reused onsite to create power. Alternative pathways that eliminate coking activities will eliminate the CO2 emissions produced from COG but will need further investigation to determine how fuel replacement compares with emissions introduced from virgin heat and power sources.
Collocation of industrial emissions to storage, including CarbonSAFE Phase 3 sites, suggests the emergence of carbon hubs (Figure 4). Similar to DAC or hydrogen hubs, carbon hubs group emission sources and sinks interconnected with CO2 transport. The steel hub around Pittsburgh includes glass, petrochemical, and cement facilities.
Nearby in Ohio is a CarbonSAFE location, the recommended CO2 sink for these Pittsburgh emissions. This hub is within the Appalachian hydrogen hub and Transport Corridor, and proximal to the CCS Hub at NETL Pittsburgh. Another carbon hub is by Allentown, where cement facilities are clustered. These cement facilities could unite and apply for a CarbonSAFE Phase 1 permit as they are located above potentially viable CO2 storage geology. These facilities could partner with the Mid-Atlantic hydrogen hub.
As Pennsylvania progresses in industrial decarbonization and leads the charge on low carbon steel, policymakers must consider justice practices, leveraging engagement work to make educated choices: in decarbonization deploy dialogues, participants stressed the need for efficient flow of materials, energy, and resources across the value chain. They identified barriers like lacking transport and storage infrastructure, and technologies supporting smaller-scale CCS.
Smaller-scale CCS should consider CO2 transportation by truck; it’s economical for smaller quantities and shorter distances—the capture of less than 70,000 tCO2/yr would require less than ten truckloads per day.
For large facilities, pipelines benefit from economies of scale but can face community resistance. Rail can be an intermediate option for CO2 transport as coal transport decreases with coal mine and coal power plant closures in Pennsylvania, maintaining jobs in the rail industry. Diligent community benefits plans will streamline development and implementation, making these projects sustainable because of the tangible benefits received by the community: workforce training, jobs, and cleaner air. These benefits also increase bonus funding through RISE PA. Supporting the deployment of carbon management technologies requires scalable policy incentives, such as the 45Q tax credit, which could be tailored to meet the needs of specific regions over time.
Shelvey Swett
PhD Candidate , Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringShelvey Swett is a third year PhD candidate in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on carbon capture and storage and on the recovery of critical minerals.
Maxwell Pisciotta
Postdoctoral Fellow, Clean Energy Conversions LabMax Pisciotta is a postdoctoral fellow in the Clean Energy Conversions Lab. They hold a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Penn whose research focused on carbon capture and carbon removal. They served on the Kleinman Center Student Advisory Board and completed the 2021 Kleinman Birol Fellowship.
Hélène Pilorgé
Research Associate, Clean Energy Conversions LabHélène Pilorgé is a research associate with the University of Pennsylvania’s Clean Energy Conversions Laboratory. Her research focuses on carbon accounting of various carbon management solutions and on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping for responsible deployment of carbon management.
Shrey Patel
PhD Candidate , Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringShrey Patel is a second year PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the integration of low carbon energy sources with carbon capture and storage.
Jennifer Wilcox
Presidential Distinguished ProfessorJen Wilcox is Presidential Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Energy Policy. Her research expertise is in carbon capture and sequestration technologies, in order to minimize the negative impacts of fossil fuels.
