Decarbonizing the Coal-Fired Power Sector in China via Carbon Capture, Geological Utilization, and Storage Technology.

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a critical technology to realize carbon neutrality target in the Chinese coal-fired power sector, which emitted 3.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2017. However, CCUS technology is often viewed as an "alternative technology" option owing to common perceptions of relatively high cost and potential risks. This study indicates that coal power CCUS is likely to be a cost-effective and key technology for helping China reach the ambitious goal of carbon neutrality. This comprehensive, national-scale assessment of CCUS deployment on coal power in China is based on a unique bottom-up approach that includes site selection, coal plant screening, techno-economic analysis, and carbon dioxide source-sink matching. Analysis indicates that, based on 2017 costs and assumptions, more than 70% of coal power plants in this study could be cost-competitive with natural gas-fired power plants, and 22-58% would be cost-competitive with onshore wind generation. These insights suggest that the commercialization of CCUS technology in the coal power sector in China is a viable route toward decarbonizing the economy if a grid price policy similar to that of renewables and natural gas power is applied.

Data on potential of CO2 capture and enhanced water recovery projects in modern coal chemical industries in China.

This data article presents the first systematic assessment on the potential of onshore CO2-enhanced water recovery (CO2-EWR) using pure CO2 streams from industrial separation processes by this evaluation framework. The evaluation framework is developed for CO2 capture, geological utilization and storage (CCUS) project developments, including CO2 emission inventory, site suitability evaluation, and source-sink matching with techno-economic models. The data shows the matched source (CO2 source)-sink (onshore aquifer site) pairs with sites distribution and levelized cost under various scenarios. Data also shows the geographic distribution of source-sink pairs, cost curve, annual cumulative CO2 storage capacity and enhanced water production under various scenarios. Potential large-scale deployments of CO2-EWR projects with low cost in the modern coal chemical industry in China are shown and identified in the dataset. This data article is related to the research article "Cost curve of large-scale deployment of CO2-enhanced water recovery technology in modern coal chemical industries in China" (X. Li et al. 2019).

Zircon U-Pb geochronology of crystal tuff on Lingshan Island and its geological implications for magmatism, stratigraphic age and geological events.

Due to the unique location in the Ludong region, geochronological study of this area is essential for the understanding of the Cretaceous tectonic evolution of Eastern China. Sedimentary sequences interbedded with tuff layers unconformably overlay metamorphic rocks in the Sulu Orogen. This research presents a more reliable geochronological dataset of a tuff layer on Lingshan Island in Qingdao. A total of 103 valid age values from 216 zircon grains were obtained in three fresh tuff samples. Approximately 87% of these zircon ages are dated as the Early Cretaceous, and their peak ages shift from the Aptian stage to the Albian stage. The spatial-temporal relationship between the tuff and the Mesozoic igneous rocks of Eastern China indicate the impact of the Pacific Plate subduction beneath the Asian continent. Six Albian single detrital zircons have a weighted average age of 103.8 ± 1.4 Ma, with the youngest age (103.4 ± 1.4 Ma) constraining the maximum depositional age of the tuff layer. The age sequence of four sections on Lingshan Island is defined in this study: sections A and B belong to the Laiyang Group, and sections C and D are considered the Qingshan Group and were deposited in the Late Cretaceous. Two pre-Cretaceous zircon age peaks were also observed. These age peaks coincide with the magmatic and metamorphic ages preserved in the Sulu Orogen; thus, the Sulu Orogen is the provenance of the sedimentary rocks on Lingshan Island.