Net Zero Emissions

Multidisciplinary approach to scientific and engineering research on Net Zero Emissions technological innovations, coupled with crosscutting work on policy, markets, and regulation

Multidisciplinary approach to scientific and engineering research on CCUS technological innovations, coupled with crosscutting work on policy, markets, and regulation

Net Zero Emissions is a technology that can be applied across the energy system. The Colorado School of Mines has directly relevant science and technology expertise that spans from fundamental chemistry through reactor engineering. There are on the order of 30-50 faculty actively engaged with areas related to one or more aspects of the Net Zero Emissions chain.

Most, if not all, CO2 reduction to fuels or chemicals depends on catalytic hydrogenation or dehydrogenation processes. Thus, the design, synthesis, and implementation of selective catalysts are essential aspects of CO2 utilization for the production of value-added chemicals. As a practical matter, cost-effective and timely technology development depends on closely coordinated multidisciplinary research and engineering.

Through collaboration and research Colorado School of Mines and the Payne Institute are connecting the technical expertise on campus related to Net Zero Emissions with industry, government and civil society to increase awareness of the opportunities related to CCUS. Maintaining the focus of the University as a leader at the frontiers of science and engineering, related to earth, energy and environmental stewardship.

NEWS

Payne Institute for Public Policy 2024 State of Critical Minerals Report highlights potential of mining tailings and steep nickel cost curve 10/10/2024

Payne Institute for Public Policy 2024 State of Critical Minerals Report highlights potential of mining tailings and steep nickel cost curve

A new critical minerals report from The Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines highlights the vast potential from mining tailings, the steep cost curve for Nickel, new legislation focused on increasing the domestic mining of critical minerals and the U.S. government’s recent $4.9 billion of investments in mining and processing.  October 10, 2024.

Crested Butte celebrates permanent protections for its ‘Red Lady,’ a victory 47 years in the making 10/8/2024

Crested Butte celebrates permanent protections for its ‘Red Lady,’ a victory 47 years in the making

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith contributes to this article about how Sue Navy’s moment finally came, it took nearly 50 years.  For decades, she and many others, protested, fundraised, lobbied, filed lawsuits and negotiated with government leaders and industry executives to permanently protect Mt. Emmons, which, at about 12,400 feet, towers over the town from the west and often glows red at dawn and dusk. October 8, 2024.

Community Benefit Agreements are key to mining battery minerals on public lands 9/20/2024

Community Benefit Agreements are key to mining battery minerals on public lands

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Elizabeth Holley writes this article about meeting energy transition goals for decarbonization and how it will require huge increases in the production of battery minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium and graphite.  The USA is almost entirely dependent on imports for most of these minerals, and the potential for geopolitical supply chain disruption has led to new federal policies that prioritize domestic mining.  September 20, 2024.

Mines faculty member testifies before congressional critical minerals working group on U.S. mineral workforce 9/13/2024

Mines faculty member testifies before congressional critical minerals working group on U.S. mineral workforce

Payne Institute Fellow Elizabeth Holley testifies before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party’s Critical Minerals Policy Working Group.  The working group, chaired by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), explored the need to develop a skilled domestic workforce to support U.S. economic, energy and national security through the responsible sourcing of critical minerals. September 13, 2024.

COMPARISON OF CO-LOCATED LASER AND METAL OXIDE CONTINUOUS MONITORING SYSTEMS 9/12/2024

COMPARISON OF CO-LOCATED LASER AND METAL OXIDE CONTINUOUS MONITORING SYSTEMS

Payne Institute Research Scientist Kellis Ward, Student Researcher William Daniels, and Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling write about how accurate measurement of methane (CH4) concentrations on oil and gas sites is essential for accurate estimates of methane emission rates via inversion algorithms. Different types of continuous monitoring sensors are offered as commercial solutions, with varying accuracy. In this paper we compare data from co-located Metal Oxide (MOx) and Laser Spectroscopy (LS) sensors on a midstream oil and gas site, with the goal of quantifying the differences in raw concentration measurements between the two technologies.  September 12, 2024.

Forging a Greener Future: The Imperative of Decarbonizing Steel Production 8/26/2024

Forging a Greener Future: The Imperative of Decarbonizing Steel Production

Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and PhD candidate at School of Mines Edikan Udofia write about the EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel mill, a longstanding institution in this industrial area for more than a century and how it is evolving as part of the push to decarbonize the global steel industry. Collaborating with Lightsource bp, the mill is shifting to solar energy, positioning itself as the first steel mill in North America to operate predominantly on solar power.  The solar conversion is set to abate almost half a million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. August 26, 2024.

The Colorado Geothermal Frontier

The Colorado Geothermal Frontier

Payne Institute Program Manager Anna Littlefield and CSM PhD Candidate Edikan Udofia write about how in Chaffee County Colorado, residents and visitors alike have long taken advantage of the natural hot springs generated by thermal anomalies deep underground.  Soon, this same heat may be tapped to provide energy for the local community. August 20, 2024.

Locked up for the long-term: Financial risk mitigation for CCS 8/20/24

Locked up for the long-term: Financial risk mitigation for CCS

Payne Institute Program Director of the Sustainable Finance Lab Brad Handler, and Lindene Patton, Payne researchers Siddhant Kulkarni, and Felix Ayaburi write about how Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is widely considered an important tool in mitigating the global warming effects of excess CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere.  August 20, 2024.

Locked Up for the Long Term: Risk Mitigation and Liability Assumption in the Geological Storage of CO2 8/5/2024

Locked Up for the Long Term: Risk Mitigation and Liability Assumption in the Geological Storage of CO2

The Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab looks at Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).  CCS is an integral activity in the effort to limit global warming and its harmful effects.  That contribution requires a significant scaling of CCS operations, and initiatives for new CCS projects are indeed proliferating.  August 5, 2024.

Geological Storage Risk Mitigation: The Way Forward 7/29/2024

Geological Storage Risk Mitigation: The Way Forward

Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler, Lindene E. Patton, and student researcher Siddhant Kulkarni write the fifth and last paper in a series that identified the operational, financial and business model risks through the lifecycle of a geological storage project. These papers then discussed steps that are being taken to mitigate each risk, as well as to ensure that adequate funds are available to pay for closure and for environmental damages should any occur. In addressing these risks, this series averred that the regulatory landscape appears adequate to address them. July 29, 2024.

Long Term Stewardship: Releasing Residual Liability 7/29/2024

Long Term Stewardship: Releasing Residual Liability

Payne Institute Program Director Brad Handler, student researcher Siddhant Kulkarni, and Lindene Patton write the fourth paper in a series of papers on the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a climate mitigation tool envisions the permanent underground storage of CO2. In a carbon geological storage project, the final phase is referred to as Long Term Stewardship (LTS). It follows the Post Injection and Site Care (PISC) phase, i.e., after the injection well has been plugged, the developer has monitored the subsurface for any CO2 leaks for the prescribed period, and the site has been “closed.” July 29, 2024.

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For more information about the Net Zero Emissions Research Area at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.