Switzerland - Photo Credit - Rivella & Free Images - Pixabay
Welcome to the thirty-seventh edition of my weekly blog where I take a closer look at the policies adopted by individual countries in their efforts to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement. Particular attention is paid to the role that Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) research and technologies are playing in the drive to meet these requirements.
Introduction
Switzerland ranks sixteenth in Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI), the country has never ranked outside the top 20 in this biennial index since its inception in January 2006. In fact, Switzerland has twice been the highest ranked country. Its fall in the latest ranking is more a reflection of the overall improvement of other nations as opposed to any decline in standards by the Swiss. Similarly to Croatia last week, Switzerland’s biggest improvement in the index score came in the area of ‘air quality’ and air pollution in excess of fine particle matter (PM) 2.5.
Paris Agreement Targets
In 2015, Switzerland provided details its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to UN climate change targets, committing to a GhG emissions reduction of 50% of 1990 levels by 2030. Switzerland also plans to reduce its emissions by 35% of 1990 levels by 2025.
Energy Statistics
Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) statistics for 2016 show that petroleum products (50%) were the largest source of final energy consumption with electricity and gas the next highest at 25% and 14% respectively. Petroleum product consumption was 68/32 between motor fuels and fuel oils or 34% and 16% of overall energy consumption.
When we look at electricity production, we find that almost 60% of overall production was generated at hydroelectric plants and 33% at nuclear power plants.
Aljadix (@aljadix)
You may recall we featured a Swiss company call Aljadix in our week 17 blog about algae cultivation. Aljadix has developed a 200m long, 100m wide and 0.5m deep sea platform that uses co2 from heavy industry such as fossil fuel power plants and cement plants to help accelerate the production of microalgae. The microalgae are then converted into biofuel, making this a carbon negative process as the sea platform is effectively a large solar surface area.
To give this achievement some context the dimensions of Barcelona's pitch at Camp Nou are 68m x 105m. So, the sea-surface platform is 20,000 m2 or almost 3 times the area of the Camp Nou pitch. Aljadix ‘s unique selling point is that they are a carbon negative biofuel producer. From 1 km2 of microalgae production, they claim they can generate 10 million litres of biodiesel per year and 1,000 tonnes of inert carbon hydrochar. So, one sea-surface platform can produce up to 200,000 litres of readily usable diesel per year. Assuming the average car uses 2,000 litres of fuel per year. The sea-surface platform could power 100 cars annually. A smaller sea-surface platform the size of the Camp Nou pitch could power 36 cars per annum, just enough to cover a car for each first team squad member and the first team coaching staff.
Summary
Petroleum products represent 50% of Swiss energy consumption. A third of the energy consumed is used to power petroleum engine automobiles. Electricity generation at hydroelectric and nuclear power plants consumes a further 25% of energy produced.
One way of reducing the reliance on petroleum products is by substituting them with biofuel sourced from microalgae cultivation. However, there are over 4.5m passenger vehicles in Switzerland so this alone will not be enough. Other measures will need to be looked at such as switching to electric vehicles.
Next week’s blog will take a look at how companies are capturing CO2 and using desalination technology.
If you liked this article you might enjoy reading some recent articles in the series:
Week 36 Croatia: using enhanced oil recovery to move towards a cleaner economy
Week 35 Urea: using carbon to boost crop yield
Week 34 Singapore: sticking with Paris and switching to natural gas.

Dubrovnik, Croatia - Photo Credit - Albertoamaretto & Free Images - Pixabay
Welcome to the thirty-sixth edition of my weekly blog where I take a closer look at the policies adopted by individual countries in their efforts to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement. Particular attention is paid to the role that Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) research and technologies are playing in the drive to meet these requirements.
Introduction
Having examined the role of urea in reducing CO2 emissions last week, I’m returning to my country-by-country analysis and this week I’m focusing on Croatia.
Croatia ranks fifteenth in Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI), the country’s highest ranking in the index since its inception in January 2006. One of the areas where the country has improved the most in the index over the past 10 years is air quality and more specifically air pollution in excess of fine particle matter (PM) 2.5. PM 2.5 in high levels can have adverse health impacts for the general public.
Paris Agreement Targets
Croatia accepted its EU effort sharing target of reducing its emissions by 7% of 2005 levels by 2030. The EU climate leaderboard devised by carbon market watch ranks Croatia in 20th position in comparison with its EU peers’ efforts towards reducing emissions. The leaderboard cited Croatia’s reluctances to go beyond its domestic target of 7%, its lobbying for greater leniency towards the inclusion of land use loopholes in its target and a softer starter point as reasons for this ranking.
Electricity Generation
According to the latest energy statistics published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics over 50% of electricity produced in September 2017 was sourced from hydropower plants. Fossil fuel-fired plants and wind power accounted for the majority of the remaining balance with 30% and 10% of the overall figure respectively.
4% of electricity produced during quarter September 2017 was at plants powered by renewable fuels, meaning that 15.5% of electricity production was sourced from renewables. This represents a 3% increase from 2012 when the renewables portion was 12.5%. Back then Croatia set itself a target of generating at least 20% of its electricity from renewable sources, so the country is slowly moving towards this goal.
CCUS
INA (Industrija nafte, d.d.) a Croatian oil company whose majority stakeholder is the Republic of Croatia has implemented an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project at its gas fields in Ivanic Grad and Zutica. The test run was successfully completed in 2014, 56km of new pipeline and two compressor stations will be built to supplement the existing 85km of pipeline from Molve to the gas fields.
EOR is a process where CO2 is injected into partly depleted coal and oil well seams. The CO2 helps remove fuel from small hard to reach seams and takes the place of the previously lodged fuel. This is a more efficient way of extracting oil from the ground as it reduces drilling and energy costs. It also means that the injected CO2 is stored where the hard to reach fossil fuel had once resided underground.
Summary
Croatia has increased its air quality performance over the past 10 years, signed the Paris agreement and has accepted its individual country target as part of the EU’s effort sharing decision. Croatia can do more, however, for example, it should see its 7% emissions reduction target by 2030 as a conservative goal and surpass it. Generating at least 20% of all electricity produced from renewable sources by 2020 is another realistic target given the country’s natural resources (coastline, sunny climate etc.). Exploiting EOR processes can also help reduce emissions from oil and gas exploration.
Next week’s blog will profile Switzerland and their efforts to meet their CO2 emissions reduction targets.
If you liked this article you might enjoy reading some recent articles in the series:
Week 35 Urea: using carbon to boost crop yield
Week 34 Singapore: sticking with Paris and switching to natural gas.
Week 33 New Zealand: Cows and cars could cost Kiwi economy NZ$14.2b in carbon credits

Farming - Photo credit, Free Images - Pixabay
Welcome to the thirty-fifth edition of my weekly blog where I take a closer look at the policies adopted by individual countries in their efforts to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement. Particular attention is paid to the role that Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) research and technologies are playing in the drive to meet these requirements.
Introduction
This week I take a look at how advances in carbon capture and utilization technologies are being exploited to convert carbon into urea fertiliser. I will also feature companies such as Opus 12, and Tandem Technical, and how they are utilising captured carbon in the fertiliser industry.
Urea
Urea is a compound CO(NH 2) 2, that occurs in urine and other bodily fluids following the metabolism of protein. Synthetic urea is a water-soluble powder form of the compound created following the reaction of liquid ammonia and liquid CO2. Synthetic versions of urea are used as fertiliser and animal feed.
Converting Carbon into Urea fertilizer
According to the Pembina Institute when CO2 is converted into urea fertiliser it boosts crop yield. This mature CCUS technology is already operating commercially and reduces emissions intensity in the fertiliser process. The main drawback of converting carbon into urea is CO2 will be remitted back into the atmosphere when it is broken down as fertiliser and spread over agricultural land.
Opus 12
Opus 12 are based out of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calfornia. You might recall us featuring Opus 12 in week 32 of this blog and the company’s skills at producing a carbon negative plastic.
Opus 12 have designed and commercialised a reactor that can make 16 different carbon-based compounds out of CO2. The reactor is described as the equivalent of fitting 37,000 trees in a suitcase. One of the compounds that they are able to create from the reactor is CO(NH 2) 2 (urea).
Tandem Technical
Tandem Technical are headquartered in Ottawa Canada and are led by Jerry Flynn a chemical engineer. Tandem Technical’s patent process converts Co2 into by-products such calcium carbonate.
Calcium carbonate is most commonly found in rocks and is an active ingredient in agricultural lime. Agricultural lime is made from pulverised limestone and spread over the agricultural land. This has many benefits for the land including increasing the level of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) in plants grown on acidic soil.
The portion of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a standard bag of agricultural fertiliser is 10%, 10%, and 20% respectively or better known as 10-10-20 to farmers. Spreading fertiliser close to aquatic systems such as rivers can have adverse impacts on the river as algae grow at an accelerated rate, dies and the decomposed algae remove oxygen from the water.
Summary
Advances in CCUS technologies mean that captured carbon can be converted into multiple carbon-based products. The conversion of carbon in urea has its benefits such as the reduction of carbon intensity in the fertiliser process. It is not without its limitations and when urea is broken down into fertiliser CO2 will be remitted but at much lower levels than say a coal-fired power plant.
Next week’s blog will profile Croatia and their efforts to meet their CO2 emissions reduction targets.
If you liked this article you might enjoy reading some recent articles in the series:
Week 34 Singapore: sticking with Paris and switching to natural gas.
Week 33 New Zealand: Cows and cars could cost Kiwi economy NZ$14.2b in carbon credits
Week 32 Polymers: creating plastic out of thin air