Semester of Graduation

Summer 2025

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Environmental Science

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The climate is changing. This is a fact not a statement, not a theory, and not a falsehood, this is a fact. At the current projections the world’s average temperature is expected to rise by at least 2°C from pre-industrial averages by 2050 (Emissions Pathways to 2100 - Climate Action Tracker, 2024). This temperature rise will be catastrophic for a vast number of communities. What is driving this changing climate? Humans. In particular the carbon emissions caused by human activities. As humans we consume large amounts of meat, causing the need for cattle to increase, generating large amounts of methane and carbon dioxide. As humans we travel via plane, bus, car, train, requiring fossil fuels and electricity generated from fossil fuels, pouring massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. There are many more examples that can be provided to explain how human activity increases greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The fact of the matter is that since human advancement in technology, we as humans can no longer survive comfortably without the use of technologies or services that produce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. We are reliant on fossil fuels, and likely will be for the next 100 years until we can find an energy source with the same energy return on investment. The outrage amongst environmental activists against the use of fossil fuels is rooted in theory but not practicality. One can scream from the tops of the mountains that we as humans must stop the use of fossil fuels immediately, but our modern societies, economies, infrastructure, and sociopolitical foundations are rooted in the use of fossil fuels. The difference between activists and scientists is the knowledge that facts are everything when it comes to an argument, and the fact of the matter is that fossil fuels, one of the leading contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, are not going anywhere anytime soon. Instead, we must cope with this and determine other ways that we can reduce greenhouse gas concentrations without completely dismantling the fossil fuel industry. So allow me to introduce you to carbon capture. The first large scale carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS) project began in 1996 with the Sleipner CCS project in Norway (Ma et al., 2022). This project would lay the foundation for an entirely new and innovative industry: the carbon capture industry. Since 1996, there have been incredible new developments in the carbon capture industry, developed by individuals seeking to combat carbon emissions and corner an edge of the carbon trading market. Developments such as wood vaulting, supercritical CO2 injection, storage in anoxic basins, biomass storage, and direct air capture are all examples of these innovations to the carbon capture industry. While the carbon capture industry continues to grow, there are critics who believe that the industry is simply a bandaid on a much larger wound. In response to those critics, I say this, who is more effective, the person who is placing a bandaid on a large wound or the person who is standing there screaming that the bandaid is too small? The carbon capture industry has its drawbacks and its consequences but so do nearly all solutions to climate change. In this thesis we will explore a method of carbon capture with relatively low consequences and the development of a system that increases its efficiency. This thesis explores how to improve the social and economic viability of carbon capture using a system based on Biomass Slurry Fracture Injection (BSFI). In this thesis it is determined that the addition of salt at just 5% weight by concentration can reduce the viscosity of lignocellulosic biomass greatly. It is also determined that safe and conscientious practices in well locations are attributed to higher net profit and lower legal costs.

Date

7-10-2025

Committee Chair

Brian F. Snyder

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