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Carbon sequestration in activated carbon

In response to our article on soil carbon in the last Fertile Minds, our client Phil Markut, of B.L. Camtek Technology, wrote to ask about opportunities to sequester carbon in landfill in the form of used activated carbon filters. Phil wrote:

“We manufacture activated carbon filtration systems. SESL does our testing for disposal of activated carbon from these units once spent.

“This material is similar in content to the biochar you referred to in your article, being either coal, coconut shell or peat based, charred in a reduced atmosphere to activate and then used for filtration of either liquid or vapour streams. ...

“Activated carbon has a general exemption under the [NSW] Protection of the Environment Act as an immobilising agent for harmful chemicals, which allows us to dispose of the waste to landfill as general waste.

“Would this carbon be eligible for carbon credits when disposed of into landfill?”

That is an excellent question.

As we wrote in the previous article, the biochar in the Brazilian terra preta has remained in the soil for hundreds of years, and numerous studies have analysed charcoal in soil dating from thousands of years ago. Elemental carbon is chemically inert under ambient conditions, so it won’t oxidise. So it would certainly do the job.

Carbon credits in NSW

Under the NSW Government’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme, carbon credit (“abatement”) certificates can be created by accredited certificate providers who carry out one or more of the following abatement activities:

• Low-emission generation of electricity (generation).
• Activities that result in reduced consumption of electricity (demand-side abatement).
• The capture of carbon from the atmosphere in forests (carbon sequestration).
• Activities carried out by elective participants that reduce on-site emissions not directly related to electricity consumption (large user abatement).

The scheme focuses on carbon sequestration by forest planting; other forms of carbon sequestration are not covered. However, it would seem reasonable to think that it would at least consider a submission to include landfilling of activated carbon as eligible for the issue of carbon credits. The address to write to is Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme Administrator, PO Box Q290, QVB Post Office, NSW 1230 (02 9290 8452; mail@greenhousegas.nsw.gov.au).

Bear in mind that application to become a certificate issuer requires a detailed submission and fees.

SESL is happy to prepare a quotation to help any client make a technical submission to government for inclusion of activated carbon, or any other form of long-term carbon store, in the approved carbon credits products.

Further reading

NSW Government Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme: http://www.greenhousegas.nsw.gov.au/

Scheme documents: http://www.greenhousegas.nsw.gov.au/overview/scheme_documents.asp

Australian Climate Change Office: http://www.climatechange.gov.au/

Carbon-storing charcoal shows promise, but more work needed: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/05/2508218.htm

Biochar: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/topics/biochar

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