Establishment of Knowledge base for Emission Regulation for the CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad

The CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) is currently regarded as the world's largest CO2 capture technology test centre at 100 000 ton/year of CO2 capture capacity. The main aim of the project was to play an important role in the establishment of proven and cost efficient CCS (CO2 capture and storage) value chains. At first two technologies are tested, namely and amine plant (designed by Aker Clean Carbon) and a chilled ammonia plant (designed by Alslom) which is fed with two different flue gas sources. The latter will, by normal composition as well as CO2 recycle design, allow for a large band of CO2 concentrations available to the various technologies. In principle, the two flue gas sources along with the recycle steam will allow to simulate flue gasses from both gas- as well as coal fired applications. The work presented here aims to discuss and introduce the interaction between the Norwegian Climate- and Pollution Agency (Klif) and TCM. The importance of these activities are highlighted by the challenges faced to ensure safe emissions levels in order to allocate the emissions and discharge permit and subsequent regulatory measures associated with this permit. Large uncertainties regarding worst case assumptions for emissions from the TCM amine plant had to be addressed in order to deduce safe levels for amine degradation products, like nitrosamine and nitramines. The latter are known carcinogens with variable carcinogenic properties. Thus, a two-folded approach was taken by firstly addressing the knowledge gap towards amine degradation products and their respective impact on health and environment. Secondly, close cooperation with Klif was required to establish relevant regulation for the CO2 capture facility. In November 2011, an emission and discharge permit for TCM was approved by Klif. Regulatory levels for amines, ammonia, aldehydes and other flue-gas related species were depicted in the permit, both on immediate concentration levels as well as permitted annual levels and wider environment deposition concentrations. The paper concludes by looking at the first set of measured emissions parameters from the amine plant at TCM and considers the results in relation with the initial risk assessments associated with the permit. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.