Project to study technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), the Midwest Geological
Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) and the Illinois State Geological Survey
(ISGS) announce that they are working together on a carbon sequestration
project. The project will involve the capture and storage of carbon
dioxide from ADM’s ethanol plant in Decatur, Illinois. In this project,
carbon dioxide will be stored in the tiny spaces of porous rock deep
below the Earth’s surface. This technology is one method of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by permanently storing carbon dioxide in the
ground rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.
The project is designed to confirm the ability of the Mount Simon
Sandstone, a major regional saline-water-bearing rock formation in
Illinois, to accept and store 1 million tons of carbon dioxide over a
period of three years. The carbon dioxide will be provided by ADM from
its Decatur, Illinois, ethanol plant, and the project will be located on
ADM’s Decatur property.
“Carbon sequestration is a promising technology to mitigate greenhouse
gas emissions. Our goal for this project is to further demonstrate its
safety and effectiveness,” said Robert Finley, director of the ISGS
Energy and Earth Resources Center. “Deep saline rock formations, like
the Mount Simon Sandstone, offer the greatest potential for
sequestration of large volumes of carbon dioxide.”
“ADM is pleased to work with the geologists from the MGSC and ISGS, and
be a part of this important, timely research,” said Dennis Riddle, ADM
president, Corn Processing. “We see potential for carbon sequestration
to improve the environmental footprint of biofuels by further reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.”
In this project, wells will be drilled into the Mount Simon Sandstone at
an expected depth of more than 6,500 feet. Carbon dioxide from ADM’s
ethanol plant will be injected into the Mount Simon Sandstone, where the
compressed liquid-like carbon dioxide will be stored in the porous
saline rock formation. The safety and effectiveness of the storage will
be monitored by the MGSC through an extensive monitoring, mitigation and
verification program.
The $84.3 million project will be funded by $66.7 million from the U.S.
Department of Energy over a period of seven years, supplemented by
cofunding from ADM and other corporate and state resources.
The project will begin in spring 2008 with the drilling of the injection
well. Environmental monitoring will begin in October 2008 to collect a
year of background information. The sequestration and injection of
carbon dioxide is scheduled to begin in October 2009 and should conclude
in 2012.
About the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium
The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) is one of seven
regional partnerships selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to
determine the best approaches for capturing and storing carbon dioxide
(CO2) that might otherwise contribute to global climate change. The MGSC
is led by the Illinois State Geological Survey, in conjunction with the
Indiana Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey, and covers
Illinois, southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky. This partnership
was established to assess geological carbon sequestration options in the
60,000 mi2oval-shaped, geologic feature known as the Illinois Basin.
Within the Basin are deep, noneconomic coal resources, numerous mature
oil fields and deep saline rock formations with potential to store CO2.
MGSC’s objective is to determine the technical and economic feasibility
of using these geologic formations for long-term storage.
About the Illinois State Geological Survey
Founded in 1905, the Illinois State Geological Survey provides the
citizens and institutions of Illinois with earth science research and
information that are accurate, objective and relevant to the state’s
environmental quality, economic prosperity and public safety. ISGS is
one of four scientific surveys affiliated with the University of
Illinois and headquartered on its campus in Urbana-Champaign. Together
they form a unique group of scientific experts in the earth,
environmental and biological sciences that is unmatched in the nation.
These agencies carry out objective, high-quality, multi-disciplinary
scientific studies in service to all the people of Illinois.
About ADM
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is the world leader in BioEnergy
and has a premier position in the agricultural processing value chain.
ADM is one of the world’s largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat
and cocoa. ADM is a leading manufacturer of biodiesel, ethanol, soybean
oil and meal, corn sweeteners, flour and other value-added food and feed
ingredients. Headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, ADM has over 27,000
employees, more than 240 processing plants and net sales for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2007 of $44 billion. Additional information can be
found on ADM’s Web site at http://www.adm.com.
ADM Media Relations
Jessie McKinney
217/424-5413