Petrobras Magazine

Climate Change

Paulo Cunha, a technical consultant at the Petrobras research and development center, CENPES, is experiencing a special moment. As a scientist on the Intergovernmental Panel for Climatic Change (IPCC), a commission created by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and by the United Nations Ecological Program (UNEP), he shared the winning of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the ex-vice-president of the United States, Al Gore, and the entire IPCC team. Also, since he is one of the editors of the entire content of the report on the capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) issued by the commission in 2005, a document consolidating studies on the subject, the award has a special meaning for him. After all, the increasing level of carbon dioxide liberated into the atmosphere thanks to the actions of mankind is one of the principal causes of global warming and the capturing of carbon is one of the best solutions to mitigate the problem and consequently the climate changes presently occurring and still to come in the world.

In your opinion, what is the significance of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Al Gore and the IPCC for their efforts in spreading knowledge about climate change brought on by mankind and in establishing the bases for the implementation of measures to minimize such changes?

It is an enriching and motivating experience to see the Nobel Prize being awarded to a large group of people and seeing their work of almost two decades being recognized. The IPCC, created in 1998, brings together all the member countries of the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Ecological Program (UNEP), as well as thousands of scientists from innumerable countries, who have acted as authors, collaborators, and editors of the published reports. The prize belongs to them all. Included in this group are the senior consultant of the Exploration and Production unit of Petrobras in Bahia, PauloSergio Rocha, and the researcher from the company’s Health, Safety, and the Environment area seconded to the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology, José Domingos Miguez. But it was the ex-vice-president of the United States who, defending the same cause, managed to attract world attention to the need to mitigate climatic changes as soon as possible. Gore’s release of the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, which won an Oscar, and a book he wrote with the same title contributed significantly to increasing people’s awareness of the serious consequences of human behavior on Earth, including the poor use of natural resources and the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. In addition, it taught people what can be done to make the planet sustainable in the future.

Why was this work in favor of the mitigation of climate change awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

There is great potential for conflict involved in the question of climate change. The increase in the sea level, which, in 100 to 200 years, could reach 10 meters due to the melting of polar icecaps, if nothing is done to reduce global warming, could, for example, submerge the Maldivas Islands in the Indian Ocean and islands in the Pacific and inundate land in Bangladesh and Manhattan. Semi-desert regions, like Darfur, in sub-Saharan Africa, would become even more desert-like because of the increase in the temperature of the planet. New deserts would arise. The temperature increase, which could reach 6ºC by the end of the century, would also increase the temperature of the water in the oceans and would increase the incidence of hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes. As a result, multitudes of people would have to be relocated from their homes to more secure areas. The reduction of available agricultural land would probably increase world hunger, principally among the poorer classes. Resources such as drinking water and energy would become scarce. Also, as warmer climates favor the proliferation of disease-carrying mosquitoes, diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever, and malaria would increase. Mosquito procreation would also increase in deforested areas and epidemics would spread more easily. The mitigation of climate changes, as shown in studies by the IPCC and by Al Gore, would prevent disputes over land, drinking water, food, and energy. As a result, world peace would be preserved and the future of the planet would continue to be viable, thanks also to people’s awareness of the need to adopt rational resource consumption practices, without waste.

In the opinion of the IPCC, what is the benefit of capturing carbon in the mitigation of climate change?

Research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that the capturing of carbon gases could result, by 2100, in a reduction of approximately 40% in the volume of greenhouse effect gases present in the atmosphere. The process could be direct, which means the capturing, transportation, and geological storage of CO₂ in underground oil and/or gas reservoirs, deep saline aquifers, or coalmines. Indirect capturing would be achieved through reforestation or the planting of new forests. Vegetable species planted incorporate CO₂ in their biomass, thereby growing. It is believed that geological storage in oil reservoirs or in deep saline aquifers is the most efficient method. For decades companies have been injecting CO₂ into partially depleted oil or gas reservoirs in order to stimulate the recovery of the remaining oil or gas retained in the deepest geological layers and thereby increase the recovery factor in mature fields. However, the quantity of CO₂ injected is small because the process does not require large volumes. The idea is to use the same technology on a larger scale to return the CO₂ to the earth in a secure and permanent manner. The IPCC believes that deep oil and gas reservoirs are capable of storing at least 2,000 gigatons. In the case of deep saline aquifers, which consist of permeable rock formations containing very salty and therefore undrinkable water, the carbon dioxide injected would be retained in the pore spaces. The storage capacity has still to be evaluated but it is believed to be much larger than that of the oil reservoirs.

What is Petrobras doing to mitigate climate change?

In its mission, the company is committed to acting with total social and environmental responsibility in both domestic and international markets. In fact, the goal of being a benchmark in this area is part of the corporate vision up to 2020. More specifically, with respect to the reduction in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions, Petrobras has included in its 2008-2012 Business Plan its intention to achieve parameters of excellence in the energy industry. It has set a target of preventing the emission of 21.3 tons of CO₂ by 2012. In order for this to happen, Petrobras is monitoring its atmospheric emissions by means of the Sigea system, installed in 2002, and working in some areas. The company is striving to increase its energy efficiency. It is researching, developing, and selling products that have less impact on the environment. It is expanding its participation in the natural gas and biofuel segments of the Brazilian energy chain. In addition, the company is investing in renewable energy sources.

Can you give some examples of these initiatives?

In terms of energy efficiency, Petrobras has reduced waste by substituting or upgrading equipment, by increasing awareness in its personnel, and by taking greater advantage of the natural gas produced with the oil, so that the minimum amount of gas possible is burned in the pilot light of the platform flares. In these efforts, a relevant role is played by the company’s 40 Internal Energy Conservation Commissions. Another important contribution was provided by the Petrobras 2008 International Energy Efficiency Seminar held in Rio de Janeiro from May 26-28, with representatives of the UN and the IPCC as invited speakers, among other specialists, and the presentation of prizes to employees who had submitted projects for energy conservation that could contribute to the improvement of Petrobras’ results. Petrobras is increasing the efficiency of its processes by mapping them and comparing them with the best-known practices in order to suggest improvements. Through exports, it is increasing the use of sugarcane ethanol overseas and it is developing research projects at CENPES on lignocellulose ethanol, which include the use of sugarcane bagasse and straw. It is developing diesel fuel with H-Bio technology, not yet available for commercialization, which, thanks to the blending of vegetable oil with fractions of diesel oil, produces less sulfur and is partially renewable. It is researching biodiesel produced from the oil of oleaginous plants or directly from the seeds of these plants and recently inaugurated two plants in Brazil in which biodiesel will be produced on an industrial scale by family agriculture cooperatives. It will invest US$ 6.7 billion by 2012 for the development of a natural gas network in Brazil, thereby ensuring flexibility and dependability in supply to increase the participation of this fuel in the Brazilian energy matrix. It is studying ways to reduce costs in producing, storing, and transporting hydrogen. In addition, through the Technological Program for the Mitigation of Climate Change, PROCLIMA, created in 2007, it is studying the capture of carbon; energy efficiency; the evaluation of climate change impacts, the vulnerabilities of Petrobras, and adaptation to the new scenario; and the evaluation of the life cycle of products.

In the case of carbon capture, how is the company’s action plan progressing?

Petrobras has created a technological carbon capture study group for the mitigation of climate change which has been working since 2003 with the objective of developing technologies for the fixation of carbon in biomass; the capture, transport, and storage of CO₂; and the development and dissemination of a transdisciplinary view of the subject. Partnerships have been set up with Brazilian universities for the development of initiatives related to the fixation of carbon in biomass, especially in micro-algae and superior vegetation. The company is coordinating a network, also comprising eight Brazilian universities, and very soon another 12, which will work on the development of projects related to the entire chain of carbon capture. This network will undertake about 50 research and development projects in this field and will consist of 17 centers of excellence in Brazil for the dissemination of the knowledge acquired. The company has participated in research and development projects on the subject with the Regina University of Canada and is part of the Carbon Capture Project – Phase 2, a multiclient project which brings together large international companies in the oil sector interested in developing and improving technologies for carbon capture. In the Recôncavo Baiano, in late 2008, Petrobras will initiate a pilot project for the injection and storage of CO₂ in saline aquifers in the Rio Pojuca field and will monitor the gas there to detect possible leaks. Also this year, the company will implement the injection of CO₂ into the Miranga field for the advanced recovery of oil, the storage of gas in the same location, and the reinjection into the reserve of the CO₂ produced, which will make possible the closing of the production cycle. In addition, having carried out advanced oil recovery in the reservoirs for the past 25 years in the Recôncavo field, the company will now, in the Buracica field, evaluate the impacts of injecting CO₂ into the microbiota and on the integrity of the well, for example, in partnership with the participants in the CCP2 project. In the Potiguar Basin, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in turn, Petrobras is studying the possibility of implementing a CO₂ storage project in deep saline aquifers and in oil reservoirs in 2012 for the advanced recovery of fields. In the Paraná Basin, in the South of Brazil, the company is considering sites for the storage of CO₂ in coalmines, which would result in the liberation of methane gas, which can be used as a fuel. Furthermore, it is studying the gasification of coal in situ, that is to say, in the mine, which would be less harmful to the environment because the gas produced from coal emits less CO₂ when burned than does the direct burning of coal. These are only some of the more relevant initiatives. In any case, much remains to be done…by Petrobras, by industry, by nations, and by humanity.