After the carbon peak, carbon neutrality and national goals were proposed, some people in the industry began to worry that if there was no major technological innovation, they would still fall into a passive situation of "high carbon lock-in".
The recent executive meeting of the State Council clearly required that green and low-carbon development be promoted, and monetary policy tools to support carbon emission reduction be set up to support the development of clean energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, and carbon emission reduction technologies in a steady and orderly, accurate and direct manner, and to leverage more social funds to promote carbon emission reduction.
A number of research institutions and experts have also said that to achieve carbon neutrality goals, we must rely on breakthrough technologies. He Jiankun, deputy director of the National Climate Change Expert Committee, said that it is necessary to explore a deep decarbonization path under the goal of carbon neutrality and strengthen the research and development and industrialization of deep decarbonization technology. Zhou Hongchun, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, also believes that to achieve the "double carbon" goal, it is necessary to seek subversive technological breakthroughs.
However, some experts said in an interview with the first financial reporter that the development and utilization of carbon emission reduction technology must be done according to our ability, focusing on practicality and economy. To reduce emissions, we must do something and do nothing. Common key technologies and disruptive technologies are the key to leading innovation.
So, what are the current deep decarbonization technologies and industrialization paths?
A number of deep decarbonization technologies "dawn first seen"
On June 25, the "150,000 tons/year carbon capture demonstration project" built by the National Energy Group Guoneng Jinjie Company was officially put into operation, which is currently the largest carbon dioxide capture demonstration project in domestic thermal power plants, aiming to lead the development of cutting-edge technologies for decarbonization in the thermal power industry.
According to the relevant person in charge of the enterprise, during the trial operation, the output of industrial-grade qualified liquid carbon dioxide products of about -20 °C, pressure 2.0mpa and purity of 99.5% will be fully consumed and utilized after mass production, mainly used for oil flooding in nearby oilfields, as well as the preparation of high value-added chemical products such as baking soda, dimethyl carbonate and propylene glycol in the industrial field.
The national "14th Five-Year Plan" and the outline of long-term goals for 2035 clearly put forward the construction of a resource recycling system. Promote cascade utilization of energy resources, waste recycling, and centralized disposal of pollutants。 Strengthen the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste.
In Qinghai, a "cradle-to-cradle (product recycled and reused)" carbon reduction technology is being promoted, as distinct from cradle-to-grave (products are discarded after they have exceeded their useful life).
With the help of experts from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wuhan University of Technology and Shanghai Institute of Chemical Technology, Qinghai Xiwang Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd. is developing and promoting a new composite material "Kunlun Crystal" with the characteristics of "three lows and one high" (low energy consumption, low emissions, low pollution and high added value).
Chi Liqun, chairman of the company, told the first financial reporter that "Kunlun Crystal" can fully realize paid recycling and utilization after consumption and use. Certified by international professional inspection, appraisal, testing and certification bodies (SGS CSTC), the carbon emissions of the production process of this new composite material are only 1/8 of that of traditional building materials and sanitary ware.
According to experts, China produces about 50 million tons of waste plastics in domestic garbage every year, and if all incineration will produce about 160 million tons of carbon dioxide, landfill will also cause pollution to the environment.
In Anhui, an environmental protection technology company is recycling waste plastics. On July 6, in a laboratory of Anhui Jinyu Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., technicians demonstrated to reporters the entire process of catalytic cracking of waste plastics and waste engine oil to produce light fuel oil.
Technicians put a little catalyst in a glass container, pour 50 ml of waste motor oil, and then put in 100 grams of waste agricultural film and old plastic bags, seal and heat. In less than 20 minutes, the temperature inside the glass container reaches 120 degrees and oil and gas are generated. After more than 180 degrees, the light yellow clear and transparent light fuel oil flows into the measuring cup from the oil outlet.
By the end of the reaction, the discarded agricultural film and old plastic bags in the glass containers have turned into a small amount of black charcoal, and the lightweight fuel oil in the measuring cup is close to 180 ml. "The comprehensive parameters of oil products have reached the standards of diesel country III and country IV, and the related technology has obtained national patents." Zhang Gang, chairman of the company, said.
The calculation results show that the incineration of 1 ton of plastic or engine oil emits about 3.67 tons or 3.12 tons of carbon dioxide respectively. Using the above technical process, a single treatment of 60 tons of waste plastic can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 313.8 tons, while reducing natural gas and electricity consumption, deducting carbon emissions such as energy consumption in the heating process, and reducing the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions to 300.14 tons.
Half of the carbon-neutral technology has yet to be developed
Zhou Hongchun introduced that at present, there have been many subversive carbon reduction technologies at home and abroad. For example, Toshiba Corporation announced that it has developed the world's most efficient carbon dioxide electrocatalytic technology, which is 60 times faster than the previous technology.
In terms of carbon dioxide conversion and utilization, many domestic teams have also made remarkable achievements. Zhou Hongchun introduced, such as CNOOC carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol key technology and engineering demonstration has made breakthrough progress, expert identification believes that compared with similar technologies at home and abroad, the main technical indicators are advanced; academician Li Can of the Dalian Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences team has also built a thousand-ton "liquid solar fuel synthesis demonstration project" in Lanzhou.
In addition, the plasma element technology of Beijing Photosynthetic Xinneng Technology Co., Ltd. uses the waste heat of the power plant or solar solar heat to synthesize carbon dioxide into a clean fuel at room temperature and pressure, and completed a medium-scale industrial demonstration at the Qitaihe Power Plant; Xie Heping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Sichuan University, completed the laboratory test of carbonate production of carbonated carbonate in carbon dioxide mineralized power generation in 2014.
"Technologies that transform CO2 from a burden of emission reduction into a high value-added product can provide the dual function of energy and chemical raw materials. If these new technologies can be industrialized, they may create a new carbon-neutral and technology paradigm and walk out of a carbon-neutral road that meets China's national conditions. Zhou Hongchun said.
However, according to the first financial reporter, due to the limitation of energy sources, if the power structure changes in the past decade, the clean energy content of electric vehicles has only increased by 10%; although the installed capacity of wind and solar power generation has reached 24%, the utilization rate is only 9%; the proportion of nuclear energy in the power structure is still very low, only about 5%.
Previous research by the International Energy Agency has also found that half of the technologies to achieve carbon neutrality have not yet been developed.
According to the IEA analysis, if global greenhouse gas emissions fall from the current 33 billion tons to about 10 billion tons by 2050, the contribution of energy conservation and energy efficiency to global carbon dioxide emission reduction by 2050 will be 37%, the contribution of renewable energy development will be 32%, the contribution of fuel substitution will be 8%, the contribution of nuclear power will be 3%, the contribution of carbon capture, utilization and storage (ccus) technology will be 9%, and the contribution of 12% will be met by other technologies.
What worries experts even more is some areas that are easily "high carbon locked".
For example, the WeChat public account "Renmin University Ecological Finance" of the Ecological Finance Research Center of Chinese University recently said that for residential buildings, public buildings, energy infrastructure and other key energy-using areas with strong lock-in effects, high investment and large scope of influence, the traditional way of "following the run" and the market-driven technology slow iteration must be strengthened, and the government must be strengthened, and the energy efficiency standards that match the carbon neutrality goal must be strengthened, and the access requirements should be improved, and the energy efficiency level of new buildings and infrastructure should be compared with that of developed countries as soon as possible "And run", or even "lead".
China's annual newly completed construction area of more than 4 billion square meters. With less than 40 years left until the carbon neutrality target by 2060, if these newly built housing and infrastructure are not energy-efficient, they will need to be remodeled or even demolished and rebuilt in the next 40 years, and the problem of "technology lock-in" will be very prominent.
Academicians give the "order of carbon emission reduction advantages and disadvantages"
"China is still in the middle and late stages of industrialization and urbanization development, there are still high expectations for future economic growth, total energy demand will continue to grow in a certain period of time, and carbon emissions are still showing a slow growth trend." He Jiankun said in an interview with the first financial reporter that in spite of this, countries, localities and enterprises must consciously adapt to and respond to changes in international governance and economic and trade mechanisms under the guidance of global carbon neutrality.
He said that these changes, including the global carbon price mechanism and the "carbon border adjustment mechanism" brewed in Europe and the United States; the introduction of new low-carbon technical standards and codes of conduct by the industry and interregional climate alliances; and the carbon emission technical standards and carbon labeling in international product trade, will have an important impact on the production and operation and competitiveness of enterprises.
"Carbon emissions per unit of GDP continue to decline sharply, on the one hand, we must vigorously save energy and reduce the energy intensity of GDP." On the other hand, it is necessary to promote advanced energy-saving technologies through industrial technology upgrading, eliminate backward production capacity, and improve energy efficiency. He Jiankun believes that advanced energy and low-carbon technologies will also become the high-tech frontier and key areas of great power competition.
"Compared with developed countries, China has proposed carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, with different starting points, different energy resource endowments, and different development stages, so the technology roadmap cannot be the same." Zhou Hongchun said that this requires theoretical innovation, technological innovation and institutional innovation.
"We cannot copy foreign experience, cannot be deduced according to foreign models, and cannot be the tinkering of foreign carbon peak paths, but we must start from China's reality, find another way, and seek subversive technological breakthroughs." Zhou Hongchun said.
Xie Kechang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in a speech a few days ago that the order of advantages and disadvantages of carbon emission reduction technology paths should be: energy conservation and efficiency improvement, reducing carbon emission intensity, increasing low-carbon energy and reducing high-carbon energy, strengthening natural carbon sinks through afforestation, and carbon dioxide capture, storage and utilization (ccus). Advanced deployment of high-efficiency ccus, carbon dioxide to olefins and other technologies, high difficulty, large investment, at this stage can not solve the fundamental problems.
Sequoia China's carbon neutrality report, "Toward Zero Carbon – Green Change Based on Technological Innovation", also believes that completing the inventory of existing technologies is the basic work of which technology routes to choose at different stages of carbon neutrality. Governments and markets not only need to have a clearer understanding of existing technologies, but also need to make forward-looking predictions about the possibilities of new technologies or potential technologies, incorporate them into the advanced deployment and planning of long-term goals, and continuously optimize carbon neutrality path choices.