Coal Seam CO2 Storage as a Decarbonization Strategy for Hard-To-Abate Industries in Colombia: A Comprehensive Approach

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🔬研究者:Provides a methodology for evaluating CO2 storage in coal seams integrating geology, lab data, and simulation under data-limited conditions.

🏢実務担当者:Demonstrates the potential of coal seams for CCS paired with ECBM, applicable to industrial clusters near coal basins.

🏛政策担当者:Highlights coal seam storage as a viable CCUS pathway for hard-to-abate sectors, informing national decarbonization strategies.

Abstract Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is a critical pillar for deep decarbonization, enabling significant emissions reductions from hard-to-abate sectors while preserving industrial competitiveness. Conventionally, geological storage has relied on deep saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs due to their vast capacity, favorable injectivity, and well-established characterization. Beyond these, unconventional options—particularly coal-bearing formations—offer an additional pathway for subsurface CO2 containment, especially when it is coupled with enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM), whereby injected CO2 displaces methane (CH4), facilitating gas recovery while increasing the net amount of CO2 retained in the reservoir. In Colombia, particularly in the Cundiboyacense region, the presence of fixed industrial emission sources combined with the absence of nearby conventional oil and gas formations suitable for CO2 storage highlights the relevance of exploring coal-bearing units, whose long history of mining activity suggests a potential for alternative subsurface storage opportunities. However, early-stage CCUS development faces significant limitations due to the restricted availability of detailed technical, economic, and geological information, making it necessary to adopt conceptual analysis approaches and estimation methodologies aligned with the level of information currently available. This study evaluates the technical feasibility of geological CO2 storage in coal seams within the Cundiboyacense region of Colombia as a strategy to support the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors, including cement, steel, and power generation The analysis integrates geological characterization, laboratory measurements, and reservoir simulation to quantify both storage capacity and operational performance. Geological information from areas near major emission sources was compiled and prioritized through a multi-attribute matrix to identify suitable target zones. Reservoir simulation using GEM (CMG) was applied to model CO2 injection behavior in the Guaduas Formation under scenarios of pure geological storage and enhanced coalbed methane recovery (ECBM). Laboratory characterization of coal and water samples, including adsorption properties, mineralogical composition, and petrophysical parameters, supported the development of a static reservoir model built from stratigraphic well data and core analyses. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses conducted with CMOST identified initial reservoir pressure and CH4 sorption parameters as the dominant drivers of methane production, while permanent CO2 storage by adsorption is controlled primarily by injected contact (PVI) and CO2 sorption properties. CO2 return (breakthrough/production) is mainly governed by PVI and geomechanical strain effects, which also influence injectivity under the applied BHP constraints. Overall, results indicate that the region's coal seams have meaningful CO2 sequestration potential, and ECBM provides incremental methane recovery that could support early-stage deployment.

• crossref https://doi.org/10.2118/231688-msfirst seen 2026-06-02 05:22:12 · last seen 2026-06-03 05:52:53