Energy experts discuss carbon capturing and storage techniques at AUS lecture

An innovative new technique that focuses on reducing the contribution of fossil fuel emissions to global warming and ocean acidification was the focus of a lecture held at American University of Sharjah (AUS), recently.

Organized by the AUS Student Chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the lecture was delivered by His Excellency Engineer Ahmed Al Kaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Resources, at the Ministry of Energy and the UAE's Governor for OPEC; and Engineer Arafat Al Yafei, CEO of Al Reyadah, a member of the ADNOC group. Entitled "Latest Developments in Oil and Gas: Al Reyadah as an Example," the lecture introduced students to a recent technology used in Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS). This technique works by capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) in electricity generation and industrial processes, transporting it to a storage site to prevent it from entering the atmosphere.

Engineer Al Kaabi, who established the UAE Petroleum Youth Council to engage the youth in the oil industry, spoke on ways to increase the Emirati youth's awareness and knowledge of the petroleum industry, enhance its involvement and capabilities in the industry both locally and globally, and introduce a youth interactive platform to exchange views and creative ideas.

Engineer Al Yafei expressed his gratitude at being invited to speak at AUS and said, "It is a pleasure to be here at AUS. I am very fond of SPE as it is a major help for engineering students in developing their careers during their industrial experience." During his talk, Al Yafei focused on three topics, namely: Greenhouse Gas emissions (Climate Change Impact), Production Sustainability (Enhanced Oil Recovery), and Al Reyadah.

"The purpose of this lecture is to introduce students to some other aspects of petroleum engineering as some would believe that petroleum is related to harming the environment, while this lecture shows that there's another aspect to it," said Tartela Alkayyali, president of SPE AUS Student Chapter.

Al Reyadah is a joint venture between ADNOC and Masdar, and is the first Carbon Capture and Usage facility in the UAE to utilize CO2 for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Dean of the College of Engineering at AUS said, "The College of Engineering seeks to prepare graduates who will contribute to the UAE economy, and since oil and gas resources do and will have in the near future significant impact on the UAE economy, it is important to be knowledgeable of current and future industry practices."

"Particularly in light of the university's interest in expanding research programs relevant to the Gulf environment, the practices of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage (CCUS) will potentially be targets of research for our faculty," added Dr. Schoephoerster.