Proposal for Optimizing CO2 Transportation Routes: A Multimodal Approach
The escalating impacts of climate change necessitate innovative strategies for carbon management. Among these, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies are pivotal. Our project aims to optimize CO2 transport from capture sites to storage locations across the western United States, focusing on minimizing both costs and socio-environmental risks. Current literature on CCS predominantly emphasizes carbon capture, with less attention to the complexities of transportation. This proposal seeks to address this gap by developing a multimodal transportation model that integrates pipelines, railroads, and trucks. The model will evaluate the efficacy of existing transportation infrastructures and their capability to handle CO2 logistics effectively while assessing economic and socio-environmental impacts.The assessment of socio-environmental risk impact varies greatly depending on given characteristics. This project aims to specifically address a lack of large-scale elevation data for transportation pipelines to better gauge risk.
Methods:
Our approach will use Google Earth Engine and relevant satellite imagery, i.e., Landsat 8, to identify above ground transmission pipelines. This will likely occur for multiple images with assignment of elevation in meters for those pixels classified as transmission pipelines. The process of supervised data preparation and model training will be documented for replicability while the scripts responsible for classification and elevation prediction will be put into a Google Cloud Workflow so that data exports can be reproduced at long intervals and be kept up-to-date. The model will incorporate various data layers, including road speed limits, hazmat restrictions, and rail capacities. Spatial processes will enrich network data to ensure accuracy, and missing data will be imputed based on reliable secondary sources. Risk assessments will integrate historical incident data, proximity to vulnerable populations, and potential environmental impacts.
Study Area:
We have selected Texas as our primary study area due to its significant CO2 emissions and extensive transportation infrastructure. This state serves as an ideal starting point for modeling due to its diverse transportation modes, high carbon output, and it being the site of multiple existing pipelines–for both natural gas and CO2. This research will culminate in a robust decision-support tool that aids policymakers and industry leaders in selecting the most efficient and least hazardous CO2 transportation methods. Our project will contribute significantly to the goals of assessing risk in the transportation stage by providing essential elevation data for transmission pipeline assessment alongside the framework for continually improved elevation data.