Carbon Soil Sequestration - SEREN Project

Descriptions

Documents must be obtained from the following website, suppliers are requested to register on the website and download the tender documents:https://in-tendhost.co.uk/cardiffuniversity/Research into Carbon Soil Sequestration Total Value: £800,000 in 2 Lots of £400,000For each Lot:ERDF funding (to be provided by the SEREN project by Cardiff University): £200,000 (50%)Match funding (to be provided by successful applicant): £200,000 (50%)Applicants can apply for one or both Lots.1The SEREN projectThe Geoenvironmental Research Centre (GRC), located at the School of Engineering, Cardiff University has recently secured funding for the SEREN project worth over £8,350,000 from the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) under the ERDF West Wales and the Valleys Convergence Programme 2007–2013. The SEREN project has been designed specifically to deliver the objectives of the Convergence programme as defined by the Operational Programme and Strategic Framework, as its function is to increase the value of the low carbon offerings of companies, hence helping them to move up the value chain and to increase value added per job. SEREN also has strong strategic and operational links with activity in related fields, such as links with international research projects and a wide range of industrial collaborators.. The aim of the project will be to deliver new and innovative ground engineering technologies that will address the low carbon agenda. These technologies will be showcased and promoted globally with a view to encouraging organisations with low carbon initiatives to move to Wales. The thrust of the project will be to create new companies and jobs, support existing companies, and increase profitability in companies within the Convergence Area. In short, the project will commercialise innovative ideas. The project target beneficiaries will be SMEs in the Convergence area, as well as local government organisations and the Welsh Assembly Government.At the heart of the project will be the development and strengthening of a climate of innovation and exploitation of low carbon technologies across Wales, highlighting Wales as a leader in this area. Research priorities identified are presented below:?Ground Source Heat?Underground Coal Gasification?Carbon Sequestration?Geoinformatic Packages: Low Carbon ApplicationsAs a result of this project, new industries will be created in Wales, and there will be a need to retrain and upskill the Welsh workforce to prepare them for the new challenges offered by these initiatives. Part of the project aims will be to address the upskilling and training needs of the workforce through a planned dissemination programme of lectures, seminars and workshops.Results of the projects will be fully disseminated to industries to maximise impact.2Carbon sequestrationThe UK target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 20% of 1990 levels (Climate Change Act, 2008), informed by the Energy White Paper (DTI, 2003). An energy policy of reducing energy consumption coupled with use of renewable energy may be able to tackle some of this problem, but removing CO2 emissions from existing power generation capacity and possible atmospheric scrubbing will enable the process of moving to a low carbon dioxide emitting state easier, faster and more economically viable, while maintaining the energy security provided by fossil fuels (POST, 2005).Carbon Sequestration (CS) is the process of long-term storage of carbon that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere. Therefore, carbon sequestration from CO2 producing technology, i.e. power generation from fossil fuels, and from atmospheric scrubbing has the potential to mitigate climate change and allow further economic development – the holy grail of environmental science.However, attenuation of already emitted carbon dioxide is an important consideration to understand the carbon budget of any area, and therefore the potential impacts or mitigation of climate change. One of the major factors in such attenuation, or in fact further ‘positive feedback’ emissions, is the behaviour of the near surface land, or soil. The aim of the CS work package within the SEREN project is to further understand two aspects of carbon sequestration behaviour, i) carbon sequestration in coal seams and ii) the attenuation of atmospheric carbon in soil. This tender package aims to tackle the second of these aims.Cardiff University will coordinate the work package and provide the point of contact between the successful contractor and the SEREN reporting and managing structures. The SEREN project team will provide guidance as part of the delivery of the work package. It will be the responsibility of the successful contractor to ensure that project reports and outputs are delivered within the agreed programme. Tender submissions should identify a proposed schedule of work with appropriate milestones shown on a Gantt chart.