The circular carbon economy

What is the circular carbon economy?

For more than a century, carbon has been a primary component of energy systems that have enabled economies to prosper. But as the world seeks solutions to address the emissions challenge, the concept of a circular carbon economy has gained prominence. It encompasses the 4 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Remove; restoring the human-earth balance and harmonizing the carbon cycle.

The Earth has been achieving this balance for billions of years; a natural and stable flow of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial ecosystems. Until recently, humans have played a simple role within this cycle, employing a linear model whereby we extract carbon from the ground and release it into the air. But by mimicking the natural process of the Earth, we can achieve our own balance, closing the loop to not only reduce emissions through energy efficiency and use of renewables, but also to reuse and remove carbon emissions entirely.

Reduce: zero routine flaring

Gas flaring is the combustion of associated gas generated through oil production, which is both wasteful and a source of CO₂ emissions. We have long been pioneers in gas flaring reduction, from our Master Gas System in the 1970s, and we continue to develop and deploy innovative 4IR technology in our Flaring Minimization Program. Not only does this help us to recover and make use of a previously wasted energy source, but it also significantly reduces our emissions. This is part of our ongoing commitment to achieving zero routine flaring by 2030, in alignment with the World Bank's Climate Change Action Plan 2016-2020.

Reuse: enhanced oil recovery (EOR)

EOR is the process of injecting a substance (such as captured CO₂) into an oil reservoir to increase its productivity. At Hawiyah Gas Plant, we have the capability to capture and process 45 million standard cubic feet of CO₂, which is then piped 85 km to the 'Uthmaniyah oil field – one of the Middle East's largest carbon EOR initiatives – to be injected into the oil reservoir, helping us to reduce emissions as well as improve our oil recovery.

Recycle: Conserving water

Saudi Arabia is a land where no rivers flow, rainfall is sporadic, and summer temperatures are high.

It is in our DNA to conserve water.

We use best practices and technologies to maximize the use of wastewater, and utilize alternative water resources, such as seawater, treated sewage effluent and treated reject streams. 

Plus, we use renewable energy sources for more sustainable water treatment and conveyance systems.

Remove: mangrove initiative

We are working on a number of technologies around carbon capture, utilization, and storage, which capture CO₂ and sequester it in geological formations, thus removing emissions from the atmosphere. But we are also investing in a number of initiatives that utilize the Earth's natural carbon sinks. For example, mangroves play an important role in sequestering carbon – up to 100 times faster and more permanently than terrestrial forests. Our mangrove initiative has seen us plant more than two million  mangrove seedlings in the Kingdom, thereby removing CO₂ and protecting sensitive areas of biodiversity.