Monat: April 2024

Peer-reviewed Publications

Mattila & Vihanto (2024): Agricultural limitations to soil carbon sequestration: Plant growth, microbial activity, and carbon stabilization

Tuomas J. Mattila, Noora Vihanto IN: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 367, 108986, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.108986

The aim of this study was to survey the challenges and limitations found on pioneering farms testing C sequestration using a Finnish network of farmers testing carbon farming practices. A combination of satellite monitoring, on-site measurements and soil analysis was used to quantify and evaluate soil physical, chemical, and biological quality indicators and plant productivity on 20 farms (40 fields). The indicators were assessed through a conceptual C sequestration model, classifying them into limitations for three stages of plant growth, microbial activity or C stabilization. 

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Balasubramaniam et al. (2024): Process-performance of solid sorbents for Direct Air Capture (DAC) of CO2 in optimized temperature-vacuum swing adsorption (TVSA) cycles

Bhubesh Murugappan Balasubramaniam, Phuc-Tien Thierry, Samuel Lethier, Veronique Pugnet, Philip Llewellyn, Arvind Rajendran IN: Chemical Engineering Journal, 485, 149568, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.149568

The process performance of three amine-functionalized chemisorbents (TRI-PE-MCM-41, SI-AEATPMS, APDES-NFC-FD-S) and two physisorbents (SIFSIX-18-Ni-𝛽 and NbOFFIVE-1-Ni) was evaluated for direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 in temperature-vacuum swing adsorption (TVSA) and steam-assisted temperature-vacuum swing adsorption (s-TVSA) cycles. Rigorous process optimizations were performed to evaluate the trade-off between energy consumption and productivity.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Duan et al. (2024): Insights into CO2 and N2O emissions driven by applying biochar and nitrogen fertilizers in upland soil

Tongzhou Duan, Jiating Zhao, Lizhong Zhu IN: Science of The Total Environment 929, 172439, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172439

we conducted batch experiments to study the effects and mechanisms of rice straw biochar application (produced at 300, 500, and 700 °C) on net greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, N2O, CH4) in upland soils under different forms of nitrogen fertilizers.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Brazzola et al. (2024): Utilizing CO2 as a strategy to scale up direct air capture may face fewer short-term barriers than directly storing CO2

Nicoletta Brazzola, Christian Moretti, Katrin Sievert, Anthony Patt, Johan Lilliestam IN: Environmental Research Letters 19 (5), 054037, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad3b1f

Direct air capture is increasingly recognized as a necessary puzzle piece to achieve the Paris climate targets. However, the current high cost and energy intensity of DAC act as a barrier. Short-term strategies for initial deployment, technology improvement, and cost reduction are needed to enable large-scale deployment. The authors assess and compare two near-term pathways leading to the same installed DAC capacity and thus yielding the same cost reductions: its combination with CO2 storage as direct air carbon capture and storage, or its deployment for CO2 utilization as direct air carbon capture and utilization e.g. for synthetic fuels, chemicals, and materials.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Ngidi et al. (2024): Response of Sorghum bicolor genotypes for yield and yield components and organic carbon storage in the shoot and root systems

Asande Ngidi, Hussein Shimelis, Seltene Abady, Sandiswa Figlan, Vincent Chaplot IN: Scientific Reports 14, 9499, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59956-x

Sorghum is a vital food and feed crop in the world’s dry regions. Developing sorghum cultivars with high biomass production and carbon sequestration can contribute to soil health and crop productivity. The objective of this study was to assess agronomic performance, biomass production and carbon accumulation in selected sorghum genotypes for production and breeding.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Low et al. (2024): Public perceptions on carbon removal from focus groups in 22 countries

Sean Low, Livia Fritz, Chad M. Baum, Benjamin K. Sovacool IN: Nature Communications 15, 3453, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47853-w

Carbon removal is emerging as a pillar of governmental and industry commitments toward achieving Net Zero targets. Drawing from 44 focus groups in 22 countries, the authors map technical and societal issues that a representative sample of publics raise on five major types of carbon removal (forests, soils, direct air capture, enhanced weathering, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage), and how these translate to preferences for governance actors, mechanisms, and rationales.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Tumber-Dávila et al. (2024): Hurricanes pose a substantial risk to New England forest carbon stocks

Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila, Taylor Lucey, Emery R. Boose, Danelle Laflower, Agustín León-Sáenz, Barry T. Wilson, Meghan Graham MacLean, Jonathan R. Thompson IN: Global Change Biology 30 (4), e17259, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17259

New England is one of the most heavily forested regions in the United States (>75% forested by land area), and forest carbon is a significant component of climate mitigation policies. This paper investigates to what extent large infrequent disturbances, such as hurricanes, are a major source of uncertainty and risk for policies relying on forest carbon for climate mitigation, especially as climate change is projected to alter the intensity and extent of hurricanes.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Bach et al. (2024): Implementation of marine CO2 removal for climate mitigation: The challenges of additionality, predictability, and governability

Lennart T. Bach, Naomi E. Vaughan, Cliff S. Law, Phillip Williamson IN: Science of the Anthropocene 12 (1), 00034, https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00034

The most widely considered mCDR methods are coastal blue carbon and seaweed farming that primarily depend on biological manipulations; ocean iron fertilisation, ocean alkalinity enhancement, and direct ocean capture that depend on chemical manipulations; and artificial upwelling that depends on physical manipulation of the ocean system. It is currently highly uncertain which, if any, of these approaches might be implemented at sufficient scale to make a meaningful contribution to net zero. In this paper a framework based on additionality, predictability, and governability to assess implementation challenges for these mCDR methods is derived.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Buffi et al. (2024): Energy and GHG emissions assessment for biochar-enhanced advanced biofuels value chains

M. Buffi, O. Hurtig, M. Prussi, N. Scarlat, D. Chiaramonti IN: Energy Conversion and Management, 309, 118450, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2024.118450

The present study proposes an innovative approach, where carbon sequestration through biochar is obtained through the integration of slow pyrolysis with fast pyrolysis in decentralised biorefining systems, and then converted producing drop-in fuels from pyrolysis oil hydrotreating or gasification and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. The scope is either to achieve negative GHG emissions assigned to advanced biofuels, or to export the generated carbon credit for the carbon markets (i.e. outside the biofuels carbon intensity). The innovative concept entails process integration and optimisation for the different stages of biomass drying, conversion and upgrading into biofuels in a way to reduce fossil-based inputs, applying a full value chain approach. Methodological choices for the assumptions on life cycle emissions calculation are discussed, evaluating the environmental performances by comparing the new concept to traditional biofuels value chains. Using a tailored lifecycle accounting methodology, this paper demonstrates that high GHG emissions savings can be achieved. 

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