Lunstrum et al. (2026): A Parameterized Lifecycle Assessment of Ex Situ CO₂ Mineralization, Using Olivine as a Case Study
Abby Lunstrum, Alex Wyckoff, Alec Wallace, Rylie Pelton, Anastasia O’Rourke, IN: Environmental Science & Technology, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c02627
To achieve global climate goals, novel technologies are needed to efficiently capture and durably store atmospheric CO₂. Reacting CO₂ with silicate minerals in engineered systems, often called ex situ mineralization, is one such approach. The potential net climate benefit of ex situ CO₂ mineralization is unclear, however, as it depends on the technology pathway, location, energy and resource demands, and potential for avoided emissions via co-product utilization. Accurately quantifying these factors in site-specific scenarios is critical for assessing a project’s carbon footprint. Here, the authors present a parameterized lifecycle assessment (LCA) model to quantify the net CO₂e emissions of a range of ex situ mineralization scenarios, considering both direct and avoided emissions.