Month: April 2023

Fakhraee et al. (2023): A biogeochemical model of mineral-based ocean alkalinity enhancement: impacts on the biological pump and ocean carbon uptake

Mojtaba Fakhraee, Zijian Li, Noah J Planavsky, Christopher T Reinhard IN: Environ. Res. Lett. 18, 044047, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acc9d4

The authors used a series of biogeochemical models to evaluate the gross CDR potential and environmental impacts of ocean alkalinity enhancement using solid mineral feedstocks. The authors find that natural alkalinity sources—basalt and olivine—lead to very low CDR efficiency while strongly perturbing marine food quality and fecal pellet production by marine zooplankton.

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Neues Start-up entwickelt Algenfarmen zur Züchtung von Makroalgen

Roland Koch (AWI) auf idw-online.de, 27.04.23

“In Las Palmas auf den Kanarischen Inseln wurde die Firma MACROCARBON SL ins Leben gerufen. Sie ist eine Ausgründung aus dem Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI) und Carbonwave. Das Start-up entwickelt Algenfarmen, in denen die Makroalge Sargassum gezüchtet werden soll. Diese Algen binden große Mengen an CO2 und dienen gleichzeitig der Herstellung neuer Grundstoffe für die Chemische Industrie.

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Marinič & Likozar (2023): Direct air capture multiscale modelling: From capture material optimization to process simulations

Dana Marinič, Blaž Likozar IN: Journal of Cleaner Production 408, 137185, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137185

The review provides an extensive evaluation of recent advances in multiscale modelling of DAC research. It introduces the theoretical physical descriptions of DAC, presents atom scale structuring, and brings together the state of the art of this, until now, poorly-researched analysis topic. Reviewed (CO2 mass) transfer works span from the ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculation relationships to mesoscale Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics simulations and micro-kinetics, adsorption/desorption, and lastly, most commonly-investigated specific macroscale concept. The modelled DAC processes properties reported in the literature have been compared, which allowed us to identify the most effective sorbents.

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Lim et al. (2023): Unique CO2 adsorption of pine needle biochar-based activated carbons by induction of functionality transition

Chaehun Lim, Seo Gyeong Jeong, Seongmin Ha, Naeun Ha, Seongjae Myeong, Young-Seak Lee IN: Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2023.04.008

In this work, the authors induced functionality transition of heteroatom-rich pine needle biochar based activated carbon for CO2 adsorption by modulating activation conditions. The surface functionalities and porosity of the activated carbon derived from pine needles were investigated intensively according to the activation conditions. The transition of surface functional groups and development of porosity were observed as activation progressed. 

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Report: Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Carbon Management

by Ramsey Fahs, Rory Jacobson, Andrew Gilbert, Dan Yawitz, Catherine Clark, Jill Capotosto, Colin Cunliff, Brandon McMurtry, Uisung Lee, David Crane, Kelly Cummins, Melissa Klembara, Vanessa Chan, Lucia Tian, Vanessa Chan, Lucia Tian, U.S. Department of Energy, April 2023

These Commercial Liftoff reports aim to establish a common fact base and ongoing dialogue with the private sector around the path to commercial lift-off for critical clean energy technologies. Their goal is to catalyze more rapid and coordinated action across the full technology value chain. This report outlines the path to meaningful scale in carbon management, which the authors expect to develop between near-term and longer-term opportunities through 2030.

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Shopify Climate Report 2022

In late 2019, Shopify launched Shopify’s Sustainability Fund, which houses all of their environmental investments and initiatives. This report provides an update on the 2022 Sustainability Fund solutions and how they continue to evolve their initiatives to meet the needs of the climate, their business and their merchants’ businesses.

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McDonald et al. (2023): Greenhouse Gas Removal in Australian Climate Law: A Positive Role for Negative Emissions

Jan McDonald, Kerryn Brent, Phillipa McCormack, Jeffrey McGee IN: UNSW Law Journal 46(1)

Australia’s path to net zero emissions must include both emissions reduction and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Australia’s large landmass and expansive marine estates provide significant opportunities for implementing these negative emissions technologies (‘NETs’). Significant further legal innovation will be needed to facilitate NETs crediting and adapt existing environmental, health and safety legislation to this large-scale challenge. As a starting point, this article surveys the curreit went state of Australian law and identifies priority areas for developing a legal framework to facilitate responsible research and development of NETs in Australia.

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Edenhofer et al. (2023): On the Governance of Carbon Dioxide Removal – A Public Economics Perspective

Ottmar Edenhofer, Max Franks, Matthias Kalkuhl, Artur Runge-Metzger, CESifo Working Paper No. 10370, April 2023, 43 Pages

This paper highlights the importance of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies for climate policy. The authors first describe their role in iconic transformation pathways and discuss removal costs and storage duration of different technologies. Based on economic principles, they characterize optimal removal flows and reservoirs for non-permanent removals. Furthermore, the authors discuss different pricing regimes that achieve an optimal allocation under different information and liability conditions.

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Breunig et al. (2023): Emerging concepts in intermediate carbon dioxide emplacement to support carbon dioxide removal

Hanna Marie Breunig, Fabian Rosner, Tae-Hwan Lim, Peng Peng IN: Energy & Environmental Science, https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ee03623a

Substantial upscaling of carbon dioxide capture is possible in the coming decades but existing solutions for storage are projected to be limited in annual capacity by as much as 2–10 GtCO2 per year until mid-century. Temporary storage of CO2 in a solid or liquid state could prove useful for filling this gap in capacity, until more permanent and ideally lucrative CO2 sequestration options come online. There are several concepts for reversible solid-state and chemical CO2 storage, but their advantages and limitations have yet to be reviewed in this context. This article focuses on the physical and chemical aspects of CO2 storage via liquid and solid chemical carriers and sorbents, and gives an overview of the energetics around their use, as well as prospects for their future development.

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