Category: Scientific Theses

PhD-thesis: Exploring the applicability of amine-containing metal-organic frameworks on direct air capture of carbon dioxide

Shreya Mahajan, University of Jyväskylä, http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-0280-4

The thesis’s first section covers the most recent achievements made in developing MOFs for DAC potential. It provides a detailed account of structural approaches, examines MOFs’ DAC performance under different conditions, and discusses the CO2 adsorption pathways. The second section of the thesis encapsulates the key results published in three journal articles related to this work. The results and discussion section detail the preparation of an amino-triazole-based N-rich bent ligand and the structural determination of its sixteen new molecular salts, each assisted by different anions. Several characterization techniques were employed to fully understand these anion-templated supramolecular assemblies, which are self-assembled by a combination of noncovalent interactions, constituting different protonation sites and a versatile spectrum of conformations of the bent ligand.

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PhD-thesis: Missing Paths to Justice: The Knowledge Politics of Carbon Dioxide Removal

Natalia Rubiano, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/missing-paths-to-justice-the-knowledge-politics-of-carbon-dioxide

CDR has become a central component in the climate change mitigation scenarios assessed by the IPCC. These scenarios rely on the large-scale deployment of BECCS and Afforestation to keep global average temperatures below 2°C of warming, despite substantial concerns about their feasibility, scalability, and unwanted impacts.
In this thesis, a critical examination of policy-relevant knowledge production and its effects is provided, by scrutinizing CDR as the most recent manifestation of the politics of knowledge in climate change mitigation research. 

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PhD-thesis: Using Capacitive Deionization for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide: Theory and Demonstration of the Bicarbonate-Enriched Alkalinity Concentration Swing

Andrew Bergman, Havard University, https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37377928

This thesis introduces a framework for a new solvent-based DAC approach, the bicarbonate-enriched alkalinity concentration swing (BE-ACS), and demonstrates how the two key steps of the BE-ACS cycle, bicarbonate selection and concentration, can be experimentally implemented using membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) technology. 

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Master’s thesis: Social Marginal Abatement Cost of Negative Emissions: Incorporating Externalities into the Private Costs of Carbon Dioxide Removal

Anna Havukainen, University of Helsinki, http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:hulib-202404091663

The objective of this thesis was to identify the Negative Emission Technologies and Practices (NETPs) that yield the lowest social costs, thereby providing insights into which NETPs should be prioritized for investments in CDR. This evaluation was conducted by developing a Social Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (SMACC) framework, to examine the potentials and social costs of various NETPs. 

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PhD-thesis: Concentrating Alkalinity for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide: Using Osmotic Pressure for Concentration and Separation

Anatoly Rinberg, Harvard University, https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37377926

First, the author proposes a new approach for removing atmospheric CO2, the alkalinity concentration swing (ACS), driven by concentrating and diluting aqueous alkaline solution, which increases and decreases the partial pressure of CO2 of the solution, respectively. Second, he improves on the ACS process by introducing a selectivity step, which separates bicarbonate ions from carbonate ions. A theoretical investigation reveals that bicarbonate-enrichment allows for reaching higher cycle capacity, higher CO2 partial pressure, and improved absorption rates. Third, nanofiltration is experimentally studied, and confirmed as a mechanism to enrich bicarbonate ions, reaching bicarbonate-carbonate selectivity factors above 30. Fourth, he experimentally demonstrates the ability to use reverse osmosis, a membrane-based separation process driven by applied pressure, as a method for concentrating alkalinity.

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PhD-Thesis: Ocean Alcalinity Enhancement: Tool to Mitigate Climate Change

Jakob Bang Rønning, University of Southern Denmark, https://doi.org/10.21996/p2f3-rp88

This thesis explores the potential of ocean alkalinity enhancement as an ocean-based carbon dioxide removal method, specifically focusing on alkaline minerals for mineral-based OAE as novel avenues for climate change mitigation. As global decarbonization is obliged, integrating diverse CDR technologies is essential to effectively counter and reverse the ongoing trend of global CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. This thesis studied the nuanced aspects of mineral-based OAE, emphasizing the potential of alkaline minerals such as dolomite, limestone, and olivine. The study aims to examine their impact on seawater carbon chemistry and primary producers. 

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Master thesis: Potential analysis of the integration of flexibly operated Direct Air Capture (DAC) plants in the heat and power system using the example of Hamburg

Moritz Rickert, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12738/14920

For climate neutrality by 2045, Germany must compensate unavoidable residual greenhouse gas emissions by negative emission technologies such as direct air capture technology. This study explores the technical feasibility and economic viability of implementing flexibly operated DAC plants in Hamburg’s district heating system in 2045.

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Licentiate thesis: Modeling the Potential for Carbon Removal in Agriculture: Integrating Farmer Perspectives

Andreas Rehn, Chalmers Universtiy of Technology

The overarching aim of this thesis is to provide insights into the dynamic processes governing SOC stocks and to identify viable paths for agricultural systems to contribute to climate change mitigation. By integrating current scientific knowledge of carbon sequestration in agriculture with feasible agricultural applications, this work proposes local realistic strategies for enhancing soil organic carbon and presents a quantitative assessment of their potential for CO2 removal.

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PhD-Thesis: Promises and Pitfalls of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage: Actors’ Perspectives, Challenges, and Mitigation Deterrence in Sweden

Emily Rodriguez, Linköping University, DOI: 10.3384/9789180754873

The aim of this thesis is to examine challenges for the implementation of BECCS in Sweden to contribute to sustainability transitions, and to analyze the prospect for deploying BECCS through the lens of mitigation deterrence. This lens is a way to study risks of foregone emissions, overshoots, and rebound effects when relying on a future carbon removal method such as BECCS. This thesis studies how BECCS is socially constructed by key actors in Sweden by analyzing perspectives held by companies, civil servants, political parties, and other key actors, through interviews and focus groups. This study also analyzes how plans to include BECCS impact net-zero strategies in Stockholm, the first city to have a pilot and demonstration facility for BECCS in Europe.

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