Tag: Carbon Dioxide Removal

Victor & Nichols (2024): Impact of carbon dioxide removal technologies on deep decarbonization: EMF37 MARKAL–NETL modeling results

Nadejda Victor, Christopher Nichols IN: Energy and Climate Change 5, 100143, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egycc.2024.100143

This paper examines the MARKAL-NETL modeling results for the Energy Modeling Forum study on Deep Decarbonization and High Electrification Scenarios for North America (EMF 37) with a specific focus on carbon dioxide removal technologies and opportunities under different scenario guidelines, policies, and technological advancements.

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Ampah et al. (2024): Carbon dioxide removal and net zero emissions in Africa: an integrated assessment modelling based on three different land-based negative emission solutions

Jeffrey Dankwa Ampah, Sandylove Afrane, Humphrey Adun, Michael O Dioha, Ephraim Bonah Agyekum, Abdulfatah Abdu Yusuf, Mudassar Naseer, Olusola Bamisile IN: Environmental Research Letters 19 (8), 084021, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad5dcf

As the remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5 °C rapidly diminishes, it is clear that, besides decarbonization, the world will need to remove 100–1000 GtCO2 from the atmosphere by the end of the century. Yet, Africa, where many carbon removal schemes are planned, remains a ‘blindspot’ in existing studies. There is limited understanding of the trade-offs and synergies associated with carbon removal within Africa’s energy-land-water system. To address this research gap, a stylized net-zero emissions in Africa by 2050 was modeled, with focus on three land-based biological carbon removal approaches: afforestation/reforestation, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and biochar.

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Nature – Ganti et al. (2024): Evaluating the near- and long-term role of carbon dioxide removal in meeting global climate objectives

Gaurav Ganti, Thomas Gasser, Mai Bui, Oliver Geden, William F. Lamb, Jan C. Minx, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Matthew J. Gidden IN: Communications Earth & Environment 5, 377, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01527-z

The 6th Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lacked sufficient land-sector scenario information to estimate total carbon dioxide removal deployment. Here, using a dataset of land-based carbon dioxide removal based on the scenarios assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the authors show that removals via afforestation and reforestation play a critical near-term role in mitigation, accounting for around 10% (median) of the net greenhouse gas emission reductions between 2020 and 2030 in scenarios that limit warming to 1.5 °C with limited overshoot. The authors explore the regional distributions of gross emissions and total carbon dioxide removal in cost-effective mitigation pathways and highlight the importance of incorporating fairness and broader sustainability considerations in future assessments of mitigation pathways with carbon dioxide removal.

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Renforth et al. (2024): Carbon dioxide removal could result in the use of lower-grade iron ore in a decarbonized net-negative emission steel industry

Renforth P., Campbell J., Foteinis S., Cosgun E., Young J., Strunge T., Riley A.L., Mayes W.M., van der Spek M.W. IN: Journal of Cleaner Production, 142987, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142987

Reducing the emissions from steel production is essential in meeting climate targets while maintaining economic prosperity. Here, the authors show that applying deep emissions mitigation to the steel industry together with the reaction of by-product slag with atmospheric carbon dioxide could result in a carbon negative industry on the order of up to a GtCO2 yr-1 by mid-century.

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Nuttall & MacGregor (2024): A Canadian case study of carbon dioxide removals and negative emission hydrogen production

William J. Nuttall, Ian MacGregor IN: Renewable and Sustainable Energy, https://doi.org/10.55092/rse20240005

This paper presents an expert perspective on a new Nature-Based Solution to contemporary problems in energy and climate policy. The paper presents an emergent industrial proposition which combines Canadian forestry technology with chemical engineering capabilities developed by the oil and gas industry.

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Zhang et al. (2024): Reduced rainfall over the Amazon basin in an idealized CO2 removal scenario: Remote dynamic processes

Suqin Zhang, Xia Qu, Gang Huang, Peng Hu IN: Journal of Environmental Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2024.05.035

The Amazon basin plays a crucial role in biodiversity and carbon storage, but its local rainfall is anticipated to decrease under global warming. Carbon dioxide removal is being considered as a method to mitigate the impact of global warming. However, the specific effects of CDR on Amazon rainfall have not been well understood. Here, an idealized CDR experiment reveals that the reduced rainfall over the Amazon basin does not recover.

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Nature – Edelenbosch et al. (2024): Reducing sectoral hard-to-abate emissions to limit reliance on carbon dioxide removal

Oreane Y. Edelenbosch, Andries F. Hof, Maarten van den Berg, Harmen Sytze de Boer, Hsing-Hsuan Chen, Vassilis Daioglou, Mark M. Dekker, Jonathan C. Doelman, Michel G. J. den Elzen, Mathijs Harmsen, Stratos Mikropoulos, Mariësse A. E. van Sluisveld, Elke Stehfest, Isabela S. Tagomori, Willem-Jan van Zeist, Detlef P. van Vuuren IN: Nature Climate Change, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02025-y

To reach net-zero greenhouse gas targets, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are required to compensate for residual emissions in the hard-to-abate sectors. However, dependencies on CDR technologies involve environmental, technical and social risks, particularly related to increased land requirements for afforestation and bioenergy crops. Here, using scenarios consistent with the 1.5 °C target, the authors show that demand and technological interventions can substantially lower emission levels in four hard-to-abate sectors (industry, agriculture, buildings and transport) and reduce reliance on the use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. 

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Nature – Schaber et al. (2024): Prudent carbon dioxide removal strategies hedge against high climate sensitivity

Theresa Schaber, Tommi Ekholm, Joonas Merikanto, Antti-Ilari Partanen IN: Communications Earth & Environment 5, 285, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01456-x

Uncertainty in climate sensitivity has been shown to warrant early-on mitigation to limit global warming while anticipating future carbon dioxide removal creates mitigation deterrence. Here we use an integrated assessment model to quantify the impacts of under- or overestimating the cost and availability (feasibility) of carbon dioxide removal when limiting warming to 1.5 °C by 2100 under uncertain climate sensitivity.

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Adun et al. (2024): Sustainability implications of different carbon dioxide removal technologies in the context of Europe’s climate neutrality goal

Humphrey Adun, Jeffrey Dankwa Ampah, Olusola Bamisile, Dilber Uzun Ozsahin, Iain Staffell IN: Sustainable Production and Consumption 47, 598-616, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.04.003

Given its role as a leader in global climate actions, the European Union is expected to take a leading role in CDR developments: yet there is a lack of depth in the region’s CDR strategy and deployment. A comprehensive CDR approach based on integrated assessment modelling for the EU is important to give valuable insights into optimal CDR-based mitigation pathways regarding scalability, technology readiness, trade-offs with the Earth system, and deployment strategies. Here, the authors have used the GCAM-CDR v1.0 to model a diverse novel CDR portfolio of BECCS, DACCS, TEW and OEW in a mid-century carbon neutrality target.

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