CO2-removal News

Peer-reviewed Publications

Miao et al. (2025): Biochar-zeolite modified super sulphate cement as a high-performance, sustainable and high-efficiency CO₂ sequestration cementitious material

Jianxiong Miao, Shuai Xiao, Yang Zhou, Wentao Chen, Yanji Jin, Luqing Cheng, Cheng Chang, Hao Zhang, IN: Construction and Building Materials, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.142475

Cement production contributes 8 % of global industrial carbon emissions, underscoring the urgent need for innovative strategies to mitigate its environmental impact. Super Sulfated Cement (SSC) is a promising low-carbon alternative, but its carbon sequestration potential remains underexplored. This study integrates biochar and zeolite into SSC to create a near-zero-carbon, high-performance composite with hierarchical transport pathways, enhancing compressive and flexural strength by 63.1 % and 43.8 %. A comprehensive mechanism for the composite’s carbon sequestration is proposed, leveraging biochar’s tunnel-like channels and zeolite’s nano-pores, along with molecular sieve properties, to create a hierarchical pore structure.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Guo et al. (2025): Site selection for ocean alkalinity enhancement informed by passive tracer simulations

Yiming Guo, Ke Chen, Adam V. Subhas, Jennie E. Rheuban, Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Daniel C. McCorkle, Anna Michel & Heather H. Kim, IN: Communications Earth & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02480-1

The physical circulation of ocean water exerts fundamental control on the dilution, spreading, and retention of alkaline materials, influencing carbon removal effectiveness, environmental impacts, and monitoring feasibility. Here the authors evaluate potential sites and timing for ocean alkalinity enhancement on the U.S. Northeast Shelf by conducting passive tracer simulations from 2009 to 2017. Monthly dye release experiments across ten locations were analyzed by quantifying dye evolution metrics such as surface spread, lateral movement, upper-ocean concentration, and gas transfer velocity. A site selection index was developed to assess site and time suitability for tracer dispersal for ocean alkalinity enhancement.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Soterroni et al. (2025): Assessing Potential Implications of the EU’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Strategy on Brazil’s Land Ecosystems and Local Communities

Soterroni, Antonella Mazzone, Jiesper Tristan, IN: Environmental Science & Policy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104154

The European Union (EU)’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 relies significantly on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) strategies, yet implications of such approaches for the Global South remain unclear. Here the authors reflect on how land-based CDR ambitions in the EU—particularly BECCS—may generate disproportionate pressures on ecosystems and communities in countries like Brazil, which have become a focal point for climate mitigation due to their biophysical potential and geopolitical ties. Although Brazil is not formally committed to providing land-based offsets to the EU, its significant potential to host large-scale afforestation and BECCS projects renders it a useful case study for exploring these dynamics.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Pisciotta et al. (2025): Advancing Geothermal Energy Utilization Opportunities: Potential and Strategies for Integrating Direct Air Capture

Maxwell Pisciotta, Hélène Pilorgéa, Likhwa Ndlovua, Madeleine Siegelb, Joe Huyettb, Todd Bandhauerb, Peter Psarrasa and Jennifer Wilcox, IN: Energy & Environmental Science, https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2025/ee/d4ee04058a

This study explores the potential of geothermal resources to meet the thermal and electrical demands of DAC systems through the development of a geothermal-DAC evaluation framework. The framework examines configurations where binary geothermal power plants and DAC units are engineered to optimize geothermal resource use. These configurations are evaluated based on their CO₂ abatement potential, achieved by displacing carbon-intensive grid electricity and removing atmospheric CO₂. The framework was applied to two hypothetical geothermal resources, representing low (86 °C) and high (225 °C) temperature regimes for binary geothermal power plants, considering various organic Rankine cycle (ORC) working fluids. It was also tested on the Raft River binary geothermal combined cycle power plant.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Ozden et al. (2025): Point-Source Carbon Capture and Direct Air Capture – A Technology Overview

Adnan Ozden, Mingchuan Luo, Yanwei Lum, IN: Chemical Engineering Journal, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165535

This review provides an overview of today’s two most studied CO₂ capture and removal technologies: point-source CO₂ capture and direct air capture. It presents recent advances associated with each technology, highlights the advantages, challenges and remaining milestones, and discusses the potential research directions for feasibility enhancements.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Qiao et al. (2025): The Soil Microbial Carbon Pump for Carbon Sequestration

Longkai Qiao, Junfei Wang, Shuangshuang Wei, Yilong Ren, Eric Lichtfouse & Jie Han, IN: Environmental Chemistry Letters, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-025-01861-4

The authors discuss the global soil carbon pool, microbial carbon capture, the microbial carbon pump, contributions from plants, fungi and bacteria, and the use of synthetic microbial communities.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Panda (2025): Agroforestry: Mitigating Climate Change Through Carbon Sequestration

Subhabrata Panda, IN: Agroforestry for Climate Resilience and Rural Livelihood, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-6855-7_6

Agroforestry systems, which combine trees, shrubs, crops, and livestock, facilitate significant carbon storage through photosynthesis, converting CO₂ into organic matter stored in the soil, biomass, and products. The carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry is driven by several factors: the presence of trees and shrubs with extensive root systems that enhance soil organic matter retention; improved soil quality that supports better carbon retention; diversified cropping systems that increase carbon storage; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions from reduced reliance on fossil fuel based inputs. In addition to environmental benefits, agroforestry contributes to enhanced agricultural productivity and supports rural livelihoods. This practice, therefore, represents a vital strategy in the global fight against climate change, offering a sustainable, resilient approach to land use for the future.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Liu et al. (2025): Efficient Carbon Sequestration of Calcium Carbide Slag Based on Additive Regulation

Zhiyan Liu, Li Hou, Jun Li, Zhongyuan Lu, IN: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.117880

In the context of global carbon neutrality efforts, calcium carbide slag has emerged as a promising CO₂ adsorbent due to its high absorption capacity. However, kinetic limitations in carbonation hinder its efficiency. Existing research has explored various additive strategies, yet the application of alcohol-amine compounds in solid-phase calcium carbide slag carbonation remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the effects of different additive types (MEA, DEA, TEA, NaHCO₃), dosages, and CO₂ flow rates on the carbonation kinetics and product characteristics of calcium carbide slag.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Sartzetakis et al. (2025): Evaluating Temporal Trade-Offs in Climate Effects from Carbon Dioxide Removal Strategies Across Different Metrics: A Case Study on Wetland Restoration

Stavroula Stephane Sartzetakis, Tianyi Sun, Yangyang Xu, Emily Ury, Ilissa Bonnie Ocko and Brian Buma, IN: Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adeb9d

CDR measures may unintentionally increase emissions of other climate forcers. If emissions of potent short-lived climate forcers (like methane) are increased, the CDR mechanism could potentially worsen climate change in the near-term despite benefiting the climate in the long-term. This temporal trade-off can be easily overlooked when employing the standard climate metric used for assessments – carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) using a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) – because it solely conveys the long-term warming impacts of a pulse of emissions. A more sophisticated assessment method is needed to reveal potential temporal trade-offs in climate benefits — important information for effective decision making. In this study, the authors compare three climate impact assessment approaches of increasing complexity to evaluate temporal trade-offs in climate benefits from CDR strategies: (1) the standard CO₂e using GWP approach with both 20- and 100-year time horizons (GWP20 and GWP100, respectively, or dual-valued CO₂e); (2) a variation of GWP that considers the climate impact of continuous emissions over time (known as Technology Warming Potential (TWP); and (3) reduced complexity climate models. The authors use wetland restoration as a case study because studies have shown that it may remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while also increasing methane emissions.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Bouaboula et al. (2025): Life Cycle Assessment of Electrochemical pH-Swing Direct Air Capture

Houssam Bouaboula, Youssef Belmabkhout, Abdelghafour Zaabout, IN: Energy Conversion and Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2025.120134

Electrochemical pH-swing processes show significant potential as a direct air capture (DAC) technology for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries and achieving net-negative emissions by mid-century. While several studies have explored its energetic and economic viability, major concerns persist regarding its environmental impact. In this paper, the authors present a quantitative cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment of this approach and analyze its environmental implications across various stages, from plant construction to end-of-life treatment, under a large-scale CO₂ capture of 1 MtCO₂ per year. To provide a thorough analysis, the authors consider two cradle-to-grave scenarios: (i) CO₂ and H₂ to storage and (ii) CO₂ and H₂ towards methanol synthesis.

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