CO₂-removal News

Pattanaik et al. (2024): Maximizing resource efficiency with dairy and municipal wastewater as nutrient media for Chlorella vulgaris with simultaneous CO2 sequestration

Suchismita Pattanaik, Subhasmita Panigrahi, Nilotpala Pradhan, Bibhuranjan Nayak IN: Discover Environment, 2, https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-024-00143-0

In this study, the combination of dairy and municipal wastewater is proposed as a culture medium for cultivating microalgae strains capable of sequestering atmospheric CO2. Specifically, the growth of Chlorella vulgaris was investigated using Bold’s basal medium, along with varying concentrations of municipal and dairy wastewater, both with and without CO2 supplementation, to assess their CO2 capture potential.

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Liu et al. (2024): Wind curtailment powered flexible direct air capture

Yuhang Liu, Yihe Miao, Yuanfan Feng, Lun Wang, Shigenori Fujikawa, Lijun Yu IN: Applied Energy, 377, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124402

A DAC system integrated with renewable electricity can maximize its carbon capture efficiency; however, the existing DAC systems are incompatible with the intermittency and fluctuations of renewable electricity. This study develops an optimal model aiming to enable flexible operation of the DAC, thereby enhancing the utilization of wind electricity.

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Hausmann et al. (2024): Quantification of biomass availability for wood harvesting and storage in the continental United States with a carbon cycle model

Henry Hausmann, Qixiang Cai, Ning Zeng IN: Carbon Balance and Management, 19, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-024-00270-4

This paper aims to quantify the availability of woody biomass for the purposes of Wood Harvesting and Storage (WHS) in the continental United States using a carbon cycle modeling approach. Using a regional version of the VEGAS terrestrial carbon cycle model at 10 km resolution, this paper calculates the annual woody net primary production in the continental United States. It then applies a series of constraints to exclude woody biomass that is unavailable for WHS. These results were then split into state by state and regional totals.

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Wang et al. (2024):The role of post-pyrolysis carbon dioxide capture in hydrogen recovery from waste-derived pyrolysis gas

Yuxin Wang, Andrei Veksha, Joel Ong, Yasuaki Ueki, Ryo Yoshiie, Ichiro Naruse, Grzegorz Lisak IN: Fuel, 381, 133293, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2024.133293

The study elucidated the role of post-pyrolysis CO2 removal using a CaO sorbent on upgrading pyrolysis gas into H2-rich gas. The pyrolysis gas was obtained from various waste-derived feedstocks (municipal sewage sludge, refused derived fuel (RDF), pine sawdust (biomass), and marine litter) by pyrolysis (600 °C), and underwent the treatment with CaO (600 °C) followed by the thermolytic decomposition at 1300 °C. 

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Wu et al. (2024): Substantial CO2 uptake by biomass ashes under natural condition in China

Songbin Wu, Xiaomin Zhuang, Mingjing Ma, Le Niu, Jiaoyue Wang, Fengming Xi IN: Science of The Total Environment, 854, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176460

Using life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA) methods, this study developed a CO2 absorption analysis model for biomass ashes under natural conditions. The authors estimated the CO2 absorption of 9 different types of biomass ash from 1950 to 2022 through Monte Carlo uncertainty simulation.

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Criscuoli et al. (2024): Lessons learned from existing carbon removal methodologies for agricultural soils to drive European Union policies

Irene Criscuoli, Andrea Martelli, Ilaria Falconi, Francesco Galioto, Maria Valentina Lasorella, Stefania Maurino, Avion Phillips, Guido Bonati, Giovanni Dara Guccione IN: European Journal of Soil Science, 75, https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13577

Carbon farming practices, underpinned by various incentives, can be used to maintain and increase C stocks in agricultural soils. Carbon credit mechanisms, that is, tradable credits each corresponding to one tonne of CO2eq, are one such incentive. Carbon credits are issued upon the demonstration of increased soil C stocks over time through the application of C accounting methodologies for each agroecosystem and farming practice. This study presents a detailed and critical analysis of carbon credit methodologies, focusing on agricultural soil C in temperate zones, by comparing the European Commission proposal for a regulation on carbon removals with relevant certification frameworks implemented in extra-European Union industrialized countries (Australia, Alberta in Canada, United States).

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Science – Zeng et al. (2024): 3775-year-old wood burial supports “wood vaulting” as a durable carbon removal method

Ning Zeng, Xinpeng Zhao, Ghislain Poisson, Bryson Clifford, Yu Liu, He Liu, Taotao Meng, Laura Picard, Elisa Zeng-Mariotti, Ben Zaitchik, Liangbing Hu IN: Science, 385, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adm8133

Carbon removed by terrestrial photosynthesis is mostly returned to the atmosphere by decomposition. The authors found a 3775-year-old ancient wood log buried 2 meters belowground that was preserved far beyond its expected lifetime. The wood had near-perfect preservation, with carbon loss less than 5% compared to a modern sample. The lack of decay is likely due to the low permeability of the compact clay soil at the burial site. Our observation suggests a hybrid nature-engineering approach for carbon removal by burying woody biomass in similar anoxic environments.

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Binsted et al. (2024): Carbon management technology pathways for reaching a U.S. Economy-Wide net-Zero emissions goal

Matthew Binsted, Ellie Lochner, Jae Edmonds, José Benitez, John Bistline, Morgan Browning, Francisco De La Chesnaye, Jay Fuhrman, Leonard Göke, Gokul Iyer, Kathleen Kennedy, Page Kyle, Carol Lenox, Haewon McJeon, Kowan O’Keefe, Patrick O’Rourke, Amogh Prabhu, Ron Sands, Luis Sarmiento, Sharon Showalter, Mei Yuan IN: Energy and Climate Change, 5, 100154, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egycc.2024.100154

The Carbon Management Study Group of the 37th Energy Modeling Forum (EMF 37) designed seven scenarios to explore the role of three potentially key technology suites – point source carbon dioxide capture and storage (PSCCS), direct air capture of carbon dioxide (DACCS), and hydrogen systems (H2) – in shaping the broader technology pathways to reaching net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in United States by 2050. Each scenario was run by up to 13 models participating in the EMF 37 study.

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IPCC (2024): Report of the Expert Meeting on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage

IPCC, Eds: Enoki, T., Hayat, M, Pub. IGES, 2024

With the emergence of new carbon dioxide removal technologies and the generation of new empirical data on relevant sources and sinks, it may be valuable to consider new methods in the IPCC Guidelines. If adopted, these new methods will broaden the base of sinks and sources that inventory compilers should routinely monitor and facilitate their estimation and reporting in future national inventories. With this context in mind, the IPCC tasked the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI), in January 2024, to develop a Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage activities (Decision IPCC-LX- 9). An Expert Meeting on this topic was also mandated by the IPCC and held in Vienna on 1-3 July 2024. This was the first step along the journey to prepare the Methodology Report and this document is a Report of that Meeting.

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Levy et al. (2024): The effects of land use on soil carbon stocks in the UK

Peter Levy, Laura Bentley, Peter Danks, Bridget Emmett, Angus Garbutt, Stephen Heming, Peter Henrys, Aidan Keith, Inma Lebron, Niall McNamara, Richard Pywell, John Redhead, David Robinson, Alexander Wickenden IN: Biogeosciences, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4301-2024

Here the authors collate a substantial national and regional data set (15 790 soil cores) and analyse it in an advanced statistical modelling framework. This produced new estimates of the effects of land use on soil carbon stock (Sc) in the UK, different in magnitude and ranking order from the previous best estimates.

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