CO₂-removal News

New Publications

Kludze et al. (2022): Biocement from the Ocean: Hybrid Microbial-Electrochemical Mineralization of CO2

Atsu Kludze, Devan Solanki, Marcelo Lejeune, Rito Yanagi, Momoko Ishii, Neera Raychaudhuri, Paul Anastas, Nanette Boyle, Shu Hu IN: iScience, 105156, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105156

This work discusses a hybrid method that combines primary production via the growth of autotrophic microorganisms (i.e., photosynthetic cyanobacteria) and microbially-induced carbonate precipitation. Carbon fixation and carbonate precipitation can be co-optimized by using bipolar membrane electrodialysis devices (BPMEDs), which generate seawater with adjustable pH. The authors examine the scale-up potential for naturally produced bio-carbonate composite materials and compare its production with published ocean CDR strategies for reducing anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

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Media

Quantifying delivered carbon removal as a buyer of early technologies

Joanna Klitzke, Zeke Hausfather, Nan Ransohoff on frontierclimate.com

This article first describes the challenges and uncertainties the authors face as an early buyer in quantifying carbon removal deliveries in a nascent field. The authors then suggest a framework to make it actionable for buyers–including Frontier itself. The hope is that this helps buyers more confidently make purchasing decisions from a range of carbon removal pathways–particularly from promising early solutions that are harder to quantify.

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Knowledge Transfer

Puro Standard Biochar methodology edition 2022

on puro.earth

The new version of Puro Standard Biochar carbon removal methodology – edition 2022 – is ready to be used. During last 2.5 years, the Puro project members have been fortunate to gather feedback and learn from our global biochar producers, scientific experts, pioneering CORC buyers, as well as auditors in Europe, Australia and the Americas. All of these learnings are now captured in the updated methodology.

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Political Papers

Elwee (2022): Advocating afforestation, betting on BECCS: land-based negative emissions technologies (NETs) and agrarian livelihoods in the global South

Pamela Mc Elwee IN: Journal of Peasant Studies, 2022

Negative emissions technologies (NETs) for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) are increasingly important responses to achieve global climate change targets, but to date, there has been insufficient attention to land-based NETs (including afforestation, biochar, and other measures) as an agrarian challenge for the global South. This paper explores the implications of different NETs for land, labor, capital, and politics in rural spaces and contributes to articulating agrarian climate justice by demonstrating the potentially unjust implications of many NETs. The paper concludes with how these measures might be designed to be less negative for rural peoples in future implementation.

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Political Papers

Mai et al. (2022): Getting to 100%: Six strategies for the challenging last 10%

Trieu Mai, Paul Denholm, Patrick Brown, Wesley Cole, Elaine Hale, Patrick Lamers, Caitlin Murphy, Mark Ruth, Brian Sergi, Daniel Steinberg, Samuel F. Baldwin IN: Joule, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2022.08.004

Achieving 100% carbon-free electricity obviates the use of traditional fossil-fuel-based generation technologies, by themselves, to serve the last increment of demand—which the authors refer to as the “last 10%.” Here, the authors survey strategies for overcoming this last 10% challenge, including extending traditional carbon-free energy sources (e.g., wind and solar, other renewable energy, and nuclear), replacing fossil fuels with carbon-free fuels for combustion (e.g., hydrogen- and biomass-based fuels), developing carbon capture and carbon dioxide removal technologies, and deploying multi-day demand-side resources.

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Knowledge Transfer

Ratouis (2022): Permanent and secure geological storage of CO2 by in-situ carbon mineralization

on carbfix.com, author: Thomas Ratouis

„Climeworks and Carbfix developed and independent quality and assurance leader DNV validated the world’s first full-chain certification methodology dedicated to carbon dioxide removal via direct air capture and underground mineralization storage. It provides the requirements for stringent standards by which measurement and reporting of Climeworks‘ carbon dioxide removal and Carbfix‘s permanent mineralization can be third-party verified. With this methodology, Climeworks and Carbfix aim to contribute to the standardization and scale-up of high-quality, permanent removals.“

Abstract: This methodology article outlines processes, requirements, and emission quantification for permanent and secure CO2 capture, transport, and geological storage by rapid insitu carbon mineralization. In situ carbon mineralization replicates and accelerates natural processes, in which carbon dioxide is dissolved in water and interacts with reactive rock formations to form stable minerals providing a permanent and safe carbon sink.

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Projects

Can the power of biota bring rocks to the front of climate solutions? – The BAM! project

by University of Antwerp on uantwerpen.be

A European research consortium investigates whether a low-energy solution for carbon capture can be designed using an ooze of rocks, fungi, bacteria and earthworms. „Can we use the power of biology to increase the rate of silicate weathering to unmatched levels in a bio-reactor?“ That is the key question addressed in BAM! (Super-Bio-Accelerated Mineral weathering), a project funded by the European Innovation Council through the Pathfinder programme.  

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New Publications

Janssens et al. (2022): Negative erosion and negative emissions: Combining multiple land-based carbon dioxide removal techniques to rebuild fertile topsoils and enhance food production

Ivan A. Janssens, Dries Roobroeck, Jordi Sardans, Michael Obersteiner, Josep Peñuelas, Andreas Richter, Pete Smith, Erik Verbruggen, Sara Vicca IN: Front. Clim., 07 September 2022, Sec. Negative Emission Technologies, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.928403

This paper elaborates on the idea to take these CDR technologies (biochar amendment, soil carbon sequestration) a step further and use them not only to drawdown CO2 from the atmosphere, but also to rebuild fertile soils (negative erosion) in areas that suffer from pervasive land degradation and have enough water available for agriculture. This way of engineering topsoil could contribute to the fight against malnutrition in areas where crop and livestock production currently is hampered by surface erosion and nutrient depletion, and thereby alleviate pressure on intact ecosystems.

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New Publications

Borchers et al. (2022): Contribution to Net-Zero-2050 Germany – the portfolio of carbon dioxide removal options

Malgorzata Borchers, Daniela Thrän, Yaxuan Chi, Nicolaus Dahmen, Roland Dittmeyer, Tobias Dolch, Christian Dold, Johannes Förster, Michael Herbst, Dominik Heß, Aram Kalhori, Ketil Koop-Jakobsen, Zhan Li, Nadine Mengis, Thorsten B. Reusch, Imke Rhoden, Torsten Sachs, Cornelia Schmidt-Hattenberger, Angela Stevenson, Terese Thoni, Jiajun Wu, Christopher Yeates IN: Front. Clim. Sec. Negative Emission Technologies, doi: 10.3389/fclim.2022.810343

The authors investigated various near-to-market CDR options for Germany, which the authors present in the form of thirteen dedicated model concepts. They cover technical CO2 removal (two models of direct air carbon capture, i.e. DACC), hybrid solutions (six bioenergy with carbon capture technologies, i.e., BECC) and five options for natural sink enhancement, so-called Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).

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