CO₂-removal News

Media

Greenhouse gas removal: How could it help the UK reach net-zero by 2050?

on carbonbrief.org

A mix of scientists, economists and government advisers met in London last week to discuss how removing greenhouse gases from air could help the UK hit net-zero emissions by 2050. Over two days, researchers and policy experts debated the scalability of CDR techniques, as well as the potential benefits and drawbacks for UK communities and the country’s ailing wildlife. Carbon Brief was there to take in the scientific presentations, panel discussions and lunchtime chatter and has produced an in-depth summary of the event.

LINK

#
New Publications

Zhu et al. (2022): Unlocking the potential of hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water for CO2 removal via mineral carbonation

Bizhou Zhu, Siobhan A. Wilson, Nina Zeyen, Maija J. Raudsepp, Ashkan Zolfaghari, Baolin Wang, Ben J. Rostron, Katherine N. Snihur, Konstantinvon Gunten, Anna L. Harrison, Daniel S. Alessi IN: Applied Geochemistry,105345, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105345

Flowback and produced water (FPW) generated by hydraulic fracturing operations is highly saline and contains elevated concentration of ions including calcium and magnesium. Here, the authors investigate the use of FPW as a source of calcium and magnesium for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage in carbonate minerals.

LINK

#
Knowledge Transfer

Master thesis: Combating Global Warming: Modeling Enhanced Rock Weathering of Wollastonite Using Density Functional Theory

Luan, Brian (2022) Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. 88 pp.; accessed from RIT Scholar Works

To obtain an atomic scale understanding of the weathering process and to design more reactive silicates for enhanced rock weathering, CO2 adsorption on low Miller index wollastonite (CaSiO3) surfaces was modeled using density functional theory. Atomic scale structure of (100), (010), and (001) surfaces of wollastonite was predicted and the thermodynamics of their interaction with CO2 was modeled. Mechanisms for electronic charge transfer between the adsorbate and the substrate were studied to shed light on the fundamental aspects of these interactions.

LINK

#
Events

Workshop: Expanding Carbon Removal in Europe Through Network Activism

Mon, May 30, 2022; 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

The OpenAir Collective, the Foundation for Climate Restoration (F4CR) and Carbon Gap are partnering to organize volunteer-led advocacy campaigns in support of national CDR support programs throughout Europe. With initiatives already underway in Ireland and Luxembourg, the partnership aims to establish campaigns in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and several other countries in 2022-2023. Join OpenAir and F4CR organizers for this introductory workshop on viral policymaking and advocacy in support of CDR in the European context.

LINK

#
Media

The Hill: The climate solution that can also restore our seas

by Brent Fewell and Alex Carlin, opinion contributors – 05/10/22

The National Academies of Sciences released a report assessing potential benefits of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal strategies and calling for more research to learn how these methods could help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Among the strategies recommended is ocean iron seeding or ocean pasture restoration (OPR) – what is discussed in this article.

LINK

#
Events

IEAGHG Webinar: Achieving Deep Decarbonization in Worldwide Fertilizer Production

Tuesday 24 May 2022; 14:00 – 15:00 BST

A webinar to discuss the recent IEAGHG Technical Report, 2022-05 2022-05 Feasibility Study on Achieving Deep Decarbonization in Worldwide Fertilizer Production. The objectives of this webinar are:

  • To provide an overview of fertilizers‘ production processes with and without CO2 Capture technology
  • To assess the identified fertilizers‘ production processes from a whole environmental perspective
  • To analyse the results and provide recommendations on decarbonising the fertilizers‘ production in four different regions that include the United Kingdom; Norway; Saudi Arabia; and the United States.

LINK

#
Political Papers

Working Paper: Carbon Dioxide Removal: Climbing up the EU Climate Policy Agenda

Felix Schenuit, Oliver Geden; Working Paper Research Division EU/Europe 2022/ No. 01, May 2022, 18 Pages; doi:10.18449/2022WP02

„Acknowledging the need to balance hard-to-abate emissions by mid-century in particular led to a rapid career for the issue of CDR. Analysis of different pieces of EU legislation and major actors reveals that after bein governed implicitly in the LULUCF sector, the issue of CDR has now climbed up the political agenda and policy actors are now starting to proactively address the need to enhance EU’s carbon sink capacity.“

this Working Paper is based on a draft chapter. The final version will be available in: Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politics, edited by Tim Rayner, Kacper Szulecki, Andrew Jordan and Sebastian Oberthür, forthcoming 2022, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd

LINK

#
New Publications

Yan et al. (2022): An Electrochemical Hydrogen-Looping System for Low-Cost CO2 Capture from Seawater

Litao Yan, Jie Bao, Yuyan Shao, Wei Wang IN: ACS Energy Lett. 2022, 7, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00396

In this work, the authors developed an electrochemical hydrogen-looping (EHL) system that capitalizes on the generation of proton and OH– from seawater. A CO2 capture efficiency as high as 91% is achieved for their EHL flow cell.

LINK

#
Media

Investment in Carbon Removal Technologies Just Hit an Inflection Point

Katie Gilbert on leading.gsb.columbia.edu

„At Columbia Business School’s 2022 Climate Business & Investment Conference, hosted by the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise and Columbia Climate School, some of the leading investors in the space—as well as a representative from one of the companies developing this technology—gathered for a panel discussion about the possibilities and limitations of carbon capture technologies and the auspicious moment in which they currently find themselves.“

LINK

#