CO2-removal News

Peer-reviewed Publications

Swoboda & Oschlies (2025): Limits to CDR accounting: The role of carbon fluxes, time(liness) and storage

Steffen Swoboda and Andreas Oschlies, IN: Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adde73

Atmospheric carbon dioxide removal measures are a necessity to mitigate climate change. The 2015 Paris Agreement adopted by UNFCCC member states aims to limit global temperature rise below 2 ºC, with efforts to cap it at 1.5 ºC. Achieving these goals necessitates reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂), to net-zero by 2050. Meanwhile, even most ambitious emission reduction scenarios reveal the need for additional negative emissions, known as “carbon dioxide removal” (CDR), to meet Paris Agreement targets.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Tang et al. (2025): Marginal cost of carbon sequestration using straw-based biochar in Great Britain—Preprint

Yuzhou Tang, Paul Wilson and Tim Cockerill, IN: Research Square, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6446158/v1

Straw is abundantly available in the UK and presents a viable option for large-scale biochar production. However, uncertainties regarding its feasibility remain, particularly concerning costs, spatial constraints, and facility construction. Here, the authors use a spatial model integrated with life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to estimate the marginal cost curve for net carbon sequestration through straw-based biochar production in Great Britain (GB).

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Hawrot & Renforth (2025): Atmospheric carbon dioxide removal using layers of lime

Olivia Hawrot and Phil Renforth, IN: Science of The Total Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179761

Metal oxides such as lime (CaO and Ca(OH)₂) or magnesium oxide (MgO) react spontaneously with CO₂ in the air, under ambient conditions, to form stable carbonate minerals. They are therefore, being used as reactive materials to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to help prevent climate change. In these technologies ‘thin’ layers of calcium or magnesium oxides/hydroxides are spread over an area of land or inside tiered structures to contact the material with CO₂ in the air. The proposed thickness of these layers varies by orders of magnitude between theoretical studies, from 3 to 100 mm, however, there is no published data describing the rates of carbonation as a function of layer thickness for lime. This study monitored the carbonation reaction of 2.5, 5, 10, 25 and 50 mm layers of CaO and Ca(OH)₂ in ambient temperatures and concentrations of CO₂.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Amornsin et al. (2025): Investigation of microwave-assisted regeneration of zeolite 13X for efficient direct air CO₂ capture: a comparison with conventional heating method

Paka-on Amornsin, Pacharapol Nokpho, Xiaolin Wang, Pornpote Piumsomboon and Benjapon Chalermsinsuwan, IN: Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02074-z

This study investigates the regeneration of zeolite 13X for direct air CO₂ capture by comparing microwave-assisted and conventional heating methods in a fixed-bed reactor. Zeolite 13X, a high-surface-area solid adsorbent, was tested over three adsorption/desorption cycles under ambient conditions with approximately 400 ppm of CO₂. Microwave-assisted regeneration, optimized at 300 W for 10 min (350 °C), achieved a regeneration efficiency of 95.26%, with minimal loss in adsorption capacity (9%) across cycles.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Fang et al. (2025): Eutrophication-induced dinoflagellate succession contributes to marine carbon sequestration through refractory dissolved organic matter accumulation

Fu-Tao Fang, Zhuo-Yi Zhu, Yuan-Bi Yi, Ding He, Hong-Yan Bao, En-Ren Zhang and Cheng-Xu Zhou, IN: Limnology and Oceanography, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.70097

The increasing eutrophication of coastal seas is causing a shift in the most important phytoplankton groups from diatoms to dinoflagellates, but its feedback to marine carbon cycling remains unclear. Here, the authors investigated the potential of the key coastal phytoplankton, the diatom Skeletonema costatum, and the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense, for refractory dissolved organic carbon (DOC) accumulation over dark degradation incubations of 70 d.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Corbett et al. (2025): Microbial dissolution of Gran Canaria lapilli in small-scale flow-through columns: carbon dioxide removal potential

Thomas Corbett, Elisabeth Odelius, Tora Uebel, Tove Jonsson, Abhijeet Singh, Sara Vicca, Mathilde Hagens, Tetyana Budnyak, Oleg Tkachenko, Reinaldy Poetra, Jens Hartmann, Ivan A. Janssens, Harun Niron, Michiel Van Tendeloo, Siegfried E. Vlaeminck and Anna Neubeck, IN: Nature, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00611-9

This study evaluated Gran Canaria lapilli and a commercially available lava basalt as feedstocks for bio-weathering in flow-through columns inoculated with Aureobasidium pullulans, Suillus variegatus, Bacillus subtilis, and Cupriavidus metallidurans.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Punnam et al. (2025): Investigation of different caprock morphologies on CO₂ leakage and solubility trapping mechanism

Pradeep Reddy Punnam, Venkata Sai Teja Tatavarthi and Vikranth Kumar Surasani, IN: Nature, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03416-7

A thorough understanding of subsurface formation zones is critical for safe and long-term storage using CO₂ geological sequestration (CGS). A major concern in CGS is the risk of CO₂ leakage due to plume migration through structural faults and cracks in the caprock. This research investigates the effects of caprock morphologies on CO₂ plume migration, solubility trapping, and leakage risks using multiphase multicomponent reactive transport simulations. Three synthetic domains with varying caprock morphologies are modelled, incorporating geological subsurface features.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Li et al. (2025): Direct air capture-assisted sustainable fuel solution in maritime sector: a carbon footprint perspective

Shuangjun Li, Zhenyu Du, Junyao Wang, Hao Wang, Xiangkun Elvis Cao, Runkai Chen, Yujia Pang, Shuai Deng, Ondřej Mašek6 , Xiangzhou Yuan and Ki Bong Lee IN: Carbon Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-025-00209-5

By using the CO2 captured through direct air capture (DAC) technology and the H2 obtained via water electrolysis as feedstock, electro-methanol (e-methanol) can be produced under renewable energy-driven conditions. Owing to the environmental benefits and economic feasibility of e-methanol, the authors highlight its potential as a practical alternative to traditional fossil fuel-based technical scenarios. A quantitative analysis of this integrated system from a carbon footprint perspective allows for an environmental sustainability assessment.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Longman et al. (2025): Limited long-term cooling effects of Pangaean flood basalt weathering

Jack Longman, Benjamin J. W. Mills and Andrew S. Merdith, IN: Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59480–0

The emplacement of large igneous provinces (LIPs) is known to be a driver of climate change in Earth’s past. However, the balance of climate warming through CO₂ emission and cooling through weathering is poorly understood. To better understand the role of LIP emplacement on long-term climate change, here the authors utilize the SCION coupled climate-biogeochemical model which considers the impact of LIPs through degassing of CO₂ and enhancement of local continental weathering rates.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Sivamanjari et al. (2025): Nanocellulose – metal-organic framework (MOF) composites for efficient carbon dioxide capture and sequestration: a review

S. Mallya Sivamanjari, K. Jesitha, M.S. Sreekala, Sabu Thomas, IN: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144583

While various porous materials have been used to reduce pollutants, they have limitations. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) stand out due to their unique combination of organic and inorganic components, allowing precise tuning of their structure and functionality. With remarkable properties such as tunable pore sizes and high porosity, MOFs are highly effective for CO₂ separation. However, their fragility has led to the integration of bio-based materials such as nanocellulose. Nanocellulose, known for its abundance, non-toxicity, renewability, excellent hydrophilicity, flexibility, strength and low cost, offers a promising support matrix for MOFs. Functionalising nanocellulose with MOFs (NC-MOFs) shows great promise in CO₂ adsorption and separation, presenting a valuable approach to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.

This review summarises the properties and synthesis methods involving NC-MOFs, focusing on various types of nanocellulose and their efficiency in CO₂ capture. It also explores the adsorption mechanisms and factors influencing the stability and capacity of NC-MOFs in gas capture. Furthermore, the authors discuss the current limitations and future opportunities of NC-MOFs in addressing global carbon emissions, emphasising their potential role in tackling one of the most critical environmental challenges of our time.

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