CO2-removal News

Peer-reviewed Publications

Fujimori et al. (2026): Transient reliance on carbon removal and storage in long-term energy system transitions

Shinichiro Fujimori, Thanakon Sukuman, Shotaro Mori, Osamu Nishiura, Tomoko Hasegawa, Shiya Zhao, Ken Oshiro, Shinichiro Asayama, Hiroto Shiraki, Kiyoshi Takahashi and Kazuaki Tsuchiya, IN: ResearchSquare, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8393021/v1

Most mitigation scenarios to achieve 1.5°C goal rely on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS), raising concerns about their long-term sustainability within future energy systems. While several studies have explored pathways that reduce CDR and CCS by assuming additional transformative societal changes—such as lower energy demand, their cost and feasibility are difficult to evaluate, leading to uncertainty about their real-world plausibility. Here, the authors propose Transient reliance and Phase-out of CDR and CCS (TPCC) scenario; where CDR and CCS are used temporarily but gradually phased out thereafter resolving the long-term sustainability concerns.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Um Min Allah et al. (2026): Techno-economic assessment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage for Brazilian thermoelectric power plants

Fazal Um Min Allah, Rodrigo Nogueira De Sousa, Elena Trim, Adriano da Silva Marques and Monica Carvalho, IN: Biomass and Bioenergy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2026.109043

To achieve near-zero carbon emissions in fossil-fueled power plants, one of the viable solutions is to use bioenergy along with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) for the thermoelectric sector in Brazil. This study is conducted to carry out techno-economic assessments for pulverized coal (PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants by employing BECCS. A comparative analysis of these technologies is presented, followed by the incorporation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) while using bioresources as fuel feedstock for PC (co-firing) and NGCC power plants.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Zhang et al. (2026): Carbonation of Ca–rich and Mg–rich precursor: a comprehensive review, comparisons and future opportunities

Shiteng Zhang, Jiarui Liu, Zhongming Xiong, Xuan Chen, Yue Liu, Junjie Zeng and Yan Zhuge, IN: npj Materials Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44296-025-00089-1

Mineral carbonation offers durable CO₂ sequestration and pathways to decarbonise cementitious materials. This review systematically compares Ca- and Mg-based precursors in terms of six dimensions: polymorphism, influencing factors, carbonation degree, carbonation products, application and sequestration efficiency.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Han et al. (2026): Carbon dioxide removal potential of biochar with biomass supply from bioenergy crops in China

Mengjie Han, Chenyi Yuan, Philippe Ciais, Daniel S. Goll, Yi Leng, Minxuan Sun, Nan Meng, Jiaxin Zhou, Xiaomeng Du, Dabo Guan, Wenjia Cai, Rui Wang, Jianxiang Shen, Liang Jing, Qing Zhao and Wei Li, IN: Carbon Neutrality, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00564-x

Biochar and bioenergy crop cultivation with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) are two major negative emission technologies for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). However, biochar production is limited by biomass supply, while BECCS depends on costly CCS infrastructure and faces storage constraints. Here, a novel combination of biochar with biomass supply from dedicated bioenergy crops (BCBE) is proposed to overcome their respective limitations. Through retrofitting current biomass power plants in China with pyrolysis systems or CCS, biomass power plants are assumed to use either residues from agriculture and forestry or from dedicated bioenergy crops on abandoned croplands to meet their capacity for biochar production.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Yu (2026): Machine learning-based assessment of soil organic carbon dynamics in soybean–wheat rotations in eastern China

Zhi Yu, IN: Nature Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38105-6

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a critical component of agroecosystems, influencing carbon cycling, soil fertility, and structure, thereby affecting crop productivity. This study evaluated the spatial distribution and dynamics of SOC stocks in eastern China under soybean–wheat rotations using advanced machine learning models. Data were collected from Anhui, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Tianjin, and Beijing, measuring SOC at two soil depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm) before sowing and after harvest during 2022–2024. Among the models tested, Random Forest (RF) provided the most accurate SOC predictions, particularly in the 0–15 cm layer (R² = 0.89, RMSE = 0.95, PRD = 3.41).

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Fu et al. (2026): Enhanced forest carbon gains from stronger protection in China’s protected areas

Yuwen Fu, Wang Li, Zheng Niu, Fang Chen, Bing Zhang, Hailang Qiao, Li Wang and Jens-Christian Svenning, IN: Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69505-x

Protected areas (PAs) are central to China’s forest conservation strategy, yet their effectiveness for carbon storage across governance and management contexts remains unclear. A clearer understanding of their current and future carbon benefits is essential for informing conservation and climate policy. Here, using 1-km GEDI satellite data, the authors show that forests within China’s PAs store on average 68.29 ± 0.17 Mg C ha⁻¹ – about 13% more than matched unprotected forests.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Deng et al. (2026): Carbon storage in Sichuan Province (Southwest China) from 1980 to 2050: Spatial-temporal variation, driving factors and future trends

Qinglian Deng, Yuqi Guan, Xiong Duan, Bin Chen and Kun Zeng, IN: PLOS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0342398

Research on carbon storage is crucial for guiding regional sustainable development. However, Sichuan Province lacks long-term systematic analyses of carbon storage, and the driving mechanisms behind its changes remain unclear. This study systematically examines the spatiotemporal evolution of LUCC (land use/cover change) and carbon storage in Sichuan from 1980 to 2020, analyzes driving factors of carbon storage changes, and simulates future carbon storage distribution under different scenarios, based on LUCC data and 13 driving factors.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Dobashi et al. (2026): Air-Sea Gas Exchange in the Coastal Baltic Sea: Implications for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

Ryo Dobashi, David T. Ho, Christa A. Marandino and Peter Schlosser, IN: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JC023324

Air-sea gas exchange affects the biogeochemical cycling of trace gases such as CO₂ and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on a global scale, thereby influencing Earth’s climate. In nearshore regions, differences in wind fetch and surfactants are expected to have an impact on gas transfer velocity (k). Accurate determination of air-sea gas exchange in nearshore regions is crucial for assessing the efficacy of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) techniques, as many CDR methods are expected to be deployed in these regions. In this study, the authors used the ³He/SF₆ dual tracer technique to determine k and investigate factors that control air-sea gas exchange in a nearshore inland sea ecosystem, the coastal Baltic Sea.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Wang et al. (2026): Are different configurations of pilot-scale constructed wetlands carbon sources or carbon sinks?

Yichu Wang, Hao Qin, Tao Liu, Tao Lang, Sihan Li, Zihang Zhang, Shuhao He and Yi Chen, IN: Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-026-2158-0

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are gaining recognition as important carbon sinks, subject to factors such as system design and vegetation. However, the effect of configuration on carbon emissions in CWs remains inadequately understood. Three configurations of CWs, free-water surface flow (FWS), horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF), and vertical subsurface flow (VSSF), were constructed to assess contaminant removal performance and carbon emissions.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Ma et al. (2026): Plastic shed horticulture can sequestrate more than expected soil organic carbon

Xiao Ma, Nazim Gruda, Kang Tian, Liying Wang, Ziliang Zhang, Ying Tang, Xun Li, Zengqiang Duan and Jinlong Dong,IN: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110274

The high organic input rates and expanding coverage of China’s plastic shed horticulture suggest these soils represent a significant potential organic carbon pool. Using meta-analysis (22,403 plastic-sheds and 261 studies), the authors assessed soil organic matter (SOM) storage in plastic shed soils (0–20 cm depth) in China, and projected global organic carbon stocks.

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