Assessing public acceptance of the life cycle of CO2-based fuels: Does information make the difference?

Abstract

Reducing the high CO 2 emissions from the transportation sector requires alternatives to current fossil-based power trains. One possible approach is the development of alternative fuels produced from CO 2 , water, and renewable energy. Besides technological feasibility of required process steps (CO 2 capture, CO 2 transport, fuel production infrastructure), a successful adoption requires acceptance of alternative CO 2 -based fuels and their infrastructure. This study focuses on public acceptance of CO 2 -based fuels' life cycle by laypeople (N = 325) using conjoint analysis. The laypeople evaluated life cycle scenarios consisting of diverse options regarding CO 2 capture, transport, and production infrastructure. To analyze the impact of information on acceptance evaluations, all respondents received information on energy efficiency and environmental impact of the process step options (2nd evaluation stage). The results revealed that CO 2 source and transport are most relevant for participants' decisions. Significant impacts of information were found: higher levels of information changed extremely the evaluation of the CO 2 capture options (e.g., air capture, chemical plant). The results highlight the importance of investigating laypeople's evaluations of life cycle scenarios, emphasize the relevance of providing adequate information to laypeople, and enable to derive information recommendations to reach a sustained public adoption of alternative fuels and their life cycle. • Laypeople's acceptance evaluation of the CO 2 -based fuel life cycle in conjoint study. • Higher acceptance for end products than for production steps of CO 2 -based fuels. • CO 2 capturing and transport represent the most acceptance-relevant process steps. • Preferred production scenarios vary widely between laymen and technical perspectives. • Information on environmental impact and energy demand change public preferences.