Bioenergy With Carbon Capture And Storage Deployment Research Articles

Trade-offs in land-based carbon removal measures under 1.5 °C and 2 °C futures

Land-based carbon removals, specifically afforestation/reforestation and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), vary widely in 1.5 °C and 2 °C scenarios generated by integrated assessment models. Because underlying drivers are difficult to assess, we use a well-known integrated assessment model, GCAM, to demonstrate that land-based carbon removals are sensitive to the strength and scope of land-based mitigation policies. We find that while cumulative afforestation/reforestation and BECCS deployment are inversely related, they are both typically part of cost-effective mitigation pathways, with forestry options deployed earlier. While the CO2 removal intensity (removal per unit land) of BECCS is typically higher than afforestation/reforestation over long time horizons, the BECCS removal intensity is sensitive to feedstock and technology choices whereas the afforestation/reforestation removal intensity is sensitive to land policy choices. Finally, we find a generally positive relationship between agricultural prices and removal effectiveness of land-based mitigation, suggesting that some trade-offs may be difficult to avoid.

Carbon dioxide removal to combat climate change? An expert survey on perception and support

The most recent IPCC report considers Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) as an unavoidable climate change mitigation measure, although controversial discussions about CDR have taken place in the past. This study contributes to the ongoing debate by providing insights into academic expert opinions about Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS). An online survey was conducted to examine how academic experts (N = 172) perceive and to what extent they support BECCS and DACCS. Overall, the results show rather high expert support for research on and the deployment of BECCS and DACCS. Perceived feasibility of the technologies consistently predicted support for BECCS and DACCS, with means in the upper medium range. Further significant predictors were the extent to which experts perceived the technologies to be necessary, the experts’ amount of academic experience, the associated moral hazard, and the perceived tampering with nature.

Evolution patterns of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) from a science mapping perspective

Negative emissions technologies (NETs), which remove and isolate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, are expected to play a significant role in mitigating climate change. As one of the most promising NETs, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) methods, which captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from bioenergy plants and then stores them in geological reservoirs, are being widely used in climate change scenarios. With the increased focus on mitigating solutions, several concerns have been raised regarding the deployment of BECCS. As no science mapping analyses of evolutionary BECCS patterns have yet been made, this study sought to determine these evolution patterns using a systematic analysis approach based on science mapping and visualization analyses. Under a longitudinal framework, the conceptual BECCS evolutionary track was determined using SciMAT to elucidate the structure and dynamic aspects of the associated scientific research. The co-word network and thematic evolutionary analysis revealed five main BECCS related themes. While this study provides a systematic study of BECCS research and development, further research should continue to focus on techno-economic analyses and the ecological and environmental impacts (land-use, water, diversity, and bioenergy crops) of BECCS. An increased research focus on the emerging biochar and hydrogen production themes is expected.

The role of BECCS in deep decarbonization of China's economy: A computable general equilibrium analysis

Abstract Climate change has significant impacts on natural ecosystems and human living environments. Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a critical technology that can offer net CO2 emission reductions while providing a sustainable energy supply at lower costs. The role of the BECCS deployment in achieving deep decarbonization in China needs to be quantified. Scenario analyses were conducted in this study based on a computable general equilibrium energy-economic model, the China-in-Global Energy Model (C-GEM), with detailed representations of BECCS. The results showed that BECCS will capture 0.59 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2050 under the 2 °C Scenario and 0.95 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2050 under the 1.5 °C Scenario, respectively. If these emission targets have to be reached without BECCS, the carbon price and gross domestic product (GDP) losses will be higher. Especially under the 1.5 °C Scenario, the deployment of BECCS can reduce the carbon price by 61% and the GDP loss rate by three percentage points in 2050 compared with that without the deployment of BECCS.

Can biomass supply meet the demands of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)?

To reach the reduced carbon emission targets proposed by the Paris agreement, one of the widely proposed decarbonizing strategies, referred to as negative emissions technologies (NETs), is the production and combustion of bioenergy crops in conjunction with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). However, concerns have been increasingly raised that relying on the potential of BECCS to achieve negative emissions could result in delayed reductions in gross CO2 emissions, with consequent high risk of overshooting global temperature targets. We focus on two particular issues: the carbon efficiency and payback time of bioenergy use in BECCS and the potential constraints on the supply of bioenergy. The simplistic vision of BECCS is that 1tonne of CO2 captured in the growth of biomass equates to 1tonne of CO2 sequestered geologically, but this cannot be the case as CO2 is emitted by variable amounts during the lifecycle from crop establishment to sequestration below ground in geological formations. The deployment of BECCS is ultimately reliant on the availability of sufficient, sustainably sourced, biomass. The two most important factors determining this supply are land availability and land productivity. The upper bounds of the area estimates required correspond to more than the world's harvested land for cereal production. To achieve these estimates of biomass availability requires the rapid evolution of a multitude of technological, social, political and economic factors. Here, we question whether, because of the limited sustainable supply of biomass, BECCS should continue to be considered the dominant NET in IPCC and other scenarios achieving the Paris targets, or should it be deemed no longer fit for purpose?

Natural gas and BECCS: A comparative analysis of alternative configurations for negative emissions power generation

There is a reliance on negative emissions technologies (NETs), primarily in the form of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) in most Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) scenarios which are capable of limiting the maximum global temperature rise to 1.5–2 °C. Two currently independent features of transition pathways are fuel switching from a coal to gas, and the deployment of BECCS. The former makes natural gas an important transition fuel which at the same time could be combined with biomass to further abate emissions. To date the majority of studies have considered BECCS in the context of a conversion from coal-fired base configuration. There is therefore a pressing need to identify routes for the effective utilization of biomass-derived fuels in the context of gas-fired power generation infrastructure. In this contribution, we study three distinct CCS-based processes which combine natural gas and biomass capable of producing low-, or carbon-negative power. Both fuel supply chains are considered in order to quantify the net overall CO2 emissions. An important insight is the configuration-specific impact of biomass co-combustion on the overall carbon intensity of power generated. We found that an external biomass combustion configuration was the most carbon negative, removing between 0.5–1 ton of CO2 per MWh of power generated. Results revealed a trade-off between carbon negativity and efficiency of the processes. The generation of net carbon negative power is observed to be highly sensitive to the carbon footprint of the biomass supply chain.

Optimal Deployment of Bioenergy with Ccs (Beccs) in the UK

Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a key negative emissions technology that has the potential to substantially reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration and limit global warming to below 2°C. Among the available negative emission technologies, BECCS is projected to produce 50 TWh/yr of power generation, thereby removing 47 MtCO2/yr in 2050 in the UK, as suggested by the Committee for Climate Change. Important indicators when considering the deployment of BECCS is to ensure BECCS has 1) a negative carbon balance, 2) a positive energy balance, and 3) and does not compete for food for agricultural land use. Recovering energy from waste wood and municipal solid waste (MSW) has the potential to generate electricity, deliver negative emissions, whilst minimising land use and biomass import. This study optimises the design of a UK BECCS value chain with a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model. The fuels considered for this work include MSW derived fuel, waste wood (grade A and B), indigenous miscanthus, indigenous poplar, and imported pine pellets from the US. CO2 emissions and costs associated with the entire supply chain are explicitly accounted for. The BECCS supply chain optimisation results indicate that MSW and waste wood are consumed as the basic material supplies, which can provide low-cost alternative to imported biomass. By using MSW and waste wood, the total system cost would be reduced ~12%. Miscanthus is preferred over poplar as the virgin biomass supply and the farms are mostly located in the south of the UK, which has higher production yield and land availability. The selection of BECCS plant locations tends to be near cities where waste wood and MSW are more readily available and then expand to port area. Biomass feedstock derived from wastes are therefore likely to play an important role in BECCS deployment in the UK, in both biomass supply and locations of BECCS facilities.

Striving towards the Deployment of Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS): A Review of Research Priorities and Assessment Needs

Assessing the performance or the implications of climate change mitigation options (CCMOs) is instrumental in achieving research and innovation efficiency in the field of climate change and becomes more imperative considering the Paris Agreement (‘the Agreement’). Many climate scientists already believe that meeting the Agreement’s goals and stabilizing “well-below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels” signals the deployment of currently undetermined and contentious mitigation technologies, such as bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). BECCS is considered one of the most promising negative emissions technologies (NETs) with many scenarios already exhibiting its mitigation potential. However, stakeholders and policymakers remain skeptical about widespread reliance on BECCS questioning its unproven credibility. In this article, we aim at identifying research priorities and assessment needs to intensify the further deployment of BECCS, considering relevant technology associations’ and platforms’ perspectives and insights raised by scientific literature. The main outcome of our study is a list of 10 research priorities along with more specific assessment needs for each priority area. We also focus attention on several implications for potential end-users involved in the field of policy and practice. Overall, our work seeks to bridge the gap between market/industry and academia and to assist policymakers to make better-informed decisions.

Opportunities for application of BECCS in the Australian power sector

Australia has committed to meeting its international obligations to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions including transitioning toward decarbonising its emission-intense energy sector. However, it is facing the dual problems of increasing electricity cost and decreasing energy security. One of the potential contributions to reducing its emission while supplying reliable power is deployment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). BECCS is a carbon removal technology that offers permanent net removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere together with the prospect of negative emissions.The present study was undertaken to assess the potential contribution of BECCS to achieving long term decarbonising of the Australian energy sector. This study considers the availability of sustainable bioenergy resources and the economic viability and environmental impacts of BECCS. In order to avoid the ecological uncertainties and social challenges of dedicated energy crops, this study focuses on organic waste from the municipal, agricultural, and forestry sectors. Based on the quantity of biomass resources available, BECCS options in Australia have the potential to remove a total of 25 million tonne CO2/year from the atmosphere as negative emissions by 2050. In addition, BECCS systems could supply Australia with up to 13.7 terawatt-hours of renewable power by mid-century which is around 3.6% of expected gross electricity generation in 2050. Deployment of BECCS as a reliable supplier of electricity would potentially enhance the flexibility and diversity of Australia’s energy portfolio and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, deployment of BECCS as a carbon negative strategy will require strong policy support.

Achieving negative emissions with BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) in the power sector: New insights from the TIAM-FR (TIMES Integrated Assessment Model France) model

It seems increasingly likely that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration will overshoot the recommended 450 ppm CO2 equivalent target. Therefore, it may become necessary to use BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This technique is gaining increasing attention as it offers the dual benefit of providing low-carbon energy products and leading to negative CO2 emissions. This study evaluates the possible deployment of BECCS in the power sector using the bottom-up multiregional optimization model TIAM-FR (TIMES Integrated Assessment Model France). Under two climate scenarios, a regional analysis is conducted to discuss where the technology will be developed. The impact of the unavailability of this technology on the structure of the electricity mix and the cost of the energy system completes the analysis. In line with literature, the results suggest that BECCS technology offers an environmentally and economically viable option to achieve stringent targets. The regional analysis shows that industrialized countries will develop CCS (carbon capture and storage) mainly on biomass power plants while CCS on fossil fuel power plants will be widely deployed in China. With a specific constraint on CCS diffusion, the share of renewables and nuclear energy becomes significant to meet the climate targets.