Decarbonization Technologies Research Articles

Promoted Ru/Al2O3 catalysts with improved low‐temperature activity for CO2 methanation reaction

AbstractCatalytic thermal hydrogenation of CO2 to CH4 is one of the promising decarbonization technologies, and Ru is considered to be the most active metal for low‐temperature CO2 methanation. In this work, a series of metal‐promoted Ru‐based catalysts were prepared by the impregnation–precipitation method. The catalyst composition, reduction temperature, reaction gas concentration, and reaction conditions were optimized. The reaction mechanism was investigated through CO‐DRIFTS experiments. It was found that the addition of Pt could promote the adsorption of CO on the surface of ruthenium‐based catalysts, which was beneficial to the methanation reaction. In addition, in situ DRIFTS experiments observed surface species of catalysts during the reaction, and it was concluded that bicarbonate was the intermediate species of the reaction. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Complementarities in the effect of economic globalization and decarbonization technologies on carbon neutrality. Evidence from Germany using Fourier-based approaches

The global community has seen the existential threat of climate change caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions. But arising out of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is the call for a shift to clean energy technologies. The EU has set its targets to reach climate-neutrality by 2050, which requires that all Member States implement a coherent set of climate policies. The European Commission helps EU Member States design and implement reforms that support green transitions towards achieving the goals of the European Green Deal. To help the Europen Union with policy suggestions, this study investigates complementarities in the effect of economic globalization and decarbonization technologies on carbon neutrality in Germany using Fourier-based approaches between 1990 and 2019. The Fourier ARDL cointegration estimates indicate all variables are integrated. Additionally, the Fourier ARDL Long-run estimates indicate (i) both decarbonization technologies and economic globalization improve environmental quality; (ii) However, economic growth and primary energy consumption were found to cause havoc to environmental quality. To advance sustainability objectives, the German government could invest heavily in green technologies and innovation towards improving on their resilient systems and environmentally friendly infrastructure. Additionally, the European Union could implement regional trade opennes policies and regulatory measures towards inclusive green European economies that deliver on green and fair trade. Finally, the United Nations could implement projects that support partner economies to identify their unique transformational pathways through advanced analytical tools which could provide policy options and assess progress towards inclusive green economy.

Toward a carbon neutral urban transportation system in Japan

At COP26, in November 2021, more than 150 countries declared their commitment to carbon neutrality. A decarbonized society has become a common goal in many countries. The Japanese government has declared that it aims to achieve a decarbonized society by 2050. Urban transportation also requires significant reductions in CO2 emissions, but there is a risk that carbon neutrality cannot be achieved solely through decarbonizing technologies for transportation vehicles and energy sources; therefore, cooperation with cities and society is necessary. This paper discusses the possibility of achieving carbon neutrality in urban transportation in Japan by reviewing 1) the status of vehicle and fuel decarbonization technologies, 2) the possibility of reducing CO2 emissions through land use policies, and 3) the effects of information communication technologies on transportation behavior based on the literature.

Patent activity in the field of decarbonization technologies

Purpose: the aim of the research is to explore the global trends in the development of the inventive space in the field of decarbonization and to identify the degree of their compliance with the patterns of patent activity in the Russian economy.Methods: patent data for the period 2010–2022, aggregated by the search engines of Rospatent, the World Intellectual Property Organization, Google Patents, Espacenet and Questel Orbit, were used to conduct the research. The analysis of global inventive activity in the field of decarbonization was provided for Class Y02, subclass Y04S and group B09 of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). The analysis of patenting pattern in the Russian economy was performed in accordance with the codes of the IPC Green Inventory. The relative technological advantages of Russia in the development of technologies to achieve carbon neutrality are analyzed on the basis of data from the RTA (Revealed Technology Advantage) index.Results: it was established that the high dynamics of global inventive activity in the field of decarbonization has not yet led to a multiple gap between patents and patent families, which indicates that a large volume of technological developments in the field of carbon neutrality are at relatively early stages of market maturity. It was determined that the leading positions of developers of relevant technological solutions are shifting from Japanese to Chinese and South Korean companies that are actively developing such advanced technological directions as energy storage and its production using alternative sources. Russian copyright holders demonstrate a relatively higher specialization in developments for nuclear power and railway transport systems, unlike foreign representatives. The decarbonization areas represented by domestic developments in the field of alternative energy production are characterized by significantly lower values of RTA index.Conclusions and Relevance: the space of inventive activity in the field of decarbonisation technologies forms the ability to identify and analyse a network of both explicit and non-obvious interrelations of these technologies with developments from other technological fields. This approach determines the possibility of purposeful design interdisciplinary cooperation chains between developers of indirectly correlated technological developments and manufacturers of the end products.

Quantifying The Financial Value of Building Decarbonization Technology Under Uncertainty: Integrating Energy Modeling and Investment Analysis

Quantifying The Financial Value of Building Decarbonization Technology Under Uncertainty: Integrating Energy Modeling and Investment Analysis

Potential for Increased Use of Secondary Raw Materials in the Copper Industry as a Countermeasure Against Climate Change in Japan

The copper industry faces serious challenges in achieving the dual goals of mitigating climate change and developing a circular economy, as the increased use of secondary raw materials could increase CO 2 emissions during the smelting stage. This study aimed to examine the possibility of increased use of secondary raw materials (copper scrap and waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) substrates) in the Japanese copper industry as a countermeasure to climate change. We comprehensive analyzed the changes in CO 2 emissions and costs associated with increased use of secondary raw materials compared to the use of primary copper resources by establishing an intensity at each stage within the system boundary. The analysis results established that CO 2 emissions can be reduced but costs may increase, and that purchasing carbon credits is economically more advantageous. It was also established that the results will vary depending on how CO 2 emissions and costs are allocated because multiple metals can be recovered from WEEE substrates and that the carbon footprint of all‑copper allocation will be significantly lower in the future because of the expected development of decarbonization technologies, including transportation. The study results indicate the potential of the copper industry to expand its use of secondary raw materials from a climate change perspective. CO 2 emissions resulting from the increased use of secondary raw materials in the Japanese copper industry.

Strategies for the development of the Russian energy industry in the conditions of climate challenges and geopolitical instability

The complication of the geopolitical situation, the growth of crisis processes, including in the energy and food sectors, the return of a number of “old” problems as significant, including increased inflation, rising cost of living, trade wars, large-scale social protests, etc., to a certain extent distracted the attention of states from solving the problems of the climate agenda. Against this background, it was not possible to overcome the trend towards an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a special role in this energy. As a result, the achievement of the milestones agreed in Paris in 2015 to keep the temperature of the atmospheric air on the planet within the limits of an increase of 2 °C, with the most preferable option of 1.5 °C, was jeopardized. The complexity of the current climate situation and doubts about its easing in the application of traditional approaches stimulate a rethinking of the landmarks and instruments of climate policy and the energy transition associated with it at the global, subregional and national levels, as well as in strategic business decisions. Of particular interest in this context as a kind of benchmarking are the efforts of countries and regions that seek to take a leading position in these processes. As for Russia, the current situation, including uncertainty in the energy markets and price volatility, jeopardizes the export revenues of the budget and Russian companies, and the continued relevance of the climate agenda to reduce GHG emissions in the face of sanctions pressure and lack of access to the best available decarbonization technologies complicate green energy transition. In this context, the article examines the new accents of climate policy, reveals the leading priorities of the measures being implemented in Russia to adapt to the challenges of the green energy transition, and analyzes ways to update the Russian energy development strategy. Particular attention is paid to the substantiation and presentation of the author’s concept of alternative macro-scenarios for the development of the Russian energy sector and the development of the highest priority strategies for Russian fuel and energy enterprises to maintain their competitive positions in the face of structural shifts and the implementation of a moderate energy transition option.

Techno-economic comparative analysis of solar thermal collectors and high-temperature heat pumps for industrial steam generation

Industrial heat production is responsible for around 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. To achieve the climate change goals defined in the Paris Climate Agreement, the EU commission has shifted its focus on sustainable means to generate heating. Moreover, global dependencies are leading to a re-organization of natural gas supplies. Therefore, there is a need for less vulnerable and less price-volatile solutions for heating. This paper focuses on two decarbonization technologies for industrial process heat supply: a) electricity-driven steam-generating high-temperature heat pumps (HTHP), a technology that is more efficient than fossil fuel boilers in generating steam, and b) solar parabolic trough collector (PTC), which can produce heat economically and at a minimal carbon footprint compared to other technologies. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the levelized cost of heat (LCOH) of these technologies to fulfill a comparative techno-economic analysis. A maximum PTC collector's solar fraction limit (SFlimit) is defined to indicate when the LCOH for these two technologies is equal. This allows for distinguishing between the economic stronghold of each technology. The evaluation is carried out through the annual energy simulations using TRNSYS and Excel spreadsheets for HTHPs, while TRNSED and OCTAVE are used for the solar thermal part. Boundary conditions for European geographical constraints have been applied to establish use cases for the analysis. The result shows that the design of a PTC system with optimal SF can reach cost parity with HTHP for most of the analyzed locations. The developed methodology serves as a valuable guide to quickly determine a preferred lower carbon heat solution, thus easing the decision-making for industries.

Multi‐Layered Systems for Permanent Geologic Storage of CO2 at the Gigatonne Scale

AbstractThe effectiveness of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as an imperative decarbonization technology relies on the sealing capacity of a fine‐grained caprock to permanently store CO2 deep underground. Uncertainties in assessing the caprock sealing capacity increase with the spatial and temporal scales and may delay CCS deployment at the gigatonne scale. We have developed a computationally efficient transport model to capture the dynamics of basin‐wide upward CO2 migration in a multi‐layered setting over geological time scales. We find that massive capillary breakthrough and viscous flow of CO2, even through pervasively fractured caprocks, are unlikely to occur and compromise the storage security. Potential leakage from the injection reservoir is hampered by repetitive layering of overlying caprocks. This finding agrees with geologic intuition and should be understandable by the public, contributing to the development of climate policies around this technology with increased confidence that CO2 will be indefinitely contained in the subsurface.

Decarbonizing Thailand’s Economy: A Proposal

This paper proposes decarbonization pathways for Thailand based on a review of the status of renewable and fossil energies, technology evaluation and scenario studies. Results show that renewable electricity generation needs to grow at a 7.1% average annual growth rate (AAGR) between now and 2050 for the power sector to achieve net-zero by 2050. This would require it to reach 400 TWh, exceeding its technical potential. We propose a more achievable scenario of between 5% and 6% AAGR wherein renewable electricity will grow from 51 TWh to 217–291 TWh between 2020 and 2050. Gas-powered electricity will grow from 127 TWh to 185–111 TWh, requiring carbon capture and storage (CCS) to mitigate 75–45 Mtpa CO2 by 2050. For the transport sector, electric vehicles have the highest decarbonization potential, but they would add 45 TWh of electricity demand by 2050. For the industry sector, installing CCS in existing plants has the highest decarbonization potential. Overall, CCS is a key decarbonization technology and its large-scale implementation will be needed for Thailand to achieve net-zero by 2050.

Decarbonization of ASEAN’s power sector: A holistic approach

Coal and natural gas have dominated ASEAN’s power sector in the past and contributed to 77% of power generation in 2019. To achieve net-zero by 2050, ASEAN countries need to decarbonize their power sector in the next three decades. This paper performs a technology screening exercise for ten decarbonization technologies for the power sector based on a holistic approach of sustainability, security, affordability, reliability, technology readiness and technology impact. This exercise has resulted in country-specific ranking of technologies which can inform policymakers of ASEAN countries. Overall speaking, simultaneous utilization of both fossil and non-fossil technologies is needed rather than waiting for certain technologies to mature. On the fossil side, switching from coal to gas for power generation and implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) in coal- and gas-fired power plants have the highest decarbonization potential. Therefore, eleven first-mover CCS projects are proposed with the potential to mitigate up to 22% of energy-related CO2 emission in ASEAN in 2019. On the renewable side, hydropower has the highest potential but sustainability issues due to overdamming of the Mekong River needs to be addressed. Further addition of capacity will likely come from run-of-the-river hydropower plants. Within ASEAN, there is medium to high potential for further usage of agricultural resides as biomass for power generation, especially in Indonesia,​ Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Solar photovoltaic (PV) has medium potential in ASEAN countries with high land mass but more research and development (R&D) is needed in grid improvement and energy storage technologies. Within ASEAN, wind energy suffers from a low average wind speed but there are exceptions. More R&D is needed in the deign of low wind speed wind turbines. Geothermal resources are found only in Indonesia and the Philippines and are under-utilized. Further implementation will require favorable government polices to incentivize private investment and streamlining permitting, among others. Energy policies that promote rapid decarbonization of ASEAN’s power sector based on our findings are also discussed.

Energy efficiency potentials in the EU industry: impacts of deep decarbonization technologies

Increasing the energy efficiency in high energy demand sectors such as industry with a high reliance on coal, oil and natural gas is considered a pivotal step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the Paris Agreement targets. The European Commission published final energy demand projections for industry capturing current policies and market trends up to 2050. This Reference scenario for industry in 2050, however, does not give insights into the extent to which energy efficiency potentials are already implemented, in which sectors further efficiency can be achieved, to what extent or with which technologies. In this paper, the EU Reference scenario is broken down and compared to a Frozen Efficiency scenario with similar GDP developments but without energy efficiency. Through bottom-up analyses, it is found that with energy efficiency technologies alone, this Reference scenario for industry energy demands (10.6 EJ in 2050) cannot be achieved. That means that the EU Reference assumes higher energy efficiency than possible and too high an effect of current policies. In the Frozen Efficiency scenario, the energy demand reaches 14.2 EJ in 2050 due to the GDP development; 22% higher than 2015. Energy efficiency improvements and increased recycling can decrease industrial energy demand by 23% (11.3 EJ in 2050). In order to further reduce the energy demand, our analyses shows that the wide implementation of innovative in combination with electrification or hydrogen technologies can further decrease the 2050 energy demand to 9.7 EJ or 10.3 EJ, respectively.

Open source decarbonization for a sustainable world

<h2>Abstract</h2> The world is facing a climate emergency. We must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and their export and, instead, develop renewable and efficient energy. Electrification of heating with heat pumps can radically reduce natural gas use, electrical vehicles cut the need for oil, and energy efficiency and renewable energy can help shoulder the greater demand this electrification causes, while cutting coal and natural gas use, carbon emissions and resultant climate destabilization. Free and open source hardware design has proven to be an effective method to increase innovation and decrease costs of equipment and products over a wide range of industries. It can accelerate practical action and the implementation of policies and strategies to reduce our use of coal, oil and gas. In this presentation the power of open source will be explained to show how it can improve the performance and decrease the costs of decarbonization technologies. This presentation will end with a description of the <i>HardwareX</i> special issue on Open Source Decarbonization for a Sustainable World (www.journals.elsevier.com/hardwarex/forthcoming-special-issues/special-issue-on-open-source-decarbonization-for-a-sustainable-world).

EU to funnel $3 billion into cleantech

The European Commission has pledged $3 billion via its Innovation Fund to help with the financing of large-scale clean energy projects in the European Union. The approach is a cornerstone of the EU’s strategy to phase out the use of fossil fuels across the bloc. The funds will be focused on four key areas. Some $1 billion will go toward general decarbonization projects for energy-intensive industries, carbon-capture storage and use, and low-carbon transport fuels; another $1 billion will be for projects involving electrification in industry and renewable hydrogen production and use; $700 million is slated for developers of technologies such as electrolyzers and fuel cells; and $300 million will target companies seeking to scale up disruptive decarbonization technologies. “The EU Innovation Fund will support even more clean tech projects than before, speeding up the replacement of fossil fuels in hard-to-decarbonize industries and accelerating the uptake of renewable hydrogen in the

Accelerating the decarbonization of carbonaceous gold ore by suspension oxidation roasting towards the improvement of gold leaching efficiency

• High-efficiency decarbonization technology for carbonaceous gold ore was developed. • Greatly increased exposed gold in roasted product facilitated gold leaching. • The gold extraction increased from 4.55% to 84.83% after roasting. • The ore had a good sulfur fixation effect during the roasting process. Eliminating the gold preg-robbing effect of carbonaceous matter in carbonaceous gold ores is crucial for gold leaching. In this study, suspension oxidation roasting was proposed to accelerate the decarbonization of carbonaceous gold ore. The characteristics of oxidation reaction process and gas release were analyzed by TG-DTA-FTIR. The phase transformation and microstructure evolution of samples during roasting were analyzed by XRD, SEM and BET. The results show that the gold preg-robbing effect was eliminated after the gasification of carbonaceous matter, and the CaO generated by decomposition of carbonates can effectively capture the SO 2 . After roasting for 75 min at 650 °C in a 20% O 2 atmosphere, the total carbon removal rate reached 99.42%, the distribution of exposed gold increased from 28.85% to 77.10% and the gold leaching efficiency increased from 4.55% to 84.83%. In addition, about 70% sulfur was mainly fixed in the roasted products in the form of sulfate. Therefore, the suspension oxidation roasting process is an efficient and clean pretreatment method for carbonaceous gold ores.

Sustainable development of green buildings in China and evaluation framework of decarbonization technology of AAC production

AbstractThis paper discusses the path to achieve carbon neutrality in the construction field, which is divided into five parts: (1) China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and consensus on the development of the construction industry; (2) The sustainable green building development trend and relevant policies in China; (3) The green building evaluation system and common software in China; (4) Building carbon emission evaluation model and the decarbonizing tools for the whole life cycle of construction projects; (5) Carbon emission reduction technology evaluation framework of autoclaved aerated concrete production in China. Through the discussion of this paper, we will jointly provide intellectual and technical support for the exploration and implementation of building carbon neutralization path.

STUDY ON SIMULATION BASED EVALUATION OF ROUTE AND CARGO SPECIFIC PROJECT FOR INTRODUCING DECARBONIZED SHIPS

In recent years, International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an initial strategy for GHG reduction from ships. Cargo owners, shipping companies, and ship owners have started to consider how to respond to the strategy. The introduction of decarbonized ships is a future direction to fulfil the IMO’s strategy. However, for each route and cargo, the situation is different, and it is necessary to consider the introduction plan of decarbonized ships that is appropriate for each. This paper proposes an evaluation method for the introduction project of decarbonized ships. The method assumes specific route and cargo, and various scenarios of decarbonization technologies, environmental regulations, fuel prices, and infrastructure deployment for alternative fuels, and evaluates costs such as OPEX, CAPEX, and amount of GHG emission based on a simulation of fleet transition aiming to the zero-emissions target time. The method provides a quantitative evaluation of the introduction project to the stakeholders and supports their decision-making. By changing the inputted parameters, sensitivity analysis to consider future uncertainty can be conducted based on the method. As a case study, we assume several types of alternative fuelled ships, and alternative fuel-ready ships, and evaluate the environmental performance and costs of introducing them to iron ore transportation between Australia and Japan. Scenarios of infrastructure deployment for alternative fuels is assumed as well, and by comparison of the cases, the usefulness of the fuels and technologies in each case is discussed.

Governing industry decarbonisation: Policy implications from a firm perspective

Industry is responsible for around 1/3 of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. To limit global warming, many nations, including Switzerland, have committed to a (near) net-zero emission industry target by 2050. While the policy relevance of an industry transition increases, specific knowledge on the key barriers and drivers towards industrial decarbonisation is still largely missing. With the objective to contribute to the decision basis for effective policy development and based on 17 semi-structured interviews with firms from the Swiss industry, we investigate the key factors that hinder or accelerate a timely adoption of decarbonisation technologies. We relate the identified barriers and drivers from our interviews to an adapted St. Gallen Management Model (SGMM), a well-known, system-oriented management framework. Our study shows that the SGMM categories technology & economy (e.g. high technology costs), state & policymakers (e.g. emission price) and finance & controlling (e.g. pay-back periods) are most frequently mentioned by the interviewees and that the firms’ decarbonisation decisions are influenced by both the firm itself as well as external stakeholders, such as the government, consultants, customers, NGOs or suppliers. Therefore, we conclude that the firm itself and each of these stakeholders must play a key part in fostering industry decarbonisation. We suggest future research to (1) quantitatively assess the importance of the identified barriers and drivers and (2) investigate how policy actions of the relevant stakeholders could be effectively orchestrated and incentivised.

Impacts of decarbonization technologies in air transport on the global energy system

In pursuing global carbon neutrality, understanding the potential roles of decarbonization technologies in air transport, such as electric aircraft, hydrogen-powered aircraft, bio-jet fuel and synthetic fuel in the global energy system, is important. This study systematically and quantitatively analyzed the impacts of these decarbonization technologies on the global energy system under the Paris temperature goals. The model analysis showed that the introduction of electric aircraft, hydrogen-powered aircraft and synthetic fuel into the aviation sector would contribute to the cost-effective achievement of emissions reductions in line with Paris goals. For achieving < 2 °C with > 66 % probability, the introduction of electric- and hydrogen-powered aircraft, and synthetic fuel would decrease mitigation costs by 2,743 billion USD/yr and 135 billion USD/yr in 2100, respectively. However, there are no feasible solutions without these three technologies under assumed conditions. This study illustrates the crucial role of these technologies in long-term decarbonizing pathways, affecting global petroleum consumption .

Molecular-scale mechanisms of CO2 mineralization in nanoscale interfacial water films.

The calamitous impacts of unabated carbon emission from fossil-fuel-burning energy infrastructure call for accelerated development of large-scale CO2 capture, utilization and storage technologies that are underpinned by a fundamental understanding of the chemical processes at a molecular level. In the subsurface, rocks rich in divalent metals can react with CO2, permanently sequestering it in the form of stable metal carbonate minerals, with the CO2-H2O composition of the post-injection pore fluid acting as a primary control variable. In this Review, we discuss mechanistic reaction pathways for aqueous-mediated carbonation with carbon mineralization occurring in nanoscale adsorbed water films. In the extreme of pores filled with a CO2-dominant fluid, carbonation reactions are confined to angstrom to nanometre-thick water films coating mineral surfaces, which enable metal cation release, transport, nucleation and crystallization of metal carbonate minerals. Although seemingly counterintuitive, laboratory studies have demonstrated facile carbonation rates in these low-water environments, for which a better mechanistic understanding has come to light in recent years. The overarching objective of this Review is to delineate the unique underlying molecular-scale reaction mechanisms that govern CO2 mineralization in these reactive and dynamic quasi-2D interfaces. We highlight the importance of understanding unique properties in thin water films, such as how water dielectric properties, and consequently ion solvation and hydration behaviour, can change under nanoconfinement. We conclude by identifying important frontiers for future work and opportunities to exploit these fundamental chemical insights for decarbonization technologies in the twenty-first century.