A Comprehensive Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Removal Options for Germany
(2024) In Earth's Future 12(5).- Abstract
To reach their net-zero targets, countries will have to compensate hard-to-abate CO2 emissions through carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Yet, current assessments rarely include socio-cultural or institutional aspects or fail to contextualize CDR options for implementation. Here we present a context-specific feasibility assessment of CDR options for the example of Germany. We assess 14 CDR options, including three chemical carbon capture options, six options for bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and five options that aim to increase ecosystem carbon uptake. The assessment addresses technological, economic, environmental, institutional, social-cultural and systemic considerations using a traffic-light... (More)
To reach their net-zero targets, countries will have to compensate hard-to-abate CO2 emissions through carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Yet, current assessments rarely include socio-cultural or institutional aspects or fail to contextualize CDR options for implementation. Here we present a context-specific feasibility assessment of CDR options for the example of Germany. We assess 14 CDR options, including three chemical carbon capture options, six options for bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and five options that aim to increase ecosystem carbon uptake. The assessment addresses technological, economic, environmental, institutional, social-cultural and systemic considerations using a traffic-light system to evaluate implementation opportunities and hurdles. We find that in Germany CDR options like cover crops or seagrass restoration currently face comparably low implementation hurdles in terms of technological, economic, or environmental feasibility and low institutional or social opposition but show comparably small CO2 removal potentials. In contrast, some BECCS options that show high CDR potentials face significant techno-economic, societal and institutional hurdles when it comes to the geological storage of CO2. While a combination of CDR options is likely required to meet the net-zero target in Germany, the current climate protection law includes a limited set of options. Our analysis aims to provide comprehensive information on CDR hurdles and possibilities for Germany for use in further research on CDR options, climate, and energy scenario development, as well as an effective decision support basis for various actors.
(Less)
- author
- publishing date
- 2024-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), climate mitigation, context-specific assessments of carbon dioxide removal, direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), feasibility assessment framework, natural sink enhancement (NSE)
- in
- Earth's Future
- volume
- 12
- issue
- 5
- article number
- e2023EF003986
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85192051993
- ISSN
- 2328-4277
- DOI
- 10.1029/2023EF003986
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Earth's Future published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.
- id
- 05fa1a3e-28cc-4029-a121-1946cc7681b1
- date added to LUP
- 2024-07-29 11:24:32
- date last changed
- 2024-08-14 15:33:28
@article{05fa1a3e-28cc-4029-a121-1946cc7681b1,
abstract = {{<p>To reach their net-zero targets, countries will have to compensate hard-to-abate CO<sub>2</sub> emissions through carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Yet, current assessments rarely include socio-cultural or institutional aspects or fail to contextualize CDR options for implementation. Here we present a context-specific feasibility assessment of CDR options for the example of Germany. We assess 14 CDR options, including three chemical carbon capture options, six options for bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and five options that aim to increase ecosystem carbon uptake. The assessment addresses technological, economic, environmental, institutional, social-cultural and systemic considerations using a traffic-light system to evaluate implementation opportunities and hurdles. We find that in Germany CDR options like cover crops or seagrass restoration currently face comparably low implementation hurdles in terms of technological, economic, or environmental feasibility and low institutional or social opposition but show comparably small CO<sub>2</sub> removal potentials. In contrast, some BECCS options that show high CDR potentials face significant techno-economic, societal and institutional hurdles when it comes to the geological storage of CO<sub>2</sub>. While a combination of CDR options is likely required to meet the net-zero target in Germany, the current climate protection law includes a limited set of options. Our analysis aims to provide comprehensive information on CDR hurdles and possibilities for Germany for use in further research on CDR options, climate, and energy scenario development, as well as an effective decision support basis for various actors.</p>}},
author = {{Borchers, Malgorzata and Förster, Johannes and Thrän, Daniela and Beck, Silke and Thoni, Terese and Korte, Klaas and Gawel, Erik and Markus, Till and Schaller, Romina and Rhoden, Imke and Chi, Yaxuan and Dahmen, Nicolaus and Dittmeyer, Roland and Dolch, Tobias and Dold, Christian and Herbst, Michael and Heß, Dominik and Kalhori, Aram and Koop-Jakobsen, Ketil and Li, Zhan and Oschlies, Andreas and Reusch, Thorsten B.H. and Sachs, Torsten and Schmidt-Hattenberger, Cornelia and Stevenson, Angela and Wu, Jiajun and Yeates, Christopher and Mengis, Nadine}},
issn = {{2328-4277}},
keywords = {{bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS); climate mitigation; context-specific assessments of carbon dioxide removal; direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS); feasibility assessment framework; natural sink enhancement (NSE)}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{5}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Earth's Future}},
title = {{A Comprehensive Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Removal Options for Germany}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003986}},
doi = {{10.1029/2023EF003986}},
volume = {{12}},
year = {{2024}},
}