Weekly CDR Publication Highlights
This week’s selected publications cover a wide range of issues such as the consideration of climate-related and physical limitations during the evaluations that are made regarding the net amount of carbon that is captured at the facilities that are used for direct air capture, monitoring, verification and sequestration of CDR activities and use of materials with high absorption capacity for CDR activities.
Integrating Climate and Physical Constraints into Assessments of Net Capture from Direct Air Capture Facilities
Abstract
Limiting climate change to targets enshrined in the Paris Agreement will require both deep decarbonization of the energy system and the deployment of carbon dioxide removal at potentially large scale (gigatons of annual removal). Nations are pursuing direct air capture to compensate for inertia in the expansion of low-carbon energy systems, decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, and address legacy emissions. Global assessments of this technology have failed to integrate factors that affect net capture and removal cost, including ambient conditions like temperature and humidity, as well as emission factors of electricity and natural gas systems. We present an integrated assessment of the global deployment potential of this technology. Employing a chemical process model, climate data, grid emission factors, and fugitive methane emission factors, we predict critical performance metrics, including carbon dioxide capture rates, and water-, energy-, and emissions-intensity of capture. Our results support investors and policy makers as they site facilities and develop credible policy instruments to support expansion.
Shorey, P. & Abdulla, A. (2024) 122 (1) Integrating Climate and Physical Constraints into Assessments of Net Capture from Direct Air Capture Facilities. Pnas.
Read the full paper here: Integrating Climate and Physical Constraints into Assessments of Net Capture from Direct Air Capture Facilities I Pnas.
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Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, Verification and Sequestration in a Southern Ontario Agricultural Farm
Abstract
Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) reacts atmospheric CO2 with alkaline rock powders, relocating CO2 to soils. The emerging carbon market necessitates accurate carbon verification, yet the innate carbon in soils makes the ERW signal challenging to quantify. This research investigates methods of measuring carbon sequestration via pore water chemistry and CO2 fluxes. In Spring 2023, 32 tonnes of wollastonite skarn (CaSiO3 38.3 wt.%) was applied to ~3.2 hectares of farmland in Southern Ontario, at an average dosage of 10 t/ha. A control area (~0.85 ha) was left unamended. Prior to amendment, 1000 soil cores were collected to characterize total inorganic carbon (x̄ = 1.37±0.72 %C). Eleven monitoring stations were installed that included two pore water samplers and TEROS 12 moisture probes at 15 and 30 cm depth. Each station was also equipped with a base for the portable LI-CORTM soil CO2 flux system. Sampling of CO2 flux display similar values between control and amended areas in June, with control values remaining within a narrow range all summer (2.5–22.5 kg/m2/yr). Fluxes from the amended field were more variable, with higher values between 22–32 kg/m2/yr in the month of July and stabilizing again at the end of August. Dissolved inorganic carbon was lower in amended waters (15 cm: x̄ = 85.9±14.5; 30 cm: x̄ = 82.9±17.8 mg C/L) over control (15 cm: x̄ = 103.7±18.0; 30 cm: x̄ = 112.64±18.8 mg C/L). Sampling for this multi-year study has concluded for 2023, and will resume in spring 2024.
Klyn-Hesselink, H. (2024) 4 (1) Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, Verification and Sequestration in a Southern Ontario Agricultural Farm. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research at Trent.
Read the full paper here: Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, Verification and Sequestration in a Southern Ontario Agricultural Farm I Journal of Multidisciplinary Research at Trent.
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Supporting Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks on Carboxylated-Wood Sponges for Direct Air Capture and Highly Selective CO2/CH4 Separation
Abstract
To effectively mitigate the global warming problem caused by excessive CO2 emissions, the implementation of direct air capture (DAC) technology has emerged as one of the most promising strategies for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. The key to DAC technology hinges on the development of high-performance solid sorbent materials that demonstrate high CO2 adsorption capacity and gas separation selectivity, particularly under low CO2 partial pressure conditions. Herein, we have successfully developed a class of MOF@carboxylated wood sponge (MOF@CWS) hybrid sorbents, capable of efficient CO2 capture from low-concentration (less than 10,000 ppm) CO2 sources, achieved by embedding the porous MOF into carboxylated wood sponges (CWS) substrate via an in situ growth route. Within the MOF@CWS series, the CO2 uptake capacity of Mg-MOF-74@CWS is 3.61 and 2.65 mmol/g at 1 bar, 273 and 298 K, respectively, significantly higher than those of CWS and HKUST-1@CWS. Moreover, this material exhibited outstanding DAC performance, with the CO2 sorption capacity at 273 K up to 0.56 mmol/g from ambient air (ca. 400 ppm of CO2), surpassing most other solid sorbents. The obtained Mg-MOF-74@CWS also demonstrated exceptional CO2/CH4 separation performance, primarily due to the unique pore structure and augmented interaction between the CO2 molecules and the hybrid sorbents. The results of this study indicate that Mg-MOF-74@CWS has potential as an efficient solid sorbent for the DAC of CO2.
Zhang, X., Li, K., Guo, L., Xu, Z., Deng, S., Liu, Y. & Zhu, G. (2024) Supporting Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks on Carboxylated-Wood Sponges for Direct Air Capture and Highly Selective CO2/CH4 Separation. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 56-67.
Read the full paper here: Supporting Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks on Carboxylated-Wood Sponges for Direct Air Capture and Highly Selective CO2/CH4 Separation I ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.
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Adding Labile Carbon to Peatland Soils Triggers Deep Carbon Breakdown
Abstract
Peatlands store vast amounts of carbon, with deep peat carbon remaining stable due to limited thermodynamic energy and transport. However, climate change-induced increases in labile carbon inputs could destabilize these stores. Here, we combined DNA stable isotope probing with stable isotope-assisted metabolomics employing a multi-platform approach to investigate microbial dynamics driving deep peat carbon degradation upon labile carbon (e.g., glucose) amendment. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of deep peat carbon, as glucose addition triggers the breakdown of older organic matter. By uniquely integrating these techniques, we identified active glucose metabolizers to specific microbial populations and mapped carbon flow through microbial networks, elucidating their role in priming recalcitrant carbon mineralization. This multi-omics approach offers crucial insights into how changing resources reshape the peatland microbiome, enhancing our understanding of deep carbon processing, and refining model parameterization to predict microbial responses and carbon cycle feedbacks under global change pressures.
Rajakaruna, S. et al. (2024) 792 (5) Adding Labile Carbon to Peatland Soils Triggers Deep Carbon Breakdown. Communications Earth & Environment.
Read the full paper here: Adding Labile Carbon to Peatland Soils Triggers Deep Carbon Breakdown I Communications Earth & Environment
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Study of Microalgae Biofixation with Bacteria Carbonic Anhydrase for Carbon Capture and Utilization
Abstract
Climate change has been significantly affecting human activities due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Biofixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been investigated to reduce the atmospheric CO2 level and slow the rapid increase in the global temperature. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) can be performed by either physio-chemical or biological methods. The latter takes place in ambient temperature and mild conditions, such that there is no need for high pressure and high energy consumption nor hazardous chemicals. Biofixation by microalgae has been utilized to capture CO2 and the microalgae biomass collected after the process can be further utilized in renewable biofuel generation. On the other hand, microbial enzymes, such as carbonic anhydrase (CA), have been investigated to speed up the whole biofixation process by increasing the conversion rate of CO2 into bicarbonate (HCO3−) in a culture medium and the latter can be readily used by microalgae to increase CO2 removal. In this study, in the presence of 20% CO2 (v/v) gas in air and 5 mL CA enzyme extract (0.5 mg mL−1 protein), we can significantly increase the biofixation rate using marine green microalgae, Tetraselmis sp. Results showed that the biofixation rate can be increased from 0.64 g L−1 day−1 (no CA and at 0.04% CO2) to 4.26 g L−1 day−1. The effects of different experimental conditions such as pH, nutrient levels and working CO2 concentration levels on Tetraselmis sp. growth and CO2 biofixation (CO2 removal) rate have been investigated. This study demonstrates a new alternative approach for effective carbon capture and utilization (CCU) using microalgae which can be applied to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.
Chan, S. et al. (2024) 16 (24) Study of Microalgae Biofixation with Bacteria Carbonic Anhydrase for Carbon Capture and Utilization. MDPI.
Read the full paper here: Study of Microalgae Biofixation with Bacteria Carbonic Anhydrase for Carbon Capture and Utilization I MDPI