What does the IPCC say about BECCS?
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organization tasked with understanding how human activity has impacted the climate and determining best practices to restore a healthy and balanced global climate. The IPCC has three working groups and each group focuses on a particular issue related to the climate. Working Group III (WGIII) of the IPCC oversees the evaluation of all possible solutions for mitigating climate change. Its most recent observations can be found in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). In the report readers can find a portfolio of climate mitigation measures.
The WGIII section of the AR6 provides an unbiased and detailed analysis to properly assess all possible methods for climate action. Within the report are a variety of climate mitigation options that include carbon removal solutions as well. Working Group III emphasizes that greenhouse gas emissions are at the highest levels in history and “immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors” are necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Throughout the six assessment reports that have been published, WGIII has given insight on the potential of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) as a method for carbon removal and sequestration. The report discusses storage availability, CO2 removal targets, and overall impact related to BECCS. It underscores that BECCS has the potential to play a vital role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, primarily by removing large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, effectively curbing global temperature rise.
A depiction of how CO2 removal could help reduce GHG emissions in the short-term and reach net-negative emissions in the long term. (Carbon Brief)
Bioenergy and Carbon Removal with BECCS
Because every country has varying circumstances, the AR6 suggests a broad range of mitigation approaches to the energy sector. However, what is clear is that net-zero comprises systems that either remove CO2 from the atmosphere or produce no net CO2. Mitigation in the energy sector will also see less use of fossil fuels and see more implementation of renewable energy carriers, such as bioenergy, wind, and solar, and carbon removal technology.
Biogas, bioethanol, and biodiesel are all forms of bioenergy that are sourced from plants, wood, agricultural waste, and other forms of biomass. The facilities that produce bioenergy may then become hubs for carbon removal with BECCS and create additional net negative energy systems. The BECCS process utilizes biomass to generate energy which not only provides power, but also captures the carbon dioxide that’s released during energy generation.
At these facilities biomass is either processed through combustion or conversion. Combustion burns biomass and carbon dioxide is captured from the flue gas stream. It’s then pressurized into a supercritical fluid to store. Conversion takes the biomass to digest or ferment it to make biofuels. The carbon dioxide produced from conversion is also then compressed and stored as a supercritical fluid.
By utilizing bioenergy facilities, BECCS technology can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at scale. Its technology can exist at a variety of institutions including pulp and paper mills, bioethanol plants, and combined heat & power plants. One of the benefits of BECCS derives from its potential to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while also generating energy. This twofold benefit hinges on sustainably sourced biomass, efficient energy conversion processes, and carbon capture technologies. This is the future of the energy sector if global warming is to be successfully curtailed.
An illustration of a BECCS logistics chain at pulp and paper mills
BECCS Targets for Carbon Removal
While BECCS may seem relatively new in comparison to methods like afforestation, CCS technology has existed for more than 50 years. BECCS has been proven at industrial scale after the implementation of its technology in 2014 at the Decatur, Illinois facility where it actively removes over 1,000,000 tonnes/year. The IPCC recognizes that when emissions from bioenergy are captured and stored, the end result of CO2 is net-negative through BECCS, This means that the system overall removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces.
There are a range of industrial facilities where BECCS can be introduced and remove carbon dioxide at scale. With this in mind, the IPCC has determined that carbon removal with BECCS should scale to between 30-780 billion tonnes globally within the century to remain below the 1.5° climate target.
“In modeled pathways that report CDR and that limit warming to 1.5°C (>50%) with no or limited overshoot, global cumulative CDR during 2020–2100 from bioenergy with carbon dioxide capture and storage (BECCS)) is 30–780 GtCO2.” -WGIII AR6
According to the International Energy Agency, BECCS targets are not on track for climate mitigation. There are currently less than 2M tonnes of CO2 removed each year and less than 20 facilities are in planning phases globally. Investments in BECCS technology are urgently needed to meet the targets outlined by the IPCC. Mitigation efforts will include a variety of methods, but with the scalability that BECCS provides there is a risk of failing to limit global warming to 1.5°C if these targets for BECCS are not met.
The IPCC on Geologic Storage with BECCS
Once captured, the carbon dioxide is compressed and transported to suitable geological geologic reservoirs for storage. WGIII AR6 states that, “CCS is an option to reduce emissions from large-scale fossil-based energy and industry sources, provided geological storage is available.” While bioenergy facilities are not fossil-based, they do provide large-scale carbon removal when CCS technology is integrated.
Geologic storage is also the method that yields permanent removal of CO2. Other practices of CO2 storage, like soil management, are prone to reversal caused by human or natural interference. “In comparison, CO2 stored in geological and ocean reservoirs…is less prone to reversal.”
The storage capacity of geologic reservoirs is promising with an estimation that is more than what is required to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Research has found that capacity is expected to be on the order of 1000 GtCO2. “If the geological storage site is appropriately selected and managed, it is estimated that the CO2 can be permanently isolated from the atmosphere.”
The Benefits of BECCS Technology
The advantages of BECCS aren’t limited to less carbon emissions in the atmosphere. WGIII has listed other co-benefits of BECCS that include a, “reduction of air pollutants, fuel security, optimal use of residues, additional income, health benefits, and if implemented well, it can enhance biodiversity.”
The reduction of air pollutants by BECCS directly contributes to improved health of those in the surrounding area by creating cleaner air. Its implementation may also encourage an increase in bioenergy systems that create biofuels and biogas, thus increasing fuel security and decreasing the reliance on fossil fuels.
WGIII has also illustrated that the role of BECCS has a “substantial contribution” to mitigation pathways. This is because greenhouse gas emissions that are avoided by bioenergy have the same impact as the mitigation from carbon dioxide removal. Therefore, a BECCS system has both avoided emissions when implemented at bioenergy facilities and removed emissions through its CCS technology.
Conclusion
It’s been made clear that the climate crisis should be addressed using a wide range of methods, but that CDR technology is an essential response for the excess emissions that already exist.
“Pathways that limit warming to 2°C (>67%) or lower involve some amount of CDR to compensate for residual GHG emissions remaining after substantial direct emissions reductions in all sectors and regions (high confidence).”
Implementing BECCS in particular requires sustainable biomass sourcing, efficient carbon capture technology, and integration within a comprehensive strategy of emissions reduction. WGIII has stated BECCS is one of the three main options for CDR deployment and serves several purposes including the acceleration of emission reduction, “offsetting residual emissions, and creating the option for net negative CO2 emissions in case temperature reductions need to be achieved in the long term.” With this to consider, Biocrecro’s focus continues to center around the implementation of BECCS technology at existing facilities for large scale carbon capture. The research conducted by the IPCC guides Biorecro’s efforts and confirms that BECCS development must scale rapidly to meet climate targets.
