There are several negative emission technologies (NETs) that utilize different strategies to return CO2 back to geologic reservoirs and terrestrial ecosystems. BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) technology is one of them. However, when discussing carbon emission mitigation, traditional CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) can sometimes be mistaken as carbon removal. While both methods are similar in name, the end results of these two processes are quite different, due to the origin of the carbon emissions.
What is Carbon Removal?
In order to qualify as carbon removal, the technology or process in question must be net negative, capturing and sequestering more carbon than it emits. Traditional CSS is at best net zero, used in industries that expressly generate emissions from fossil fuels. This includes capturing emissions from oil, steel, or cement production.
As shown in the figure below, Oil & Gas with CCS does not remove existing carbon from the atmosphere. At optimal performance, it produces net zero emissions by capturing the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of oil and gas.
Additionally, Bioenergy systems without the use of CCS are also net zero. Carbon is removed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis in biomass production, and then this biomass is combusted in industrial processes to produce biogenic CO2 emissions. The re-release of the carbon back into the atmosphere is part of the Earth’s natural carbon cycle.
What makes BECCS different?
In comparison, BECCS is the implementation of CCS to Bioenergy systems, which produces net negative emissions, or in other words – carbon removal. With biomass production naturally taking carbon from the atmosphere using photosynthesis, biomass is then used in an industrial facility, producing for example heat & power or pulp & paper. Biogenic emissions from these industrial processes are then captured and sequestered permanently.
This achieves a system which is net negative. That means it removes more carbon dioxide than it emits.
In many cases, such as BECCS development at Biorecro, the carbon emissions originate from waste biomass used as feedstock. This strategy allows for a more sustainable process and avoids using virgin biomass that would otherwise be untouched. Common sources for biomass include pulp and paper industries, household biodegradable waste, or other waste residues from forestry and agriculture. At these bioenergy facilities, carbon dioxide is separated from other gasses in the flue gas stream, typically using post-combustion capture. The carbon dioxide stream is then transported as a supercritical fluid by pipelines, ships, trucks, or trains and stored at a secure geologic site.
