Work

Geospatial analysis of near-term potential for carbon-negative bioenergy in the United States

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Significance Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is widely utilized in ambitious climate mitigation scenarios as a negative-emissions technology. However, the future technical potential of BECCS remains uncertain. Two significant deployment barriers that have largely been overlooked by previous studies are the suitability of existing storage sites and the availability of transportation of biomass and/or CO 2 . This study assesses the near-term deployment potential of BECCS in the United States in the absence of long-distance transportation networks. Considering these constraints, 30% of the projected available 2020 biomass resources can be utilized for BECCS, yielding a negative-emissions potential of 100 Mt CO 2 ⋅y −1 . The analysis further pinpoints areas with colocated resources that could be prioritized for near-term deployment of BECCS.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1720338115

Authors: Ejeong Baik, Daniel L. Sanchez, Peter A. Turner, Katharine J. Mach, Christopher B. Field, Sally M. Benson

Institutions: Stanford University, Carnegie Institution for Science

Language: English

Topic: Forest Biomass Utilization and Management

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung