BECCS technology. CO2 capture from biomass.

In CHOICE Webinar #5, Dr. Stefan Max Garzarolli and Arne Knöchel presented their work on the implementation of a BECCS system. You can watch the webinar below. We are happy to present the key messages here.

Where are we today in terms of climate?

Max and Arne are both actively involved in climate issues. Max did his doctorate on theoretical ecology and Arne founded Waldmenschen eG. They are both committed to environmental protection, but have come to the conclusion that we need to do more for the climate today. They refer to the IPCC report and research from Sweden, which assumes that global warming to 3-4°C by the end of the century can hardly be stopped, as there are already large amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. These cannot be made “harmless” even by reducing CO2. Methods are therefore needed to get the CO2 out of the atmosphere and back into the geosphere. Max and Arne see BECCS as the most efficient technology.

What does BECCS have to do with it?

BECCS stands for “Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage” or in German “Bioenergie mit CO2-Abscheidung und -Speicherung”. BECCS therefore refers to the process of CO2 capture and storage, in which biomass is burned in structural processes in order to subsequently capture and store the resulting CO2. The IPCC report and other sources consider BECCS to be a theoretically promising process, the application of which should contribute to achieving the 2°C target from the Paris Agreement. However, according to Max and Arne, there are not yet any such plants in Germany. There are financial reasons for this, but also reservations about the technology.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Max and Arne are aware of the challenges and have openly explained to us that they cannot carry the investment alone. They are therefore still looking for pilot customers and project partners. Another question is sustainability.

• Does it really make sense to burn biomass and then extract CO2 from it?

• How should it be stored?

• And couldn't such plants be replaced more cheaply by trees?

The two explain it like this.

• A lot of biomass is currently being created worldwide by dying forests that are not being used. These dead trees no longer bind CO2 and release it over time. For every 1 hectare of forest, that is 4 tons of CO2.

• So if the biomass is not planted in competition with food or as a monoculture, but is obtained from such “leftovers and waste”, the result is a win-win-win.

• Storage is more critical. Leakage from land or underwater storage facilities would kill living beings in the affected region. They therefore suggest remote locations (e.g. seabeds) to test the technology. Nothing new, by the way. Carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) is already being used by companies worldwide. Critical projects have emerged here, as CO2 capture is mainly used in oil production.

• The financial side is a lever that can be leveraged via the Seit. Max and Arne argue that with a future CO2 price of €50 per tonne, BECCS technology would be profitable at €30 per tonne of CO2. This would make it more economical than current direct air carbon capturing measures, for example.

Your CHOICE webinar for inspiration

What's next?

BECCS is still in the development phase. However, this does not mean that it could not become crucial in the future for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. Max and Arne do not see the technology as a competitor or even a substitute for reduction measures. These must be implemented consistently today.

Questions

Do you have any questions about BECCS or would you like to talk to Max and Arne? Just write to us, we will be happy to help you.

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