Potential for Biomass and CO2 Capture and Storage

Combining biomass with Carbon Dioxide Capture & Storage could result in an annual global potential of up to 10 gigatonnes of negative CO2 emissions in the year 2050. This is one of the main findings of a study commissioned by the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme.

Biomass in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies is one of few options that makes an actual reduction of global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere possible and is likely to be required to meet the stringent climate targets.

This study shows the global potential for combining biomass with CCS technologies (Bio-CCS) up to 2030 and 2050. Ecofys identified six promising technology routes in the power and transport sectors, including biomass combustion and gasification for power production, and biomass conversion to bio-ethanol and biodiesel.

For these routes Ecofys analysed the technical, realisable and economic potential. Taking only technical limitations into account, the maximum annual potential is approximately either 10 gigatonnes (billion metric tonnes) of negative emissions in the power sector or 6 gigatonnes in the biofuel sector. This is a large reduction potential compared to the global energy-related CO2 emissions which grew to 30.6 Gt in 2010. The realisable potential is found to be maximally 3.2 Gt and the economic potential reaches up to 3.5 Gt of negative GHG emissions. besides quantitative estimates of these potentials in the form of global cost supply curves, the study presents recommendations to overcome possible obstacles and enhance drivers to stimulate the deployment of Bio-CCS technologies.