CO2 ENERGY BECCS BIOENERGY EXPLAINED 7 BIOENERGY CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE 1 © 2019 Bioenergy Europe All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permission use Bioenergy Europe Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage Factsheet” at the address below, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. Cover image: courtesy of JAPAN CCS CO. Place du Champ de Mars 2A 1050 Brussels T : +32 2 318 40 34 [email protected] www.bioenergyeurope.org EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With current CO2 emissions reaching a critical point, Bioenergy Carbon Capture and storage combines decarbonisation is necessary to limit the raise in global biomass energy applications with the capture and temperature and mitigate harmful climate-related storage of CO2 thus providing net removal of CO2 effects on the planet. Considering the urgency of the from the atmosphere. The best results in terms task at hand, a drastic reduction of carbon emissions of mitigating climate change can be achieved if must be complemented with options for greenhouse BECCS -solutions are used as an additional tool gas removals. Different solutions can deliver negative to conventional mitigation - to be combined with emissions: some of them are referred to as natural, a prompt scaling-up of bioenergy. As bioenergy is others are technology based. In the first category integrated in numerous industrial sectors, bioenergy afforestation and reforestation absorb CO2 through carbon capture and storage is a versatile technology plant growth, modified agricultural practice can that can be applied to power generation (BECCS) increase carbon storage in soil, thus removing it from and to different industrial installations (in cement, the atmosphere (through incorporation of biochar in ethanol, pulp and paper among others) using biomass soils for example). Among the most promising NETs, as feedstock. Sustainability of the biomass feedstock Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is the used is paramount for BECCS to deliver negative most mature and allows for the production of clean carbon emissions and the EU legislation provides the energy coupled with the permanent capture of CO2. right tools to ensure this. Although already proven, To reach Paris Agreement’s objectives a wise mix of technical complexities inherent to the technology complementary solutions must have to be used. would require more R&I efforts, and thus further public support and a dedicated legislative framework facilitating its uptake and its economic profitability. emissions technologies will have to be deployed to INTRODUCTION offset unavoidable emissions and reach net zero GHG emissions. This has also been recently recognised by In combination with carbon capture and storage the Declaration on Nordic Carbon Neutrality, by which technologies bioenergy has the potential to deliver Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark negative emissions. Its deployment would be perfectly committed to intensify cooperation on a number of areas in line with the achievement of the commitments including “bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) technologies, taken in Paris and enable the transition to a carbon conducting research to resolve the remaining neutral economy, keeping temperature from rising by technical challenges and developing business models more than 1.5°C. Bioenergy Europe does not suggest for the implementation of CCS(Carbon Capture and reliance on Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage Storage), CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilisation)”.4 technologies as an alternative to conventional mitigation but, rather as an additional tool, which can A mix of timely measures and development of be combined with a decisive scale up of bioenergy. technologies must be galvanized, such as a fossil fuel 1 2 3 phase out, an increased use of sustainable energy IPCC , IEA and the European Commission acknowledge sources and a comprehensive energy efficiency that moving away from fossil fuels as soon as possible approach measures. Bioenergy with carbon capture and removing some of the historical CO from the 2 and storage (BECCS) is the most mature among the atmosphere with natural solutions like afforestation key mitigation technologies to achieve negative CO2 and technological as BECCS is vital to achieve the emissions and can be scaled up at reasonable costs.5 goal of the Paris Agreement. Indeed, negative 3 BECCS is the most mature of the very few demonstrated WHAT IS BECCS – WHAT negative emission technologies.6 It combines biomass IS BECCU AND WHY ARE energy applications with the capture and storage of CO2 and has the potential to provide a net removal of CO from the atmosphere. Energy production THEY OFTEN MENTIONED 2 (electricity, heat and cooling) from sustainable TOGETHER? biomass is carbon neutral, because the carbon released in the atmosphere during energy conversion was first taken from the atmosphere during the phase of photosynthesis. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) In the case of BECCS, the CO2 is captured before and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Utilization being released in the atmosphere, then transported (BECCU) are often mentioned together. Although and permanently stored in a suitable geological they are different technologies with different final formation. This establishes a negative flow of CO2 objectives, they both reduce emissions and can be from the atmosphere to the subsurface.7 Indeed, used in combination to improve the economics of the through BECCS carbon is extracted from the carbon projects. cycle, while at the same time avoiding the use of fossil energy and the associated CO2 emissions. BIOMASS BIOFUELS ASBSORBING ELECTRICITY & BIOFUEL CO & HEAT/COOLING PRODUCTION 2 PRODUCTION CO2 CO2 COLLECTION & SEPARATION & COMPRESSION COMPRESSION CO2 STORAGE Source: IEA (2017), Bioenergy Technology p.43 4 Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Utilisation closes P the loop: it contributes to leaving fossil carbon in the ground, and closing the carbon loop above the ground.10 ATMOSPHERIC CARBON ELECTRICITY Source: IEA Bioenergy – Bio-CCS and Bio- CCU FOSSIL CARBON Climate change mitigation and extended use of CO biomass raw material 2 UTILISATION w - duction Bioar aron onen in oi BECCU uses CO2 as feedstock and converts it into it delivers other societal and environmental services, value-added products such as synthetic fuels, as it helps: chemicals, or food & beverage or building materials.8 Through BECCU the captured carbon from a biomass • Achieving a more efficient use of bioenergy while energy conversion can be recycled via chemical or allowing for contributing leaving fossil carbon to biological processes to form biochar, synthetic fuels, remain in the ground; bulk and specialty chemicals as well as polymers, and • Supporting the circular economy by converting 9 construction materials through mineralisation. waste CO2 to added-value products; • Developing industrial innovation and competitiveness While BECCU is not a negative emission technology, by creating new market opportunities. Main CO2 utilisation routes and applications CARBON DIOXIDE, CO2 MINERALISATION CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CONVERSION CONVERSION DIRECT Construction materials UTILISATION (concrete aggregates) Greenhouses Carbonates precipitated Algae cultivations Food and beverages calcium carbonate CC Biological methanation Industrial gas Refrigerants Working fluids Solvents + +H2 +H2 +N2 pH control Enhanced oil recovery EOR POLYMERS FUELS & COMMODITIES Enhanced coal bed methane CHEMICALS olycarbonates Reneable urea recovery ECBM olyols METHANE METHANOL FORMIC ACID SYNTHESIS GAS CH4 CH3OH HCOOH COH2 FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS DIESEL, MTBE* METHANOL, OLEFINS FORMALDEHYDE GASOLINE GASOLINE, ETHANOL ... DME** OLEFINS ... * METHYL-TERT-BUTYLETHER ** DIMETHYLETHER 5 One of the key differences between BECCS and BECCU is that the latter enables the economic use of CO2, with temporary storage but with possible re- 2. CO2 COMPRESSION emissions of CO2 at the end, while CCS technology aims for a permanent underground storage of CO2, This phase is aimed at reducing the volume of CO2. thus excluding its use. The CO2 rich stream is dehydrated, compressed (or liquified) and transported to a storage site. In certain systems, these technologies can be combined by first making use of valorising the CO2 in a first step via BECCU, and then by storing the 3. CO2 TRANSPORT CO2 emitted in a last step via CCS. Since BECCU is a commercial technology, it can help the uptake of There are different CO2 transport options such as BECCS if used in combination with it, helping to tick pipelines, shipping or even road transport. In most the boxes of reducing CO2 emissions and contributing cases a mix of options is used as most storage sites to the achievement of circular economy. are/will be located below the ocean. 4. CO2 Storage There are different CO2 storage options such as: • Saline aquifers (saltwater-bearing rocks unsuitable for human consumption) HOW DOES • Depleted oil and gas fields • Deep unmineable coal beds BECCS WORK • Mineralisation13 Bioenergy Carbon Capture and storage involves four main steps: capturing CO2, compressing it, transporting and finally storing it. 1. CAPTURING CO2 The first phase consists in capturing