CARBON REMOVAL WEEKLY SUMMARY (25 SEPTEMBER - 01 OCTOBER 2023)-WEEK#32
Links to recent scientific papers, web posts, upcoming events, job opportunities, podcasts, and event recordings, etc. on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technology.
👥CONSULTATIONS REQUIRED
Consultation Required: Underground Injection Control Permit Geologic Sequestration Site | Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality | Deadline: 19 October 2023
🚨DEADLINES
(NEW) Call for Speakers- Biochar 2024 hosted by The US Biochar Initiative (USBI) | Abstracts and poster submission deadline: October 24, 2023
Carbontech Development Initiative - Expressions of Interest - Solicitation Round 2 - September 2023 | Deadline: 28 October 2023
The Climate Intervention Environmental Impact Fund | Application Deadline: 01 November 2023
Electrochemical Processes for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Long-Term Storage | Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 September 2023, Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 January 2024
Extension: Biogeosciences Special Issue on OAE Environmental Impacts | 31 March 2024
(NEW) Environmental Research Letter (ERL) - Focus Issue on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) | Article Submission Deadline: 24 May 2024
💸COMMERCIAL NEWS
DOE Announces $35 Million to Accelerate Carbon Dioxide Removal (Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management)
Deep Sky and Mission Zero partner to deploy Direct Air Capture carbon removal in Canada (PR Newswire)
44.01 and Aircapture Announce DAC + Mineralization Collaboration in Oman (44.01)
Andes Partners With Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory To Study Soil Carbon Cycling (Carbon Herald)
Octavia Carbon Partners With Klimate.co To Scale Direct Air Capture In Kenya (Carbon Herald)
GF Piping and Neustark partnering on CO2 removal and storage projects (Chemical Engineering)
📄RESEARCH PAPERS
Biochar-based materials for electroanalytical applications: An overview
Zheng, Y., Yu, C., & Fu, L. (2023). Biochar-based materials for electroanalytical applications: An overview. Green Analytical Chemistry, 100081.
The estimates of carbon sequestration potential in an expanding Arctic fjord affected by dark plumes of glacial meltwater (Hornsund, Svalbard)
Szeligowska, M., Benkort, D., Przyborska, A., Moskalik, M., Moreno, B., Trudnowska, E., and Błachowiak-Samołyk K. (2023). The estimates of carbon sequestration potential in an expanding Arctic fjord affected by dark plumes of glacial meltwater (Hornsund, Svalbard). European Geosciences Union [Preprint].
Long-term organic carbon preservation enhanced by iron and manganese
Moore, O. W., Curti, L., Woulds, C., Bradley, J. A., Babakhani, P., Mills, B. J., ... & Peacock, C. L. (2023). Long-term organic carbon preservation enhanced by iron and manganese. Nature, 1-6.
Chemisorption and regeneration of amine-based CO2 sorbents in direct air capture
Duan, X., Song, G., Lu, G., Wang, Y., Sun, J., Chen, A., & Xie, X. (2023). Chemisorption and regeneration of amine-based CO2 sorbents in direct air capture. Materials Today Sustainability, 23, 100453.
Solar-assisted temperature vacuum swing adsorption for direct air capture: Effect of relative humidity
Ji, Y., Liu, W., Yong, J. Y., Zhang, X. J., & Jiang, L. (2023). Solar-assisted temperature vacuum swing adsorption for direct air capture: Effect of relative humidity. Applied Energy, 348, 121493.
Carbon removal demonstrations and problems of public perception
Waller, L., Cox, E., & Bellamy, R. (2023). Carbon removal demonstrations and problems of public perception. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, e857.
Carbon emissions and decarbonisation: The role and relevance of fermentation industry in chemical sector
Agrawal, D., Awani, K., Nabavi, S. A., Balan, V., Jin, M., Aminabhavi, T. M., ... & Kumar, V. (2023). Carbon emissions and decarbonisation: The role and relevance of fermentation industry in chemical sector. Chemical Engineering Journal, 146308.
Chemical Alteration of Riverine Particles in Seawater and Marine Sediments: Effects on Seawater Composition and Atmospheric CO2
Wallmann, K., Geilert, S., & Scholz, F. (2023). Chemical Alteration of Riverine Particles in Seawater and Marine Sediments: Effects on Seawater Composition and Atmospheric CO2. American Journal of Science, 323, 1-39.
Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessment of Enhanced Rock Weathering: A Case Study from the Midwestern United States
Zhang, B., Kroeger, J., Planavsky, N., & Yao, Y. (2023). Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessment of Enhanced Rock Weathering: A Case Study from the Midwestern United States. Environmental Science & Technology.
Improved Apparatus for Dynamic Column-Breakthrough Measurements Relevant to Direct Air Capture of CO2
McGivern, W. S., Nguyen, H. G. T., & Manion, J. A. (2023). Improved Apparatus for Dynamic Column-Breakthrough Measurements Relevant to Direct Air Capture of CO2. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.
Individuals’ responsibilities to remove carbon
Schübel, H. (2023). Individuals’ responsibilities to remove carbon. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 1-21.
The potential of microalgae for large-scale carbon capture and storage: A Life Cycle Assessment based on real-world data
Bradley, T., Forbes, J., & Ingram-Hardwick, G. (2023). The potential of microalgae for large-scale carbon capture and storage: A Life Cycle Assessment based on real-world data.
The potential of China’s ecosystems in meeting the carbon neutrality goal: evidence from the forest sector
Yi, Y., & Xu, J. (2023). The potential of China’s ecosystems in meeting the carbon neutrality goal: evidence from the forest sector. China Economic Journal, 16(2), 185-202.
Farmer perspectives on carbon markets incentivizing agricultural soil carbon sequestration
Barbato, C. T., & Strong, A. L. (2023). Farmer perspectives on carbon markets incentivizing agricultural soil carbon sequestration. npj Climate Action, 2(1), 26.
Intentional creation of carbon-rich dark earth soils in the Amazon
Schmidt, M. J., Goldberg, S. L. L., Heckenberger, M., Fausto, C., Franchetto, B., Watling, J., ... & Perron, J. T. (2022, December). Intentional Creation of Carbon-Rich Dark Earth Soils in the Ancient Amazon. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 2022, pp. EP56B-08).
Development of high capacity moisture-swing DAC sorbent for direct air capture of CO2
Wang, X., Chen, Y., Xu, W., Lindbråthen, A., Cheng, X., Chen, X., ... & Deng, L. (2023). Development of high capacity moisture-swing DAC sorbent for direct air capture of CO2. Separation and Purification Technology, 324, 124489.
Armoring of MgO by a Passivation Layer Impedes Direct Air Capture of CO2
Wang, X., Chen, Y., Xu, W., Lindbråthen, A., Cheng, X., Chen, X., ... & Deng, L. (2023). Development of high capacity moisture-swing DAC sorbent for direct air capture of CO2. Separation and Purification Technology, 324, 124489.
📰WEB POSTS
NASA Wants to Identify Phytoplankton Species from Space. Here’s Why (NASA)
World Biochar Certificate (WBC) by Carbon Standards International (Carbon Standards International)
To CDR or Not to CDR: Can an energy-efficient DACCS technology be powered by Natural Gas? (Circular Carbon Innovations)
Current Class VI Projects under Review at EPA (Carbon Herald)
Resources Available for the Ocean-Climate Solutions Community (Ocean Visions)
Carbon removal: Why ambitious 'no nonsense' plans are vital to limit global heating to 2℃ (Phys.Org)
American BioCarbon Achieves Commercial Pre-certification with Puro.earth (Yahoo)
CarbiCrete and Patio Drummond Announce that the World’s First Cement-Free, Carbon-Negative Concrete Blocks are Available for Purchase (CarbiCrete)
Milestone Environmental Services subsidiary developing carbon hub in Midland Basin (The Business Journal)
Trace Carbon Solution, Molpus partner to develop 20K-acre carbon hub in Louisiana (The Business Journal)
Misleading discussion on CO₂ storage: why the distinction between CDR and CCS matters (Illuminen)
Obstacles to storing emissions underground (Terraform Now)
Climeworks is part of BBC StoryWorks' film series “Humanizing Energy” (Climeworks)
To Reverse a Troubling Trend, Farmers Are Adding Rocks to Their Fields (Modern Farmer)
David Keith on why carbon removal won’t save big oil but may help the climate (Economist)
Temporary carbon storage in forests has climate value — but we need to get the accounting right (The Conversation)
VM0043 Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)Methodology for CO2 Utilization in Concrete Production (Carbon Cure)
The carbon balances of two contrasting forest stands growing in the UK (Forest Research)
The 2024 OpenAir Carbon Removal Challenge Is Accepting Applications! (OpenAir)
📗THESIS
Carbon Sequestration via Concrete Weathering in Soil
Selling Carbon Futures: Start-ups and Carbon Removal Credits
📝REPORTS
EU ETS Post-2030: a European Central Carbon Bank to manage the EU ETS? (ERCST)
Net Zero Roadmap: A Global Pathway to Keep the 1.5 °C Goal in Reach (IEA)
EIRO - Direct Air Carbon Capture & Storage (DACCS) (Catapult Energy System)
How to avoid carbon removal delaying emissions reductions (Carbon Gap)
🗣️DISCUSSIONS
New pathway of diatom-mediated calcification and its impact on the biological pump
Equatorial Eastern Pacific Doldrums Artificial Waterspout Driven Direct Air Capture of CO2
🧰CDR FIRMS
Carboniferous
Nuxsen
Boomitra
📅UPCOMING EVENTS
CCS/CDR (IVL & Tyrsky Consulting) | 03 October 2023
An Invite-Only After-Work Event: Buyers' Guide to Carbon Removal by Dominic & Megan | 04 October 2023
The Carbon Removal Business Summit Comes to London by Carbon Unbound London | 03 & 04 October 2023
(NEW) Carbon removal – where will credit prices go next? by AFRY | 05 October 2023
First educational conference on CO₂ removal by CDRterra | 10-11 October 2023
(NEW) Small/Mid-Sized Businesses as CDR Buyers by AirMiners | 10 October 2023
Onshore CO2 storage in the UK: What's the state of knowledge? by Oxford Net Zero | 11 October 2023
(NEW) World Biochar Certificate (WBC) Guidelines by Carbon Standards International AG | 11 October 2023
Investor Academy - Fall 2023 by AirMiners | 12 October 2023
Global Direct Air Capture Conference | 16-17 October 2023
CCUS 2023 Springboard to Net Zero | 17-18 October 2023
Beyond Net Zero: The Role of the Ocean in Climate Repair by Institute of Physics London and Remote Participation Worldwide | 18 October 2023
Northern Israel Climate Tech Excursion By RepAir Carbon including the launch of RepAir's First Direct Air Capture (DAC) system | 19 October 2023
The Role of Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) in UK Net Zero by CO₂RE - The Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub | 07 November 2023
International Biochar Initiative's Annual Symposium | 7-9 November 2023
(NEW) Carbon Removal Canada: Launch Event by Carbon Removal Canada | 08 November 2023
Third Annual Carbon Dioxide Removal Law & Policy Conference by Institute of Carbon Removal Law and Policy | 09 November 2023
Direct Air Capture Panel Discussion by the University of California, Davis, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas | 15 November 2023
(NEW) Biochar 2024: The North American conference on Climate Action with Biochar for Economic and Ecosystem Resilience by US Biochar Initiative (USBI) | 12-15 February 2023
Negative CO₂ Emissions hosted at the University of Oxford by CO₂RE - The Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub, with financial support from UKRI | 18-21 June 2024
💼JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Front-end Software Engineer at (carbon)plan | New York, New York, United States
“CarbonPlan is a nonprofit research organization working on improving the transparency and scientific integrity of climate solutions with open data and tools. Our team analyzes the design and implementation of climate programs across the public and private sectors. Our work focuses primarily on carbon offsets, carbon removal, and climate risks. In all three areas, we create public resources on climate solutions based on the best available science and data.”
Electrical, Controls, & Automation Engineer at Clairity Technology | Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Clairity Technology was founded to develop technology and solutions to combat climate change. We create scalable and low-cost technology and systems for direct air capture of carbon dioxide.”
Deputy Director of Policy at Carbon Removal Alliance| Remote
“Carbon Removal Alliance is charting the next generation of carbon removal policy.”
Carbon Dioxide Removal Senior Associate, Geochemistry - Climate Aligned Industries at RMI | Remote - U.S. Remote - International
“The Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Initiative at RMI is focused on supporting the responsible and effective testing, development, and deployment of CDR techniques, through thought and action.
Our thought includes:
- Deep and rigorous reviews of scientific and technological advancements relevant to CDR.
- Techno-economic analysis.
- Multi-sector roadmaps for the responsible scale-up of the CDR field.
- The design of new concepts and interventions needed to advance the CDR field.”
Research Scientist (Career track) at Berkeley Lab | Bay Area, California, United States
“The Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division performs innovative technical, economic, policy, and environmental analysis across energy research to maximize the provision of clean, affordable, and accessible energy. In this exciting role, you will work in the EAEI Division, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, to provide scientific leadership and creativity, and to conduct energy-related research and analysis. You will develop and conduct process modeling, techno-economic assessment, market and technology road-mapping, and impact assessment, with an emphasis on direct air capture and carbon removal technologies.
The research will involve working on the prospective life cycle and techno-economic modeling of early-stage direct air capture technologies and their integration and scale-up into future energy, water, and geologic storage infrastructure. You will also conduct computational and/or experimental research on novel regeneration approaches for direct air capture.”
Postdoctoral Researcher (mCDR Modeling) at [C]WORTHY | Boulder, CO
“[C]Worthy is a non-profit research organization operating like a fast-moving, deep-tech startup. Our singular objective is to enable trustworthy, transparent, science-based quantification of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). We are adapting open-source oceanographic modeling and data assimilation tools — developed over decades by scientists and software engineers at public and academic institutions — to establish a fit-for-purpose system for mCDR assessments.”
Career Opportunities at Terradot:
“Terradot is The global Measurement, Reporting, and Verification platform to accelerate soil-based climate action.”
Manager, Greenhouse Gas Removal at Bezos Earth Fund | Washington DC
“At the Bezos Earth Fund, we focus on tackling some of the world's toughest problems. Our team is comprised of an incredible group of compassionate, knowledgeable, dedicated individuals, motivated to make a difference. We come from scientific, government, private, and nonprofit backgrounds. We are thought leaders, problem solvers, and doers, all working to deliver transformational change in this decisive decade.”
Senior Scientist at Arca | Vancouver, British Columbia (Hybrid)
“At Arca, we pull carbon dioxide from the air and store it permanently as rock. To do this at scale, we partner with the minerals industry to implement our technology at mines. These are the same mines that are producing the minerals necessary for the transition to a clean energy future. Arca’s founders are leaders in the field of carbon capture in mine tailings with more than 20 years of experience in innovation and research.”
Open Positions at Planatery:
“Planetary is on a mission to fight climate change by helping the ocean remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”
🎙️PODCASTS
Could Biomass Materials Science Create Regenerative Supply Chains?—w/ Wendy Owens, CEO & Founder of Hexas Biomass | Reversing Climate Change
“Imagine a biomass substance that reduces our reliance on petroleum and deforestation for physical products. This is the vision of Hexas Biomass, a company that is developing new raw materials from sustainable sources. Their flagship product, XanoFiber, has been bred to possibly be(!) a #carbonnegative fiber that can be used to create a wide range of products, from clothing to building materials.
In this week's episode, Wendy Owens, CEO and Founder of Hexas Biomass, discusses the challenges and opportunities of integrating new raw materials into the existing supply chain. She introduces XanoFiber and its potential to revolutionize the way we produce and consume goods and materials.
Owens highlights the importance of using marginal lands for biomass production, which can help to avoid competition with farming. She also discusses why we still use trees for low-value commodity products, the potential of XanoGrass to outcompete tree farms, the gradual transition to a bioeconomy, and why we need to make use of the trillion dollars worth of manufacturing infrastructure that already exists.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in learning more about the future of sustainable materials—enjoy!”
Cement That Won’t Sink Us | Everybody in the Pool
“This week on Everybody in the Pool, sometimes you just need to know that people are out there working on solving hard problems—like cement, which has roughly the same global CO2 emissions as … well, cars. It’s a big problem, it’s basically been made for the same way for 150 years, and it’s the single most-consumed human-made material on earth. So a few years ago, Cody Finke, a chemist, was looking for an impactful company to start in the climate space that wasn’t getting a ton of attention. Turns out, it’s cement. Fast forward to today and they’ve got a process for making carbon negative cement that’s exactly the same as what we use today. PHEW, right?”
ExxonMobil targets carbon-removal business growth, core competencies to drive green focus | ICIS
“ExxonMobil Europe president Philippe Ducom sat down with ICIS chief news correspondent Tom Brown to discuss the US-based oil and gas major’s approach to its decarbonisation drive, and the global path to net zero.
- Company emissions-reduction priorities are based on existing competencies such as geological infrastructure and transport knowledge, to feed a drive towards developing as a carbon-removal business.
- European competitiveness in the petrochemicals industry is being challenged where much of the net zero transition work needs to happen.
- Policymakers should focus on a simple, market-based, technology-neutral approach to regulation.
-Green Deal has added to the complexity of operating in Europe, compliance weighs heavily on SMEs.
-ExxonMobil has earmarked $17bn on lower-emission investments globally 2022-2027.
-Policy support, technological advances and market-driven solutions are all necessary for the success of energy transition, driven by collaboration across companies, governments, universities etc.
-Permitting reforms necessary in Europe to drive development of infrastructure and capacity.
-Europe has a “far more prescriptive and punitive” policy approach than the US, as the Inflation Reduction Act is a more pragmatic, incentive-driven approach for companies to deploy a range of low-carbon projects and technologies.
-Crucial that the EU does not bring more regulations for picking winners, which will restrict competition and exclude technologies.
-ExxonMobil’s sustainability plans require a stable, sustainable investment environment.”
Building the MRV Tech of the Future | Carbon Removal Newsroom
“Carbon removal credits need to be much more trustworthy than carbon offsets are today in order to scale-up CDR.
On last week’s show, we covered the news that the voluntary carbon markets have shrunk this year. After many carbon offset projects have come under scrutiny, corporate buyers have grown more hesitant.
To prove that carbon removal is worth investing in and better than the status quo, project developers and sellers of credits will need to be able to prove that a credit sold actually means CO2 was removed from the air.
It’s one thing to do that in a lab when the technique is being developed in a lab. It’s another to do it at scale, in the field, in real-world conditions.
The tools available today won’t be enough to create market-wide trust. What software, MRV, and accounting technologies are being built today, that will manage the carbon markets of the future?
Dr. Anna Lehner at Carbonfuture is one of the people trying to answer this question. Today, we’re talking to Anna about how a wide range of CDR methodologies can be measured, quantified, certified, and sold to make it easy for buyers, all while creating more trust in the market.”
🎥YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Oxy CEO Hollub on Oil Price, Production, Carbon Capture | Bloomberg Television
“Oxy President and CEO Vicki Hollub discusses the outlook for oil prices, energy production, and Amazon.com's carbon removal investment in a project operated by her firm on "Bloomberg Markets.”
Patio Drummond: Building Success with CarbiCrete | CarbiCrete
“Philippe Girardin, Co-Owner of Patio Drummond, describes the process of integrating CarbiCrete technology to produce cement-free concrete at his plant in Drummondville, Quebec.”
A Look Back at the Inaugural Carbon Removal Challenge | OpenAir
“The OpenAir Carbon Removal Challenge is a worldwide challenge for students to create new processes, approaches and prototypes to remove carbon from the land, waters, or air.”
Carbon removal represents "this generation's moon landing," says Liam Young in exclusive video | Dezeen
“In this exclusive video for Dezeen, filmmaker and architect Liam Young showcases his latest exhibition, Planetary Redesign, which explores solutions for climate change.”
NETL’s Direct Air Capture Center | National Energy Technology Laboratory
This Is CDR Ep. 83:Eve Tamme on Paris Agreement Article 6 Markets and Implications for CDR. | OpenAir
“In this episode Megha and Toby welcome climate policy expert and Climate Principles Founder and Managing Director Eve Tamme to discuss the ongoing deliberations on carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and their critical implications for the future of CDR."
Communicating Trust and Integrity in Voluntary Carbon Markets | AirMiners
“How can we as a carbon removal industry communicate trust in among customers in voluntary carbon markets? Our panel for this AirMiners event will discuss those strategies to demonstrate carbon removal integrity, as the industry develops apace.”
Coccolithophores and diatoms resilient to ocean alkalinity enhancement: A glimpse of hope? | Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy
“While there are promising prospects for marine-based carbon removal approaches to effectuate substantial sequestration of carbon dioxide, there are also concerns about the potential ramifications of these approaches for sensitive ocean ecosystems. This webinar, held on September 14, 2023, featured two researchers who will summarize the results of their most recent study, which assesses the potential ecosystem impacts of using ocean alkalinity enhancement as an approach to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while mitigating ocean acidification. The study focuses on the potential impacts of ocean alkalinity enhancement on phytoplanktonic organisms. These organisms are chosen for study because they fuel ocean carbon uptake and pelagic productivity and are therefore critical to the balance of marine ecosystems."
Carbon Crowd: Epiphyte Build 1 Ep.3 - Sorbent Panel Completion | OpenAir
“In this our 3rd session, Team Epiphyte reports on the last two weeks of construction progress at UPenn, focusing on lessons learned and results from fully assembling the prototy'e sorbent panel, the central component containing the chemical material that will absorb and desorb carbon."
Taming the Wild West of Climate: Bringing Standards and Quality to the VCM | Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy
“The science is clear: in addition to large-scale emissions reduction, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the global community must remove 100 to 1,000 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to prevent the most severe, difficult-to-reverse impacts of climate change, including food and water insecurity, mass migration due to extreme weather and temperature, economic disruption, and ecological destruction. Unfortunately, the voluntary carbon market has a quality and quantity problem that has weakened credibility and limited much-needed growth of carbon removal."
CDR Webinar Series: The Terrestrial Pathway - Spotlight on Enhanced Weathering | Climate Vault
“As the only two webinar participants whose CDR projects utilize a terrestrial carbon removal approach called “enhanced weathering” (EW), Simon Manley (UNDO) and Tim Preisenhammer (Eion Carbon) get to dig into the current (and future) state of Terrestrial solutions with a more focused perspective on EW through the application of basalt and olivine.”
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