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The need for and path to harmonized life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment for carbon dioxide capture and utilization

CSS Publication Number
CSS19-47
Abstract

The use of carbon dioxide as a feedstock for a broad range of products can help mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing atmospheric CO2 levels through long-term removal of carbon (e.g. concrete) or as part of a circular carbon economy (e.g. fuels). Research on capture and conversion technologies has intensified in recent years and the interest in deploying these technologies is growing fast. However, a sound understanding of the environmental and economic impact of these technologies is required to drive fast deployment and avoid unintended consequences. Life cycle assessments and techno-economic assessments are useful tools to quantify environmental and economic metrics; however, these tools can be very flexible in how they are applied, with the potential to produce significantly different results depending on how the boundaries and assumptions are defined. Built on ISO standards for generic life cycle assessments, several guidance documents have emerged recently from the Global CO2 Initiative, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that further define assessment specifications for carbon capture and utilization. This paper discusses efforts to harmonize these guidelines. Overall agreement in the approaches is noted with differences largely based on the intended use cases. Key requirements and needs for further guidance are identified, especially for assessments of early stage technologies, reporting details, and guidance for policymakers and non-technical decision makers.

Co-Author(s)
Alexandra Eggleston
Arne Kätelhön
Arno Zimmermann
Barbara Olfe-Kräutlein
Gregory Cooney
Gregory Hackett
John Marano
Joseph Marriott
Joshua Schaidle
Katy Armstrong
Ling Tao
Lorenzo Cremonese
Lorraine Smith
Louise Kjellerup Roper
Michele Mutchek
Peter Styring
Simon Völker
Stephen McCord
Till Strunge
Timothy Skone
Research Areas
Framework, Methods & Tools
Food Systems and Consumer Products
Consumer Products & Packaging
Keywords

carbon dioxide capture, carbon recycling, greenhouse gas mitigation, life cycle assessment, techno-economic assessment, utilization and storage

Publication Type
Journal Article
Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1002/ente.201901034
Full Citation

Sick, Volker, Katy Armstrong, Gregory Cooney, Lorenzo Cremonese, Alexandra Eggleston, Grant Faber, Gregory Hackett, Arne Kätelhön, Greg Keoleian, John Marano, Joseph Marriott, Dr. Stephen McCord, Shelie A Miller, Michele Mutchek, Barbara Olfe-Kräutlein, Dr. Dwarakanath Ravikumar, Louise Kjellerup Roper, Joshua Schaidle, Timothy Skone, Lorraine Smith, Till Strunge, Prof. Dr. Peter Styring, Ling Tao, Simon Völker, and Arno Zimmermann. (Accepted Oct 2019) “The need for and path to harmonized life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment for carbon dioxide capture and utilization.” Energy Technology 1901034. Volume 8, Issue 11