Subproject 2: Exploring Carbon Dioxid Removal (CDR) & Negative Emission Technologies in Transforming Energy Landscapes
The IPPC's Sixth Assessment Report highlights the importance of removing CO2 from the atmosphere to meet the Paris climate goals. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is considered "unavoidable", mainly due to residual emissions.
At the same time, it highlights that there are substantial uncertainties about the potential development prospects, extraction potential and side effects of the various extraction methods. It is similarly unclear how they should be assessed in terms of their social and legal implications. Accordingly, relying on CDR's prospects could entail several risks. Unforeseen political, economic and technical developments may result in an overestimation of their abatement potential, the emergence of unwanted lock-in effects or a harmful competition for land or renewable energy.
At the UFZ, we are investigating the potential integration of various CDR approaches into existing energy landscapes, with a particular focus on the avoidance of any adverse effects resulting from competition for land and renewable energy. As part of the Helmholtz Community, we are in a distinctive position to evaluate these questions in a comprehensive manner by integrating the insights of diverse scientific disciplines. Accordingly, our research encompasses an examination of the scientific, technical, social, economic, and legal aspects pertaining to the development of a range of CDR approaches.
Four ongoing research activities and projects merit particular mention.
- Our efforts to develop comprehensive assessment frameworks of carbon dioxide removal options for Germany (e.g. Borchers/Förster/Thrän et al. Earth Future (2024)
Link: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003986 - Our aim to establish a “Comprehensive Approach to Harnessing the Innovation Potential of Direct Air Capture and Storage for Reaching CO2-Neutrality” (DACStorE)
Link: https://www.dacstore-project.com/de - Our investigations regarding a “Multi-stage assessment of biobased negative emission technologies (BioNet)”
Link: https://cdrterra.de/en/consortia/bionet - Our endeavor to improve the knowledge base on benefits and costs of land use-based CDR measures and respective policy instruments for the adequate “Governance of multiscale heterogeneities to activate natural carbon sink potentials (GONASIP)”
Link: https://cdrterra.de/en/consortia/gonasip