To achieve goals for climate and economic growth, “negative emissions technologies” (NETs) that remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the air will need to play a significant role in mitigating climate change. Unlike carbon capture and storage technologies that remove carbon dioxide emissions directly from large point sources such as coal power plants, NETs remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or enhance natural carbon sinks. Storing the carbon dioxide from NETs has the same impact on the atmosphere and climate as simultaneously preventing an equal amount of carbon dioxide from being emitted. Recent analyses found that deploying NETs may be less expensive and less disruptive than reducing some emissions, such as a substantial portion of agricultural and land-use emissions and some transportation emissions. In 2015, the National Academies published Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration, which described and initially assessed NETs and sequestration technologies. This report acknowledged the relative paucity of research on NETs and recommended development of a research agenda that covers all aspects of NETs from fundamental science to full-scale deployment. To address this need, Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda assesses the benefits, risks, and “sustainable scale potential” for NETs and sequestration. This report also defines the essential components of a research and development program, including its estimated costs and potential impact.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPING A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL AND RELIABLE SEQUESTRATION
• BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Summary
  • MITIGATION IN A NET ZERO EMISSIONS SYSTEM
  • TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERED
  • CARBON REMOVAL POTENTIAL AND NEED
  • FACTORS AFFECTING SCALE UP
  • PROPOSED RESEARCH AGENDA
  • CONCLUDING REMARKS
• 1. Introduction
  • OVERVIEW
  • BACKGROUND ON THE CARBON CYCLE AND CARBON SINKS
  • ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
  • NEGATIVE EMISSIONS TECHNOLOGIES
• 2. Coastal Blue Carbon
  • INTRODUCTION
  • COASTAL BLUE CARBON PROCESSES
  • COASTAL BLUE CARBON IN THE FUTURE—THE IMPACTS OF CHANGING ECOSYSTEM DRIVERS
  • APPROACHES FOR COASTAL BLUE CARBON
  • IMPACT POTENTIAL
  • SECONDARY IMPACTS
  • ESTIMATED COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING COASTAL BLUE CARBON
  • RESEARCH AGENDA
  • SUMMARY
• 3. Terrestrial Carbon Removal and Sequestration
  • INTRODUCTION
  • APPROACHES FOR TERRESTRIAL SEQUESTRATION
  • IMPACT POTENTIAL
  • ESTIMATED COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING TERRESTRIAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION AT SCALE
  • SECONDARY IMPACTS
  • RESEARCH AGENDA
  • SUMMARY
• 4. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Sequestration
  • INTRODUCTION
  • BACKGROUND
  • COMMERCIAL STATUS
  • IMPACT POTENTIAL
  • ESTIMATED COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING BECCS
  • SECONDARY IMPACTS
  • RESEARCH AGENDA
  • SUMMARY
• 5. Direct Air Capture
  • INTRODUCTION
  • BACKGROUND
  • ANALYSIS: ENERGETICS, CARBON FOOTPRINTS, AND COSTS
  • IMPACT POTENTIAL
  • SECONDARY IMPACTS
  • RESEARCH AGENDA
• 6. Carbon Mineralization of CO₂
  • INTRODUCTION
  • CARBON MINERALIZATION KINETICS
  • EX SITU CARBON MINERALIZATION
  • ENHANCED CARBONATION OF ULTRAMAFIC MINE TAILINGS AND SEDIMENTS
  • IN SITU CARBON MINERALIZATION
  • IMPACT POTENTIAL
  • SUMMARY: COST AND CAPACITY OF CARBON MINERALIZATION METHODS
  • RECOMMENDED RESEARCH AGENDA
• 7. Sequestration of Supercritical CO₂ in Deep Sedimentary Geological Formations
  • INTRODUCTION
  • BACKGROUND: REQUIREMENTS FOR SECURE AND RELIABLE SEQUESTRATION
  • EXPERIENCE WITH SEQUESTRATION IN DEEP SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
  • IMPACT POTENTIAL
  • COST OF SEQUESTRATION IN DEEP SEDIMENTARY BASINS
  • REGULATIONS, BEST PRACTICES, AND STANDARDS
  • RESEARCH AGENDA
  • SUMMARY
• 8. Synthesis
  • CO₂ IMPACTS
  • FACTORS AFFECTING SCALE UP
  • PROPOSED RESEARCH AGENDA
  • RESEARCH BUDGET SUMMARY
  • CONCLUSION
• Glossary
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• References
• APPENDIX A. Committee Bios
• APPENDIX B. Disclosure of Conflict of Interest
• APPENDIX C. Coastal Blue Carbon: Macroalgae
• APPENDIX D. CO₂ Flux Calculation
• APPENDIX E. Carbon Mineralization
• APPENDIX F. Geologic Storage

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25259.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018965363

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25259

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