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A framework for environmental assessment of CO2 capture and storage systems

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  • Sathre, Roger
  • Chester, Mikhail
  • Cain, Jennifer
  • Masanet, Eric

Abstract

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is increasingly seen as a way for society to enjoy the benefits of fossil fuel energy sources while avoiding the climate disruption associated with fossil CO2 emissions. A decision to deploy CCS technology at scale should be based on robust information on its overall costs and benefits. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a framework for holistic assessment of the energy and environmental footprint of a system, and can provide crucial information to policy-makers, scientists, and engineers as they develop and deploy CCS systems. We identify seven key issues that should be considered to ensure that conclusions and recommendations from CCS LCA are robust: energy penalty, functional units, scale-up challenges, non-climate environmental impacts, uncertainty management, policy-making needs, and market effects. Several recent life-cycle studies have focused on detailed assessments of individual CCS technologies and applications. While such studies provide important data and information on technology performance, such case-specific data are inadequate to fully inform the decision making process. LCA should aim to describe the system-wide environmental implications of CCS deployment at scale, rather than a narrow analysis of technological performance of individual power plants.

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  • Sathre, Roger & Chester, Mikhail & Cain, Jennifer & Masanet, Eric, 2012. "A framework for environmental assessment of CO2 capture and storage systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 540-548.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:37:y:2012:i:1:p:540-548
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2011.10.050
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    4. Tamaki, Tetsuya & Nozawa, Wataru & Managi, Shunsuke, 2017. "Evaluation of the ocean ecosystem: climate change modelling with backstop technology," MPRA Paper 80549, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. John Michael Humphries Choptiany & Ron Pelot & Kate Sherren, 2014. "An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Carbon Capture and Storage Assessment Methods," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(3), pages 445-458, May.
    6. Tamaki, Tetsuya & Nozawa, Wataru & Managi, Shunsuke, 2017. "Evaluation of the ocean ecosystem: Climate change modelling with backstop technologies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 428-439.
    7. Fan, Xing & Wang, Yangle & Zhou, Yuan & Chen, Jingtan & Huang, Yanping & Wang, Junfeng, 2018. "Experimental study of supercritical CO2 leakage behavior from pressurized vessels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 342-350.
    8. Carlo Strazza & Adriana Del Borghi & Michela Gallo, 2013. "Development of Specific Rules for the Application of Life Cycle Assessment to Carbon Capture and Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-16, March.
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