Double Yields and Negative Emissions? Resource, Climate and Cost Efficiencies in Biofuels With Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilization

As fossil-reliant industries turn to sustainable biomass for energy and material supply, the competition biogenic carbon is expected intensify. Using process level balance models, this paper shows how capture of residual CO 2 in conjunction with either permanent storage (CCS) or biofuel production (CCU) benefits fourteen largely residue-based pathways. With a few noteworthy exceptions, most pathways have low utilization efficiencies (30–40%) without CCS/U. CCS can double these numbers deliver negative emission biofuels GHG footprints below −50 g eq./MJ several Compared no revenue from sequestration, CCU offer same efficiency gains at roughly two-third cost (e.g., 99 EUR/MWh vs. 162 EUR/MWh) but reduction relative fossil fuels significantly smaller (18 −99 eq./MJ). From combined carbon, climate perspective, although commercial cheapest biofuels, it emerging that provide large-scale carbon-efficient reductions. There thus some tension between alternatives are societally best those economically interesting investors. Biofuel vent both concentrated dilute streams Capturing provides environomic outcomes. Existing low-cost reductions generate relatively small quantities unlikely be able finance transport infrastructure required transformative bio-CCS deployment. accordingly important tools simultaneously reducing wastage emissions, unlock their full cost-effective manner, technology based on gasification hydrotreatment forest residues need commercially deployed imminently.