Life cycle assessments(LCAs)of early-stage technologies can provide valuable insights about key drivers of emissions and aid in prioritizing research into further emissions-reduction opportunities.Despite this potenti...Life cycle assessments(LCAs)of early-stage technologies can provide valuable insights about key drivers of emissions and aid in prioritizing research into further emissions-reduction opportunities.Despite this potential value,further development of LCA methods is required to handle the increased uncertainty,data gaps,and confidentially of early-stage data.This study presents a discussion of the life cycle carbon footprinting of technologies competing in the final round of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition-a US$20 million competition for teams to demonstrate the conversion of CO_(2) into valuable products at the scale of a small industrial pilot using consistent deployment conditions,boundaries,and methodological assumptions.This competition allowed the exploration of how LCA can be used and further improved when assessing disparate and early-stage technologies.Carbon intensity estimates are presented for two conversion pathways:(i)CO_(2) mineralization and(ii)catalytic conversion(including thermochemical,electrochemical,photocatalytic and hybrid process)of CO_(2),aggregated across teams to highlight the range of emissions intensities demonstrated at the pilot for individual life cycle stages.A future scenario is also presented,demonstrating the incremental technology and deployment conditions that would enable a team to become carbon-avoiding relative to an incumbent process(i.e.reducing emissions relative to a reference pathway producing a comparable product).By considering the assessment process across a diverse set of teams,conversion pathways and products,the study presents generalized insights about opportunities and challenges facing carbon capture and-utilization technologies in their next phases of deployment from a life cycle perspective.展开更多
Scoring the technologies in competition for the NRG Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance Carbon XPRIZE required an economic evaluation to estimate the value created through the conversion of CO_(2) emissions into p...Scoring the technologies in competition for the NRG Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance Carbon XPRIZE required an economic evaluation to estimate the value created through the conversion of CO_(2) emissions into products.Across all of the Teams participating in the competition,58 different materials were consumed and produced.Standardized prices and market sizes needed to be established for each of these materials to ensure a consistent evaluation across all Teams.The Standards Data Set(SDS)was created as a standardized database of economic data used in the competition.The rationale for the SDS project and the methodology for researching each material is described.Ultimately,credible material definitions using the SDS methodology were created for all materials,and some research and methodological customization were required for materials that did not have credible,publicly available market data.The methodologies for establishing credible values and market sizes for concrete,concrete admixtures and syngas are highlighted as examples of materials whose value and markets are not easily defined.展开更多
In response to the biggest threat facing humanity-fighting climate change and rebalancing Earth’s carbon cycle-XPRIZE Carbon Removal is a 4-year global competition that invites innovators and teams from anywhere on t...In response to the biggest threat facing humanity-fighting climate change and rebalancing Earth’s carbon cycle-XPRIZE Carbon Removal is a 4-year global competition that invites innovators and teams from anywhere on the planet to create and demonstrate solutions that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans,and sequester it durably and sustainably.展开更多
Over the past 6 years,we have witnessed dramatic changes in the way in which carbon management is perceived.Not only is carbon management now discussed as part of the spectrum of climate solutions and decarbonization ...Over the past 6 years,we have witnessed dramatic changes in the way in which carbon management is perceived.Not only is carbon management now discussed as part of the spectrum of climate solutions and decarbonization pathways,but CO_(2) conversion into materials-also known as‘carbontech’-and the related solution spaces of CO_(2) removal,geo-logic sequestration and natural carbon sinks are now viewed as part of a continuum of carbon-management approaches[1-3].The success of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE over that time has helped to drive this change in perception in part by stimulating technology innovation and tangible technology demonstrations.展开更多
基金Funding for the study was provided by the XPRIZE Foundation.
文摘Life cycle assessments(LCAs)of early-stage technologies can provide valuable insights about key drivers of emissions and aid in prioritizing research into further emissions-reduction opportunities.Despite this potential value,further development of LCA methods is required to handle the increased uncertainty,data gaps,and confidentially of early-stage data.This study presents a discussion of the life cycle carbon footprinting of technologies competing in the final round of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition-a US$20 million competition for teams to demonstrate the conversion of CO_(2) into valuable products at the scale of a small industrial pilot using consistent deployment conditions,boundaries,and methodological assumptions.This competition allowed the exploration of how LCA can be used and further improved when assessing disparate and early-stage technologies.Carbon intensity estimates are presented for two conversion pathways:(i)CO_(2) mineralization and(ii)catalytic conversion(including thermochemical,electrochemical,photocatalytic and hybrid process)of CO_(2),aggregated across teams to highlight the range of emissions intensities demonstrated at the pilot for individual life cycle stages.A future scenario is also presented,demonstrating the incremental technology and deployment conditions that would enable a team to become carbon-avoiding relative to an incumbent process(i.e.reducing emissions relative to a reference pathway producing a comparable product).By considering the assessment process across a diverse set of teams,conversion pathways and products,the study presents generalized insights about opportunities and challenges facing carbon capture and-utilization technologies in their next phases of deployment from a life cycle perspective.
基金Funding for this project was provided by NRG and COSIA(Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance)through their sponsorship of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE.
文摘Scoring the technologies in competition for the NRG Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance Carbon XPRIZE required an economic evaluation to estimate the value created through the conversion of CO_(2) emissions into products.Across all of the Teams participating in the competition,58 different materials were consumed and produced.Standardized prices and market sizes needed to be established for each of these materials to ensure a consistent evaluation across all Teams.The Standards Data Set(SDS)was created as a standardized database of economic data used in the competition.The rationale for the SDS project and the methodology for researching each material is described.Ultimately,credible material definitions using the SDS methodology were created for all materials,and some research and methodological customization were required for materials that did not have credible,publicly available market data.The methodologies for establishing credible values and market sizes for concrete,concrete admixtures and syngas are highlighted as examples of materials whose value and markets are not easily defined.
文摘In response to the biggest threat facing humanity-fighting climate change and rebalancing Earth’s carbon cycle-XPRIZE Carbon Removal is a 4-year global competition that invites innovators and teams from anywhere on the planet to create and demonstrate solutions that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans,and sequester it durably and sustainably.
文摘Over the past 6 years,we have witnessed dramatic changes in the way in which carbon management is perceived.Not only is carbon management now discussed as part of the spectrum of climate solutions and decarbonization pathways,but CO_(2) conversion into materials-also known as‘carbontech’-and the related solution spaces of CO_(2) removal,geo-logic sequestration and natural carbon sinks are now viewed as part of a continuum of carbon-management approaches[1-3].The success of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE over that time has helped to drive this change in perception in part by stimulating technology innovation and tangible technology demonstrations.
