Dynamics of bio-based carbon dioxide removal in Germany

Abstract

Bio-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) encompasses a wide range of (i) natural sink enhancement concepts in agriculture and on organic soils including peatlands, and in forestry, (ii) bio-based building materials, and (iii) bioenergy production with CO2 capture and storage (BECCS), which are also expected to contribute to the German climate neutrality target. While the concepts vary in CO2 removal dynamics, long-term CO2 removal potential, in specific costs and many other factors, a common database is crucial to compare and discuss the different options. To cover this gap, we provide standardised factsheets with many aspects from economics, resource base and environmental impacts to social and political implications. When comparing those concepts, we find different dynamics of their development until 2045: For CO2 removal rates from the atmosphere, natural sink enhancement concepts are characterised by gradually increasing rates, followed by a saturation and potentially a decrease after few decades; forest-related measures ramp up slowly and for construction projects and bioenergy plants, annually constant removal rates are assumed during operation which drop to zero afterwards. The natural sink enhancement concepts and some long-lived materials could be deployed immediately, whilst BECCS and ramping up construction materials still face legal and political barriers. The expenses for removing 1 t CO2 from the atmosphere were found to be between 8 and 520 € t CO2-1. All concepts investigated could theoretically be scaled up to remove over 1 million tons of CO2 during 25 years, suggesting they can become part of a portfolio of CDR measures.

Let Us Get Regional: Exploring Prospects for Biomass-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal on the Ground

“…Trust related to CDR [56,66,67] Table 2. Overview of bioCDR method groups (for detailed information on the CDR methods, see [68]).…”