Good BECCS and How It Can Be Used

Abstract

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is currently considered a poor choice in climate change mitigation. This is the result of a BECCS application that proposes the use of very large amounts of biomass to offset fossil fuel extraction. A better way to utilize BECCS is proposed. Agricultural waste in the form of crop residues and waste from industrial food production is shown to be a viable feed material for generating renewable energy. This incentivizes food production while also capturing and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Methods for incorporating agricultural waste into a renewable future are described. It’s proposed that agricultural waste should first be used to produce transportation fuels. After transportation has been moved to renewable electricity and other low carbon energy sources, BECCS can switch to electricity generation in support of wind and solar. A process for using BECCS to remove natural gas from ammonia production is also presented.