Making Sense of Techno-Economic Assessment & Life Cycle Assessment Studies for CO2 Utilization: A guide on how to commission, understand, and derive decisions from TEA and LCA studies

Abstract

global-co2-initiative-at-the-university-of-michigan-publishesvaluable-toolkit-to-assess-co2-utilization-technology/. 2 In the text we also refer to this document as "TEA and LCA Guidelines v.1", to differentiate it from the next versions currently under preparation (i.e., v.1.1).

Adapting the Technology Performance Level Integrated Assessment Framework to Low-TRL Technologies Within the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Industry, Part I

“…In the CCUS context, the functional unit is usually (1) per unit mass of product (e.g., 1 ton CO 2 for capture-only systems or 1 ton CO 2 sequestered for capture and storage systems) or (2) per unit product (e.g., 1 bracelet or 1 bottle or 1 chair for capture and utilization systems). Additional information and recommendations for how to select the appropriate functional unit for CCUS technologies can be found in Cremonese et al (2020). The functional unit can also be based on energy content, mass, quantification of the energy or technical service, and/or satisfaction of the energy demand (Cremonese et al, 2020), as appropriate.…”

“…Additional information and recommendations for how to select the appropriate functional unit for CCUS technologies can be found in Cremonese et al (2020). The functional unit can also be based on energy content, mass, quantification of the energy or technical service, and/or satisfaction of the energy demand (Cremonese et al, 2020), as appropriate.…”

“…Recent work (as submitted) by Dr. Arno Zimmermann and team examines early-stage technology assessment and outlines the challenges in the interplay of LCA, TEA, and TRL, and presents best practices for assessing early-stage CCUS technologies. TRL has important implications for LCA and TEA for CCUS technologies, as it affects the availability and quality of the inventory data, data and assessment uncertainties, and technology development timelines (Buchner et al, 2019;Cremonese et al, 2020;Wunderlich et al, 2021). Zimmermann et al (2020) provide an adaptation of these international TRL definitions to the chemical and process industries and discuss common challenges in identifying technology maturity of CCUS systems.…”

Spiers Memorial Lecture: CO2 utilization: why, why now, and how?

“…[125][126][127][128][129] Building on these and other efforts, further work is underway to harmonize guidance for CDU assessments 130 and provide guidance for decision makers. 131,132 Fig. 8 The assessed CO 2 footprint of methanol production from CO 2 strongly depends on the technologies used and the details of the assessment methods.…”

Life-Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Early-Stage Carbon Capture and Utilization Technologies—A Discussion of Current Challenges and Best Practices

“…Conducting a systematic and consistent assessment helps researchers, engineers, managers, and funders to identify key performance indicators, compare technologies in development to incumbent technologies, understand the feasibility potential, and finally make and monitor decisions that reduce environmental impacts and improve performance; systematic and consistent assessments help to focus time and resources on the most promising pathways (Kleinekorte et al, 2020;Zimmermann et al, 2020). Such assessments provide strategic arguments for academic papers, project proposals, and reports and enable stage-gate evaluations for industrial technology development and deployment processes (Wender et al, 2014;Cremonese et al, 2020). Conducting technology assessments is especially crucial at the early stages of a technology when decisions tend to have substantial implications.…”