We’ve created this “Evidence Hub” as a one stop shop for papers providing a thorough and unbiased examination of scientific evidence and research surrounding all aspects of the BECCS value chain.
It seeks to identify areas of consensus, controversy, and where information is insufficient to draw a robust conclusion. We will add papers to this area as they become available.
If you’re a researcher with an idea of a topic that you would like to explore for our evidence hub, contact us.
Evidence Hub documents
Do we need carbon removals?
The Paris Agreement sets out a goal to limit global warming to 2°C or less, which requires rapid and substantiative cuts to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Most scenarios for limiting global warming by 2050 require some degree of carbon removals, through engineered solutions, afforestation and land use change, or a combination of them all.
Report by Dr Alicia Newton, Senior Scientific Officer, Drax
How do greenhouse gas emissions influence climate?
This synthesis reviews how human activities have altered the carbon cycle, and how the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and non-carbon greenhouse gases (GHGs) have affected the Earth’s climate. We also assess the impacts of current and future emissions on climate stability and extreme weather.
Report by Dr Alicia Newton, Senior Scientific Officer, Drax
Evaluating global CDR uptake in modelled scenarios
This report synthesises and evaluates the outputs of climate mitigation scenarios from the IPCC, IEA, and other sources with the latest research on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies. It assesses the type, efficacy and potential of CDR techniques deployed in the scenarios as well as the magnitude of deployment, what drives the deployment and the potential benefits and risks of each approach. The report also explores the variance in estimates between studies and the assumptions that underpin those analyses.
Drax summary by Dr Gareth Johnson, Head of CCS Sustainability, Drax
Report by Dr Matthew Ives and Dr Steve Smith, University of Oxford
Comparative carbon footprint of uses of wood residues and low-grade roundwood
This report evaluates the climate impact of different end-uses of wood residues and low-grade roundwood (pulpwood) using lifecycle assessment (LCA).
It calculates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ‘forest gate’ to product end-of-life for bioenergy, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), biochar, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), pulp and paper, and oriented strand board (OSB, a type of wood panel). The assessment includes emissions from the production and use of the wood products and potential avoided emissions from substitution for non-wood product alternatives.
Drax summary by Dr Eilidh Forster, Head of Forest Carbon, Drax
Report by Dr Caroline Gaudreault, Anthesis
The comparative carbon benefit of bioenergy coupled with carbon capture and storage
This white paper documents the potential lifecycle carbon footprint of using low-grade roundwood, forestry residues and manufacturing residues for bioenergy coupled with carbon capture and storage (BECCS or “abated” electricity production), compared to alternative uses of this wood fibre. Other uses evaluated include pulp and paper, sustainable aviation fuel, biochar and wood panels.
The report concludes that BECCS is an important use of wood fibre for delivering carbon benefits, outperforming most other uses evaluated. Lifecycle assessment (used in this report) offers a holistic, internationally recognised methodological approach to evaluating carbon (and other environmental) impact. Considering the opportunity BECCS provides for permanent carbon removals, the simple cascading principle for wood-use (as interpreted in REDIII) for determining the best use of wood fibre requires re-visiting.
Report by Dr Caroline Gaudreault, Anthesis
Geological storage of CO2
We’ve commissioned CSIC to provide a review of the current status of the geological storage of CO2. The report begins by outlining the fundamental options, storage site suitability, trapping mechanisms and stages of CO2 storage projects. It then looks in detail at the injectivity, leakage risks, permanence and security, monitoring, measurement and verification and non-technical risks such as public concerns, competition with other users (surface and subsurface) and transboundary issues. The report also provides two case studies outlining the subsurface monitoring approaches at Sleipner in Norway and Weyburn in Canada.
Drax summary by Dr Gareth Johnson, Head of CCS Sustainability, Drax
Report by Dr Juan Alcalde, Senior Scientist, Geosciences Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Transportation of CO2
We’ve commissioned CSIC to provide a review of CO2 transportation options and to summarise in particular the technical characteristics and readiness levels, costs, and safety considerations of each transport mode. The report also highlights a number of case studies of CO2 transportation including two pipeline systems (Cortez and Denbury), one proposed integrated shipping and pipeline network (Northern Lights) and a pipeline leakage event (Satartia, Mississippi).
Drax summary by Dr Gareth Johnson, Head of CCS Sustainability, Drax
Dr Juan Alcalde, Senior Scientist, Geosciences Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
