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Where to site direct air capture? - A global geospatial cost and performance analysis
Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a promising technology to combat climate change: DACCS systems remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere and store it permanently, thereby resulting in negative CO2 emissions and a decrease in the atmospheric CO2 concentration. The performance of DACCS systems depends on climate conditions, the price, availability, and greenhouse-gas-intensity of energy sources, and the proximity to CO2 storage sites. Therefore, operational costs and deployment potential of DACCS systems are highly location-specific.
Current literature includes studies that examine the effect of location-specific meteorology on the techno-economic performance of DAC technologies [1], [2], [3]. Notably, Terlouw et al. [3] have determined the geospatial performance of potential grid-connected DAC plants in Europe, considering climate conditions as well as the environmental and economic costs associated with the entire DACCS supply chain. The analyzed supply chain includes the capture step and its energy requirements, CO2 transportation and storage.
In this thesis, you will expand current geospatial models developed at ETH Zurich (among others the one by [3]) to a global scope, assessing additional environmental impact categories beyond climate change to identify potential environmental implications of large-scale DACCS deployment
[1] M. Sendi, M. Bui, N. Mac Dowell, and P. Fennell, “Geospatial analysis of regional climate impacts to accelerate cost-efficient direct air capture deployment,” One Earth, vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 1153–1164, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.09.003.
[2] J. F. Wiegner, A. Grimm, L. Weimann, and M. Gazzani, “Optimal Design and Operation of Solid Sorbent Direct Air Capture Processes at Varying Ambient Conditions,” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., vol. 61, no. 34, pp. 12649–12667, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c00681.
[3] T. Terlouw, D. Pokras, V. Becattini, and M. Mazzotti, “Assessment of Potential and Techno-Economic Performance of Solid Sorbent Direct Air Capture with CO2 Storage in Europe,” Environ. Sci. Technol., Jun. 2024, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10041.
Keywords: Direct Air Capture; DAC; DACCS; geospatial model; optimization
Not specified
In this work, you will:
• Review the available literature on the geospatial performance of direct air capture systems and familiarize yourself with the geospatial models developed at ETH Zurich (e.g. [3]).
• Gather global data on location-specific factors, including relative humidity, temperature, availability of energy sources (e.g., waste heat, grid electricity), carbon intensity, energy prices, and availability of CO2 storage sites. The geospatial model is then extended to a global scope using the collected data.
• Initialize a method to (optimally) design DAC systems based on location-specific factors and perform a global geo-spatial analysis.
• If time allows, identify and analyze additional location-specific constraints on large-scale DACCS deployment (i.e., water scarcity, land use) using a life-cycle assessment approach.
o Integrate these additional constraints into the extended geospatial model to provide a more holistic view of deployment potentials.
In this work, you will: • Review the available literature on the geospatial performance of direct air capture systems and familiarize yourself with the geospatial models developed at ETH Zurich (e.g. [3]). • Gather global data on location-specific factors, including relative humidity, temperature, availability of energy sources (e.g., waste heat, grid electricity), carbon intensity, energy prices, and availability of CO2 storage sites. The geospatial model is then extended to a global scope using the collected data. • Initialize a method to (optimally) design DAC systems based on location-specific factors and perform a global geo-spatial analysis. • If time allows, identify and analyze additional location-specific constraints on large-scale DACCS deployment (i.e., water scarcity, land use) using a life-cycle assessment approach. o Integrate these additional constraints into the extended geospatial model to provide a more holistic view of deployment potentials.
20240725_MScThesis_Proposal_global_geospatial_model.docx
