Scientists say carbon recycling technologies are waste of time

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Carbon recycling technologies are a waste of time, according to new research.

Most are not compatible with the Paris Agreement, both in the long and short term, suggests the study.

The review calls into question their viability and suggests focusing on using non-fossil CO2 - and storing the greenhouse gas permanently.

Lead author Kiane de Kleijne, a PhD student at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, said: "If a technology is not going to reduce emissions by a lot and it is still very far away from commercialization, then maybe it is better to redirect funding to technologies that do have the potential of really drastically reducing emissions."

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) has been touted as a way to combat the climate crisis.

The process involves harnessing the gas from emissions from power plants or industry for repurposing.

It is converted into ma new product - like the fuel methanol - using electricity, heat, or catalysts.

Ms. de Kleijne said: "It sounds really good, right? "It's taking problematic waste and turning it into a valuable product.

"But we assessed and harmonized many previous studies on CCU, and this showed us that CCU doesn't consistently reduce emissions."

For a technology to be compatible with the Paris Agreement, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change) says must halve CO2 emissions by 2030 and reach zero by 2050.

Of the 74 CCU routes reviewed, 8 met the 2030 target and just 4 the 2050 one.

Ms. de Kleijne and colleagues evaluated CCU's maturity - how close the technology is to being ready for widespread use - and found they are still very far away.

Further analysis showed in the case of many are highly energy intensive, the final step to create something like methanol also generates emissions.

Ms. de Kleijne said: "In many cases they don't really reduce emissions compared to the conventional product, so that is problematic."

The potential might divert attention from more effective options like carbon capture and permanent storage and reducing consumption, warn the researchers.

But they identified a few low-emission CCU systems that store carbon long-term and Ms. de Kleijne described as "promising."

For example, the carbonization of steel slag to create construction materials can sequester large amounts of carbon which would remain stored indefinitely.

In addition, if captured directly from the atmosphere or after combustion of biomass which has sequestered the gas through photosynthesis, it can lower concentrations of CO2.

Ms. de Kleijne added: "We would love to be able to extend our analysis a bit further, because now we have done this assessment for CCU and it is not looking great.

"But it would be good to be able to compare it to other alternatives to replacing fossil fuel-based products or services."

The study is in the journal One Earth.