Global potential for biomass and carbon dioxide capture, transport and storage up to 2050

Biomass in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies is one of few options that makes an actual reduction of global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere possible and is likely to be required to meet low atmospheric concentration of CO2. This study shows the global potential for combining biomass with CCS technologies (bio-CCS) up to 2030 and 2050. The assessment includes six bio-CCS routes for the production of power and biofuels in combination with CCS. For these routes we have analysed the technical and economic potential. The results show the global technical potential for bio-CCS technologies is large and, if deployed, can result in negative greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) up to 10.4 Gt CO2 eq. on an annual basis in 2050. This is a large reduction potential compared to the global energy-related CO2 emissions which grew to 30.6 Gt CO2 in 2010. The economic potential reaches up to 3.5 Gt of negative GHG emissions when assuming a CO2 price of 50 (sic)/tonne. Next to quantitative estimates of these potentials in the form of global cost supply curves, we present recommendations to overcome possible barriers and enhance drivers to stimulate the deployment of bio-CCS technologies. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.