The future of low emission technologies (LETs)

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

One of the most viable and cost-effective negative emissions technologies is BECCS, which produces usable energy while removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

BECCS uses biomass – including residue/waste, such as sugar cane waste; and bioenergy crops such as fast-growing trees from sustainably managed forests – as an energy source. It then captures and stores the CO₂ produced during the conversion of the biomass into energy. The bioenergy crops help store carbon in the soil and in their biomass.

BECCS produces negative emissions when the CO₂ stored is more than that emitted during the production of biomass and its transport and conversion into energy.

BECCS is a proven technology and there are now five facilities globally that are using BECCS technology. Together they are capturing around 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year.[1]

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

Put simply, DAC removes carbon from the air.

The low emission technology uses an air contactor, which is similar to an industrial cooling tower, to pull in atmospheric air. The air then passes through a filter with a chemical solution, such as potassium hydroxide, that binds with the CO₂ and removes it from the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide can then be captured and stored or used in industrial processes.

At the moment, 15 plants around the world are capturing more than 9,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year[bp1] .[2] In the US, one capture plant is being developed that would remove one million tonnes of CO₂ per year.