California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Authors: Tracey Woodruff

Contractor: San Jose State University

Contract Number: 19RD017

Project Status: Completed

Relevant CARB Programs: Climate Change

Topic Areas: Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory Program, Carbon Sequestration

Research Summary:

The continued rise in anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration have led to calls from experts, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for drastic measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. IPCC has estimated that global warming needs to be limited to 1.5 ºC above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst effects of climate change, and that carbon neutrality would need to be achieved globally by 2050 to meet this target. Achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century will rely on the successful implementation and widespread adoption of technologies for reducing emissions from large point sources of CO2, direct CO2 capture from the air, as well as storage and utilization technologies that would convert CO2 to a form that would ensure safety and permanency of storage.

The objective of this project is to review the literature to identify innovative technologies and remaining research gaps that need to be addressed to remove GHG emissions from the atmosphere. Emerging and shovel-ready technologies will be assessed for viability, particularly those that fall under the categories of direct air capture, biomass energy carbon capture and sequestration, carbon dioxide sequestration in commercial materials, and geologic sequestration in offshore or non-traditional reservoirs, such as basalts.

Keywords: carbon dioxide (CO2), emissions, greenhouse gas (GHG), climate change, carbon, carbon sequestration