Negative Emissions Technologies

Catalog description

Large-scale deployment of negative emissions technologies (NET's) will be critical to minimize the worst impacts of climate change. NET's encompass technologies that can permanently sequester CO2 emissions, and specifically technologies that remove CO2 from earth systems such that the CO2 balance is net negative. This course covers fundamental technologies for carbon capture and sequestration, with a focus on integrated systems capable of achieving net-negative emissions - including bio-energy production with carbon capture and storage, and direct air capture coupled with geologic carbon sequestration or mineralization. We will integrate methods to assess emission balances and the sustainability of emerging technologies, including life cycle and techno-economic assessment, and the main course deliverable will be a guided sustainability assessment on an NET system. The goal of this course is to help students gain a broad understanding of NET pathways and learn to think critically about these complex systems, as well as the dual challenges of meeting demands for energy and CO2 emission reductions, through a lens of holistic sustainability.