Geoengineering Flashcards
Why will carbon removal technologies still be needed in the future?
There always will be emitting of CO2 for some activities like heavy industry. So to become net zero GHG emissions, negative emissions technologies are necessary.
What are two main types of deliberate geoengineering to cool the planet?
- NET’s: removing carbon from the atmosphere or preventing from reaching it
- Altering the temperature of the planet to try to cool it down at the local to global scale
What are some examples of geoengineering?
- Spraying sea salt into low clouds to increase reflectivity of sunlight
- Increasing the population of carbon-absorbing fytoplankton = ocean iron fertilisation (NET)
- Thinning high clouds for retaining (capturing) heat
- Afforestation (NET)
- Pumping aerosols into atmosphere for increased reflectivity
- Increased reflectivity from deserts using highly reflective materials
- Using biomass for energy and capturing the CO2 (NET)
- DAC and storage (NET)
What’s the difference between net zero and carbon negative?
Carbon neutrality, or “net zero,” means that any CO2 released into the atmosphere from human activity is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed. Becoming carbon negative requires a company, sector or country to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than it emits.
Right now the size of the input is much larger than the removal of carbon. Option 1 is to capture the carbon before it’s put in to the atmosphere. Option 2 is to make the removal of carbon bigger. It’s like bath where the size of the faucet (kraan) is bigger than the drain.
What are two main sources of carbon?
- Combustion of fossil fuels
- Deforestation
What is biochar?
Biological charcoal (houtskool) is formed due to pyrolysis (droge destillatie = zonder zuurstof) of biomass and can be stored or used
What’s in general the best technique to capture CO?
- Removing carbon using technology like artificial trees (AP) or chemicals that react with CO2 and turn it into a product that can be stored (mineralisation).
- Even better => Remove the carbon and turn it into a useful product like trees or fuel, or sequester it in the soil or ecosystems where it’s a fertilizer.
How is CO2 used for oil recovery?
This process of injecting CO2 into existing oil fields is a well-known “enhanced oil recovery” (EOR) technique: the addition of CO2 increases the overall pressure of an oil reservoir, forcing the oil towards production wells.
In what way could CCUS be ineffective?
Petra Nova near Houston captures just over 1/3 of the carbon from 1 of 4 coal-fired units at the W.A. Parish Plant. A natural gas-fired unit had to be built specifically to power its carbon capture: which produces more carbon.
The carbon capture technology cost over $1 billion. Because the CO2 is used to
enhance oil recovery in the West Ranch oil field, it could increase net carbon emissions.
What’s blue carbon?
Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. So you could farm blue carbon by farming for example kelp in the ocean.
How does BECCS works?
Bio energy with carbon capture and storage. Biomass absorbs CO2. Biomass is used for producing electricty, heat or fuel. CO2 is captured and stored. Extra DAC powered by low carbon energy (solar, wind) can reduce CO2 emissions further.
In what ways can agriculture increase/maintain the capture of CO2?
- Protection of exisiting forests, wetlands and grasslands
- Managing timberlands, croplands and grazing lands better
- Restoring forests and wetlands
What is the forgotten climate solution?
Nature itself, is 37% of the solution but less than 1% of the conversation
What does SRM stands for?
Solar radiation management
What sorts of SRM exists?
- Local, surface, small scale: white roofs, reflective ground cover
- Tropospheric: marine cloud brightening
- Stratospheric: mimic effect of volcanic eruption with aerosols
- Space-based: mirrors in space to reflect solar radiation
