In this Sustainable Energy Seminar, Prof. Rob Anex, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, will discuss the potential for carbon dioxide removal (CDR), particularly novel technologies such as direct air capture with carbon storage, to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases that drive climate change.
Abstract:
In the most recent IPCC assessment all pathways that limit warming to 1.5C or 2C involve substantial levels of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) between 2020 and 2100. The amounts of CDR required in over this time period along these pathways is staggering – ranging from 450 to 1,100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2) – which is in addition to deep reductions in emissions. By 2050 the amount of CDR required grows to 4.8 GtCO2 per year. This talk will describe the forms of CDR, what is possible with conventional CDR (e.g., planting trees) and the promise of ‘novel’ CDR. A novel CDR technology that is being developed at UW-Madison will be described and compared with other forms of CDR.