Brazzola et al. (2024): Utilizing CO2 as a strategy to scale up direct air capture may face fewer short-term barriers than directly storing CO2
Nicoletta Brazzola, Christian Moretti, Katrin Sievert, Anthony Patt, Johan Lilliestam IN: Environmental Research Letters, 19, 5, DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ad3b1f
The authors assess and compare two near-term pathways leading to the same installed DAC capacity and thus yielding the same cost reductions: its combination with CO2 storage as direct air carbon capture and storage, or its deployment for CO2 utilization as direct air carbon capture and utilization e.g. for synthetic fuels, chemicals, and materials; they characterize these as Direct and Spillover pathways. Drawing on the Multi-level Perspective on Technological Transition as a heuristic, they examine both technical and immaterial factors needed to scale up DAC under the two pathways, in order to assess the pathways‘ relative advantages and to identify possible short-term bottlenecks.