Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage

Energy production from biomass is carbon neutral, as plants absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere during their growth. However, when bioenergy production is combined with carbon capture and storage, which means capturing and permanently storing CO₂ from processes where biomass is converted into fuels or directly burned to generate energy, it means that CO₂ is permanently removed from the carbon cycle and CO₂ emissions become negative. The very carbon dioxide removal technology used in connection with bioenergy production can provide energy as heat and fuels that work in existing engines. Thus, carbon separation systems play a vital role in decarbonizing heavy energy sectors, where biomass is combusted in boilers to produce high-pressure steam that drives electricity-generating turbines. A major advantage of bioenergy generation is the ability to use a wide range of organic materials, including crops specifically planted and grown for the purpose, residues from forest, crop residues and wood industry byproducts. Commonly, bioenergy products are energy-dense fuels such as compressed wood pellets and briquettes, which can be used for large-scale bioenergy production by replacing coal in power plants.

Traditionally, capture systems related to bioenergy use the carbon capture process post-combustion, where the CO₂ is isolated using solvents from the flue gases produced during biomass combustion. The CO₂ captured can be further pressured, turned into liquid-like substances, and transported using pipelines. Also, the CO₂ produced can be captured and safely injected into naturally occurring porous rock formations such as natural gas reservoirs, coal beds, or saline water aquifers. The CO₂ captured over time reacts with the minerals, which chemically trap it. According to the International Energy Agency, currently around 2 Mt of biogenic CO₂  is captured annually, mainly as bioethanol production and there are plans to build more facilities to capture around 15 Mt CO₂ per year of biogenic emissions. Based on projects in the early and advanced stages of deployment, carbon removal bioenergy and carbon capture could reach just under 50 Mt CO₂/yr. by 2030. The negative emissions technologies are crucial to helping countries meet the long-term goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

As bioenergy and carbon capture technologies are most scalable, they have an important and key role in combating climate change. The deployment plans for bioenergy carbon capture technologies remain insufficient across many sectors to meet the net zero emission target. Despite growing support in recent years, developing the necessary infrastructure to transport and store the captured CO₂ also lags, so more knowledge in the field needs to be elucidated. This Research Topic will address key challenges related to biomass and bioenergy technologies for solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels with the aim to sequester or capture the carbon released in the process of biomass conversion. We encourage authors to submit their findings fostering the transition towards clean energy and highlighting solutions to mitigate climate change. The themes to be addressed in the Research Topic may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Biochemical conversion: fermentation, anaerobic digestion and others
• Thermochemical conversion: gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, hydrothermal carbonization, torrefaction and others
• Combustion and cofiring: densification technologies such as pelleting briquetting and others
• Carbon capture and storage: carbon sinks, saline aquifers, giant air filters, ionic liquids and others

Topic Editor, Dr Jaya Shankar Tumuluru, holds a patent on methods of forming densified biomass, and declares no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic.

Keywords: bioenergy, Carbon Capture, Carbon Storage, Bioenergy Technologies, Carbon Capture Technologies, Process Scale-up, Bioenergy Products, Lifecycle Assessment, Technoeconomic Analysis

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.