The Research & Innovation division of French multinational electric utility company ENGIE recently published a study ranking the most promising carbon removal technologies available on the market.
According to the report, Direct Air Carbon Capture and Sequestration (DACCS) is the leading carbon removal option that offers solid results in terms of duration of carbon storage, along with a positive environment, social, governance (ESG) performance.
The research, published in the iScience journal, was conducted by ENGIE’s dedicated Scientific Council, comprised of 10 high-level scientific experts and established industry figures.
Following a question posed by the company’s CEO, Catherine MacGregor, and her Executive Committee, asking what are the carbon management technologies critical in the energy transition, the Scientific Council analyzed 13 technologies in detail, providing valuable insights on their effectiveness and impact.
The studied technologies include solutions like afforestation/reforestation, Direct Air Carbon Capture and Sequestration (DACCS), biochar, soil carbon storage, carbon mineralization, enhanced rock weathering, Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) and various other methods, including ocean-based technologies.
Evaluating the maturity and future potential of these approaches, the Scientific Council looked at the cost related to each method and its ESG effect, along with the carbon storage time they offer.
This comparison showed that geoengineering technologies, such as ocean fertilization, come with a low ESG score, while nature-based ones like afforestation and reforestation appear to present lower risks.
DACCS emerged as the technology that offers the longest carbon storage of over a thousand years, while carbon stored in wood used as a construction material removes carbon for only about a hundred years.
Relevant: New Study Questions Effectiveness Of Ocean-Based Carbon Removal Methods
In an overview that combined all comparison criteria, DACCS takes the lead as the most promising carbon removal technology that can help our planet reach climate targets in time to prevent further global warming.
As Prof. Jan Mertens, ENGIE’s Chief Science Officer, explained, “DACCS technologies are ahead on the ‘quality’ index, an average between the ESG score and the estimated storage time.”
The remaining four carbon removal technologies ranked among the top five in the ENGIE report include wood for construction, reforestation, biochar, and mineral carbonation.
Read more: New Study Says Enhanced Weathering Could Unlock Meaningful CDR In US Agriculture
