Gaseous waste streams, containing carbon dioxide and methane, are emitted to the atmosphere in large volumes. Globally, emissions of carbon dioxide caused by human activities are approximately 35 billion metric tons per year (10 billion metric tons of carbon) and anthropogenic emissions of methane are approximately 0.3 billion metric tons per year. In the United States, the main sectors that emit gaseous carbon waste streams include the transportation, electricity, manufacturing, fuel and agriculture sectors. Gaseous carbon waste streams constitute the main sources of anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere will require capturing of carbon dioxide and methane, either from waste gases or directly from the atmosphere. Once captured, greenhouse gases can either be sequestered or find use in commercial products. Capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide waste streams has been a major focus of attention as a mechanism for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and is the focus of a National Academies report on Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Storage. This talk will provide an overview of the National Academy of the Sciences report that examined the utilization of carbon dioxide and methane captured from gaseous carbon waste streams. Carbon utilization recognizes the value of carbon dioxide and methane as feedstocks for fuels, building materials, plastics or other useful materials. Carbon utilization has the potential to convert into products a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and in some cases can generate positive economic returns. The Committee on Developing a Research Agenda for Utilization of Gaseous Carbon Waste Streams assessed the current landscape of carbon utilization and identified key factors and criteria associated with making carbon utilization technologies commercially viable. This presentation will review the proposed research and development needed to enable carbon utilization technologies which produce useful materials while transforming waste streams into resources. The research agenda proposed in this talk addresses the principal challenges associated with commercializing carbon utilization technologies and the tools for evaluating the economic and environmental attributes of the technologies.

Overview of gaseous carbon waste streams utilization: Status and research needs

2019 Spring National Meeting

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