Limits on the potential of Global BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) are largely due to the challenge of maintaining sustainable irrigation.

In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Nature Sustainability on July 5, a team of researchers from multiple institutions have shed light on the potential increase in the global capacity of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), a negative emission technology that extracts bioenergy from biomass and stores the carbon.

The study, which was financially supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan, presents some intriguing findings. Under full irrigation, the BECCS potential reached 1.32-3.42 Gt C yr-1, as previously mentioned. However, sustainably constrained irrigation would only increase it by 5-6%.

Interestingly, the study found that unlimited irrigation could significantly boost the global BECCS potential by 60-71% by the end of the century. This could be a game-changer in the quest to achieve the 2°C or 1.5°C climate goal, as large-scale deployment of BECCS was assumed to be prominent in many previous studies.

Under sustainable irrigation, the BECCS potential was found to be 0.88-2.09 Gt C yr-1. This potential is close to the lower limit required for the 1.5°C or 2°C climate goal as documented in the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C.

The researchers emphasize the need for comprehensive assessments of the BECCS potential that consider both its potential benefits and adverse effects. Such assessments are necessary for simultaneously achieving multiple sustainable development goals.

The study also examined the BECCS potential under rain-fed conditions. The average global BECCS potential in 2090 was found to be 0.82-1.99 Gt C yr-1 under these conditions.

However, the searched documents do not explicitly identify the regions investigated in the joint research project that found a 5-6% increase in global BECCS potential through sensible irrigation by the end of the century.

The DOI for the study is 10.1038/s41893-021-00740-4, for those interested in delving deeper into the details. This study undoubtedly adds valuable insights to the ongoing discussions about the role of BECCS in mitigating climate change and achieving sustainable development goals.