Parliamentary breakfast on DACCS and BECCS

At the end of February this year, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action presented key points for the Carbon Management Strategy as well as for the Long-Term Strategy for Negative Emissions. These processes are intended to help rapidly establish the necessary conditions for scaling up carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2045.

To ensure that these strategies are designed on a sound scientific basis, dialogue between politics and research is essential. Under the patronage of Dr. Nina Scheer, climate and energy policy spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group, the Helmholtz Earth & Environment synthesis and communication platform SynCom therefore invited participants to a parliamentary breakfast at the German Bundestag in Berlin.

More than 30 policymakers gathered on 17 May 2024 at the Jakob-Kaiser-Haus to learn from scientists involved in the research programmes CDRterra and CDRmare, as well as other projects, about carbon dioxide removal and storage. A particular focus was placed on the two CDR methods Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS), which refers to the direct capture of CO₂ from the atmosphere followed by long-term storage of the carbon, and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), which combines energy production from biomass with subsequent CO₂ capture and storage.

Climate neutrality by 2045: emissions reductions remain the top priority

The key message from the scientists was that avoiding CO₂ emissions is the most important prerequisite for Germany’s 2045 climate target. In addition, carbon dioxide removal methods are necessary, but they should be used exclusively for residual emissions.

In her introductory remarks, CDRterra spokesperson Prof. Dr. Julia Pongratz from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich emphasised: “To spread risks and increase acceptance, we need a broad portfolio of CDR measures. Different carbon dioxide removal methods each have their own advantages and disadvantages, for example regarding the permanence of CO₂ storage and potential side effects. When developing this portfolio, the often long timescales required for scaling must be taken into account. This requires that incentive mechanisms are established now and that planning certainty is ensured.”

Prof. Dr. Daniela Thrän leitet das Department Bioenergie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) sowie das CDRterra-Projekt BioNET. Sie stellte die BECCS-Methode vor, deren Potenziale sie mit dem BioNET-Team untersucht: „BECCS kann in die Bioenergieinfrastruktur integriert werden und umgehend zur CO₂-Entnahme beitragen. Politisch notwendig sind ein Handlungsrahmen sowohl für die nachhaltige Biomassebereitstellung als auch für CCS (CO₂-Infrastruktur und Speicher, Anrechenbarkeit etc.), ein Förderprogramm für Demonstratoren und die Integration des Landnutzungssektors in den CO₂-Emissionszertifikatehandel.“

Darüber hinaus stellte Prof. Dr. Roland Dittmeyer, Leiter des Instituts für Mikroverfahrenstechnik am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, die „Direct Air Capture“-Technologie vor. Prof. Dr. Klaus Wallmann, Leiter der Forschungseinheit marine Geosysteme am GEOMAR – Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, sprach über die Herausforderungen bei der CO₂-Speicherung unter dem Meeresboden und an Land. Moderiert wurde die Veranstaltung von SynCom-Leiterin Marie Heidenreich.