Viola Becattini

Last Name

Becattini

First Name

Viola

ORCID

0000-0001-6463-8386

Organisational unit

02228 - Energy Science Center (ESC) / Energy Science Center (ESC)

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Publications 1 - 10 of 20

Environmental impacts from Carbon Capture, Transport and Storage: Learnings from early-mover chains in the DemoUpCARMA-project
Nöhl, Julian; Burger, Johannes; Oeuvray, Pauline; et al. (2023)
Carbon Dioxide Removal Policies for a Net Zero Switzerland and Beyond. Policy Pathways and Visions
Brazzola, Nicoletta; Eberenz, Samuel; Honegger, Matthias; et al. (2023)
CDR Swiss White Paper
Understanding Climate Change by Modeling the Earth's Atmosphere as a Well‐Stirred Tank
Bolongaro, Vittoria; Becattini, Viola; Mazzotti, Marco (2024)
Chemie Ingenieur Technik
Coming to terms with climate change by understanding climate processes and their policy implications is essential not only for climate scientists and policymakers, but also for the general public, for industrial practitioners, and for engineers, including process system engineers. We have developed a simplified linear climate model (SLCM) to enable non-specialists to explore the essential physical and chemical processes caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Trading-off simplicity and accuracy, achieved by calibrating model parameters using established simple climate models, the SLCM allows (i) determining the climate impact of given past and future emissions, (ii) determining the amounts of CO2 removal needed to compensate for any unavoidable emissions of CH4 and N2O from agriculture, and (iii) back-calculating emission pathways to meet specified global warming targets.
Assessment of Potential and Techno-Economic Performance of Solid Sorbent Direct Air Capture with CO₂ Storage in Europe
Terlouw, Tom Mike; Pokras, Daniel; Becattini, Viola; et al. (2024)
Environmental Science & Technology
Direct air capture with CO₂ storage (DACCS) is among the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) options, with the largest gap between current deployment and needed upscaling. Here, we present a geospatial analysis of the techno-economic performance of large-scale DACCS deployment in Europe using two performance indicators: CDR costs and potential. Different low-temperature heat DACCS configurations are considered, i.e., coupled to the national power grid, using waste heat and powered by curtailed electricity. Our findings reveal that the CDR potential and costs of DACCS systems are mainly driven by (i) the availability of energy sources, (ii) the location-specific climate conditions, (iii) the price and GHG intensity of electricity, and (iv) the CO₂ transport distance to the nearest CO₂ storage location. The results further highlight the following key findings: (i) the limited availability of waste heat, with only Sweden potentially compensating nearly 10% of national emissions through CDR, and (ii) the need for considering transport and storage of CO₂ in a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of DACCS. Finally, our geospatial analysis reveals substantial differences between regions due to location-specific conditions, i.e., useful information elements and consistent insights that will contribute to assessment and feasibility studies toward effective DACCS implementation.
Environmental impacts of carbon capture, transport, and storage supply chains: Status and the way forward
Burger, Johannes; Nöhl, Julian; Seiler, Jan; et al. (2024)
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
Carbon capture, transport, and storage (CCTS) enables the decarbonization of industrial emitters. CCTS is regarded as crucial in reaching net-zero emission targets but currently stands far behind the required scale. CCTS deployment for point sources may be accelerated by CCTS chains relying on currently available technology, called pioneering supply chains. In particular, transporting CO2 in standard containers can be implemented without new transport infrastructure. Pioneering CCTS chains must not cause more emissions than they store to successfully avoid CO2 emissions. Using life cycle assessment, we show that pioneering CCTS chains emit less CO2 than they store permanently, demonstrating that CCTS can already today avoid 50 to 70% of point source GHG emissions. This evidence proves robust against uncertainties based on the scarce operational experience in CCTS. Our environmental assessment shows that increasing the capture rate above the assumed 90% is a main lever to increase emissions avoidance of the CCTS chains above 80%. Capturing and transporting the CO2 causes large shares of the chain’s global warming impact as they rely on fossil fuels. Reducing GHG emission intensity of energy supply and switching to pipeline-based transport can reduce global warming and other environmental impacts compared to pioneering CCTS chains. Our analysis shows that pioneering chains can accelerate infrastructure scale-up while successfully storing CO2 from point sources.
Nine recommendations for engaging with the public and stakeholders for Carbon Capture, Transportation, Utilization, and Storage
Eberenz, Samuel; Dallo, Irina; Marti, Michèle; et al. (2024)
Energy Research and Social Science
A successful implementation of Carbon Capture, Transportation, Utilization, and Storage (CCTS/CCUS) projects depends on proactively communicating to and engaging with the public and relevant stakeholders. Based on our research in the framework of a pilot project demonstrating two complementary CCTS/CCUS pathways for Switzerland, we underpin this importance and present and exemplify nine recommendations for communication and stakeholder engagements. In a nutshell, ongoing stakeholder engagement and tailored public communication are crucial to address evolving information needs. We recommend providing clear examples, involve relevant stakeholders early, and adapt strategies dynamically to build capacities for evidence-based decisions regarding CCTS/CCUS pathways. For a differentiated public debate, presenting CCTS/CCUS pathways as complementary to broader climate strategies and renewable energy adoption is key.
Main current legal and regulatory frameworks for carbon dioxide capture, transport, and storage in the European Economic Area
Frattini, Linda; Becattini, Viola; Mazzotti, Marco (2024)
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
There is broad consensus on the key role that carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, transport, and storage (CCTS) systems will play in mitigating climate change, either by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it permanently or by avoiding CO2 emissions generated by point sources, especially from hard-to-abate sectors (e.g., waste-to-energy, cement, shipping or aviation). Although CCTS is ready to be implemented from a technical standpoint, the legal and regulatory framework required for its implementation and regulation could be further improved. In this article, we summarize and critically discuss the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the ‘OSPAR Convention’), and of the London protocol, as well as of the European CCS and ETS Directives. With a focus on the European Economic Area, we highlight existing gaps and hurdles that should be tackled in view of the large-scale deployment of CCTS. Furthermore, as the legal landscape for CO2 transport and geological storage is evolving rapidly, we provide an overview of recent clarifications on aspects of the existing legislation and a summary of new proposals presented by the European Commission in this space.
Potential and challenges of underground CO₂ storage via in-situ mineralization in Switzerland
Martin, Adrian; Becattini, Viola; Marieni, Chiara; et al. (2025)
Swiss Journal of Geosciences
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies play a critical role in achieving global and Swiss climate goals, particularly with Switzerland aiming to domestically store some of its residual CO2 emissions. In situ mineralization presents a promising avenue for stable and permanent CO2 sequestration. This study aims to evaluate the potential of CO2 storage via in situ mineralization in the Swiss underground. A set of technical/geological criteria was defined and used to identify, evaluate, and classify the various geological formations. The selected areas identified and evaluated include alpine tectonic units with large volumes of mafic and ultramafic rocks. Despite the presence of suitable rock types, these units are marked by alpine deformation with highly complex structures, rock mixtures, and complex bedrock hydrogeology. The old, altered, and metamorphic nature of the alpine mafic and ultramafic rock formations results in minimal permeability and porosity, consequently impeding CO2 injectivity and mineralization kinetics, particularly given the low average geothermal gradient. Additionally, challenges related to water resource requirements, storage site location and accessibility, financial costs, regulation, social acceptance, and environmental impacts further impact feasibility negatively. This study concludes that CO2 sequestration via in situ mineralization in the Swiss context is unfeasible in the near term and possibly unsuitable in the long one.
Integrated Carbon Capture and Utilization in the Cement Industry: A Comparative Study
Meijssen, Mattheus; Becattini, Viola; Mazzotti, Marco (2024)
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
This study analyzes a novel carbon capture and utilization pathway that has been proposed for the decarbonization of the cement sector and compares its performance in terms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions to business as usual (BAU) and a carbon capture and storage (CCS) alternative. In the proposed integrated carbon capture and utilization (I-CCU) solution, methanol is produced with hydrogen from an electrolysis plant and with CO₂ captured at an oxyfuel cement plant; the oxygen delivered to the oxyfuel cement plant comes from the same electrolysis plant that provides hydrogen, which eliminates the need for an air separation unit (ASU). Due to the high energy demand for electrolysis, the carbon footprint of the solution depends on the carbon intensity of the power grid; any advantage from avoiding an ASU is overshadowed by the energy requirements of I-CCU. Consequently, BAU outperforms I-CCU in geographical regions with specific electricity emissions larger than 0.2 kg_CO₂/kW h, which corresponds to most of Europe. Furthermore, CCS is practically always a better alternative to I-CCU; only when there is renewable electricity available in abundance, I-CCU is better. Finally, it should be highlighted that using additional low-carbon electricity sources to drive I-CCU is not the most efficient use in terms of emission reductions per unit of low-carbon electricity. While the pursuit of (energy) integration and circularity should always be considered, our work emphasizes the necessity of conducting a comparative analysis, such as that presented here, to guarantee the achievement of the desired objectives.
How to make climate-neutral aviation fly
Sacchi, Romain; Becattini, Viola; Gabrielli, Paolo; et al. (2023)
Nature Communications
The European aviation sector must substantially reduce climate impacts to reach net-zero goals. This reduction, however, must not be limited to flight CO2 emissions since such a narrow focus leaves up to 80% of climate impacts unaccounted for. Based on rigorous life-cycle assessment and a time-dependent quantification of non-CO2 climate impacts, here we show that, from a technological standpoint, using electricity-based synthetic jet fuels and compensating climate impacts via direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) can enable climate-neutral aviation. However, with a continuous increase in air traffic, synthetic jet fuel produced with electricity from renewables would exert excessive pressure on economic and natural resources. Alternatively, compensating climate impacts of fossil jet fuel via DACCS would require massive CO2 storage volumes and prolong dependence on fossil fuels. Here, we demonstrate that a European climate-neutral aviation will fly if air traffic is reduced to limit the scale of the climate impacts to mitigate.

Publications 1 - 10 of 20

Viola Becattini

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