BECCS
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Environmental
| Stands for | Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
BECCS stands for Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, an environmental abbreviation.
Approach that grows plants, which absorb CO2, burns or ferments the biomass for energy, then captures and stores the resulting CO2 underground, potentially producing net-negative emissions. Many IPCC pathways to 1.5 °C rely on BECCS on a large scale.
Example: An ethanol plant in Decatur, Illinois, stores CO2 from fermentation underground in a BECCS project.
Usage notes
Critics warn that large-scale BECCS would require vast areas of land, competing with food production and ecosystems, and that its net benefit depends heavily on how biomass is sourced. Britain's Drax power station has proposed adding capture to its wood-pellet units.
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