Early-stage evaluation of emerging CO(2)utilization technologies at low technology readiness levels

Abstract

Most CO(2)utilization technologies are at low technology readiness levels (TRLs). Given the large number of potential technologies, screening to identify the most promising ones should be conducted before allocating large R&D investment. As these technologies exhibit different levels of technical maturity, a systematic, TRL-dependent evaluation procedure is needed which can also account for the quality and availability of data. We propose such a systematic and comprehensive evaluation procedure. The procedure consists of three steps: primary data preparation, secondary data calculation, and performance indicator calculation. The procedure depends on the type of CO(2)utilization technology (thermochemical, electrochemical, or biological conversion) as well as the TRL (2-4). We suggest databases, methods, and computer-aided tools that support the procedure. Through four case studies, we demonstrate the proposed procedure on emerging CO(2)utilization technologies, which are of different types and at various TRLs: electrochemical CO(2)reduction for production of ten chemicals (TRL 2); co-electrolysis of CO(2)and water for ethylene production (TRL 2-4); direct oxidation of CO2-based methanol for oxymethylene dimethyl ether (OME1) production (TRL 4); and microalgal biomass co-firing for power generation (TRL 4).