SBIR Phase I: A Decision-Support Tool for Identifying Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture Opportunities for the Nation’s Energy Transition

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in providing much-needed decision-support tool to progress the United States towards a net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions economy. The Princeton Net Zero America study suggests that a of minimum 0.9 gigatons /year of CO2 sequestration is required to transition the country to a net-zero economy, which is 1.3 times larger than the country’s oil production on a volume-equivalent basis. One of the many substantial challenges to achieving this feat is identifying and profiling capturable CO2 streams from emitters across the United States. Software that could robustly address this challenge would provide benefits to society and the country. For example, climate change is recognized as the largest threat facing humanity and the security of the United States; Transitioning the US economy to net-zero CO2 emissions is one of the largest wealth creation opportunities of our generation. The proposed CO2 National Capture Opportunities and Readiness Data software will enable users to identify sources of CO2 (e.g., cement manufacturers and ethanol refineries) that could be profitably turned into carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects. The database would provide the break-even CO2 capture cost, technology readiness level (TRL), and lifecycle CO2 emissions of any prospective CCS project across the country by integrating the latest public data and scientific research into a single end-user platform. A novel integration of advances in multiple disciplines is required for successful project completion: 1) big data fusion, 2) CO2 capture stream characterization, 3) lifecycle assessment, 4) advanced techno-economic assessments, and 5) software engineering. Additionally, this project will also advance the status-quo by creating dynamic results that can be easily re-generated as needed (e.g., with new technologies deployed or policies enacted). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.