Engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal in a Net-Zero Canada - Opportunities and challenges for non-biological CDR

We respectfully acknowledge the space our organization is headquartered in as the traditional and ancestral territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, comprised of the bands Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai, the Îyârhe Nakoda Nations, including the bands of Goodstoney, Chiniki, and Bearspaw, and the Tsuut’ina Dené. [...] Step 1 of carbon capture in a solid DAC system Carbon dioxide in the air binds to the solid adsorber, while the rest of the air is released back into the atmosphere. [...] The specific process varies, but in Carbon Engineering’s case, the ambient air is blown across the surface of a basic (i.e., high pH) liquid solution in a contactor, causing the CO2 molecules in the air to form carbonate salt in the liquid (Figure 5). [...] A co-benefit of increasing the alkalinity of the ocean is that it can counter the acidification of the ocean, which is caused by increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 and is harmful to marine ecosystems.54 There is a high theoretical potential for this CDR option, given the vastness of the ocean. [...] The net balance of carbon emissions in CDR solutions depends on the emissions of the energy sources used, additional processes required like mining, and the release of any CO2 from any uses of the CO2.