The research, from UC Civil and Natural Resources Engineering PhD student Karan Titus, investigates taking hot water from geothermal reservoirs and burning forestry waste to superheat it 鈥 generating electricity. The geothermal water is then injected back underground along with the CO2听produced from the burning wood.
UC Engineering PhD student Karan Titus鈥 research has identified a renewable and affordable energy source with the ability to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
Karan says the process, known as Geothermal-Bioenergy and Carbon Capture and Sequestration, or BECCS, has significant benefits. 鈥淲e are creating more clean, renewable energy, while indirectly removing CO2听from the atmosphere 鈥 Geothermal-BECCS plants could store 1 million tonnes of usable CO2听each year in underground geothermal reservoirs.
鈥淲e can also generate significantly more renewable energy using this process when compared to traditional geothermal power. The BECCS system is also more cost-effective per tonne of CO2听than other common climate change mitigation strategies due to decarbonisation on two fronts: more renewable power and the secure storage of CO2.鈥
The process of directly separating CO2听from the air and storing it in geothermal reservoirs is currently used in Iceland but is not yet used in Aotearoa New Zealand. Karan鈥檚 research is the first to explore pairing CO2听with injection to boost geothermal energy production, which is created by burning biomass; a forestry by-product that includes slash, which caused widespread damage following Cyclone Gabrielle.
UC Engineering senior lecturers Dr Rebecca Peer and Dr David Dempsey are supervising Karan鈥檚 research. Dr Peer believes this kind of innovative thinking is what we need to tackle the issue of decarbonisation at scale.
鈥淎 carbon-negative energy cycle would be very valuable to Aotearoa鈥檚 long-term energy and sustainability goals. It is exciting to be a part of research at UC tackling a global issue like climate change with potential solutions that leverage our Indigenous resources and provide a pathway to address national issues such as forestry slash,鈥 she says.
Dr Dempsey believes Karan鈥檚 research addresses the affordability of climate change action 鈥 one of the key challenges facing Aotearoa New Zealand鈥檚 goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
鈥淎 major problem facing Aotearoa as we try to decarbonise our economy is how we can retain our standard of living, while cutting our fossil-fuel emissions, but without bankrupting the country,鈥 Dr Dempsey says.
Karan, who aims to graduate in mid-2024, says his interest in this area stems from his childhood.
鈥淔rom when I was a child and watched听An Inconvenient Truth鈥, climate change has always been on my mind. Hearing back then that excessive emissions will result in extreme weather events 鈥 such as droughts, wildfires, brutal hurricanes, and immense floods 鈥 and seeing that happen now, makes me want to do something to help protect people, animals and the environment,鈥 he explains.
鈥淭his is my way of contributing at a local level. No single solution will save us; we need to be fast-acting to find the best fit solution for our community without wasting any more decades.鈥
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