This article explains how to simulate the deployment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology in En-ROADS as well as the impact of BECCS on CO₂ emissions and the climate. If you missed the webinar on carbon dioxide removal with a focus on BECCS and DACCS, watch the recording video below.

The article covers:

• What is bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)?
• How do I simulate BECCS deployment in En-ROADS?
• What is the impact of BECCS on emissions and the climate?

What is bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)?

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is an experimental method of energy generation and technological carbon dioxide removal (CDR). BECCS entails burning biomass for energy, capturing the CO₂ emissions, storing the emissions long-term, and successfully re-growing any used biomass to result in a process that stores more carbon than it releases. BECCS relies on the success of emerging technologies and the availability of sustainable sources of biomass.

En-ROADS includes sliders and graphs to simulate the growth of BECCS. It also models coal and gas carbon capture and storage (CCS) methods and direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS). While DACCS pulls CO₂ directly from the air, other forms of CCS (i.e., coal, natural gas, BECCS) capture emissions at their source before they enter the air. DACCS and CCS methods are still emerging technologies that face transportation and long-term storage challenges. To learn more about these topics, read the CCS in En-ROADS Explainer and the DACCS in En-ROADS Explainer. Also, refer to the glossary for definitions of these similar but distinct terms.

How do I simulate BECCS deployment in En-ROADS?

To simulate BECCS deployment in En-ROADS, add a subsidy using the “Carbon capture and storage subsidy for bioenergy (BECCS)” slider in the Bioenergy advanced view. A carbon price, or a clean electricity standard with BECCS as a qualifying source, can also drive BECCS adoption.

For instance, consider a subsidy of $170/ton CO₂ captured, like in this scenario.

To put this in perspective, this subsidy is higher than the global average cost of BECCS, shown in the “Cost of Bioenergy CCS” graph below. This level of subsidy nearly doubles the U.S. tax credit under Section 45Q of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code—an ambitious government policy which provides $85/ton CO₂ captured.

With this strong subsidy in place, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) grows rapidly in En-ROADS—averaging ~48% annual growth between 2035-2040, then slowing to ~12% per year from 2041-2050, shown in the “Primary Energy with CCS by Source” graph (left, under Graphs > Primary Energy Demand—Totals). By 2080, this results in 0.32 gigatons of CO₂—or 320 million tons (Mt) CO₂—captured each year from bioenergy plants around the world (right, under Graphs > CO₂ Emissions).

For comparison, today’s global operational BECCS capacity is about 2 million tons of CO₂ per year—with the largest project being Archer Daniels Midland’s ethanol facility in Illinois, the U.S., capturing ~1 Mt CO₂ per year. Drax, in the UK, has announced plans to build a BECCS facility capable of capturing 8 Mt CO₂. To reach the levels of BECCS shown in this scenario, the world would need to build and operate around 63 large BECCS plants (of about 5 Mt CO₂/year capture capacity) within the next 55 years.

What is the impact of BECCS on emissions and the climate?

The impact of BECCS on temperature is limited because of several factors:

1. While BECCS captures 320 million tons of CO₂/year in this scenario, the net carbon removal is significantly lower—about 190 million tons of CO₂ per year by 2080, as shown in the “Sources of Anthropogenic CO₂ Removals” graph (left, under Graphs > CO₂ Removals). This difference reflects: 

• Supply chain emissions: Producing, harvesting, transporting, and processing biomass all generate emissions. 
• Land use impacts: Sourcing feedstocks from forests can reduce their overall carbon storage. 
• Energy penalty: Operating CCS equipment uses energy (see the “Energy Used to Capture and Store Carbon” graph on the right, under Graphs > CO₂ Removals). 
• Potential leaks: By default, the leak rate assumption (under Simulation > Assumptions > Carbon dioxide storage) is set to zero, but if changed, any CO₂ leakage from the storage site would further lower net removal. 

2. BECCS growth is limited by high costs, land competition with agriculture, and the small-scale nature of most bioenergy (like wood stoves), which isn’t suitable for CCS. In 2023, even under optimistic assumptions—that 80% of industrial and 90% of electricity bioenergy use could add CCS—only about one-third of global bioenergy demand is potentially eligible, shown in the striped area of the pie chart below. 

Even for large-scale bioenergy, a significant proportion of the total emissions cannot be captured by CCS. Adding CCS only removes some fraction of the smokestack emissions. For example, in the case of wood bioenergy, CCS does not capture CO₂ released from disturbed soils or from supply chain activities, nor does it compensate for the lost carbon sequestration that would have occurred if forests had been left intact. 

For additional insights on dynamics, read the general explainer on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in En-ROADS.