DemoUpCARMA
DemoUpCARMA, led by ETH Zurich and funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), is a pioneering initiative focused on the demonstration and upscaling of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies as one of the solutions needed to achieve the Swiss climate goals by 2050. The project will demonstrate the technical feasibility of using and storing CO2Â captured at a Swiss industrial site via two pathways: (1) CO2Â utilization and storage in concrete in Switzerland via a novel mineral carbonation technology; (2) CO2Â transport and permanent storage in a geological reservoir abroad using a novel injection technique. DemoUpCARMA assesses the potential of upscaling these two pathways and of creating a CO2Â network connecting Swiss CO2Â industrial sources to CO2Â storage sites, and its optimal design considering techno-economic, environmental, and reliability aspects on the mid and long-term time horizons. Finally, the project addresses policy, regulatory and acceptance challenges to ensure the overall feasibility of carbon capture and storage solutions.
Within DemoUpCARMA, sus.lab contributed to the "Technoeconomic analysis & scale-up" work package, assessing the scalability of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and carbon capture, transport, and storage (CCTS) in Switzerland for both near- and long-term implementation. The initial focus was on evaluating Swiss emitters in the waste-to-energy, cement, and biogas sectors that could adopt CCUS and CCTS as emission reduction strategies before 2030, analyzing the entire CO2 supply chain, including capture, liquefaction, transport, and storage in either concrete (domestic) or geological reservoirs (abroad). Given the short-term horizon, transport options were primarily considered to be trucks and trains. The project then explored the integration of a CO2 network connecting Swiss emission sites to broader European infrastructure, incorporating Direct Air Capture (DAC) units and optimizing their placement relative to operational storage hubs. Finally, the project assessed the feasibility of integrating post-combustion CO2 capture in waste-to-energy and cement plants, providing guidelines for extending these findings to other Swiss emitters in these sectors.
Sus.lab also led the "Policy, regulation and public acceptance" work package, analyzing policy strategies, public acceptance, financial investment, and economic viability of CCUS and CCTS solutions. Sus.lab aimed to provide policymakers with pathways to support the widespread adoption of these technologies in line with Switzerland’s net-zero 2050 goal and Energy Perspectives 2050+. It involved developing monitoring, accounting, and reporting tools for CO2 emissions, exploring mechanisms for monetizing emission reductions and removals, and establishing frameworks for carbon credit and climate finance transactions. Additionally, sus.lab assessed financing requirements, support policies, and regulatory gaps, including long-term liability issues. It also examined public and stakeholder perceptions of domestic versus international CO2 storage and utilization, evaluating how policy designs influence acceptance. Finally, the work package conducted a comparative analysis of regulatory pathways and proposed strategies to scale up transport infrastructure, offering insights to key stakeholders.
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