Early-stage evaluation of emerging CO2 utilization technologies at low technology readiness levels

Abstract

Most CO₂ utilization technologies are at low technology readiness levels (TRLs). Given the large number of potential technologies, screening to identify the most promising ones should be conducted before allocating large R&D investment. As these technologies exhibit different levels of technical maturity, a systematic, TRL-dependent evaluation procedure is needed which can also account for the quality and availability of data. We propose such a systematic and comprehensive evaluation procedure. The procedure consists of three steps: primary data preparation, secondary data calculation, and performance indicator calculation. The procedure depends on the type of CO₂ utilization technology (thermochemical, electrochemical, or biological conversion) as well as the TRL (2–4). We suggest databases, methods, and computer-aided tools that support the procedure. Through four case studies, we demonstrate the proposed procedure on emerging CO₂ utilization technologies, which are of different types and at various TRLs: electrochemical CO₂ reduction for production of ten chemicals (TRL 2); co-electrolysis of CO₂ and water for ethylene production (TRL 2–4); direct oxidation of CO₂-based methanol for oxymethylene dimethyl ether (OME₁) production (TRL 4); and microalgal biomass co-firing for power generation (TRL 4).