Optimization and decision support models for deploying negative emissions technologies

Abstract

Negative emissions technologies (NETs) will be needed to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. However, NETs can have wide-ranging effects on land and water availability, food production, and biodiversity. The deployment of NETs will also depend on regional and national circumstances, technology availability, and decarbonization strategies. Process integration (PI) can be the basis for decision support models for the selection, planning, and optimization of the large-scale implementation of NETs. This paper reviews the literature and maps the role of PI in NETs deployment. Techniques such as mathematical programming, pinch analysis (PA), process graphs (P-graphs), are powerful methods for planning NET systems under resource or footprint constraints. Other methods such as multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), marginal abatement cost curves, causality maps, and machine learning (ML) are also discussed. Current literature focuses mainly on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and afforestation/reforestation (AR), but other NETs need to be integrated into future models for large-scale decarbonization.