WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today that finds nuclear energy could be a promising partner for direct air capture systems. The report showed that advanced reactors could lower the levelized cost of certain direct air capture technologies by up to 13 percent over non-nuclear powered systems-further supporting the Biden Administration’s goal of a net-zero economy by 2050.
“This report developed with my colleagues from several national laboratories shows that nuclear energy can make the direct air capture process more affordable to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere," said Nicolas Stauff of Argonne National Laboratory and lead author on the report. “Such new applications would extend market opportunities for nuclear beyond electricity, transportation, and other industrial applications, while increasing nuclear power’s role in the fight against climate change."
The study focused on pairing low-temperature solid sorbent and high-temperature liquid solvent direct air capture systems with three advanced reactor types-an advanced pressurized water reactor, a sodium-cooled fast reactor, and a very high temperature reactor.
Researchers analyzed solid direct air capture systems using nuclear heat and electricity and a combination of natural gas heat and electricity provided by nuclear for the liquid-based systems.
According to the report, nuclear reactors could lower the levelized cost by up to 13 percent for solid direct air capture systems and up to 7 percent for liquid systems when compared to previous studies of direct air capture systems powered by fossil fuel sources.
Results also showed that solid direct air capture systems would benefit from the reactors’ low-temperature heat. With future technological improvements, liquid direct air capture systems could benefit from the high-temperature heat provided by sodium-cooled fast reactors and very high temperature reactors.
Direct air capture is one of the most mature carbon-removal technologies available, but it is an energy-intensive process that leads to high costs. The systems require heat to drive the chemical reactions that collect carbon dioxide and electricity to power the equipment.
DOE reaching the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 will require between 400 million and 1.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere each year.
The Office of Nuclear Energy Systems Analysis & Integration campaign conducted the study with contributions from researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory.
Future analysis will focus on identifying optimal systems and considerations for emerging direct air capture technologies
Read the full report
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