The Role of Negative Emissions Technologies in the UK's Net-zero Strategy

The role of negative emissions technologies (NETs) in climate change mitigation remains contentious. Although numerous studies indicate significant carbon dioxide removal (CDR) requirements for Paris Agreement mitigation goals to be achieved, others point out challenges and risks associated with high CDR strategies. Using a multiscale modeling approach, we explore NETs’ potential for a single country, the United Kingdom (UK). Here, we report that the UK has cost-effective potential to remove 79 MtCO2 per year by 2050, rising to 126–134 MtCO2 per year with well-integrated NETs in industrial clusters. Results highlight that biomass gasification for hydrogen generation with CCS is emerging as a key NET, despite biomass availability being a limiting factor. Moreover, solid DACCS systems utilizing industrial waste heat integration offer a solution to offsetting increases in demand from transportation and industrial sectors. These results emphasize the importance of a multiscale whole-systems assessment for integrating NETs into industrial strategies.