Restoring pre-industrial CO2 levels while achieving Sustainable
Development Goals
Abstract
Unless humanity achieves United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) by 2030 and restores the relatively stable climate of
pre-industrial CO2 levels (as early as 2110), species extinctions,
starvation, drought/floods, and violence will exacerbate mass
migrations. This paper presents conceptual designs and techno-economic
analyses to calculate sustainable limits for growing high-protein
seafood and macroalgae-for-biofuel. We review the availability of wet
solid waste and outline the mass balance of carbon and plant nutrients
passing through a hydrothermal liquefaction process. The paper reviews
the availability of dry solid waste and dry biomass for bioenergy with
CO2 capture and storage (BECCS) while generating Allam Cycle
electricity. Sufficient wet-waste biomass supports quickly building
hydrothermal liquefaction facilities. Macroalgae-for-biofuel technology
can be developed and straightforwardly implemented on SDG-achieving high
protein seafood infrastructure.). The analyses indicate a potential for
(1) 0.5 billion tonnes/yr of seafood; (2) 20 million barrels/day of
biofuel from solid waste; (3) more biocrude oil from macroalgae than
current fossil oil; and (4) sequestration of 28 to 38 billion tonnes/yr
of bio-CO2. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) costs are between 25−33% of
those for BECCS with pre-2019 technology or the projected cost of
air-capture CDR.