Turning Farm Waste into a Climate Solution: Iowa state Study Highlights Potential of Bio-Oil for Carbon Sequestration
A new study from Iowa State University details a promising approach to carbon removal that leverages agricultural byproducts and addresses a significant environmental challenge: abandoned oil and gas wells. The research demonstrates the economic and environmental viability of using bio-oil, derived from sources like corn stover and wood debris, to permanently seal these wells, effectively sequestering carbon underground.
The United States is burdened with a vast number of undocumented orphaned oil and gas wells – estimates range from 300,000 to 800,000 – posing environmental risks and costing roughly $1 million each to properly cap.The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $4.7 billion to address approximately 120,000 of these wells, but a considerable gap remains. This new system offers a potentially cost-effective and beneficial alternative.
the proposed system centers around mobile fast pyrolysis units, capable of processing around 10 tons of biomass feedstock daily. In the Midwest, the primary source would be corn stover – the leaves and stalks of corn plants left in fields after harvest.In the West, the feedstock would be wood debris removed during forest management to mitigate wildfire risks. Researchers also examined switchgrass and oriented strand board as viable options. These units convert the biomass into bio-oil, which is then transported to well sites for injection.
according to the study,building each pyrolysis unit would cost approximately $1.3 million, and the resulting bio-oil would need to be sold for at least $175 per ton to be economically sustainable. carbon removal costs are estimated at around $100 per ton when using wood-based materials. These costs can further decrease with increased production volume – a “learning rate” effect – as manufacturing and operational efficiencies improve.
The research, partially funded by carbon removal startup Charm Industrial, suggests this method is competitive with direct air capture (DAC) technology, which extracts carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. While DAC has comparable per-ton abatement costs, it is significantly more expensive to build and lacks the added benefit of addressing the issue of abandoned wells.
“what we’re trying to show here is that carbon removal doesn’t need to be either/or. Ther are a lot of opportunities,” explains researcher Mba-Wright.
Charm Industrial has already secured carbon-removal deals with corporations seeking to offset emissions and is actively utilizing vacant wells for bio-oil sequestration.CEO Peter Reinhardt emphasizes the quality and cost-effectiveness of this approach, stating that bio-oil sequestration consistently ranks highly among carbon-removal buyers.
The Iowa State analysis provides self-reliant validation of the technology’s potential, confirming both the amount of carbon that can be sequestered and the economic feasibility of the process. The study highlights a potential for new revenue streams in rural areas through the collection and processing of biomass, offering economic benefits alongside environmental solutions.
