Carbon Dioxide Removal Consortium

Summary

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, in support of efforts to develop standards for carbon dioxide removal, has established the Carbon Dioxide Removal Consortium. The Consortium brings together stakeholders to identify and address measurement and standards needs related to carbon dioxide removal used to reduce the overall atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. The Consortium efforts are intended to develop measurement solutions and support the development of widely accepted standards to improve measurement confidence, measurement traceability and comparability of carbon dioxide removal through nature-based, enhanced nature-based, and engineered pathways, with an initial focus on forests and direct air capture. 

BECOME A MEMBER 

• Contact: co2removal [at] nist.gov (co2removal[at]nist[dot]gov) for more information or to apply for a membership
• Participants are required to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)

Notice of research consortium. 

Description

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There is a significant effort underway to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to transitioning to clean energy sources, increasing energy efficiencies, and deploying carbon capture, use, and storage, atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is being developed and deployed to compensate for remaining hard-to-abate emissions and work towards drawing down the current atmospheric CO₂ concentration level. Industry is developing a variety of CDR techniques including nature-based, enhanced nature-based, and engineered solutions. The scientific understanding, measurements, and models of these complex systems are still evolving. Furthermore, advanced technologies that enhance the applicability and accuracy are needed to expand current measurement capabilities to enable high-quality data acquisition, at appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions and over sufficient time, to quantify the carbon uptake and verify that carbon remains sequestered over the period of time claimed. 

Consortium goals

The initial focus of this consortium is to evaluate, develop, and standardize methods to characterize and quantify carbon removal by (1) forests and (2) direct air capture. A later focus will be to evaluate the suitability of current measurement standards for additional pathways prioritized by stakeholder input and, where appropriate, develop new test methods needed to help build quality and confidence in the carbon removal marketplace.  NIST and consortia partners will perform research together with the following four goals:

• Evaluate the suitability of current measurement approaches to quantify aspects of carbon dioxide removal.
• Validate the repeatability and comparability of the current measurement methods.
• Identify areas where measurements, models, and data should be expanded and enhanced to provide fit-for-purpose capabilities.
• Use these measurements as a foundation for test method(s) that can be standardized through a consensus-based standards development organization.

No proprietary information will be shared as part of the Consortium. Participants are expected to provide subject matter expertise and to actively participate in the consortium with the goal of developing measurement solutions to support the development of industry standards.

CONSORTIUM MODEL

• Convenes industry, academia, and government to identify and address measurement and standards needs 
• Enables members to work with NIST to develop measurement solutions and standards
• Leverages NIST expertise in measurement science, standards development, reference materials, technology development, and basic research
• Collaborates with related programs at other federal agencies 

WHY NIST

• Cross-disciplinary expertise in engineering, and the physical, information, chemical, and biological sciences
• As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST does not impose standards; standards are accepted by consensus
• Neutral convener for industry consortia, standards development organizations, federal labs, universities, public workshops, and interlaboratory comparability testing