What to do with the harmful CO2? Options and scenarios for the region of Burgenland.

Eisenstadt, 30th of April 2024 - Burgenland has been striving for climate neutrality for many years and is a model region in many respects. Nevertheless, heavy goods transport, industry and existing plants will continue to emit_CO2. In order to offset these emissions, numerous options have been developed worldwide to reduce carbon emissions through so-called "Negative Emission Technologies" (NET). Some of them are already technically mature and are already in use in some countries. Stefan Sadler, a student on the Energy and Environmental Management Master's programme at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences, looked at ten of these technologies in his Master's thesis. He focussed on the real feasibility of implementing them in Burgenland.

Locking up CO2 in moutains or planting lots of trees?

1. Direct CO2 capture from the atmosphere with subsequent storage in basalt-containing rock (direct air carbon capture and storage): This method is already being used in Iceland, for example, but is not permitted in Austria. "In Burgenland, the Pauliberg near Landsee would be the only suitable location," explains Stefan Sadler. This is nowhere near enough for the 1.7 megatonnes of CO2 produced in Burgenland every year.
2. Biological capture via biomass, energy use and geological storage (bioenergy carbon capture and storage): Here too, the limited resources of storable rock are the biggest limiting factor.
3. Reforestation: "Planting trees and ensuring that they don't rot for as long as possible" is one of the most promising options for Burgenland to bind the harmful CO2, according to Sadler. "This natural method has very high potential and is comparatively inexpensive."
4. Biochar: When biomass is heated in a controlled manner, biochar is produced in which carbon is chemically stable. This carbon can simply be deposited or used to improve the soil in agriculture. The potential is similar to that of afforestation.
5. Soil carbon sequestration: The carbon content in the soil can be increased through optimised land management. In Burgenland, up to 18% of annual emissions could be offset in this way.
6. Rewetting moors and wetlands is one possibility. In Burgenland, the Seewinkel region, the Güssing ponds and the Lafnitz valley are ideal locations. "The challenge here is to control the rewetting and to do it properly. Basically, however, the potential for CO2 absorption is relatively low."
7. Agroforestry: Similar to agriphotovoltaics, where PV panels are positioned on agricultural land, trees are planted on the fields. The concept is used in India, for example, where people also benefit from interactions such as shade and erosion protection. Stefan Sadler also sees good potential here for Burgenland. "The trees keep the carbon better in the soil (carbon management). Reforestation brings additional benefits for the region." (see point 8)
8. Durable wood products: "With this topic, it very much depends on what is produced from the cultivated wood. If I produce chipboard, for example, which requires a lot of energy, glue, etc., this method becomes a source of CO2. But if I produce furniture from solid wood or build a house, then this method helps to reduce CO2," says Sadler.
9. Improved forest management: With an annual storage capacity of up to one megatonne of CO2, this has the greatest potential of all the technologies examined. Existing forest areas make up more than a third of the country's surface area. The longer trees can be kept alive in the forest, the greater the storage potential.
10. Storage of CO2 in (prefabricated) concrete components: Concrete production is very CO2-intensive. There are various commercial products worldwide that endeavour to make concrete CO2-neutral or CO2-negative. Innovations in this area come from Norway and Finland, for example, where waste products from paper production are used to manufacture prefabricated concrete. The expert sees little potential for Burgenland in this respect.

Burgenland 2050 - three possible scenarios

Can Burgenland succeed in binding the emissions produced? Stefan Sadler also asked himself this question in his comprehensive research work and developed three possible scenarios:

Scenario 1 - best case

"Through very serious interventions in land use in Burgenland, it would be mathematically possible to offset our CO2 emissions. To achieve this, a third of the agricultural area would have to be forested and the entire wood production in Burgenland would have to be converted to durable wood products or biochar production. This would allow us to achieve the theoretical maximum in CO2 compensation without jeopardising vital aspects of regional supply. However, the changes in the country would be quite drastic," Sadler explains. In scenario 1, offsetting the current annual emissions of 1.7 MtCO2 is only possible through a combination of several methods. The estimated costs for this amount to up to EUR 592 million per year.

Scenario 2 - the moderate variant

This scenario assumes average CO2 capture rates and evenly distributed resources for the respective technologies. Of the current annual emissions of 1.7 MtCO2, a total of around 0.8 MtCO2 can be offset in scenario 2. The costs for this amount to around EUR 342 million. The production of biochar accounts for the largest sink at 0.3 MtCO2. This is enough to offset all emissions from the building sector. This is followed by improved forest management, which can cover approximately 0.2 MtCO2 of emissions from industry in Burgenland. Durable wood products and the rewetting of moors and wetlands already have positive emissions in this scenario.

Scenario 3 - less desirable

"In the third scenario, there could even be slightly positive emissions," says Sadler. This is because the three technologies of rewetting peatlands and wetlands, durable wood products and CO2 storage in concrete can also lead to positive emissions, depending on the environmental conditions. These provide a positive balance of around 0.1 MtCO2. The other seven technologies can have a sink effect of only 0.025 MtCO2 in total. In comparison, electricity generation in Burgenland has annual emissions of around 0.01 MtCO2.

Conclusion: We cannot avoid reduction

Although it would ideally appear possible to offset current emissions, this is a temporary solution, according to the expert. The reason for this is that the sink effect of some technologies diminishes over the years. For example, the carbon content of common commercial trees no longer increases significantly after around 70 years. "Reducing emissions therefore remains essential in order to achieve climate neutrality," emphasises Stefan Sadler.

The author of the study, born in 1989, lives in Neusiedl am See. He studied nautical science and maritime transport in East Frisia and worked in maritime shipping for several years. He travelled throughout Europe, Russia and South America on cargo ships "in the small range" - i.e. with a length of around 100 metres. "In maritime shipping, you realise what impact the industry has on the environment. When I returned to Austria, I started looking for a degree programme that would allow me to focus on the environment, climate and energy," he says. He found what he was looking for in the Master's degree programme in Energy and Environmental Management at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences.

Facts about the degree programme

Master's degree programme - Energy and Environmental Management - 4 semesters - part-time with attendance classes on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as two attendance blocks from Thursday to Saturday - academic degree "Graduate Engineer for Technical and Scientific Professions - Dipl.-Ing./in" - place of study: Pinkafeld campus - admission: Matura, university entrance qualification or vocational maturity examination, preparatory course with additional qualification examination. Graduates may find employment in energy companies, technical offices, environmental protection organisations, waste disposal companies, plant construction or consulting. The language of instruction is German (some courses are held in English). There are no tuition fees. Registration for a course starting in autumn 2024 at www.fh-burgenland.at

Further information:
Mag^.a Christiane Staab
Marketing & Communication
Fachhochschule Burgenland GmbH
Tel: +43 (0)5 7705 3537
E-Mail: christiane.staab@hochschule-burgenland.at