MrWilliam Brandreth

PhD Project Summary: BECCS is a greenhouse gas removal technology that produces energy from biomass while capturing and storing the resulting CO2 underground. It plays a major role in the UK’s net zero pathways and policy development. However, a critical uncertainty with BECCS is how the increased demand for biomass and land will affect key sustainability criteria that include food security, land use change and GHG emissions/removals.

Given the complexity of land use and energy systems, the impact of BECCS will depend upon how it is deployed, where it is deployed, and interactions with factors including dietary choices, crop and livestock production, bioenergy, and forestry.

The research investigates if and how these uncertainties surrounding BECCS can be managed through empirical data, spatial assessments, systems modelling and GHG accounting.