SWOT Analysis of Selected Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies - Thesis

[Geoengineering News]

https://repositum.tuwien.at/bitstream/20.500.12708/214608/1/Fuezi%20Adam%20Miklos%20-%202024%20-%20SWOT%20Analysis%20of%20Selected%20Carbon%20Dioxide%20Removal...pdf

Authors

Ádám Füzi

2025

Abstract

In order to mitigate climate change, mankind must discover the appropriate method to restrain the increase in the Earth's mean temperature. In order to meet the goal set by the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to below 2 o C, it is necessary to not only focus on discovering the appropriate technologies but also on managing the available time effectively. This thesis compares a several selected Carbon Dioxide removal technologies through analysis of literature reviews and secondary literature reviews, and subsequently compares the technologies using a SWOT analysis. The objective of this thesis is to identify the currently operational Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies that are most likely to have a significant impact on reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, in order to fulfill the target of limiting global warming to below 2 o C. The selected CDR technologies are: Direct Air Capture with Carbon Storage (DACCS), Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Biochar, Enhanced Rock Weathering, Ocean Alkalinization, Ocean Fertilisation, Afforestation and Reforestation, Soil Carbon Sequestration technologies. Through the SWOT analysis this thesis used different kinds of datas such as: TRL (Technology Readiness Level), storage type, durable storage, cost at scale, mitigation potential, MRV, risks, energy requirements, number of publications and patents through the last twenty years, social acceptance through public media and others.

Source: repositum.tuwien.at

[Greg Rau]

Finally, on pg 15 SWOT is defined: "The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, which examines an organization's internal and external environments and is commonly employed when a decision is uncertain, has emerged as an essential instrument for organisations to assess their market position (Rozmi et al., 2018; Wu, 2020)."

But then that involves subjective weighting of those parameter values in evaluating tradeoffs and decisionmaking among CDR options? 

Greg

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[GRETCHEN & RON LARSON]

Greg and List:

 

     Thanks of catching this paper.

 

     Just so others can get in this loop, the attachment summarizes most of this Masters thesis.  I will soon be adding more about how my scores for the first and third rows would differ. (Respectively in second (21 points) and tie-fitfh place (15 points.)

 

       I am not objecting at all to the methodology - which appears to be new.  SWOTs for biochar are in existence, but I am not aware of any other SWOT for the multiple CDR approaches of this list

 

      Apologies for the orientation - that way in the original.  More coming.

 

     Ron

 

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[Philip Kithil]

...and disregards time-to-market, how soon can the tech transition from red to yellow to green....oops did I mention MARKET, is there such a thing?

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[GRETCHEN & RON LARSON]

Greg and list:      (repeating the key figure)

   

   A few more comments.  These meant to be my last

 

   1.   Policy.  I think Mr.  Fuzi should not have handled attribute #12 (Policy) as he did (dropping it from all consideration).  

      Policy is a very important CDR category, with some approaches having threats today and others not.

 

     2.  Scoring gradations .   Also better to have also used the score value "2", rather than jumping from "1" to "3"?   Biochar won over DACCS in the two positive categories (Strength and Opportunities) while DACCS won  in the two Negative (actually all 6 in :Weakness" and "Threat".  Which are actually:  "Negative averting" - a positive category)

 

    Fractional scores (both 2.5 and 2?) would likely have been helpful (or scoring from 0 to 10?).  In Academic terms, he is giving grades of only A, C, or F.

 

      3.  Reds (zeroes)  Forgetting unused criterion #12 (Policy), biochar is the only one with no reds (No "zeroes").  I see no discussion of the importance of the reds - which never show as a big warning - only a little worse than a score of "1".

 

    4.    Negative Scores.   On the subject of having 12 positive categories. (no negatives).  It would seem CDR analysts would want prefer negative values.  Subtracting a "3" seems more logical that assigning a "0".  

     

      6.   Overall Approach.   In my several hours of reading on SWOT,  I've found nothing earlier on numerically comparing alternative approaches - as done in this paper.  Clearly SWOT has been used a lot to help management with a single product;  not as here comparing 8 competitors.   But I see no reason to avoid using SWOT this way. 

     A common thread in the (lengthy) SWOT literature is comparing inside (SO) vs outside (WT).  That "outside"  idea is not dominant in this paper, which emphasizes ability to overcome the six specific WT negatives.

 

      7.   Use here. This paper is not critical to this list activities.  I am warning about believing the results.  Especially because the scoring is from a single individual.   I think he mostly did a credible job, with the exception of details on the scoring.  

        I hope to see more numerical approaches in comparison papers with attribution for the specific scores.  Especially important could be even small negative scores.

     

Ron