Inorganic Carbon Monitoring for Enhanced Carbon Capture in Wastewater Treatment Facilities.

The absence of reliable and standardized Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) practices for accurately measuring and comparing Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) solutions creates a bottleneck in market development. This hinders the commercialization of innovative CDR technologies by complicating the fair assessment of net greenhouse gas removal capabilities in a consistent and comparable way. For CDR solutions that involve operations in aqueous environment, one of the critical challenges is the absence of sensors for direct assessment of CO2 in water that poses challenges in the MRV process by impeding the accurate quantification and comparison of greenhouse gas removal technologies, hindering the development and commercialization of effective carbon removal solutions. We propose development of a novel sensor for inline monitoring of inorganic carbon in ionic, dissolved, and/or gaseous forms directly in aqueous environment. The sensor will play a pivotal role in enhanced carbon capture from industrial operations, such as Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) as well as in carbon storage, for example in geologic aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Inline integration within CO2 capture and/or sequestration processes will enable efficient resource utilization and will ensure that injected CO2 does not impact underground sources of drinking water, and will not impact human health. During Phase I, our primary objectives include: (i) developing an infrared sensor for the direct detection of inorganic carbon species in water, and (ii) collaborating with industrial partners to validate the sensor under realistic environmental and industrial conditions. This sensor will be prepared for commercialization and integration into industrial processes, enhancing MRV practices and ensuring precise tracking and assessment of CO2-related capture and storage. In the realm of geological CO2 injection activities, the proposed sensor would revolutionize the monitoring of CO2 in water, providing real-time insights into potential leakage and environmental impacts. The sensor's application in wastewater treatment will play a pivotal role in monitoring the capture of CO2 in various novel industrial processes, contributing to sustainable and efficient treatment. The data transparency facilitated by these sensors will enable informed decision-making, promoting environmental sustainability, regulatory compliance, and financially efficient operations in industrial and municipal settings.