Assessing Early‐Stage CO₂ utilization Technologies—Comparing Apples and Oranges?

TLDR

CO₂ utilization spans diverse disciplines, and technology assessment is a common evaluation tool. The article examines the current state of CO₂ utilization and argues that standardized assessment methods, including social and environmental impact indicators, are needed to enable meaningful technology comparison. The authors map chemical product development steps to technology readiness levels and review literature to evaluate assessment methods and indicators. The analysis reveals low standardization in CO₂ utilization assessment, with research covering only some fields and employing a wide range of indicators that hinder comparison.

Abstract

Abstract CO 2 utilization involves many disciplines—fields as different as apples and oranges. Technology assessment is a common tool for evaluation. This article analyses its current state in CO 2 utilization. First, the steps of chemical product development are matched with technology readiness levels (TRLs) for classification. Second, relevant literature is selected, and assessment methods and indicators are examined. The analysis shows that standardization in CO 2 utilization technology assessment is low. Current research addresses some but not all assessment fields and tends to use a large range of indicators, making comparison difficult. Overall standard methods are needed as they could facilitate technology comparison and provide a better understanding of trade‐offs. Future assessments should be extended to the definition of a standard set of assessment indicators, the further adoption of social impact assessment for all TRLs, and the inclusion of environmental impact assessment at early stages.