FAQ

Our method is applicable to all types of environmental sequestration requiring instant or a posteriori proof of true transport to the distant sequestration site, and therefore relying on the traceability of physical flows, batch by batch, a fortiori in the case of discontinuous transport by truck, railcar or barge. This may involve a transport destination for geo-sequestration by underground injection, or the production of long-lived materials (mineralization, synthesis, etc.).

In Europe, for example, billions of euros in CO2 tax fraud have been committed on the carbon contract markets. Yet the CO2 captured for CCUS will be counted in billions of tonnes, each worth more than a hundred dollars, or even several… Faced with these immense stakes, involving multiple players and heterogeneous regulations, it will be difficult to guard against new frauds on captured CO2, if the physical flows are not controlled and if proof in real time or a posteriori cannot be provided by control bodies or trusted third parties.
CO2 captured but not recycled or sequestered retains its status as waste, for which the original emitter remains legally responsible until it is disposed of or transformed into a resource, even if it has been transferred to a third-party transporter/sequestrator. The risks to the balance sheets of emitting companies, whose carbon accounting would then be distorted through no fault of their own, would be financially unbearable. It is therefore in their interest to ensure maximum security of flows downstream of capture, which is what our method will enable. We position ourselves as an insurance policy to avoid these risks.
It would therefore be useful to back up carbon accounting with proof of certification of the physical flows of captured CO2.

There are two main types of CO2 transport: point-to-point transport by pipeline (carboduc) or discontinuous transport in batches by road, rail or river. In the first case, certified metrology (often used in natural gas transport) may be sufficient. In the second case, however, this is not enough, as any « isolated » batch must be traceable to prove in real time or a posteriori that its destination has been respected (sequestration, use).

How can we prove that a batch destined for sequestration has not been released into the atmosphere or resold? The imagination of fraudsters knows no bounds.

How can we identify and isolate a batch of CO2 accidentally rendered toxic during transport? The traceability will provide ad hoc corrective measures and legal elements for settling the dispute.

The carbon sinks concerned are units that industrially capture carbon from non-fossil sources. These are mainly industrial capture units for the conversion of biogenic carbon from biomass into energy (BECCS) or direct atmospheric capture sites (DACCS).  Industries emitting so-called “unavoidable” CO2, such as cement plants, pulp and paper mills, some chemical industries or waste treatment plants, are included in this list, but only to a limited degree, due to the heterogeneous origin of their inputs (biogenic and fossil).
At these sites, CO2track may be required for downstream transport of the captured CO2. As biomass is heavy, BECCS units are often located close to the carbon source. In all these cases, it is important to link proof of sequestration to a guarantee of the non-fossil origin of the CO2 concerned.
Direct atmospheric capture plants (DAC), on the other hand, are generally located where cheap energy and/or sequestration capacity is available, and therefore often do not require downstream transport.

Our method can be useful upstream of the production of several types of e-fuels.

As far as road vehicles are concerned, Germany has blocked European rules aimed at banning combustion vehicles, arguing that the fuel can be of biogenic, non-fossil origin and thus be climate-neutral. Captured CO2 can be used to synthesize this type of fuel. But it will be important to link its origin to each of the batches synthesized.

The aeronautical sector, which is growing continuously, must migrate to the use of fuels synthesized from non-fossil carbon (biogenic or captured directly from the atmosphere). Today, this sector must offset its emissions, tomorrow it will be obliged to use SAF (sustainable aviation fuel). In all these cases, it is essential to know the origin of the carbon, both to secure the compensation of the sequestered CO2, and to guarantee the non-fossil origin of the SAF used.

CO2 is a raw material for many industries and utilizations. We need to characterize and certify lots of CO2, like any other input, especially the one that has been captured, and prove its compliance with user requirements, standards and regulations, and that its value is higher than the threshold value of the « climate » ton. Lots traceability enables this ante/post certification.

There are many different value chains. For example, CO2 captured on an agricultural or agri-food site (fermentation, methanization) has characteristics that can be valorized within a value chain.

A secure certificate of guarantee of origin can be added to the terms and conditions of sale of any batch of captured CO2, to provide the buyer with security and the means for certified communication on a legal, financial, marketing, insurance or other level.

Due to regulations and standards, we can assume that there will be a dichotomy in CO2 prices simply because of its fossil or non-fossil origin. Two prices for the same chemical substance require specific marking. This system is well known in the case of fuel oil with differentiated tax rates (like “red” fuel oil in France).

There are numerous reference systems and certifications, registries and platforms that take into account tons of CO2 in carbon offsets and markets. In number of cases, these are volumes relating to projects within frameworks such as CDMs, calculated according to certified and auditable methods, but these volumes are declarative. Some people speak of « paper co2 » or « fiduciary CO2 ».

CO2track makes it possible to give each batch of captured CO2 a physical identity, and therefore security. The accredited certification bodies (DOE) that operate on the regulated or voluntary CO2 markets do not have the tools to provide this level of security on a batch-by-batch basis. Certified metrology cannot provide unquestionable proof of the final destination of batches, particularly after assembly and discontinuous transport or load breaks. Managing this data using existing or dedicated blockchains will enable secure transparency, and a record of each batch transported in a certified Register.

Major international companies or Official Bodies were again recently implicated for irregularities in the declaration of the volume of their geosequestrated CO2, which enabled them to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in offset certificates.