Integrating the ISO 14034 standard as a platform for carbon capture and utilization technology performance evaluation

Independent testing and verification of emerging technologies are vital parts of the technology-commercialization process. With the rapid development of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies, where existing standards and certifications do not exist, independent verification approaches and guidelines can provide a means to obtain credible information for an emerging market. The ISO 14034:2016—Environmental Management: Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) standard can serve as a foundational platform to ensure the consistency, quality and credibility of data on CCU technology performance, enabling direct comparisons between technologies and reducing risk to decision-makers regarding potential investment, future deployment and ultimate impacts of CCU innovations. Applying the fundamental principles of ISO 14034 to the evaluation of nine finalist CCU technologies competing in the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE ensured that data used to evaluate competitors was of high quality, consistent across technologies and met the information needs of the XPRIZE and competition judges responsible for selecting winners. The approaches outlined here, including verification parameters and verification tasks for both XPRIZE-specific technology evaluations and full CCU technology evaluation by an accredited entity in conformance with the ISO 14034 standard, provide insight into the potential benefits—methodological consistency, high-quality data, independent oversight, methodological flexibility and broad applicability—and limitations—technology readiness and applicability, verification and instrumentation costs and lack of specificity—of the approach in an application for the evaluation of emerging technologies. Further application of the ISO 14034 standard and principles, developed through a consensus approach that incorporates other developing guidelines, can drive consistency and credibility for technology-performance evaluations across the CCU sector, ultimately leading to reduced risk and improved market access for new innovations.