Prof. Hamed Sanei - Visiting Professor at Energy Department from 15 October to 30 November 2026

Professor Hamed Sanei and Professor David Chiaramonti will collaborate on the scientific basis for assessing carbon permanence in the European Union Emissions Trading System. The priority manuscript will compare carbon retention in biochar and geological CO₂ storage, examining whether differences in their regulatory treatment are supported by differences in physical permanence and uncertainty.
The study will compare published biochar decay and geological storage models over common time horizons of 100, 1,000 and 10,000 years. It will examine how biochar carbonization and environmental conditions, and geological trapping, well integrity and storage management, determine the amount of carbon retained. The analysis will distinguish physical carbon losses from accounting deductions, monitoring requirements and liability for subsequent releases. Storage permanence will also be distinguished from the net climate benefit after life cycle emissions. The objective is to establish the conditions under which biochar and geological storage provide comparable permanence, and develop consistent scientific criteria for their assessment under European carbon policy.