Atmospheric Removal of Nitrous Oxide: Approaches and Feasibility
- 1Resolute Methane, Somerville, Massachusetts 02143, United States
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the third-largest contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing and the dominant anthropogenic ozone-depleting emission. While mitigation can flatten emissions, there is no clear pathway to eliminate residual emissions from agriculture and other diffuse sources, a key challenge for climate stabilization. The potential role of atmospheric removal has not been holistically assessed, yet N2O’s high potency and long atmospheric lifetime indicate the potential for a durable climate benefit. This review synthesizes emerging approaches for atmospheric N2O removal, organized by reaction mechanism (thermal destruction and thermocatalysis, photolysis, gas-phase radical reactions, photocatalysis, and biological reduction) and deployment format (closed versus open system). Each is evaluated for technical efficacy, climate viability, environmental and social viability, and economic plausibility using lower-bound cost models. No approach yet satisfies all four: gas-phase radical reactors are precluded by their kinetics, thermocatalytic and photocatalytic reactors require ten- to hundred-fold performance gains, and open-system approaches have the lowest cost floors but face the greatest measurement and governance challenges. These results identify the performance thresholds and broader constraints that govern feasibility across pathways, providing a foundation for a research agenda and for assessing the role of N2O removal alongside emissions mitigation.
Related
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- Satellite observations of nitrous oxide emissions from adipic acid production
- Novel Mechanism of Abiotic Ammonium Oxidation Triggers Nitrous Oxide Bursts Upon Soil Rewetting
- Nitrous oxide dynamics across nitrogen and pH gradients in headwater streams
- Assessment of methods for collection, preservation, and storage of water samples for dissolved methane and nitrous oxide concentration measurements
BibTeX
@article{sawyer2026atmospheric,
title = {{Atmospheric Removal of Nitrous Oxide: Approaches and Feasibility}},
author = {William J. Sawyer},
journal = {Environmental Science \& Technology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acs.est.6c04107},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c04107},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Atmospheric Removal of Nitrous Oxide: Approaches and Feasibility
AU - William J. Sawyer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Environmental Science & Technology
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.6c04107
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c04107
AB - Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the third-largest contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing and the dominant anthropogenic ozone-depleting emission. While mitigation can flatten emissions, there is no clear pathway to eliminate residual emissions from agriculture and other diffuse sources, a key challenge for climate stabilization. The potential role of atmospheric removal has not been holistically assessed, yet N2O’s high potency and long atmospheric lifetime indicate the potential for a durable climate benefit. This review synthesizes emerging approaches for atmospheric N2O removal, organized by reaction mechanism (thermal destruction and thermocatalysis, photolysis, gas-phase radical reactions, photocatalysis, and biological reduction) and deployment format (closed versus open system). Each is evaluated for technical efficacy, climate viability, environmental and social viability, and economic plausibility using lower-bound cost models. No approach yet satisfies all four: gas-phase radical reactors are precluded by their kinetics, thermocatalytic and photocatalytic reactors require ten- to hundred-fold performance gains, and open-system approaches have the lowest cost floors but face the greatest measurement and governance challenges. These results identify the performance thresholds and broader constraints that govern feasibility across pathways, providing a foundation for a research agenda and for assessing the role of N2O removal alongside emissions mitigation.
SN - 0013-936X
SN - 1520-5851
ER -