Greenhouse Gas Removal 

Carbon dioxide removal will play an increasingly important role in achieving global climate goals. Kleinman Center researchers are advancing the science, policy, and legal frameworks needed to ensure these technologies are effective, accountable, and deployed responsibly. By integrating technical, economic, and governance expertise, our work helps policymakers navigate the opportunities and challenges of carbon dioxide removal.

Faculty Leadership

Jennifer Wilcox

Presidential Distinguished Professor

Jen Wilcox is Presidential Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Energy Policy. She previously served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the Department of Energy.

Clean Energy Conversions Lab

Carbon Management in Action

The Clean Energy Conversions Lab advances research on carbon management technologies that are essential to achieving net-zero emissions. From carbon capture and removal to carbon storage and utilization, the lab develops solutions that reduce emissions while evaluating how these technologies can be deployed safely, responsibly, and at the scale needed to address climate change.

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Publication Highlights

Elevating Carbon Management: A Policy Decision-Making Framework and Rubric for the 21st Century

The digest outlines a 10-point policy framework to guide effective carbon management, emphasizing clear economic incentives, environmental safeguards, community engagement, and fossil fuel decoupling, using U.S. policy examples from 2025.

Unlocking Rare Earth Elements from Coal Waste: Pennsylvania’s Opportunity

Coal ash disposal sites are often a source of environmental pollution. Incentivizing extraction of rare earth elements from these sites in Pennsylvania presents a win-win opportunity to position the state as a leader in domestic critical mineral production while simultaneously resolving environmental liabilities.

Can Data Centers Become Carbon Removal Hubs?

Massachusetts has a uniquely favorable and sophisticated CDR policy framework. It’s also incentivizing green construction and procurement of low-carbon building materials. But at the same time, data centers are increasing in the state. This confluence of factors offers a unique opportunity to pair right-sized DAC facilities with data centers.

Collaboration Can Secure Carbon Capture’s Future

After years of technical advances and billions in public funding, carbon capture’s promise now depends on creative alliances — between incumbents and innovators, across borders and sectors — to safeguard past investments and deliver lasting climate impact.

Workforce Readiness: The Missing Lever for Scaling Climate Technologies

Workforce development is a critical enabler of climate technology commercialization. Drawing on insights from leaders across the climate innovation ecosystem, the report identifies key talent gaps and recommends strategies to better align education and training with the needs of emerging climate industries.

Supercharging Carbon Removal with Geothermal Energy Increases Carbon Abatement

Geothermal energy isn’t just for clean power—it can also drive carbon removal. New research from the Clean Energy Conversions Lab shows that pairing geothermal with direct air capture (DAC) can boost CO₂ abatement by up to 757%. Learn how this dual-use approach could reshape climate strategy and policy.

Teaching Highlights

How Interdisciplinary Teaching Becomes Climate Action

When 35 students from five Penn schools analyzed real DOE industrial decarbonization projects, they discovered that net zero is a systems challenge requiring fluency across disciplines. Their work shows why interdisciplinary teaching is climate action—and how it builds the human capital the clean energy transition demands.

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Connecting with Pennsylvania Regulators

Hélène Pilorgé of the Clean Energy Conversions Lab presented to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Citizens Advisory Council on carbon capture, contributing research and policy insights to the council’s discussion of carbon management and related environmental issues.

It’s not a time to say, ‘Oh, there’s no federal funding for CDR.’ It’s a time to say, ‘How can we continue to be creative to push these projects forward?’

Jennifer Wilcox on The CDR Policy Scoop Podcast