The Limits to Growth model, world 3, considers the interaction of a small number of parameters of which pollution is just one. However, currently climate change has emerged as an acute problem, overshadowing the overall chronic situation.

There are three related themes:

1. Removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. The gas can be captured, but the technology is difficult and there is a limit to the available sites suitable for storage of which some might be more valuable for storing hydrogen. There is one form in which an unlimited quantity of carbon can be permanently sequestered and that is as elemental carbon. Carbon in the form of graphite is very stable and can exist in sediments without reaction on a geological timescale. The technology is already exists with a long history, i.e. charcoal burning and gas works.
2. Terra preta, also an historic technology for soil improvement by adding charcoal to the soil, is an additional benefit, although there will be a limit to how much carbon can be used this way.
3. For aviation nothing beats hydrocarbons for power-to-weight. Hydrocarbons obtained from pyrolysis of harvested organic matter could have a net negative carbon footprint provided enough elemental carbon is buried.

The following chart is my attempt to put this all in perspective:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrogenic_carbon_capture_and_storage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar

Global rood waste figure from WWW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_feces

https://www.iea.org/news/global-co2-emissions-rose-less-than-initially-feared-in-2022-as-clean-energy-growth-offset-much-of-the-impact-of-greater-coal-and-oil-use

https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation

The Drax scheme could be transformed from doubtful to positive merit if the wood chip was pyrolysed and the Carbon sequestered. Gas turbines might have better thermodynamic efficiency than steam.

There are vast areas of boreal forest across the Northern Hemisphere and in the countries with these forests there are notable crop growing areas, the Steppes and the Prairies, which might benefit by soil improvement by Terra Preta.

Pyrolysis could be done near to the source of biomass, saving transport costs. Energy might be exported more cheaply by gas pipeline than by high voltage grid and some potential gas storage sites might be used with more advantage for temporary storage of gas than permanent storage of CO₂. A very fast growing crop such as bamboo might make better use of land area.

It looks like the amount of carbon in the wood consumed by the Drax power station is in currently in the region of 10¹⁰ kg/yr. At Guide Growth Rate it would be several decades before this process could make a significant removal of the existing excess of greenhouse gas.

Plastic waste can be added to the scheme with advantage particularly if they have been derived from harvested feedstock.

As well as coke/charcoal, pyrolysis will produce a mixture of other chemicals which can be treated with technology evolved from gas works and oil refinary to yeild feedstock for the production plastic