Prospects of carbon capture, utilization and storage for mitigating climate change

Abstract

Carbon capture (i.e., CO₂ capture) and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) are recognized as potential pathways to combat global climate change. Numerous efforts are underway, such as CCS (e.g., biochar used for soil amendment; captured carbon injected into onshore or offshore reservoirs) and CCU (captured CO₂ used for crop/algae production), due to enormous societal, economic and environmental concerns on climate change and for complying with emission regulations as well as meeting the committed emission reduction targets. This study compiled information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction initiatives, including CCS and CCU on the earth, recent technological advances in CCS and CCU, and their economic, environmental and societal implications. The prospect of CCS and CCU technologies has also been discussed. CCS processes require less energy compared with CCU and thus tend to be more cost-effective than CCU. The global warming potential (GWP) and the cost of energy systems that deployed CCS/CCU varied from 0.007–0.225 kg CO₂ eq per MJ and $0.017–0.070 MJ⁻¹, respectively. Both CCS and CCU have challenges, and public perception of these initiatives seems to be complex or not satisfactory for deploying large-scale projects, which hinders meeting the GHG emission reduction targets of different jurisdictions. The acceptance of CCU seems to be higher compared to that of CCS because of the concerns about land-use complexities. For a carbon-neutral economy, a single transition pathway appears to be inadequate. Stringent policies, financial incentives/benefits, stakeholder participation and technological advances would be crucial for the transition; however, technological advances and policy initiatives must be justified by a broader sustainability check to avoid the risk of investment and climate change.