The subject of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies has been in the news lately due to a recent study by Radboud University. The findings suggest that most of these technologies may not be successful in helping the world achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050. This article will provide an overview of CCUS technologies, their applications, the concept of Net Zero emissions, and some of the challenges associated with these technologies.
Understanding CCUS Technologies
CCUS technologies are methods to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas and the atmosphere, followed by recycling the CO2 for utilisation or determining safe and permanent storage solutions. The CO2 captured is converted into valuable products such as fuel (methane and methanol), refrigerants, and building materials. Direct uses of the captured gas includes applications in fire extinguishers, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage industries as well as the agricultural sector. CCUS technologies have been recognized as crucial tools to help countries reduce their emissions by half by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. These goals align with the Paris Agreement targets to restrict global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (°C), and preferably to 1.5°C, over pre-industrial levels.
Applications of CCUS Technologies
One of the primary applications of CCUS technologies is mitigating climate change. Despite the adoption of alternative energy sources and energy-efficient systems, the cumulative amount of CO2 in the atmosphere needs to be reduced to limit the detrimental impacts of climate change. Usage in the agriculture sector such as capturing CO2 from biogenic sources like plants and soil can boost crop growth in greenhouses. In industrial use, CO2 can be combined with steel slag to create construction materials that are compatible with the Paris Agreement goals. CCUS technologies are also being used for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) in countries like India.
Challenges associated with CCUS
Despite its potential benefits, the deployment of CCUS technologies faces significant challenges. Carbon capture is an expensive process as it involves the development of sorbents that can effectively bind to the CO2 present in flue gas or the atmosphere. Furthermore, while converting CO2 into useful chemicals of commercial importance or using CO2 for oil extraction adds economic value to this greenhouse gas, the demand for CO2 is limited compared to the vast amount of CO2 that needs to be removed from the atmosphere.
The Way Forward
For the successful implementation of CCUS technologies, it is crucial to develop systems that are effective, cost-competitive, stable for long-term storage and environmentally benign. Countries should focus on promising technologies and invest in them. Replacing conventional fuel with synthetic fuel like methanol produced via CCU could be a successful mitigation strategy, but only if clean energy is used to capture CO2 and convert it into synthetic fuel. Emphasis should be placed on reducing emissions and developing scalable, efficient, and affordable carbon capture and storage technologies to meet the ambitious climate goals of the Paris Agreement.
