What Is Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)?

What is CCUS?

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is a process that traps carbon dioxide before it is stored in the atmosphere. This technology is mostly used at factories that emit high levels of CO2, such as power plants or industrial facilities.

In recent years, through research and development, companies have started to recognise the value of captured CO2 emissions. This is through turning the captured carbon into a useful commodity, such as chemicals, plastic or fuels rather than merely storing it. That in turn has made carbon capture technology more cost effective than in the past.¹

So, what is CCUS? The key is in the capture, utility and storage of CO2 emissions.

Does CCUS store or remove carbon dioxide (CO2)?

The aim of CCUS technology is primarily to reduce the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere. The world’s rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are heating up the planet. This disrupts weather patterns and causes extreme climate change events, such as more floods, droughts and hurricanes.²

But, CCUS technology does not remove carbon dioxide directly from the air. Instead, it captures CO2 that would otherwise go into the atmosphere from factories. It usually stores CO2 in deep underground geological formations. European governments have frequently confused carbon dioxide removal (CDR) with carbon capture, leading some to call for clearer definitions.³

Does carbon capture utilisation and storage work?

There is growing interest in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology, as climate change rises up the political agenda. But, it is still a relatively new technology that struggles with large scale and widespread usage. In 2020, there were 51 large-scale CCS facilities in various stages of development around the world. However, only 19 of these were in operation, with others still in production.⁵

Can CO2 capture solve global warming?

Even if all these projects were fully operational, the amount of CO2 captured would only increase to around 130 million tonnes per year. In contrast, the world emits approximately 38 billion tonnes of CO2 every year.⁶

Another problem is that CCUS technology primarily focuses on oil and gas plants. Most industry experts say that it is required more for industrial processes, for example, for steel and cement. Moreover, the investment and uptake of CCUS technology have been significantly lower than the targets set over the last decade.⁷

The International Energy Agency says, “The high cost of installing the infrastructure and difficulties in integrating the different elements of the CO2 supply chain, technical risks associated with installing or scaling up CCUS facilities in some applications, difficulties in allocating commercial risk among project partners, and problems securing financing have also impeded investment.”⁸

Is carbon capture technology viable?

To date, the use of CCUS technology in the power sector has failed. In recent decades, billions of US dollars in public funding have been given for ‘clean coal’ projects such as Kemper, Boundary Dam and FutureGen. But, after 20 years of investment and promises, just two CCUS power projects are operational. Furthermore, they capture just 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, which is below the industry’s targets to reach 223 million tonnes by 2030.⁹

In fact, the main proponents of CCUS technology are the oil and gas industries. Critics say that by promoting CCUS technology – so-called ‘clean coal’ is one example – it allows them to continue burning fossil fuels indefinitely. The oil and gas industries have a long track record of securing massive subsidies from taxpayers through its political influence. Yet, the oil and gas industry is spending relatively little to invest in this technology compared to public money.¹⁰

But, the industry has been unable to clean up its act and almost all power generation still produces unsustainable amounts of carbon dioxide. Instead, taxpayers’ money is better spent on proven solutions such as renewable power, energy efficiency, afforestation and reducing agricultural sector emissions. It’s not a safe bet to rely on carbon capture technology to save us from climate change, since it is still new and expensive.¹¹

Can carbon capture stop climate change?

Carbon capture technology provides us with the illusion of carrying on as before by ‘cleaning’ the extraction of fossil fuels. But, so far it has proven to be a mirage. For example, the most advanced technology for carbon dioxide capture in the cement industry is only at an early demonstration stage. Yet, the industry needs to capture around 60 per cent of emissions in the Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS).¹²

This does not indicate that CCUS technology is entirely useless. In certain industries, such as steel and construction, it may be useful as part of a strategy to reduce emissions overall. But, we cannot rely on this technology to solve the climate crisis. We have to invest in other – more effective and cheaper solutions – to stop our planet from overheating. In other words, we still have a long way to go.

1. Cuéllar-Franca, R.M. and Azapagic, A. (2015). Carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies: A critical analysis and comparison of their life cycle environmental impacts. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 9, pp.82–102.
2. Nunez, C. (2019). Greenhouse gases, explained. [online] Nationalgeographic.com. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/greenhouse-gases/.‌
3. Europe needs a definition of Carbon Dioxide Removal. (2020). [online] . Available at: https://zeroemissionsplatform.eu/wp-content/uploads/Europe-needs-a-definition-of-Carbon-Dioxide-Removal-July-2020-2.pdf [Accessed 14 Feb. 2021].
4. Cuéllar-Franca, R.M. and Azapagic, A. (2015). Carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies: A critical analysis and comparison of their life cycle environmental impacts. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 9, pp.82–102.
5. www.nationalgrid.com. (n.d.). What is Carbon Capture and Storage? | National Grid Group. [online] Available at: https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/what-is-ccs-how-does-it-work.
6. IEA. (n.d.). Carbon capture, utilisation and storage – Fuels & Technologies. [online] Available at: https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage.
7. Cuéllar-Franca, R.M. and Azapagic, A. (2015). Carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies: A critical analysis and comparison of their life cycle environmental impacts. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 9, pp.82–102.
8. IEA. (n.d.). A new era for CCUS – CCUS in Clean Energy Transitions – Analysis. [online] Available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/ccus-in-clean-energy-transitions/a-new-era-for-ccus#growing-ccus-momentum.
9. IEA. (n.d.). Carbon capture, utilisation and storage – Fuels & Technologies. [online] Available at: https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage.‌
10. Kelly, S. (2018). How America’s clean coal dream unravelled. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/02/clean-coal-america-kemper-power-plant.‌
11. Koerth, M. (2019). Why Carbon Capture Hasn’t Saved Us From Climate Change Yet. [online] FiveThirtyEight. Available at: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-carbon-capture-hasnt-saved-us-from-climate-change-yet/.
12. Cuéllar-Franca, R.M. and Azapagic, A. (2015). Carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies: A critical analysis and comparison of their life cycle environmental impacts. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 9, pp.82–102.