Current Trends in Carbon Utilization
Various international agencies, such as IEA, CSLF, and IPCC, have recognized the importance of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology. They have highlighted its significance in achieving the climate change targets outlined in the Paris Agreement. CCUS plays a crucial role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and advancing towards a sustainable future.
Technologies for the transportation and storage of captured carbon dioxide are essential for large-scale deployment of CCUS. Currently, companies store carbon dioxide underground in geological reservoirs or saline aquifers. However, there are concerns about the probable leakage of CO2 from these reservoirs into the air/nearby water reservoirs and induced seismicity because of the build-up of pressure underground.
Carbon dioxide utilization involves different pathways for recycling or conversion of captured CO2 to produce economically valuable chemicals or fuels. CO2 utilization technologies are being looked at as an alternative to geological or aquifer storage. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a widely used utilization technology. It involves injecting CO2 into oil reservoirs to enhance and facilitate the recovery of oil. However, it requires the carbon dioxide source to be near the oil well site or transportation of carbon dioxide to the oil well site. This limits the scalability of the technology.
As an alternative to EOR, CO2 can be used as a feedstock to produce marketable products. Provided below are the different pathways for conversion of CO2:
Mineralization: The process involves a chemical reaction of carbon dioxide with certain types of rocks or minerals (e.g., alkaline-earth oxides like magnesium oxide (MgO) and calcium oxide (CaO)) to form a solid mineral, such as carbonate. Startup companies like Solidia Technologies and Carbon Cure have applied this approach to produce cement or building materials.
Catalytic conversion: The process involves the use of a catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide to chemicals and fuels. The first carbon dioxide to methanol plant was commissioned by Icelandic Carbon Recycling International in 2012. Moreover, it has received a grant under the EU’s Horizon 2020 program to implement its technology in a Swedish steel-manufacturing plant. Carbon Engineering, a Canada-based start-up, is utilizing the Direct Fuel Production™ platform as fuel-synthesis technology.
