Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) is a proposal to “store” captured carbon dioxide (CO2) in manufactured goods, such as carbon-based fuels, sparkling water, or chemicals, and is treated as a potential tool to combat global warming by various governmental, international and industrial funding initiatives. In the following report, author Anja Chalmin presents an introduction to CCUS technology, several case studies of CCUS pathways including a critical assessment of the extent to which these CCUS approaches can make a meaningful contribution to climate mitigation, and an overview of public funding programs for CCUS and industry investment programs for the development of CCUS projects. Overall, the author finds the potential for CO2 as a feedstock for industrial processes to be minuscule relative to global CO2 emissions. The same applies to the CO2 storage potential, because CCU(S) products re-release most carbon after a short period of time. The high energy requirements of CCU(S) approaches and the accompanying carbon footprint deserve to be closely reviewed.
GeoEngineering Monitor: Can Captured Carbon be put to use?