CCU Technology Review Synthesis

Technical Review

1 March 2018

Carbon Counts UK

Citation: IEAGHG, "CCU Technology Review Synthesis", 2018-TR01c , March 2018.

Publication Overview

Based on the backdrop outlined, the overall aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of the potential of CCU technologies to contribute towards climate change mitigation objectives (i.e. by reducing emissions of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere).

Publication Summary

The main findings of the research programme on CO2 capture and utilisation technologies (CCU) are: 1. Momentum for CCU has increased significantly over recent years at a political, industrial and academic level. 2. A number of funded CCU research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects, and several ongoing commercial operations, are active around the world at the current time. 3. Despite the various RD&D funding efforts, uncertainty remains regarding the efficacy of CCU technologies to deliver real, measurable, verifiable and scalable GHG emission reductions. 4. Asymmetry of information notwithstanding, there is growing political pressure on regulators to integrate CCU into low carbon policies. 5. Actions at a political level and the RD&D activities for CCU on the ground appear to be out of synchronisation. 6. Analyses of the energy and carbon flows across a selected number of commercial and demonstration scale CCU case studies show that there is potential for GHG benefits to arise from CCU. 7. Net GHG benefits arising from CCU technologies can only be fully assessed by taking a life cycle GHG accounting perspective. 8. The complexity of GHG accounting and net GHG benefit assessment can be reduced by employing a ‘CO2 capture benefit’ method. 9. Although the analysis provides new insights into CCU GHG accounting, it is partial as it considers only energy and carbon flows across the CCU life cycle and is based only on large demonstration/commercial-scale operations. This does provide a valuable building block from which to develop more comprehensive approaches, however. 10. Based on the approach taken in this research, CCU GHG accounting guidelines v1.0 have been prepared to facilitate improved transparency about CCU and emission reductions. 11. The life cycle of CCU means that several factors must be kept in mind when designing appropriate policies and regulation

Download Publication

Access the complete publication in PDF format.

Download Now

Related Publications

View similar publications.

View All Publications

Technical Report

International Standards and Testing for Novel Carbonaceous Building Materials

1 December 2023
Policy & Regulation
Utilisation

Over 4 billion tonnes of cement are produced each year, equating to approximately 8% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and this industry will continue to grow with the expansion of the built environment at a time that emissions need to be reduced. The utilisation or reduction of CO2 within cement, concrete and building materials could be a valuable way to contribute to emissions reductions in the sector , but there are several barriers, including the current state of standards, regulations and policies. This study will provide useful information for the technical and research community, the CCUS industry, the construction industry, and policymakers, providing an unbiased and non-prescriptive evaluation of international standards and testing relevant to novel carbonaceous building materials to address some of those barriers. The market potential for CO2 utilisation processes in the construction industry is also investigated, and the methods for certifying and measuring embodied carbon content of carbonated building materials is evaluated and the challenges therein.

Technical Report

Techno-Economic Assessment of Electrochemical CO2 Conversion Technologies

17 October 2023
Costs of CCUS
Utilisation

This study aims to assess the costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance of selected electrochemical CO2 conversion pathways. It applies a learning curve method to project costs up to 2050.

Technical Report

Prospective Integration of Geothermal Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage

23 August 2023
Storage
Utilisation

The aim of the study is to provide a dispassionate review and overview of scenarios where geothermal energy and CO2 utilisation and storage technologies can be combined for mutual benefit and contribute to Net Zero targets. Sourced from a rich body of literature from global research institutes and some demonstration projects many of the concepts identified have been conceptualised over the past 20 years and are still in the early concept stage. These concepts have been categorised, described and evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. And a map based screening exercise useful for initial evaluation of areas suitable for combined synergies has been undertaken.

Technical Report

Defining the Value of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage for a Low-Carbon Future

1 August 2022
Capture
Utilisation

A key objective of the study was to explore the concept of ‘value’, when applied to a technology deployed in a low-carbon energy system. CCUS is an available mitigation option to support energy transitions and has been highlighted by global IAMs as a necessary technology to limit anthropogenic warming to well below 2°C. Despite this, there continues to be dissent among academics, business leaders and policymakers regarding the role CCUS can or should play in a low-carbon future. This opposition appears to stem not only from a narrow and incomplete focus on cost, and the perception that CCUS is a high-cost mitigation option under all circumstances, but also a failure to recognise the value of CCUS from other perspectives, such as human, social and environmental, to support the energy transition to net zero. As a result, a wider, deeper, and multi-disciplinary review of the ‘value’ of CCUS is explored. Recent literature spanning sector-specific techno-economic models, global and regional IAMs, and social studies to explore the diverse value of CCUS is reviewed. Results from Princeton University’s Net-Zero America study are summarised, where five alternate modelled pathways to net-zero emissions in the United States provided an exceptional level of sectoral, temporal and spatial granularity to highlight the value of CCUS in these pathways. Finally, a semi-quantitative, 2×2 decision framework was introduced to help policymakers screen the relative competitiveness of CCUS as a mitigation option across multiple domains. This framework was applied across a number of case studies, including the United States, the UK, Indonesia, Australia and Japan, to highlight under what circumstances CCUS might prove to be a valuable mitigation option to help these jurisdictions achieve time-bound mitigation goals.

Technical Report

Mineral Carbonation usig Mine Tailings – A Strategic Overview of Potential and Opportunities

1 July 2022
Utilisation

The aim of this review is to evaluate the techno-economic viability of AMC, and the comparative maturity of the technology, based on publicly available information. This report is primarily concerned with magnesium-silicate rich mine tailings and ex situ processing to induce carbonation suitably reactive rock. Magnesium silicate rocks can potentially offer significant volumes of material for CO2 capture compared with calcium-based materials

Technical Report

From Carbon Dioxide to Building Materials – Improving Process Efficiency

1 March 2022
Utilisation

IEAGHG commissioned a study to investigate how captured CO2 can be used in building materials. It also explored the processes that are used to capture this CO2 and includes case studies where these processes are happening. The work has evaluated CO2 utilisation in the context of cement and concrete production by looking into the effects of carbonation on material utilisation and the design of a potential carbonation plant. The market analysis and market pull of carbonated building products is also covered.

Technical Report

CO2 as a Feedstock: Comparison of CCU Pathways

1 November 2021
Utilisation

The aim of this study is to present a holistic assessment of the viability (both technically and from a market perspective) of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) routes and to identify areas of strength and weakness within individual routes, compare different CCU pathways, and identify common drivers, barriers, and enablers. The results of this study will be of interest to the technical community, as well as industry and manufacturers. The study assessed commodities across four different CCU categories (building materials, chemicals, polymers and fuels) regarding their mitigation potential, market uptake potential, technical scalability and other impacts.

Technical Report

CO2 Utilisation: Hydrogenation Pathways

1 November 2021
Costs of CCUS
Utilisation

The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of select carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) routes based upon CO2 conversion through hydrogenation, in terms of their climate change mitigation potential. The results of this study will be of interest to organisations/individuals involved with climate-change scenario modelling, as well as RD&D financial sponsors. The commodities selected for investigation were methanol, formic acid, and middle distillate hydrocarbons (synthetic fuels: diesel, gasoline, jet fuel), with a focus on catalytic hydrogenation pathways. Results of CO2 emissions, costs and energy consumption for formic acid, however, will not be presented in detail in this Overview, as the analysis has shown that the abatement is limited to 2 MtCO2 due to the small market size. (Results for formic acid are available in the full report.)

Technical Report

GHG Accounting for CCU Technologies – Characterising CCU technologies, policy support, regulation and emissions accounting

1 March 2018
Policy & Regulation
Utilisation

Over recent years, interest in CO2 capture and utilisation (CCU) from policy-makers, industry and academics has increased dramatically, although uncertainty remains regarding the technology’s true potential to contribute towards wider greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals. A range of views have been expressed in these contexts, but on the whole it remains largely speculative and unproven. Consequently, it is difficult to provide firm opinions on whether CCU technologies can make a meaningful and lasting contribution to tackling climate change. This report provides an assessment of the range of views presented by various stakeholders, and attempts to establish an empirical evidence base upon which to qualify the views and opinions expressed.Additionally, the key way to gain a clearer understanding of the potential for CCU technologies to reduce GHG emissions is to assess the overall energy and carbon balances for different CCU processes, and to take a view on how and whether these could make a contribution to GHG emission reductions. In other words, as noted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 2005 Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (SRCCS) ‘further study of the net energy and CO2 balance of industrial processes that use the captured CO2 could help to establish a more complete picture of the potential of this option’. Such detailed studies have, at best, only partially been carried out and are heavily reliant on the assumptions made in the analysis. Thus, IEAGHG has commissioned Carbon Counts (UK) Ltd to characterise CCU technologies, as well as their policy support, regulation and emissions accounting.

Technical Review

Mineralisation – Carbonation and Enhanced Weathering

1 July 2013
Storage
Utilisation

This technical review is an update of a 2005 IEAGHG review of mineralisation as means of CO2 sequestration, which concluded “Significant breakthroughs are needed but obstacles to be overcome are considerable”. This review confirms that view and concludes that recent research initiatives are unlikely to lead to technically and economically viable CO2 sequestration processes. An insurmountable barrier is the scale of mineral handling that would be required for CO2 absorption by a mineral at a coal-fired power station. The amount of igneous mineral material to be mined, processed and returned to the ground would involve materials handling at an order of magnitude greater scale than the scale of the coal mining operation that provided the fuel that is burned to produce the CO2. That would result in significant environmental consequences and life-cycle energy demands

Our most recent publications

Our authoritative, peer-reviewed publications cover topics that include carbon capture, transport, storage, monitoring, regulation, and more.

View All Publications

Technical Review

7th Post-Combustion Capture Conference Summary

1 April 2024
Capture
Event Proceedings

The 7th edition of the Post Combustion Capture Conference (PCCC-7) was held on the 25?28 September 2023 and was jointly hosted by the IEAGHG, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and sponsored by Worley, Shell, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. (MHI).

Technical Report

Techno-Economic Assessment of Small-Scale Carbon Capture for Industrial and Power Systems

1 March 2024
Capture
Costs of CCUS

This study, undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by Element Energy (now a part of ERM), explores the role of CCS in decarbonising small-scale industry and power generation applications. While relatively under investigated compared to their larger scale counterparts, reaching net zero will be dependent on successfully addressing the emissions from small-scale facilities. The findings from the study will be of interest to the broader energy community but, in particular, should benefit project developers, the finance community and policymakers.

Technical Report

Clean steel an environmental and technoeconomic outlook of a disruptive technology

1 March 2024
Capture
Costs of CCUS

This study primarily presents a comparative analysis of steelmaking pathways to cost-effectively decarbonise a steel mill, taking a life-cycle perspective on associated environmental impacts. The roll-out of clean steel technologies is envisioned to have a significant implication for support infrastructure. Therefore, a secondary objective of the study is to gain insights into the primary energy and infrastructure implications associated with large-scale deployment of different steel decarbonisation pathways. Clean steel production will likely be more expensive than steel produced today; this poses additional economic strains on steel producers and consumers. Consequently, a third objective is to estimate the price premium that clean steel could command in existing and future markets. Further, this study formulates recommendations for key stakeholders to support the sector and outlines recommendations for further work.

Technical Report

The Role of Indices in Assessing the Maturity of CCUS Technologies and their Readiness for Deployment

1 February 2024
Industry Insights

This study was undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by Foresight Transitions Ltd. While a technology may be technically mature, it has become increasingly clear that the technology may not necessarily be considered commercially ‘bankable’ by investors. In this study, the potential for an index or indices to provide that confidence was explored. The findings from the study will be of interest to the broader energy community but, in particular, should benefit technology developers, CCUS end users, investors and policymakers.

Technical Report

Methologies and Technologies for Mitigation

1 December 2023
Industry Insights

The driver behind this study is to develop a report built on the on the previous IEAGHG report on methods of leakage mitigation (2007/11). The proposed study should focus on current mitigation and remediation methods that may be applied or considered in site specific conditions in the event of unpredicted CO2 migration. Each geological storage site will have an adaptive site specific monitoring plan, based on a risk assessment. Detection of a significant irregularity may involve supplementing the monitoring program, in order to detect a possible leak and if necessary engaging mitigation measures.

Technical Report

International Standards and Testing for Novel Carbonaceous Building Materials

1 December 2023
Policy & Regulation
Utilisation

Technical Review

6th International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO2 Storage

1 December 2023
Event Proceedings
Storage

The 6th International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO2 Storage was held in Aberdeen on 13-14 September. Organised with the University of Texas and hosted by the University of Aberdeen. The loca on was very appropriate as we were co-hosted and sponsored by Storegga who leads the Acorn project nearby in Scotland. This project had been recently announced by the UK government as a Track 2 Cluster project. This 6th workshop had 190 delegates (60 in-person and 130 virtual) from 35 countries, with a good mix of industry, researchers and regulators.

Technical Review

Monitoring Network Meeting Report

1 December 2023
Event Proceedings
Storage

The IEAGHG Monitoring Network aims to assess new technologies and techniques in the monitoring of CO2 storage, determine the limitations, accuracy and applicability of monitoring techniques, disseminate information from research and pilot storage projects around the world, develop extensive monitoring guidelines for the different sub-categories of geological storage; oil and gas fields, unmineable coal seams, and saline aquifers covering the differing conditions and reservoir properties encountered globally as well as to engage with relevant regulatory bodies.

Technical Report

Components of CCS Infrastructure – Interim CO2 Holding Options

27 November 2023
Storage
Transport

This work, undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by TNO and SINTEF, provides an overview of temporary / interim CO2 storage, or ‘holding’, options (also called buffers) and investigates the role of buffer storage and its potential to create flexible and robust carbon capture and storage (CCS) chains. The report looks at current and emerging buffer technologies, conducts simulations to demonstrate the temporary storage required for given flow-rate scenarios and discusses the impact of buffer capacity on transport costs. In the report, the storage requested in the chain for normal operation is presented as " temporary storage" and storage to give buffer capacity is presented as " buffer storage". This report has focussed on buffering at the emitter site. The results of this study will benefit CO2 storage site project developers, operators, financiers and regulators.

Technical Report

Classification of Total Storage Resources and Storage Coefficients

1 November 2023
Storage

The CO2 Storage Resources Management System (SRMS) is a classification scheme to quantify, classify and categorise CO2 storage resources. It comprises ‘total storage resources’, which are understood as maximum (theoretical) storage quantities that could ever be accommodated in the subsurface. Comprising maximum mobile CO2 in structural/stratigraphic traps, maximum residually trapped CO2 in other parts of the formation, and maximum dissolution potential in remaining formation water. ‘Storable quantities’ are understood as accessible from one or several current or future projects. It is the sum of capacity, contingent and prospective resources. The concept of ‘storage coefficient’ ‘E’ is the ratio of the subsurface volume of CO2 storable quantities to either the total storage resources or the pore volume. The calculation is arguably complicated as E is impacted by lithological heterogeneity, trapping structures, boundary conditions, injection rates, well spacing, fluid properties etc. Due to its complexity, there is much controversy on how to estimate E, with some arguing it should not be used at all and that reservoir simulation is a better path. However, estimates for E are used in most regional mapping studies. This study explores storage resource classification schemes and their evolution in understanding, the calculation of storage resources and the storage co-efficient. This is explored in terms of calculating E for CO2 storage sites, through flow modelling and analytical solutions.

Get the latest CCS news and insights

Get essential news and updates from the CCS sector and the IEAGHG by email.

Can’t find what you are looking for?

Whatever you would like to know, our dedicated team of experts is here to help you. Just drop us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.