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

Measurement, reporting and verification and accounting for carbon dioxide removal in the context of both project-based approaches and national greenhouse gas inventories

• 15 October 2024
• Industry Insights
• Policy & Regulation

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.

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.

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.

Integrating CCS in international cooperation and carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

• 18 January 2023
• Policy & Regulation

This work assesses the status of and outlooks for international cooperation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and considers how approaches could support the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS). It provides an up-to-date look at the Article 6 rules, the types of markets and mechanisms that could evolve, and the units that could be traded. It then considers how Article 6 could apply to CCS through linked emissions trading systems, crediting systems and alternative approaches.

Applying ISO Standards to Geologic Storage and EOR Projects

• 1 September 2022
• Policy & Regulation
• Storage

The work aims to summarise and synthesise the two ISO Standards relevant to the geological storage of CO₂: – ISO 27914:2017 (‘Carbon dioxide capture, transportation and geological storage – Geological storage’) and ISO 27916:2019 (‘Carbon dioxide capture, transportation and geological storage – Carbon dioxide storage using enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR)’) – to provide a high-level understanding of the content into an easily digestible format. By comparison with international regulatory frameworks, and providing case studies of how applicable the standards are to real CO₂ storage projects, the study provides a comprehensive overview and concludes on the usefulness of the documents in supporting the implementation of CCUS projects. For the purposes of this overview, the standards will hereafter be referred to as ISO 27914 and ISO 27916

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.

Mineral Carbonation using 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

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.