introduction :

According to a study conducted by Radboud University, most Carbon Capture and Utilisation and

Storage (CCUS) technologies, which suck carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and

convert it into fuel or other valuable products, might fail to help the world reach Net Zero

emissions by 2050.

The study noted that a majority of these systems are energy intensive and the resultant

product can also release CO2 into the atmosphere.

‘Net zero emissions’ refers to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions

produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.

What are CCUS?

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) encompasses methods and technologies

to remove CO2 from the flue gas and from the atmosphere, followed by recycling the CO2

for utilization and determining safe and permanent storage options.

CO2 captured using CCUS technologies is converted into fuel (methane and methanol),

refrigerants and building materials.

The captured gas is used directly in fire extinguishers, pharma, food and beverage

industries as well as the agricultural sector.

CCUS technologies can play an important role in meeting net zero targets, including as one of

few solutions to tackle emissions from heavy industry and to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

CCUS is considered an important tool to help countries halve their emissions by 2030 and reach

net-zero by 2050.

These goals are crucial to meet the Paris Agreement targets for restricting global

warming to 2 degrees Celsius (°C), and preferable to 1.5°C, over pre-industrial

levels.

What are Applications of CCUS?

Mitigating Climate Change: Despite the adoption of alternative energy sources and energy

efficient systems to reduce the rate of CO2 emissions, the cumulative amount of CO2 in the

atmosphere needs to be reduced to limit the detrimental impacts of climate change.

Agriculture: Capturing CO2 from biogenic sources such as plants and soil to boost crop growth in

a greenhouse could work.

Industrial Use: Combining CO2 with steel slag – an industrial byproduct of the steel manufacturing

process — to make construction materials compatible with the Paris Agreement goals.
Enhanced Oil Recovery: CCU is already making inroads into India. For instance, Oil and Natural

Gas Corporation signed a MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for Enhanced Oil

Recovery (EOR) by injecting CO2.

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What are the Challenges associated with CCUS?

Expensive: Carbon capture involves the development of sorbents that can effectively bind to the

CO2 present in flue gas or the atmosphere, which is expensive.

Lesser Demand for Recycled CO2: Converting CO2 into useful chemicals of commercial

importance, or utilizing CO2 for oil extraction or remediation of alkaline industrial wastes, would

add economic value to this greenhouse gas.

However, the demand for CO2 is limited compared to the vast amount of CO2 that needs to

be removed from the atmosphere, to reduce the detrimental environmental impacts of

climate change.

Way Forward

Any viable system for storing carbon must be effective and cost competitive, stable as long-term

storage, and environmentally benign.

Countries should narrow down on the handful of technologies that show more promise and channel

investment in them.

Replacing a conventional fuel with a synthetic fuel like methanol produced via CCU is likely to be a

successful mitigation strategy only if clean energy is used to capture CO2 and convert it into
Syenthetic fuel.

M. MOHAMED BALKEES BANU

University/College name : JAMAL MOHAMED COLLEGE