Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves collecting CO2 emissions from power plants and industrial processes such as steel and cement production, then injecting it into deep geological formations like saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs for permanent storage.
Even though CCS holds great promise for mitigating climate change, its implementation comes with risks. CCS systems can be expensive and cumbersome to run; their long-term effectiveness remains unknown.
What is CCS?
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology encompasses an array of techniques designed to capture CO2 produced during industrial processes, transport it underground, and store it permanently within geological formations. CCS should be employed alongside renewable energy resources and other tools as part of climate mitigation strategies.
There are currently 13 significant CCS projects operating at commercial scale today. Although their motivations vary widely — some driven by commercial interests like increasing oil production — others — such as Sleipner and Alberta Carbon Trunk Line — were designed purely for scientific reasons. Yet all 13 have one thing in common: They have consistently achieved high technical performance levels that should help ensure net-zero emissions remain achievable.
CCUS (and related forms of carbon dioxide utilization and sequestration, including some types of CCUS+) are two key strategies for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions; others include deep cuts to fossil fuel use and zero-emission nuclear power.
How does CCS work?
CCS makes use of existing technologies to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide emissions. It can be applied across industries including cement production, steel fabrication and petrochemical processing as well as fossil fuel power generation.
Captured CO2 is first converted to liquid by compression before being transported by pipeline or ship to an underground geological storage site such as former oil reservoirs or saline aquifers for long term storage.
CCS requires an economic mechanism that places a value on carbon dioxide and provides incentives for investing. This may take the form of a carbon price, emissions trading scheme or CCS obligation. Furthermore, some projects located near existing oil fields already capture and store CO2 for enhanced oil recovery purposes – experience gained here can drive additional climate-oriented CCS investment.
Why is CCS important?
Fossil fuels account for an overwhelming share of global greenhouse emissions. Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) allows them to be utilized more safely, helping enable transition toward renewable energy sources without completely replacing fossil fuels with alternatives.
Post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) involves extracting carbon dioxide from flue gas at power plants using technology designed to remove particulates and NOx emissions, before transporting it via pipeline or ship for storage at designated sites – most frequently geological storage which involves injecting it underground in depleted oil fields or saline aquifers.
Injection at power plants is also used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). CO2 capture and storage have other applications as well, including biochemical production or fuel extraction from biomass sources. But some argue that CCS should instead focus on cleaner production methods that move away from fossil-dependent industries altogether – with EOR being one major application.
What are the risks of CCS?
CCS projects often require CO2 to be transported over long distances to storage sites, requiring costly pipeline infrastructure that must be installed and maintained. Carbon dioxide can also corrode metal pipes, potentially endangering groundwater resources.
Leakage of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributes to climate change while also endangering human health and safety. Leakage may also occur at geological storage sites, potentially contaminating drinking water supplies or stimulating seismic activity.
Organizations such as the Climate Justice Alliance view carbon capture as a form of geoengineering that undermines efforts to curb climate change while perpetuating fossil fuel dependence. They argue that CCS would introduce additional pollution and risks into communities already burdened by industrial emissions – such as Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” northern plains communities, or coastal regions where oil/gas facilities exist.