Carbon capture and sequestration technology for environmental remediation: A CO₂ utilization approach through EOR

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions present one of the world's most pressing issues as a primary drive for climate change. This requires a viable solution through capture and storage in geological carbon sinks including depleted or mature hydrocarbon formations, coal seams and aquifers. CO₂-enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) poses an economically feasible prospect for the industry owing to the opportunity to recover trapped hydrocarbons and already existing exploration technologies. However, limitations exist in the form of availability of abundant CO₂ and capital cost, rather than the availability of reservoir candidates. The successful application of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) through CO₂-EOR requires the investigation of rock-fluid data, reservoir screening information, and wettability behavior. In addition, it is necessary to pursue interdisciplinary engagement and identify safe CO₂ storage sites; whilst relying on extensive knowledge of rock geology and robustness of transportation infrastructure. This review study encompasses a holistic investigation on CO₂ mitigation via EOR utilization, the technical aspects, environmental impact and persisting challenges with the aid of earlier lab-scale experiments and field-scale studies. The mechanisms of petroleum resource displacement have been reported in detail, along with storage media description for CCS. Emphasis is placed on the importance of research and development (R & D) activities to highlight a roadmap to attain permanent geo-storage of CO₂ during hydrocarbon recovery.