Technical Perspective of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the primary greenhouse gas contributing to anthropogenic climate change which is associated with human activities. The majority of CO₂ emissions are results of the burning of fossil fuels for energy, as well as industrial processes such as steel and cement production. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a sustainable technology promising in terms of reducing CO₂ emissions that would otherwise contribute to climate change. From this perspective, the discussion on carbon capture focuses on chemical absorption technology, primarily due to its commercialization potential. The CO₂ absorptive capacity and absorption rate of various chemical solvents have been summarized. The carbon utilization focuses on electrochemical conversion routes converting CO₂ into potentially valuable chemicals which have received particular attention in recent years. The Faradaic conversion efficiencies for various CO₂ reduction products are used to describe efficiency improvements. For carbon storage, successful deployment relies on a better understanding of fluid mechanics, geomechanics, and reactive transport, which are discussed in details.