Decarbonization Understanding Carbon Capture with CCS and CCU Technologies

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As global climate policies tighten and net zero targets draw closer, technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage as well as Carbon Capture and Utilization are expected to become indispensable tools in industrial sustainability strategies especially for hard-to-abate sectors. Read on to know more…

Today, the world is witnessing extreme heatwaves across the USA, Canada, and Central Europe. The extreme heat has already claimed multiple lives in these countries and impacted ecosystems as well. All this is a stark reminder of the accelerating impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, states that global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak before 2025 if the world wants to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Against this backdrop, industries are under intense pressure to curb their greenhouse gas emissions especially carbon dioxide (CO2). In response, many are turning to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) or Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies.

At the heart of these solutions lies the process of carbon capture—the first critical step in tackling industrial emissions.

What is Carbon Capture?

As the name suggests, carbon capture is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2). There are three main ways in which CO2 can be captured i.e post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxy-fuel combustion. Post-combustion is basically the process of capturing CO₂ from exhaust or flue gases after fossil fuels or biomass have been burned whereas, pre-combustion is the method in which fossil fuels are converted into a hydrogen-rich gas mixture, with CO₂ extracted and separated before the fuel is burned, thus preventing CO₂ from entering the atmosphere. Lastly, in the oxy fuel process, fuel is combusted with nearly pure oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and steam, from which the CO₂ can be efficiently captured.

Having understood the basics of carbon capture, it’s important to see how this concept evolves into Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as well as Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU), where captured emissions are permanently locked away underground and also used to develop different products respectively.

What is Carbon Capture and Storage?

Carbon Capture and Storage or CCS is a decarbonization technology that has the capacity to capture CO2 emissions from industrial processes (massive industrial plants), compress it for transportation via pipes or ships and then store it permanently in a deep underground location. Hard-to-abate industries such as chemicals and oil and gas are actively adopting this technology with an aim to limit and reduce carbon emissions from their operations. Moreover, the CCS technology is increasingly becoming popular as it enables industries to transition toward net-zero emissions while renewable energy and green alternatives scale up.

The Jubail Carbon Capture and Storage project: A prominent example in this space is the Jubail Carbon Capture and Storage project in Saudi Arabia. Claimed to be one of the largest CCS hubs in the world, the project is the brainchild of Saudi firm Aramco, UK-based company Linde and SLB from the USA. The mega CCS project is expected to capture 9 million metric tons of CO2 annually from three Aramco gas plants and other industrial sources in the first phase. The captured CO2 will then be transported through a pipeline network and stored underground in a saline aquifer sink.

One of the world’s largest CCS projects: In addition to this, the US-based firm Exxon Mobil has announced that it plans to build one of the world’s largest CCS projects at its integrated refining and petrochemical site at Baytown, Texas, USA. The project is expected to transport and store up to 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually.

On the other hand, Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) takes the concept a step further by finding innovative ways to repurpose captured CO2 for industrial use.

What is Carbon Capture and Utilization?

The Carbon Capture and Utilization technology or CCU captures CO2 emissions from industrial processes and then either re-uses it to produce different products such as synthetic fuel, plastics, etc. The technology supports the circular economy by transforming waste CO₂ into a valuable resource. For instance, the technology is used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the oil and gas industry which basically means that captured CO2 is injected into depleted oil or gas reservoirs to boost extraction and extend the productive lifespan of the field. Apart from this, it is also used as feedstock for the production of synthetic fuels, chemicals and building materials.

World’s first large-scale carbon capture and utilization plant: For instance, the chemical major Linde along with building material firm Heidelberg Materials and BASF announced that a jointly developed CO2 capture process based on the Oase blue technology is to be used in a large-scale CO2 capture plant for the first time in Europe. This will be the world’s first large-scale carbon capture and utilization plant, planned to capture, purify and liquefy around 70,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. Linde will sell the majority of the resulting liquid CO2 as a feedstock for the chemical industry and to the food and beverage industry. The groundbreaking for this plant was announced in June 2024.

One of the world’s largest active CCU plants: Apart from this, one of the world’s largest active CCU plants begun operations in 2024. Celanese, the specialty materials company, in collaboration with Japan-based firm Mitsui & Co., have developed the project at Clear Lake, Texas in the USA. The project is expected to capture 180,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and produce 130,000 metric tons of low-carbon methanol annually which can be used for manufacturing adhesives, packaging, paints, coatings, etc.

As adoption grows, CCS and CCU are expected to play a pivotal role in balancing industrial growth with climate responsibility.

The Future Ahead…

CCS and CCU are no longer optional—they’re essential. By turning carbon from a liability into a resource, these technologies give hard to abate industries a pathway to net zero while driving innovation and resilience. The future of industrial growth will be defined not just by how much we produce, but by how responsibly we manage carbon.

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