Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is broadly recognised as having the potential to play a key role in meeting climate change targets, delivering low carbon heat and power, decarbonising industry and, more recently, its ability to facilitate the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, despite this broad consensus and its technical maturity, CCS has not yet been deployed on a scale commensurate with the ambitions articulated a decade ago. Thus, in this paper we review the current state-of-the-art of CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and storage from a multi-scale perspective, moving from the global to molecular scales. In light of the COP21 commitments to limit warming to less than 2 °C, we extend the remit of this study to include the key negative emissions technologies (NETs) of bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), and direct air capture (DAC). Cognisant of the non-technical barriers to deploying CCS, we reflect on recent experience from the UK's CCS commercialisation programme and consider the commercial and political barriers to the large-scale deployment of CCS. In all areas, we focus on identifying and clearly articulating the key research challenges that could usefully be addressed in the coming decade.

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Carbon capture and storage (CCS): the way forward

In recent years, Carbon Capture and Storage (Sequestration) (CCS) has been proposed as a potential method to allow the continued use of fossil-fuelled power stations whilst preventing emissions of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere. Gas, coal (and biomass)-fired power stations can respond to changes in demand more readily than many other sources of electricity production, hence the importance of retaining them as an option in the energy mix. Here, we review the leading CO2 capture technologies, available in the short and long term, and their technological maturity, before discussing CO2 transport and storage. Current pilot plants and demonstrations are highlighted, as is the importance of optimising the CCS system as a whole. Other topics briefly discussed include the viability of both the capture of CO2 from the air and CO2 reutilisation as climate change mitigation strategies. Finally, we discuss the economic and legal aspects of CCS.

Carbon capture and storage update

The increase in the global atmospheric CO2 concentration resulting from over a century of combustion of fossil fuels has been associated with significant global climate change. With the global population increase driving continued increases in fossil fuel use, humanity’s primary reliance on fossil energy for the next several decades is assured. Traditional modes of carbon capture such as precombustion and postcombustion CO2 capture from large point sources can help slow the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration, but only the direct removal of CO2 from the air, or “direct air capture” (DAC), can actually reduce the global atmospheric CO2 concentration. The past decade has seen a steep rise in the use of chemical sorbents that are cycled through sorption and desorption cycles for CO2 removal from ultradilute gases such as air. This Review provides a historical overview of the field of DAC, along with an exhaustive description of the use of chemical sorbents targeted at this application. Solv...

Direct Capture of CO2 from Ambient Air

While Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies are being developed with the focus of capturing and storing CO2 in huge quantities, new methods for the chemical exploitation of carbon dioxide (CCU) are being developed in parallel. The intensified chemical or physical utilization of CO2 is targeted at generating value from a limited part of the CO2 stream and developing better and more efficient chemical processes with reduced CO2 footprint. Here, we compare the status of the three main lines of CCS technologies with respect to efficiency, energy consumption, and technical feasibility as well as the implications of CCS on the efficiency and structure of the energy supply chain.

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Worldwide innovations in the development of carbon capture technologies and the utilization of CO2

The calcium looping cycle for large-scale CO2 capture

Experiments in a pilot-scale fluidized-bed reactor have been carried out to investigate the carbonation reaction of CaO, as a potential method for CO2 capture from combustion flue gases at high-temperatures. Results show that CO2 capture efficiencies are very high, while there is a sufficient fraction of CaO in the bed reacting in the fast reaction regime. The total capture capacity of the bed decays with the number of carbonation-calcination cycles. The experimental CO2 concentration profiles measured inside the bed during the fast reaction period are interpreted with the KL fluid bed model, by supplying information on sorbent deactivation from laboratory tests. It is concluded that a fluidized bed of CaO can be a suitable reactor to achieve very effective CO2 capture efficiencies from a combustion flue gas. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50:1614–1622, 2004

Capture of CO2 from combustion gases in a fluidized bed of CaO

Enhancement of CaO for CO2 capture in an FBC environment

CO2 Capture and Development of an Advanced Pilot-Scale Cryogenic Separation and Compression Unit

The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for reactivating lime-based sorbents and increasing the carbon dioxide-capture capacity of the sorbent in the combustion of carbon-containing fuels. The present invention teaches the pretreatment of the lime-based sorbent using a hydration process after each process of carbon dioxide separation. The invention is useful in reducing the need to add additional sorbent to maintain the carbonation/calcination cycle. The regenerative potential of the sorbent as manifested by the present invention leads to increased carbon dioxide -capture capacity of the sorbent.

Pre-treatment of lime-based sorbents using hydration

An electrostatic precipitator and a method of removal of particulates from gaseous flows. A plurality of screens, secured in sets within a central chamber in a housing, comprise at least one set of electrically chargeable first screens and at least one set of electrically grounded second screens. For each set of chargeable screens, all the screens of the set are provided with an identical electrical charge, either positive or negative, and the set is provided with a plurality of spikes directed at the oncoming gaseous flow. At least one screen cleaning means selectively acts on the screens of each set. The precipitator can comprise a plurality of central chambers in a single housing or separate housings, and the chambers can be selectively activated or deactivated. The precipitator provides improved particulate removal from gaseous flows, including hot flows having temperatures up to at least 1200°C.

Carlos Salvador

Papers

Capture of CO2 from combustion gases in a fluidized bed of CaO

Enhancement of CaO for CO2 capture in an FBC environment

CO2 Capture and Development of an Advanced Pilot-Scale Cryogenic Separation and Compression Unit

Pre-treatment of lime-based sorbents using hydration

Hot sieving electrostatic precipitator