Carbon capture and utilisation

Carbon capture and utilisation may be part of a circular economy scheme where carbon atoms are recycled and reused indefinitely over a long time scale. However, it is neither an indispensable element, nor is it sufficient to contribute significantly to mitigating the effects of climate change.

CCU technologies aim to extract carbon dioxide from either concentrated sources or directly from ambient air, and then use it as a raw material for carbon-containing products, such as fuels, chemical products, and building materials. The Evidence Review Report explores whether CCU technologies have the potential to contribute significantly to mitigating the effects of climate change and identifies a need for innovation in policy domains, and from systemic and technology perspectives.

What the report says

Measures, regulations and incentives should be used to examine the energy system (including CCU) in a holistic, integrated, coordinated and transparent manner.
A systemic approach is required when evaluating the energy system and CCU systems, and further development is needed in stakeholder awareness and consistency of definitions.
Key technological challenges must be tackled in the areas of collection and purification of CO2 from different sources, synthesis of green-hydrogen and technologies for carbon dioxide conversion to fuels and chemicals.

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Debate and impact

Academic impactMedia coverageEvents

Baldino, C., Pavlenko, N., Searle, S., Christensen., A (2018): The potential for low-carbon renewable methane in heating, power, and transport in the European Union. International Council on Clean Transportation working paper.
Buffo, G., Marocco, P., Ferrero, D., Lanzini, A., Santarelli, M. (2019): Power-to-X and power-to-power routes. Solar Hydrogen Production.
Centi, G., Perathoner, S. (2019): Chemistry and energy beyond fossil fuels: A perspective view on the role of syngas from waste sources. Catalysis Today.
Child, M., Kemfert, C., Bogdanov., Breyer, C. (2019): Flexible electricity generation, grid exchange and storage for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system in Europe. Renewable Energy, 139.
Fasihi, M., Efimova, O., Breyer, C. (2019): Techno-economic assessment of CO2 direct air capture plants. Journal of Cleaner Production, 224.
Gabrielli P., Gazzani M., Mazzotti M. (2020): The Role of carbon capture and utilization, carbon capture and storage, and biomass to enable a net-zero-CO2 emissions chemical industry. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 59(15).
Ghasemzadeh, K., Basile, A., Iulianelli, A. (2019): Progress in modeling of silica-based membranes and membrane reactors for hydrogen production and purification. ChemEngineering 3:1.
Hanak, D., Michalski, S., Manovic, Vasilije (2018): From post-combustion carbon capture to sorption-enhanced hydrogen production: A state-of-the-art review of carbonate looping process feasibility. Energy Conversion and Management, 177:428-452.
Heestermann, A. R. G. (2019): Renewable energy supply and carbon capture: capturing all the carbon dioxide at zero cost. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 21:6.
Kätelhön A., Meys R., Deutz S., Suh S., Bardow A. (2019): Climate change mitigation potential of carbon capture and utilization in the chemical industry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 166(23).
Lehtonen, A. (2019): Kriittinen näkökulma hiilidioksidin raaka-ainekäyttöön metanolin valmistuksessa. Unpublished thesis.
Mikulčić, H., Skov, I. R., Dominković, D. R., Wan Alwi, S.R., Abdul Manan, Z., Tan, R., Duić, N., Nur Hidayah Mohamad, S., Wang, X. (2019): Flexible Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies in future energy systems and the utilization pathways of captured CO2. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 114.
Nabavi, S. A., Erans, M., Manovic, V. (2019): Demonstration of a kW-scale solid oxide fuel cell-calciner for power generation and production of calcined materials. Applied Energy, 255.
Naims, H. (2020): Economic aspirations connected to innovations in carbon capture and utilization value chains. Journal of Industrial Ecology.
Partenie, O., de Kler, R. (2018): CO2 transport and offshore storage facilities needed to meet emission reduction requirements. Research project report.
Schneider, M. (2019): The cement industry on the way to a low-carbon future. Cement and Concrete Research, 124.
Sharma, R., Bansal, A., Ramachandran, C. N., Mohanty, P. (2019): A multifunctional triazine-based nanoporous polymer as a versatile organocatalyst for CO2 utilization and C–C bond formation. Chemical Communications 55.
Sutter, D., van der Spek, M., Mazzotti, M. (2019): Evaluation of CO2-based and CO2-free synthetic fuel systems using a net-zero-CO2-emission framework. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 58:43.
Tcvetkov, P., Cherepovitsyn, A., Fedoseev, S. (2019): The changing role of CO2 in the transition to a circular economy: Review of carbon sequestration projects. Sustainability, 11:20.
Thengane S.K., Tan R.R., Foo D.C.Y., Bandyopadhyay S. (2019): A pinch-based approach for targeting carbon capture, utilization, and storage systems. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 58(8).
Watari R., Kuwata S., Kayaki Y. (2020): Amidines as effective ancillary ligands in copper-catalyzed hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. Chemistry Letters, 49(3).
Zdeb J., Howaniec N., Smoliński A. (2019): Utilization of carbon dioxide in coal gasification: an experimental study. Energies, 12(1).
Zhang, X., Witte, J., Schildhauer, T., Bauer, C. (2020): Life cycle assessment of power-to-gas with biogas as the carbon source. Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 4(3).
Olfe-Kräutlein B (2020): Advancing CCU Technologies Pursuant to the SDGs: A Challenge for Policy Making.. Front. Energy Res. 8:198.

KNGMG: KNAW organiseert CO2: Grondstof van de toekomst (30 March 2018)
OBA: CO2: Grondstof van de toekomst (30 March 2018)
ALLEA: SAPEA provides evidence for the European Commission on Carbon Capture and Utilisation technologies (24 May 2018)
Sciences Switzerland: Novel carbon capture and utilisation technologies: research and climate aspects (24 May 2018)
National Academy of technologies of France: Novel carbon capture and utilisation technologies: research and climate aspects (4 December 2018)
Revolve: Biomass: The Role of Science and Science-Based Policy-Making (23 May 2019)
Carbon Capture Journal: EU chief scientific advisors examine Carbon Capture and Utilisation (July/August 2018)

SAPEA event in Slovenia

Presenters explored the circumstances in which the capture and utilisation of CO2 for the production of fuels, chemicals and materials can bring climate benefits, and their overall potential to mitigate climate change in the medium and long term.

SAPEA event in the Netherlands

Speakers discussed the opportunities offered by CO 2 reuse with the general public.

ESOF

As part of the Euro Science Open Forum 2018, SAPEA and SAM unit presented the report and the Scientific Opinion.

EU Biomass Conference and Exhibition

A session on “Carbon Capture and Utilisation - Climate aspects, Technological status and Prospects for developments” was organized as a parallel event in the 27th EUBCE conference organized in Lisbon, a meeting gathering researchers and stakeholders from the biomass and bioenergy sectors.

Novel carbon capture and utilisation technologies in Romania

SAPEA report was presented to more than 70 participants, including representatives of four National Research Institutes.

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Working group members

How do we find our experts?

Robert Schlögl
Chair

Professor
Fritz-Haber-Institute
Personal profile

Marco Mazzotti
Co-chair

Professor
ETH Zürich
Personal profile

Carlos Abanades

Professor
Spanish Research Council
Personal profile

Michele Aresta

Professor
CIRCC, University of Bari
Personal profile

Adisa Azapagic

Professor
University of Manchester
Personal profile

Edd Anders Blekkan

Professor
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Personal profile

Thibault Cantat

Associate Researcher
CEA
Personal profile

Gabriele Centi

Professor
University of Messina
Personal profile

Neven Duic

Professor
University of Zagreb
Personal profile

Aïcha El Khamlichi

ADEME
Personal profile

Graham Hutchings

Professor
Cardiff University
Personal profile

Unni Olsbye

Professor
University of Oslo
Personal profile

Hrvoje Mikulcic
invited member

Research assistant
University of Zagreb
Personal profile

Carbon capture and utilisation