Carbon capture and storage Puns

The energy firms and universities are investigating using the locations for CO2 from hydrogen production. A consortium of energy firms and universities are investigating the use of spent oil and gas wells in... READ More

https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/carbon-capture-and-storage/8550432/

Somethings referred to as CCS, CCUS or CDR.

Carbon capture may be a small part of the solution to help bring the atmospheric ppm down from the 413 ppm of CO2 towards 350 ppm (roughly equivalent to what it was in the 1970s). After reaching 350ppm with CCS we’ll be able to decide how much closer to the pre-industrialisation level of 250ppm we’d like to go.

However, we’re a long way from that at present. We simply emit too much, about 50 gigatonnes (billion tonnes) in 2020.

Point Source Capture hasn’t made that much progress (it’s expensive and unproven). Direct Air Capture and storage in rocks underground will likely help eventually (according to the IPCC) but it’s not ready technologically to be able to scale to make a dent in removing the tens of gigatonnes of emissions humans release every year. It also uses a lot of energy which could be used for other things.

If CCS can get to about 5 GT capacity (currently 40 million tonnes/megatonnes) over the next 30 years it will be a useful tool to help get closer to net zero and then negative. The cost of getting there is huge and it’d be a lot cheaper to stop emitting as much across all industries (lots we know how to do already, though we’ve not started doing it at scale, yet).

The best way - economically, systemically, scientifically - to get to net zero is to rapidly reduce our emissions - by half by 2030 to be on track - from everything we do. When that’s being achieved both nature-based and tech carbon capture and storage play roles, though aren’t magic bullets without large and permanent emissions reductions. While important to do in this yes...and scenario just focusing on CCS/anthropogenic CDR rather than mostly reduction is not treating the core problem that’s heating up the planet, and all the biosphere damage that’s doing.

To reach net zero we're going to need removal technologies (combined with protecting and investing in our nature based sinks). Both of the lower emissions scenarios (SSP1-1.9 and SSP1-2.6) in the recent IPCC Climate Science report require negative emissions beyond reaching net zero. CCS/CDR will be helpful here on that last push.

These two low emissions scenarios are the only trajectories that the current science shows will keep us close to or below a 2 degree celsius average increase in line with the Paris Agreement.

At present we're on a trajecto