Review of carbon capture and storage technologies in selected industries: potentials and challenges

Abstract

Various industries around the world recognize the importance of achieving Net Zero Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emission by 2050. Industrial processes have been attributed to the increase in CO₂ concentrations causing climate change. As the rate of emissions continues to increase, there becomes a pressing need to adopt new technologies that allow for a real shift towards emission reduction. In this paper, Carbon Capture (CC) technologies are explored and reviewed across various industries namely: cement, steel, ethanol and powerplants. A statistical representation of various CC implementations and facilities is presented with a supportive case study, including some evaluative discussions of energy demands, capture rates, and economic impacts of various technology adoptions. Moreover, the paper includes a comparative data analysis of various solvents and configurations used for carbon capture, to show their effectiveness in reducing CO₂ and cost of implementation. The paper also discusses some crucial limitations and challenges of CC, including economic and technical aspects. However, with the success seen in CC applications across various industries, there remains scope for future work to address novel solvents, with reduced costs and minimum modifications to existing processes. A brief overview of life cycle assessment of carbon capture and storage is also presented.