Carbon Capture and Storage

carbon capture and storage (CCS), the process of recovering carbon dioxide from the fossil-fuel emissions produced by industrial facilities and power plants and moving it to locations where it can be kept from entering the atmosphere in order to mitigate global warming. Carbon capture and storage is a three-stage process—capture, transport, and storage—designed to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) released into Earth’s atmosphere by separating it from emissions before it can be discharged. Captured CO₂ is compressed before it is transported. A similar process called carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) converts some of the captured carbon into concrete, carbonate rock, plastics, and biofuels before storing the rest.

CO₂ is a chemical compound that is formed from the combustion of petroleum, natural gas, coal, biomass, and other carbon-containing materials. CO₂ is also a by-product of fermentation and animal respiration, and it is used by plants in photosynthesis to make carbohydrates. CO₂ is recovered for numerous diverse industrial applications from flue gases, limekilns (a furnace for reducing limestone or shells to lime), and other sources. The buildup of CO₂ in Earth’s atmosphere contributes to global warming and the resulting changes in climate. Roughly one-third to one-half of the CO₂ released into the atmosphere by human activities is absorbed by Earth’s oceans, a process that has resulted in the oceans’ steady acidification.