Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer (pictured above, centre) is director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research Innovation Centre (IDRIC) and editor-in-chief of SCI’s journal Greenhouse Gases Science and Technology. Here she shares her perspective on the impact that carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies are having - and what we can expect as the technology continues to mature.
SCI: You’ve previously written about CCUS and solving the conundrum decoupling sustainable economic growth and CO2 emissions. With the UK government’s focus on economic growth, could you comment on one or two developments in carbon capture that have benefited industry in the UK, and globally?
Maroto-Valer: CCUS remains essential for reaching net zero emissions, particularly for industries such as chemicals, cement, steel. The new UK government committed in their manifesto strong support for the green economy through the creation of a new National Wealth Fund valued at £7.3 billion over next Parliament. This includes £1billion to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture. This additional funding has been allocated through the UK Infrastructure Bank so investments can start being made immediately.
Are there any specific policy interventions in the UK, or globally, that you think could help increase the deployment of carbon capture technologies?
In the UK we are on the cusp of critical decisions to deliver the first two CCUS clusters in the very short term as part of the Track-1 Cluster Sequencing process. Final investment decisions for these clusters could unleash the global leadership of the UK in deploying CCUS at scale, reaching 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2030. This could also catalyse the benefits of deploying CCUS, as it has been reported that CCUS clusters in the UK could attract £30 billion of private capital by 2030. At a global scale, all carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities under development can capture about 361 million tonnes of CO2 per annum. Although there have been important policy developments to enable potential investment in CCS projects, significant progress is required to accelerate CCS deployment. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that around 1 gigatonne of CO2 per year needs to be captured and stored in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario.
Could you share your thoughts on how smaller and developing nations could be assisted to deploy carbon capture technologies?
Around 75% of all CCUS projects under development are in Europe and US. Our net zero targets must be achieved globally, and therefore, knowledge-sharing will be critical to speed deployment of CCUS technologies globally.
Could you comment on any ongoing CCUS research that we could see deployed at scale in the coming decade?
Although CCUS is vital to reducing industrial emissions at lowest cost globally, deployment needs to accelerate significantly. The UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre, IDRIC, is addressing important barriers that need to be tackled to accelerate deployment of CCUS technologies, e.g. fast-tracking routes to market, dynamic storage capacity, access to UK CO2 storage capacity appraisal, skills shortages and socio-economic aspects. Building upon international collaborations in CCUS, IDRIC is developing innovative decarbonisation solutions at pace and scale in the places where it matters most and supporting the UK role in the deployment of CCUS for industrial decarbonisation globally.
Over the last decade what do you consider to be among most important developments in CCUS technology, and what are you most optimistic about in relation to CCUS and its deployment?
Over the last decade, there have been several important developments. I’d like to highlight the progress made in new materials for more cost-effective CO2 capture (advanced solvents and sorbents), membranes or cryogenic separation. We have also seen a massive increase in research and innovation in the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, particularly Direct Air Carbon Capture (DAC), needed to reach net zero globally. Going forward, it will be very important to integrate CCUS technologies into systems (whole-energy systems) to open opportunities for significantly reducing the energy and carbon footprint of processes, as well as taking into consideration potential environmental impacts and cost-benefit analysis.
Further reading on carbon capture and storage:
IEA database indicates that pace of CCUS deployment is increasing
Carbon capture: Using machine learning to cross the valley of death
Carbon capture and storage: Opportunities and challenges ahead
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