Q3 2021: carbon capture "turning a corner"

Although not a new concept, the industry is being stimulated by pressing global climate targets and investment incentives, namely the US’ 45Q tax credit. Over 20% of global oil and gas production is covered by 2050 net-zero commitments, with CCS expected to play a role in every case, according to the International Energy Agency.²https://www.iea.org/reports/ccus-in-clean-energy-transitions/a-new-era-for-ccus#growing-ccus-momentum Indeed, CCS is becoming “something that people are looking at as necessary, not simply studying it, and that’s really what’s turned the corner”, a director at the University of Houston told Forum.

Deployment of CCS is likely to accelerate as public and private acceptance of it grows and lower-cost capture technologies are brought to market. At present, there are three main ways in which CO2 is captured from industrial and power generation flue gas: pre-combustion, post-combustion and oxy combustion. The most common process is post-combustion, whereby an amine is used to absorb CO2 after stripping the gas of unwanted chemicals.