The term "carbon management " encompasses strategies and technologies for controlling, storing, and utilizing carbon dioxide (CO₂). Carbon management is divided into two areas: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU).
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
CCS technologies aim to capture CO₂ from industrial processes and store it long-term. The technology is often discussed as a transitional solution on the path to climate neutrality, as it can curb emissions in the medium to long term that cannot be avoided for the time being.
Applications and How It Works
In CCS, CO₂ is captured from the exhaust gases of power plants, industrial facilities, or the combustion of fossil fuels. The captured gas is then compressed and injected into underground geological formations such as depleted oil and gas fields, deep saltwater layers, or geological rock layers (at depths between 800 and 3,000 meters). The largest storage capacities in Germany and Europe are located primarily beneath the North Sea.
CCS can be used in various fields:
- Energy Sector: Coal-Fired Power Plants, Gas-Fired Power Plants Using Pre- or Post-Combustion Carbon Capture
- Industry: Cement production (oxyfuel), steel and chemical production
Excerpted from B. Robertson & M. Mousavian: *The Carbon Capture Crux*, 2022; Illustration: Vectormine
- Production of Blue Hydrogen
- Direct Capture from the Air: Direct Air Capture (DAC) Combined with CCS
CO₂ can be captured in power plants using various methods, such as CO₂ scrubbing from flue gas after combustion (post-combustion), capture following coal gasification (pre-combustion), or combustion in an oxygen atmosphere (oxyfuel).
Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)
Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) refers to technologies for capturing and subsequently utilizing carbon dioxide (CO₂). The goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions while simultaneously generating economic benefits.
How it works:
- CO₂ Capture: Carbon dioxide is captured from industrial emissions or directly from the air.
- CO₂ Processing: The captured CO₂ is purified and compressed.
- CO₂ Utilization: Carbon dioxide serves as a raw material for various products and processes.
Areas of Application
- Food Industry: Use as Carbon Dioxide
- Agriculture: CO₂ can be used in greenhouses to fertilize plants
- Building Materials: CO₂ Can Be Used in Cement Production
- Fuel for Algae Cultivation: CO₂ serves as a nutrient for algae (a raw material for biofuel production)
- Methanol synthesis: CO₂ can be converted into methanol—a versatile feedstock—using hydrogen
- Plastics Production: CO₂ Can Be Used as a Raw Material for the Production of Polymers and Plastics
- Refrigerant: In refrigeration technology, CO₂ can be used as an environmentally friendly refrigerant
- Pharmaceutical Industry: CO₂ is used as a solvent or reactant in the manufacture of certain medications.
