Carbon Capture: Technologies, Benefits, and the Future of CO₂ Removal

What Is Carbon Capture and Why It Matters for Climate Action

Carbon capture also called CO₂ capture or carbon sequestration technology refers to processes that remove carbon dioxide from industrial emissions or directly from the atmosphere. By capturing and storing CO₂ instead of letting it warm the planet, these systems help achieve net zero emissions and reduce the impacts of climate change.

Today, carbon capture technologies (CCS and DAC) are central to global decarbonization roadmaps. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world will need to capture nearly 1 gigaton of CO₂ annually by 2050 to meet net zero goals.

Carbon capture isn’t just for scientists it’s a practical tool for industries, governments, and communities striving for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Main Carbon Capture Technologies

Industrial Carbon Capture (Traditional CCS)

In point source capture, systems are installed at power plants, refineries, and factories to trap CO₂ before it enters the air.

Post combustion: separates CO₂ from exhaust gases using chemical solvents.
Pre combustion: converts fuel into hydrogen and CO₂ before burning.
Oxy combustion: burns fuel in pure oxygen to produce CO₂ rich exhaust.

These methods can capture up to 90% of emitted CO₂, though energy consumption can reduce net efficiency by 20–30%. Cost ranges from €30–100 per ton of CO₂ captured.

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

Direct Air Capture extracts CO₂ straight from the atmosphere using fans and filters that chemically bind carbon. The captured CO₂ is then concentrated, stored underground, or reused.
Projects like Climeworks Orca in Iceland and Heirloom in the U.S. are pioneering DAC commercialization.

Current cost: $200–600 per ton CO₂ (expected to drop below $100 with scale).
Advantage: removes legacy carbon already in the air.
Challenge: high energy use.

Biogenic and Passive Capture (Nature Based Solutions)

Natural carbon sinksforests, soils, and oceansalready absorb about one third of global CO₂ emissions. Enhancing these processes through reforestation, soil management, and biochar can amplify their effect.

Biochar: biomass heated without oxygen, producing carbon rich solid material that stores CO₂ for centuries while improving soil health.
Buried biomass: a low cost, passive method to prevent decomposition emissions.

Such “passive” strategies complement high tech solutions by providing low cost, low energy CO₂ storage.

Methods of CO₂ Storage and Reuse

Geological Storage

Captured CO₂ is compressed and injected into deep rock formations such as depleted oil or gas fieldswhere it remains safely trapped for millennia. Projects like Sleipner (Norway) and Weyburn (Canada) have stored millions of tons annually since the 1990s.

Average storage cost: $0.5–8 per ton, making it the most affordable large scale option.

Mineralization

The CO₂ reacts with natural minerals to form solid carbonates, locking it away permanently.

Example: Carbfix in Iceland turns CO₂ into stone within two years for about $25/t.
Potential: 5–10 Gt CO₂/year globally.

CO₂ Reuse (CCU)

Captured CO₂ can be repurposed into fuels, plastics, concrete, and fertilizers. While not all uses are permanent, they can offset emissions in other sectors. Companies like CarbonCure inject CO₂ into concrete, enhancing durability while storing carbon.

Carbon Capture in Companies and Industries

Industrial sectorsespecially energy, cement, steel, and shipping are leading adopters of CCS and DAC systems.

Wärtsilä develops CO₂ capture for marine exhaust treatment.
LEWA engineers fluid systems for carbon storage in heavy industry.
Drax in the UK combines biomass power with capture (BECCS) to produce carbon negative electricity.

Corporate investments are accelerating due to carbon credit markets, ESG goals, and green innovation incentives. For businesses, adopting capture technologies not only reduces emissions but also enhances brand reputation and long term competitiveness.

Environmental, Social, and Economic Benefits of Carbon Capture

Implementing carbon capture technologies delivers a triple impact:

🌿 Environmental: Direct reduction of greenhouse gases, restoration of ecosystems, and prevention of ocean acidification.
👷 Social: Creation of high skilled “green jobs” in engineering, construction, and maintenance.
💰 Economic: Boosts clean tech industries, opens carbon credit revenue, and attracts sustainability focused investors.

Additionally, integrating CCS and DAC with renewable energy and circular economy practices accelerates the transition toward resilient, low carbon societies.

Measuring Carbon Capture Performance

Accurately tracking how much CO₂ is captured and stored is crucial for transparency, credibility, and participation in carbon markets.
Key metrics include:

Metric tons of CO₂ captured (tCO₂/year): total annual reduction achieved.
Capture efficiency (%): proportion of emissions successfully retained.
Storage permanence: expected duration (decades to centuries) of CO₂ containment.
Independent verification: certifications and standards such as VCS, Gold Standard, and ISO 14064.

Reliable measurement ensures the issuance of verified carbon credits, attracts green investment, and strengthens the trustworthiness of carbon removal projects worldwide.

Active vs. Passive Carbon Capture: A Comparison

Type	Description	Cost (USD/tCO₂)	Energy Use	Scalability	Permanence
Active	Industrial & DAC systems	100–600	High	High	High
Passive	Forests, biochar, soil	<100	Low	Land limited	Moderate

A hybrid approach combining industrial capture with natural sinks is considered the most balanced path to achieving net zero.

Efficiency, Costs, and Scalability

Industrial CCS: Mature but energy intensive; ideal for point sources.
DAC: Promising for legacy CO₂; still expensive.
Biochar & natural sinks: Cheap, but geographically limited.
Scaling up from 0.04 Gt CO₂/year today to 1 Gt by 2050 requires exponential investment and supportive policies.

Current Challenges and Regulations

Key barriers include:

High capital and energy costs.
Limited CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure.
Public acceptance and safety monitoring (risk of leaks).
Regulatory gaps: many countries lack clear legal frameworks for carbon storage.

Still, new policies in the EU, U.S., and Asia are incentivizing projects via tax credits and carbon removal certificates.

Future Perspectives and Emerging Innovations

The carbon capture field evolves rapidly:

Advanced materials: Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), new membranes.
Electrocatalytic conversion: Turning CO₂ into fuels using electricity.
Bioengineering: Algae and synthetic trees for natural capture.
Policy innovation: EU “Carbon Removal Certification” to standardize credits.

With continuous R&D and global investment, carbon capture could become as common as solar or wind power a cornerstone of a truly sustainable energy system.