Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and its Role in Climate Change Mitigation

What is CCUS?

• Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is a key pillar of modern climate strategy. Its main goals are:
  • Reducing CO₂ emissions from major point sources (thermal power plants, steel, cement, chemical industries)
  • Removing already-existing CO₂ from the atmosphere
  • Converting captured CO₂ into usable products or storing it permanently
• According to the IPCC, CCUS technologies are essential for achieving global net-zero goals, particularly in hard-to-abate industrial sectors.

India’s First CCUS R&D Roadmap for Net-Zero

• India’s Department of Science & Technology (DST) launched its first CCUS R&D Roadmap in 2024–25.
• This is considered a major step toward India’s Net-Zero target (2070).

Key Objectives of the Roadmap

• Develop indigenous CCUS technologies
• Identify cost-effective and scalable solutions
• Provide a phased adoption pathway for industries
• Strengthen energy security and climate action through domestic innovation

Three-Stage CCUS R&D Programme

Stage 1: End-of-Pipe (EP) Solutions

• Integration of state-of-the-art CCUS technologies into existing industrial facilities.
• Aim → Immediate reduction of emissions from current power and industrial plants.

Major technologies:

• Solvent-based capture
• Membrane separation
• Oxy-fuel combustion
• Post-combustion capture

Stage 2: CCUS-Compliant Design (CCD)

• Design new industrial plants to be CCUS-ready.
• Purpose → Ensure future compatibility so that CCUS can be added with minimal cost.

Expected benefits:

• Lower long-term costs
• Near carbon-neutrality of new industries

Stage 3: CCUS in One Pot (COP) – Integrated Emerging Technologies

• Unified use of next-generation low-emission technologies such as photobiocatalytic and electrochemical conversion.
• Aim → Capture, convert, and utilise/store CO₂ at the same site.

Potential technologies:

• Artificial photosynthesis
• Electrochemical CO₂ conversion
• Bio-catalytic conversion

CCUS Process (Capture → Transport → Utilisation/Storage)

1. Capture

CO₂ is captured from:

• Coal/gas power plants
• Cement, steel, petrochemical industries
• Direct Air Capture (DAC) from the atmosphere

Types of capture:

1. Post-combustion capture
2. Pre-combustion capture
3. Oxy-fuel combustion

2. Transport

Captured CO₂ is compressed and transported through:

• Pipelines
• Ships
• Trucks or rail (less common)

3. Storage (Sequestration)

CO₂ is stored permanently in geological formations such as:

• Saline aquifers
• Depleted oil and gas fields
• Basalt formations

4. Utilisation

Captured CO₂ can be used as feedstock to produce:

• Synthetic fuels (methanol, e-fuels)
• Fertilisers
• Building materials (carbonated concrete)
• Algae-based bio-products

Role of CCUS in Climate Change Mitigation

1. Emission Reduction in Hard-to-Abate Sectors

• Steel, cement, chemicals, refineries → difficult to decarbonise
• CCUS offers a practical and immediate solution

2. Low-Carbon Power and Hydrogen Production

• Coal, gas, and biomass plants with CCUS can supply low-carbon energy.
• Essential for Blue Hydrogen production.

3. Negative Emissions (Removing CO₂ from Air)

• Two major technologies:
• DACCS – Direct Air Capture + Storage
• BECCS – Bio-energy with CCS

BECCS provides true negative emissions because biomass absorbs CO₂ during growth and emissions are captured after combustion.

CCUS in India: Challenges and Opportunities

Challenges

• High cost (especially DAC)
• Identifying large-scale storage sites
• Lack of clear policy and regulation
• Public acceptance issues
• Slow industrial adoption

Opportunities

• India has large basalt formations and saline aquifers suitable for CO₂ storage
• Make in India can reduce technology cost
• Integration with the National Green Hydrogen Mission
• Enhances energy security and climate leadership
• Potential to become a global CCUS technology hub

Global Scenario

• The USA, Canada, and Norway lead in CCUS deployment.
• Norway’s Sleipner Project (1996) is a successful long-term storage model.
• USA supports CCUS through the 45Q Tax Credit.
• IPCC estimates 15–20% of global net-zero mitigation may come from CCUS.

Key CCUS Initiatives in India

• Pilot projects by ONGC, IOCL, NTPC
• CCUS-related R&D under the National Green Hydrogen Mission
• NITI Aayog’s India CCUS Roadmap (Draft 2022)
• ONGC’s CO₂ storage potential study in the Kutch Basin

Conclusion

DST’s first CCUS R&D Roadmap provides a scientific and phased pathway that can help India:

• Decarbonise industries
• Achieve Net-Zero by 2070
• Build advanced technological capabilities

CCUS is not the only solution, but it is an essential component of the net-zero strategy—especially in sectors where alternative green technologies are limited.