Characteristics and Challenges of Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies

Climate change is a pressing global issue, leading to the establishment of various carbon reduction goals, and thus carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has attracted considerable attention. This article provides an overview of the primary carbon capture and storage technologies, explores their technical principles along with their pros and cons, and examines the challenges they encounter. There are three ways to capture carbon: post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxy-combustion. Post-combustion capture includes adsorption, absorption and membrane separation. Adsorption can be further categorized into four specific technologies: Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA), Pressure swing adsorption (PSA), Vacuum swing adsorption (VSA), and Electric swing adsorption (ESA). Absorption has physical and chemical types. Membrane separation is to filter the gas to CO2. Pre-combustion capture is to use physical solvents to separate the gas. Oxy-combustion uses pure oxygen to obtain CO2. There are three ways to store carbon, geo-sequestration, marine storage and mineralization storage. Geo-sequestration is to bury CO2 in a suitable state in the rock layer below the surface. Marine storage is to bury CO2 in various places in the sea in a classified manner. Mineralization storage refers to the use of solid waste rich in calcium and magnesium to mineralize CO2 and produce chemical products. There are three main challenges facing CCS technology: economically, the cost is too high with low benefits. The technology is not mature enough and will consume too much energy. Environmentally, there is a potential for ecological deterioration.