Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) encompasses methods and technologies to capture CO₂ from industrial processes, followed by recycling the CO₂ for utilization and determining safe and permanent storage options.

Efforts to limit rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations while meeting increasing global energy demand, can only be achieved by deploying a comprehensive portfolio of technologies that include alternative energy sources, energy efficient systems, and CCUS measures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that despite the adoption of alternative energy sources and energy efficient systems to reduce the rate of CO₂ emissions,  the cumulative amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere needs to be reduced to limit the detrimental impacts of climate change. For the moment, the collective signal sent by governments in their climate pledges is that fossil fuels, in particular natural gas and oil, will continue to be bedrock of the global energy system for many decades to come. Therefore, regardless of the deployment of clean and efficient energy solutions, CCUS technologies need to be implemented.

Carbon capture involves the development of technologies that can concentrate CO₂ from power plant flue gas or intermittent streams. While early movers are developing large-scale capture demonstrations, we are still very early on the learning curve. Comparison of energy consumption of these processes with the thermodynamic minimum indicates significant room for improving these processes. Support for developments of next generation of capture technologies and large demonstrations is required to push us down the cost curve. This involves reducing the cost of materials and construction; parasitic costs related to energy for operations, compression, and operation and maintenance costs.

Converting CO₂ into useful chemicals of commercial importance, or utilizing CO₂ for oil extraction would add economic value to this greenhouse gas. Various options for CO₂ storage have been proposed including injecting CO₂ in geologic formations. The current view, primarily  in the United States, is that the “U” in CCUS is primarily related to CO₂ Enhanced Oil Recovery ( CO₂-EOR). There are many other options of CO₂ conversion to valued added products but require substantial research efforts to accelerate the wider adoption of these techniques as effective emissions reduction strategies.

Long-term or permanent storage of CO₂ becomes the final key stage for the CCUS framework. While storage typically accounts for a relatively small fraction of the total cost in a fully integrated CCUS project, it has been shown to be one of the more difficult steps in the project value-chain.  Any viable system for storing carbon must be effective and cost competitive, stable as long-term storage, and environmentally benign.

Decades of experience with CO₂-EOR have provided a head start on this challenge. However, unique aspects of CO₂ storage, including containment, regulations, pore ownership, liability, public outreach, and pressure/plume management require large-scale CO₂ storage demonstrations to realize this technology. This theme intends to take advantage of two large-scale projects underway in Western Canada to inform the research projects undertaken within them.