* Post-combustion capture: This method captures CO₂ from the flue gas of industrial facilities, such as power plants and factories.
* Pre-combustion capture: This method captures CO₂ from the fuel before it is burned.
* Direct air capture: This method captures CO₂ directly from the atmosphere.
* Oxygen-fuel combustion: This method uses pure oxygen instead of air to burn fuel, which produces a concentrated stream of CO₂ that can be easily captured.
Once the CO₂ is captured, it can be stored in a variety of ways, including:
* Underground storage: This method involves injecting CO₂ into underground geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or deep saline aquifers.
* Ocean storage: This method involves injecting CO₂ into the ocean, where it can dissolve and react with seawater to form carbonic acid.
* Mineral storage: This method involves reacting CO₂ with minerals to form stable carbonates.
Carbon capture is an important technology for mitigating climate change because it can help to reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. However, it is also an expensive and energy-intensive technology, and there are concerns about the potential environmental and health impacts of carbon capture and storage.
Despite these challenges, carbon capture is increasingly seen as a necessary technology for achieving deep decarbonization of the economy. In order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, global CO₂ emissions must be reduced by 50% by 2050 and net zero by 2070. Carbon capture is one of the few technologies that can help to achieve these deep emissions reductions.
