Carbon Circular Utilization and Partially Geological Sequestration: Potentialities, Challenges, and Trends

Abstract

Enhancing carbon emission mitigation and carbon utilization have become necessary for the world to respond to climate change caused by the increase of greenhouse gas concentrations. As a result, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies have attracted considerable attention worldwide, especially in China, which plans to achieve a carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. This paper proposed six priorities for China, the current world’s largest carbon emitter, to achieve its dual carbon strategy in the green energy transition process. We analyzed and summarized the challenges and potentialities of conventional carbon utilization (CU), carbon capture utilization (CCU), and CCUS. Based on the current development trend, carbon dioxide capture, circular utilization, and storage (CCCUS) technology that integrates carbon circular utilization and partial sequestration, with large-scale underground energy storage were proposed, namely biomethanation. Technically and economically, biomethanation was believed to have an essential contribution to China’s renewable energy utilization and storage, as well as the carbon circular economy. The preliminary investigation reveals significant potential, with a corresponding carbon storage capacity of 5.94 × 108 t~7.98 × 108 t and energy storage of 3.29 × 1012 kWh~4.42 × 1012 kWh. Therefore, we believe that in addition to vigorously developing classical CCUS technology, technical research and pilot projects of CCCUS technology that combined large-scale underground energy storage also need to be carried out to complete the technical reserve and the dual-carbon target.

Operation optimization of regional integrated energy systems

“…The carbon source in RIES comes from coal-fired power plants and gas combustion, and the capture device 27,28 can absorb a certain amount of system carbon emissions.…”

“…The carbon source in RIES comes from coal‐fired power plants and gas combustion, and the capture device 27,28 can absorb a certain amount of system carbon emissions. Its working principle can be expressed as follows: $$${G}_{cap}={\eta }_{cap}{\rho }_{cap}{\kappa }_{g}{C}_{co2,t}.$$$…”

Assessment of the in situ biomethanation potential of a deep aquifer used for natural gas storage

“…Indeed, deep aquifers are found all over the globe in sedimentary basins, and those in the first 2 km of depth could reach a cumulative volume of 22.6 million km 3 (Gleeson et al 2016 ). The use of these storage sites would be conditional on the presence of a decarbonated H 2 production area (renewable and nuclear), an accessible source of CO 2 , ideally captured from industry or even the atmosphere (Gutknecht et al 2018 , Hou et al 2022 ), and a geological storage reservoir equipped with injection and production wells, as well as a gas network enabling biomethane distribution (Bellini et al 2022 ). By overcoming a number of scientific hurdles, these deep, secure sites would represent a biomethanation potential at a scale several times larger than that of conventional catalytic or biological methanation reactors due to the very large reservoir volumes (Molíkova et al 2022 , Vítĕzová et al 2023 ).…”

Future directions in geological research impacting renewable energy and carbon capture: A synthesis of sustainable management techniques

“…Geological research plays a pivotal role in the development and management of renewable energy sources and carbon capture initiatives (Hou, et. al., 2022, Wei, et.…”