Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) reduces CO2 emissions by capturing the CO2, using CO2 in a different capacity, or storing the CO2 underground permanently. The CO2 is then monitored to ensure long-term containment.
Industrial Processes include the various industries of production that all contribute to CO2 emissions.
Capture is the process of recovering CO2 either from the emission source, or directly from the air.
Transport — Once captured, CO2 is compressed using high temperatures, and then transferred to a location for storage or utilization.
Utilization is the practice of converting or repurposing CO2 for other uses and applications.
Storage involves injecting and sequestering CO2 deep into underground rock formations at a minimum depth of 1 kilometre where it is permanently and safely stored.

Examples of Industrial Processes

  • Cement
  • Agriculture
  • Petrochemicals
  • Pulp and paper
  • Steel
  • Power generation
  • Oil and gas

These industries all produce products the world needs, and all contribute to CO2 emissions. This is why Carbon Capture and Storage is so important.

Why Decarbonize?

Types of Capture

Post-combustion carbon capture is when diluted CO2 is separated from flue gas after fossil fuel combustion. Watch video

Pre-combustion carbon capture is when CO2 is removed from fossil fuels before combustion, the fuel is reacted with oxygen/air and steam to produce a mixture of CO2 and H2, allowing for the CO2 to be separated and captured.

Oxy-fuel combustion is when fossil fuels are combusted in a nitrogen-free atmosphere of oxygen, producing a flue gas composed predominantly of CO2 and water, reducing the cost of capture.

Direct air capture is when CO2 is extracted directly from ambient air. Watch video

A Breakdown of CCS

Types of Transport in Alberta

Pipelines are the most efficient method for transporting CO2.

Rail / Trucks are used for transferring smaller quantities of CO2.

The future of CO2 delivery

Carbon Utilization

Every industry has different needs making it challenging for policies, funding, and infrastructure to support growth across all utilization and conversion opportunities.

The good news is that Canada has innovators at the commercial stage supplying utilization and conversion opportunities to industry, including numerous companies with technologies at pilot, pre-pilot and early research stages. This market will continue emerging in the next 10 years.

Our low-carbon energy solution

Types of Storage

Saline formations are massive porous formations deep underground across large volumes filled with brine or salt water.

Depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs where oil and gas was extracted after being contained in the reservoirs for millions of years.

Other emerging storage opportunities: other ways of permanently storing CO2 are being explored today, for example, using enhanced rock weathering, or other alternative geological formations like unmineable coals seams or shallow hydrocarbon formations. The suitability and scalability of these solutions is a current topic of research and development.

The process of CO2 injection underground

The Province of Alberta is working in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide employment support programs and services.