Physics / mechanism
Point-source CCUS captures CO₂ at the flue-gas outlet of a fixed emitter—power plant, cement kiln, steel furnace—before it reaches atmosphere. Dominant chemistry is post-combustion amine scrubbing (MEA solvent): flue gas contacts liquid amine, CO₂ absorbs at ~40–60 °C, solvent regenerates at ~120 °C via steam stripping. Energy penalty: 15–25% of plant output. Capture rate: 85–95%. Emerging alternatives—solid sorbents, membrane separation, calcium looping—target lower regeneration energy. Membrane systems (polymeric or mixed-matrix) can hit <1 GJ/tCO₂ parasitic load in lab settings vs. ~3.5 GJ/tCO₂ for MEA. Compression and geological storage add $20–40/tCO₂. Current deployed capacity: ~50 Mtpa globally, vs. ~37 Gtpa total emissions—orders of magnitude gap.
Competitive landscape
Point-source CCUS competes directly with fuel switching (electrification, green hydrogen), process redesign (novel cement chemistries, direct electrolytic steelmaking), and carbon offsets. Direct Air Capture (DAC) is adjacent but costs 5–10× more per tonne; point-source is cheaper only because flue-gas CO₂ concentration is 4–15% vs. 0.04% atmospheric.
Companies using
Connected ideas
Sources
Frontier (open questions)
- To be added.