Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology is increasing amid growing demand to reduce emissions from the energy industry.

CCUS is a term used to describe various methods of trapping the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by burning fossil fuels, and either permanently storing or utilising it.

The carbon capture can take place at three main points in the separation cycle:

• Pre-combustion carbon capture separates CO2 before the combustion of fuel
• Oxygen combustion combusts the fuel with pure oxygen to create mainly steam and CO2, the carbon can then be easily separated and captured from the flue gas- gas otherwise exiting to the atmosphere via a flue
• Carbon capture technology can also capture carbon post-combustion, a process where the CO2 is scrubbed from the flue gas following combustion.

Whilst carbon capture technology is set to play a key role in enabling critical industrial practices and hard-to-abate sectors to continue operating amid the net zero transition, it also presents an opportunity to utilise captured carbon for a number of commercial uses.

Food grade CO2 can significantly aid food production and help alleviate supply crunches amid growing demand. Captured carbon can also be used for a range of industrial applications, from feedstock for the production of commodities such as methanol, to enhancing oil recovery.