Carbon capture and storage
Also called: CCS, CCUS · Topic: Climate Change: Causes, Evidence and the Global Response · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a technology that traps carbon dioxide before or after it reaches the air. CO2 is captured from power plants or factories, or pulled directly out of the air. It is then stored deep underground or used to make products. When the CO2 is used, the technology is called CCUS (carbon capture, utilisation and storage). Supporters say it is needed for industries such as cement and steel, which are hard to clean up. Critics say it can become an excuse to delay giving up fossil fuels.
Example
Since 1996, the Sleipner gas field in the North Sea, off Norway, has pumped captured CO2 into rock layers under the seabed. In India, NITI Aayog published a report on CCUS in 2022.
Don't confuse with
- Carbon sink: a sink is natural, such as a forest, ocean or soil, that absorbs more CO2 than it releases. CCS is an engineered technology.