Carbon Capture

The chemical sector alone is responsible for 2% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and the industry depends heavily on finite fossil fuel feedstocks. The new IDTechEx report, "Carbon Dioxide Utilization 2024-2044: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players", explores how captured CO2 could be utilized as a feedstock for hundreds of different chemicals instead.

In a world with a growing population and a rapidly expanding construction sector to match, how do we prevent building homes from damaging our climate? Concrete is the second most consumed material on Earth, but its key ingredient, cement, is responsible for 7% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The answer could come from thin air - CO2-derived building materials.

Handbags made of mushroom leather and biodegradable foodware are two examples of how white biotechnology can produce functional products that look good. With the right input feedstock, such as biomass or gases, and the right fermentation processes, the outputs of white biotechnology processes can be utilized in textiles, chemicals, and fuels.

As the volume of variable renewable energy (VRE) sources penetrating electricity grids increases globally, so does the need to manage the increasing uncertainty and variability in electricity supply.

Wednesday 7 February 2024 - Overview of CO2 utilization pathways and products; Discussion of environmental, technical, and economic factors for the most promising CO2U technologies (CO2-enhanced oil recovery, CO2-derived fuels, and CO2-derived building materials); Contextualization of carbon utilization's role within CCUS and global progress towards net-zero

IDTechEx predicts that by 2044, utilization of waste CO2 will reach 800 Mt to create over 3,000 Mt of useful products. Revenue generated through carbon dioxide utilization (CO2U) over the next two decades will be vital to enabling the development of commercially viable CO2 capture technologies for the future.

Decarbonization efforts have gained momentum globally in recent years. Renewable energy, electrification, and battery storage are primary solutions. However, some sectors remain difficult to decarbonize using such methods, including heavy industry, heating, and certain transport sectors, such as aviation and shipping.

On the 28th November 2023, a plane flew from London to New York. For the first time in history, this transatlantic flight was 100% powered by sustainable alternative fuels. This rounds off a promising year for sustainable fuels in aviation. Earlier in 2023, ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation was adopted by the European Union, mandating a 70% sustainable aviation fuel blending obligation by 2050.

Creating a circular economy is an essential sustainability target for governments, brands, materials suppliers, and the public. Key to pushing these sustainability efforts, which range from sustainability roadmaps developed by chemical and material companies to sustainable material usage targets adopted by brands, is the danger that growing global plastic consumption poses to the environment.

As the energy and industrial landscapes experience transformative shifts, the hydrogen economy stands at the threshold of sustainable growth. The envisioned hydrogen value chain will integrate production, storage, and distribution systems, supporting a wide array of applications that span industrial processes to various transportation sectors.