Urban areas worldwide grapple with air pollution and carbon emissions, exacerbating climate change and deteriorating public health. One innovative solution addressing these critical issues is Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS). This technology offers a comprehensive approach to managing carbon emissions, transforming how cities can achieve sustainability goals while improving urban living conditions.
CCUS operates by capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions directly from industrial sources or the atmosphere. Once captured, the CO₂ is either utilised in various industrial processes or stored securely underground. The capture process typically involves chemical solvents or physical filters that absorb CO₂ from exhaust gases. The captured carbon is then compressed and transported to utilisation sites or storage facilities. Utilisation can include converting CO₂ into valuable products like fuels, chemicals, or building materials, thus creating a circular carbon economy. Alternatively, storage involves injecting CO₂ into geological formations, such as depleted oil fields or deep saline aquifers, ensuring it does not re-enter the atmosphere.
As urban areas continue to expand, so does their carbon footprint. By integrating CCUS technologies, cities can drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with global climate targets and enhancing air quality. Furthermore, the ability to repurpose captured carbon into useful products fosters economic growth and innovation, creating new industries and job opportunities within the urban framework.
In addition, CCUS can play a pivotal role in supporting the transition to renewable energy. By mitigating emissions from existing fossil fuel infrastructures, cities can maintain energy stability while progressing towards a greener grid. This dual approach not only aids in the immediate reduction of urban emissions but also sets a scalable model for future carbon-neutral urban development.
Develops technology to inject captured CO2 into fresh concrete, where it mineralizes and strengthens the material.
Operator of the world's largest commercial DAC plants (Orca, Mammoth) using solid sorbent technology.
Produces sustainable cement and cures concrete with CO2 instead of water, permanently sequestering the gas.
Norway · Company
Offers proprietary carbon capture technology for industrial emitters, focusing on modular and standardized capture plants.
Develops carbon-negative concrete solutions by using steel slag and curing with CO2, avoiding cement entirely.
Uses limestone (calcium carbonate) looping to capture CO2 from the air at low cost.
Recycles carbon from industrial off-gases into sustainable fuels and chemicals using biological catalysts.
Canada · Startup
Provides solid sorbent technology to capture CO2 from heavy industrial sources like cement and steel plants.
Australia · Nonprofit
An international think tank backed by governments and businesses to accelerate the deployment of CCS globally.
United Kingdom · Company
A power generation company pioneering Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS).
Paper
Smoke to Solutions: Transforming CO₂ Waste into Clean Air and Community Well-beingCatalysis Today · Nov 28, 2025
Develops an integrated framework linking CCUS systems with health-impact quantification, showing significant reductions in PM2.5 and hospitalizations, directly addressing urban public health.
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High-capture-rate carbon capture and storage enables cost-effective decarbonization of Europe’s power sectorCommunications Sustainability · Feb 20, 2026
This study demonstrates that high-capture-rate CCS is essential for the cost-effective decarbonization of the power sector, a critical component of urban energy systems and city-level net-zero strategies.
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Carbon capture utilization and storage promotes poverty alleviation and sustainable development in ChinaCommunications Earth & Environment · Jul 8, 2025
Analyzes how CCUS projects can drive local economic growth (GDP per capita increase) and poverty alleviation while reducing emissions, supporting sustainable urban development goals.
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Synergizing advanced materials and artificial intelligence for next-generation carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS): a reviewRSC Advances · Jan 11, 2026
Reviews the integration of AI and advanced materials like biochar and nanomaterials to enhance CCUS efficiency, highlighting the role of smart technologies in urban carbon management.
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Long-term electrochemical carbon capture from diverse CO2 sources with a recirculation modeNature Communications · Nov 24, 2025
Presents a durable electrochemical carbon capture system capable of handling diverse CO2 sources via a recirculation mode, offering a scalable solution for industrial and urban emissions.
Article
GLOBAL STATUS OF CCS 2022status22.globalccsinstitute.com
CCS is an emissions reduction technology critical to meeting global climate targets. The Global Status of CCS 2022 documents important milestones for CCS over the past 12 months, its status across the world and the key opportunities and challenges it faces. We hope this report will be read and used by governments, policy-makers, academics, media commentators and the millions of people who care about our climate.
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Current status of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies in the global economy: A survey of technical assessmentsciencedirect.com
Key CCUS technologies are comprehensively reviewed in terms of the technology readiness level (TRL). • Critical limitations of implementing industrial CCUS system elements are identified. • Unique data for the CCUS facilities, and latest global R&D projects are summarized. • Crucial need to establish CCUS worldwide databases of the most recent research is highlighted. • Future outlook for CCUS is suggested.
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Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storageiea.org
CCUS involves the capture of CO2, generally from large point sources like power generation or industrial facilities that use either fossil fuels or biomass as fuel. If not being used on-site, the captured CO2 is compressed and transported by pipeline, ship, rail or truck to be used in a range of applications, or injected into deep geological formations such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers.
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Unpacking Carbon Capture and Storage: The technology behind the promiseiisd.org
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the shiny toy in climate change mitigation spaces these days, expected to draw all eyes at COP 28. The technology proposes to reduce emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and injecting it deep underground. Many oil and gas-producing countries, such as the United States and Canada, are looking to CCS to reduce emissions from production, while coal-reliant nations, such as China and India, are exploring the feasibility of fitting coal-fired power plants with the technology.
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3 reasons why the future of carbon capture looks promisingweforum.org
Carbon capture will play a critical role in the energy transition, especially in heavy industries like power, steel, cement and oil and gas. Companies are embracing carbon capture’s potential and investing in this technology. Government incentives will further spur investment, but the engineering, procurement and construction industry will play a critical role in delivering more economic solutions.
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What is carbon capture and storage?nationalgrid.com
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a way of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which could be key to helping to tackle global warming. It’s a three-step process, involving: capturing the CO2 produced by power generation or industrial activity, such as hydrogen production, steel or cement making; transporting it; and then permanently storing it deep underground. Here we look at the potential benefits of CCS and how it works.
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Carbon capture and storage - Shellshell.com
There is no single solution to the urgent challenge of cutting carbon emissions to limit global temperature rise. Carbon capture and storage offers a way to reduce emissions from sectors that are hard-to-decarbonise. Find out more about this technology and how Shell is working to unlock its potential around the world.
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The world’s biggest carbon capture facility is being built in Texas. Will it work?theguardian.com
The plant will inject 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the ground each year – but is it just greenwashing from big oil?
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The Top 10 Carbon Capture Companies In 2023carbonherald.com
Carbon capture has been attracting more and more interest from investors and governments lately, as concerns over climate change become stronger. The technology has been around for decades but it hasn’t been able to deliver on its promise. Now, a new breed of carbon capture companies is emerging. They hope to bridge the gap between the ongoing energy transition and the world’s reliance on hard-to-abate industries like oil and gas.
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Carbon Captureclimate.mit.edu
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a collection of technologies that can combat climate change by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The idea behind CCS is to capture the CO2 generated by burning fossil fuels before it is released to the atmosphere. The question is then: What to do with the captured CO2? Most current CCS strategies call for the injection of CO2 deep underground. This forms a “closed loop”, where the carbon is extracted from the Earth as fossil fuels and then is returned to the Earth as CO2.
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Explainer: What is carbon capture and storage and will it cut emissions?reuters.com
The UK government on Monday reaffirmed its support for projects to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions as part of its efforts to reach net zero goals and said two more projects would be able to begin negotiations to take them forward.
