Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is one method of moderating carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere while supporting our growing economic, human health and natural resource needs. More specifically, carbon capture, utilization and storage is the removal and long-term storage of CO2 from the atmosphere into carbon storage areas such as forests or underground rock layers that supports energy efficiency. Often, carbon capture, utilization and storage is abbreviated as CCUS, or referred to as “carbon sequestration.”
CCUS is seen by many independent researchers as a safe and viable mitigation strategy to help stabilize global CO2 emissions. There are two types of CCUS: terrestrial CCUS and geologic CCUS. In terrestrial CCUS, carbon is stored in forests or in the soils of farmland and rangeland. In geologic CCUS, carbon is stored in underground rock formations. Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, can be directly captured at the point of release to prevent pollution (geologic CCUS), or removed from the air post-release through photosynthesis by plants and algae, and the increase in organic matter in soils (terrestrial CCUS). Gases that are directly captured from the source can be transported and stored underground in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, coal seams, basalt rocks and saline aquifers (geologic CCS). An important component of both geologic and terrestrial CCUS research is monitoring, verification and accounting (MVA). Researchers working on MVA develop and test technologies that ensure carbon storage is safe, permanent and can be accounted for accurately.
Learn more about BSCSP’s work in terrestrial CCUS here or geologic CCUS here.
Learn more about the global CO2 emissions and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change here.
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