A climate-optimal supply chain for CO2 capture, utilization, and storage by mineralization

CO2 mineralization not only captures and stores CO2 permanently but also yields value-added products utilized in, for example, the cement industry. CO2 mineralization has been shown to potentially substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Realizing CO2 mineralization's potential on a large scale requires a) solid feedstock, b) CO2 sources, c) low-carbon energy, and d) markets for mineralization products. In general, these four requirements of CO2 mineralization are not satisfied at the same location. Thus, the assessment of CO2 mineralization's large-scale potential necessitates the full supply chain considering all requirements for CO2 mineralization simultaneously. At present, neither the potential of CO2 mineralization for GHG emissions reduction on a large scale nor the required supply chain to achieve the potential are fully understood. In our study, we design a climate-optimal supply chain for CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) by CO2 mineralization to quantify the large-scale potential of CO2 mineralization in Europe. Our results show that a climate-optimal CCUS by CO2 mineralization could avoid up to 130 Mt CO2e/year of the industrial emissions in Europe even with the current energy supply system. By 2040, CCUS by CO2 mineralization could provide negative emissions of up to 136 Mt CO2e/year. The required energy and CO2 for the CCUS supply chain can be provided either by expanding the current infrastructure by about 5 % or, even more climate efficiently, by building new infrastructure. The critical steps toward achieving the large potential of CO2 mineralization in Europe are 1) scaling up the CO2 mineralization technology to the industrial level and 2) exploiting large-scale mineral deposits.

Automated summary

CO2 mineralization is not only beneficial for capturing and storing CO2 permanently but also for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve the large-scale potential of CO2 mineralization, the entire supply chain needs to be considered. A study shows that in Europe, a climate-optimal supply chain for CO2 mineralization can significantly reduce industrial emissions.