Carbon Capture and Utilization in the Industrial Sector

The fabrication and manufacturing processes of industrial commodities such as iron, glass, and cement are carbon-intensive, accounting for 23% of global CO 2 emissions. As a climate mitigation strategy, CO 2 capture from flue gases of industrial processes—much like that of the power sector—has not experienced wide adoption given its high associated costs. However, some industrial processes with relatively high CO 2 flue concentration may be viable candidates to cost-competitively supply CO 2 for utilization purposes (e. g. , polymer manufacturing, etc. ). This work develops a methodology that determines the levelized cost (/tCO 2) of separating, compressing, and transporting carbon dioxide. A top-down model determines the cost of separating and compressing CO 2 across 18 industrial processes. Further, the study calculates the cost of transporting CO 2 via pipeline and tanker truck to appropriately paired sinks using a bottom-up cost model and geo-referencing approach. The results show that truck transportation is generally the low-cost alternative given the relatively small volumes (ca. 100 kt CO 2 /a). We apply our methodology to a regional case study in Pennsylvania, which shows steel and cement manufacturing paired to suitable sinks as having the lowest levelized cost of capture, compression, and transportation.