Deep CCS: Moving Beyond 90% Carbon Dioxide Capture

The large-scale deployment of carbon capture technologies is expected to play a crucial role in efforts to meet stringent climate targets set forth by the Paris Agreement, but current models rely heavily upon carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies for which viability at the gigatonne scale is uncertain. While most 1.5 and 2 °C scenarios project rapid decarbonization of the energy sector facilitated by carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), they generally assume that CCS units can only capture ∼90% of the CO2 in coal and natural gas combustion flues because this was previously considered the optimal condition for aqueous amine scrubbers. In this Perspective, we discuss a small but growing body of literature that examines the prospect of moving significantly beyond 90% capture-a concept we term deep CCS-in light of recent developments in materials and process design. The low incremental costs associated with performing varying degrees of deep CCS suggest that this approach is not only feasible but may also alleviate burdens placed upon CDR techniques facing significant barriers to large-scale deployment. We estimate that rapid deployment of deep CCS in deep decarbonization pathways could avoid more than 1 gigatonne of CO2 globally each year. The principles of deep CCS could also be applied directly to the CDR strategy of employing bioenergy with CCS, which could lead to a significant alleviation of the land and freshwater burden associated with this technology.