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Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy
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Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 6133

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Grazia Leonzio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Interests: renewable energies; carbon dioxide; carbon dioxide removal; modelling of chemical processes; carbon supply chains; environmental analysis of chemical processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry were 37.15 GtCO₂ in 2022, while these rose 1.1 percent in 2023 to reach a record high of 37.55 GtCO₂. Since 1990, overall global CO₂ emissions have increased by more than 60 percent, producing the well-known phenomena of climate change and global warming, with negative impacts on the Earth and human society.

Concerns have been recognized by world leaders and experts. As was the case, when Secretary General Antonio Guterres of the United Nations (UN) asserted, “We are in trouble. We are in deep trouble with climate change” at the 24th annual UN Climate Change Conference that took place in Poland in 2018.

A solution to these problems can be provided by carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies that can support the clean energy transition in several ways: tackling emissions from existing energy infrastructure, as a solution for some of the most challenging emissions, as a cost-effective pathway toward low-carbon hydrogen production, and by removing carbon from the atmosphere.

I am pleased to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue on “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy”. The aim of this Special Issue is to disseminate research on this topic within the scientific community in order to propose important CCUS technologies for the clean energy transition, in agreement with the main scope of the journal.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome and research areas may include, but are not limited to:

  • reviews of recent CCUS advancements;
  • The modelling of CCUS technologies;
  • Life cycle assessment of CCUS technologies;
  • TEA of CCUS technologies;
  • Experimental works on CCUS technologies.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Grazia Leonzio
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon dioxide storage
  • carbon dioxide utilization
  • carbon dioxide capture
  • advancements
  • carbon dioxide
  • modelling
  • tecno-economic assessment
  • LCA
  • experimental research

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 933 KiB  
Article
Economic and Environmental Evaluation of Implementing CCUS Supply Chains at National Scale: Insights from Different Targeted Criteria
by Tuan B. H. Nguyen and Grazia Leonzio
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 6141; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136141 - 4 Jul 2025
Viewed by 311
Abstract
The establishment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage supply chains at the national level is crucial for meeting global decarbonization targets: they have been suggested as a solution to maintain the global temperature rise below 2 °C relative to preindustrial levels. Optimizing these [...] Read more.
The establishment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage supply chains at the national level is crucial for meeting global decarbonization targets: they have been suggested as a solution to maintain the global temperature rise below 2 °C relative to preindustrial levels. Optimizing these systems requires a balance of economic viability with environmental impact, but this is a challenge due to diverse operational limitations. This paper introduces an optimization framework that integrates life cycle assessment with a source-sink model while combining the geographical storage and conversion pathways of carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals. This study explores the economic and environmental outcomes of national carbon capture, utilization, and storage networks, considering several constraints, such as carbon dioxide reduction goals, product market demand, and renewable hydrogen availability. The framework is utilized in Germany as a case study, presenting three case studies to maximize overall annual profit and life cycle greenhouse gas reduction. In all analyzed scenarios, the results indicate a clear trade-off between profitability and emission reductions: profit-driven strategies are characterized by increased emissions, while environmental strategies have higher costs despite the environmental benefit. In addition, cost-optimal cases prefer high-profit utilization routes (e.g., gasoline through methane reforming) and cost-effective capture technologies, leading to significant profitability. On the other hand, climate-optimal approaches require diversification, integrating carbon dioxide storage with conversion pathways that exhibit lower emissions (e.g., gasoline, acetic acid, methanol through carbon dioxide hydrogenation). The proposed method significantly contributes to developing and constructing more sustainable, large-scale carbon projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy)
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21 pages, 5406 KiB  
Article
Prospects of Attaining Thailand’s Carbon Neutrality Target Through Carbon Capture and Storage by Public Power Utility
by Waranya Thepsaskul, Wongkot Wongsapai, Tassawan Jaitiang and Panuwich Jaekhajad
Sustainability 2025, 17(1), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17010276 - 2 Jan 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1962
Abstract
Thailand has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, targeting the power generation sector, which contributes 35% of the country’s CO2 emissions, as a critical area for intervention. This study explores the transition toward carbon neutrality in power generation, focusing on fossil-fuel-based [...] Read more.
Thailand has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, targeting the power generation sector, which contributes 35% of the country’s CO2 emissions, as a critical area for intervention. This study explores the transition toward carbon neutrality in power generation, focusing on fossil-fuel-based plants, particularly lignite and natural gas, which remain central to Thailand’s electricity production. A key strategy adopted by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is “Sink Co-creation”, which includes the deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies in existing and future lignite power plants, leveraging favorable storage conditions. Additionally, natural gas power plants exhibit significant CCS potential through source–sink matching mechanisms. This study finds that the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from fossil-fuel-based power plants could reach 17.07 MtCO2. Of this total, lignite power plants are projected to achieve a reduction of 3.79 MtCO2 by 2036, while natural gas power plants are expected to contribute an additional 13.28 MtCO2 in reductions by 2050. However, the realization of these reductions faces significant challenges, including the high costs associated with CCS implementation and limited investor interest, underscoring the critical need for sustained government support and policy incentives to facilitate progress toward carbon neutrality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy)
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23 pages, 8230 KiB  
Article
Feasibility Study and Results from a Baseline Multi-Tool Active Seismic Acquisition for CO2 Monitoring at the Hellisheiði Geothermal Field
by Fabio Meneghini, Flavio Poletto, Cinzia Bellezza, Biancamaria Farina, Deyan Draganov, Gijs Van Otten, Anna L. Stork, Gualtiero Böhm, Andrea Schleifer, Martijn Janssen, Andrea Travan, Franco Zgauc and Sevket Durucan
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7640; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177640 - 3 Sep 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1452
Abstract
CO2 capture and underground storage, combined with geothermal resource exploitation, are vital for future sustainable and renewable energy. The SUCCEED project explores the feasibility of re-injecting CO2 into geothermal fields to enhance production and store CO2 for climate change mitigation. [...] Read more.
CO2 capture and underground storage, combined with geothermal resource exploitation, are vital for future sustainable and renewable energy. The SUCCEED project explores the feasibility of re-injecting CO2 into geothermal fields to enhance production and store CO2 for climate change mitigation. This integration requires novel time-lapse monitoring approaches. At the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant in Iceland, seismic surveys utilizing conventional geophones and a permanent fiber-optic helically wound cable (HWC) for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) were designed to provide subsurface information and CO2 monitoring. This work details the feasibility study and active seismic acquisition of the baseline survey, focusing on optical fiber sensitivity, seismic modeling, acquisition parameters, source configurations, and quality control. Post-acquisition signal analysis using a novel electromagnetic vibrating source is discussed. The integrated analysis of datasets from co-located sensors improved quality-control performance and geophysical interpretation. The study demonstrates the advantages of using densely sampled DAS data in space by multichannel processing. This experimental work highlights the feasibility of using HWC DAS cables in active surface seismic surveys with an environmentally friendly electromagnetic source, providing also a unique case of joint signal analysis from different types of sensors in high-temperature geothermal areas for energy and CO2 storage monitoring in a time-lapse perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy)
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26 pages, 5027 KiB  
Article
Advancing CO2 Solubility Prediction in Brine Solutions with Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Subsurface Storage
by Amin Shokrollahi, Afshin Tatar and Abbas Zeinijahromi
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7273; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177273 - 23 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1478
Abstract
Underground CO2 storage is crucial for sustainability as it reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, helping mitigate climate change and protect the environment. This research explores the use of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to enhance the predictive modelling of CO2 solubility in [...] Read more.
Underground CO2 storage is crucial for sustainability as it reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, helping mitigate climate change and protect the environment. This research explores the use of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to enhance the predictive modelling of CO2 solubility in brine solutions. Employing Random Forest (RF) models, the study integrates Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis to uncover the complex relationships between key variables, including pressure (P), temperature (T), salinity, and ionic composition. Our findings indicate that while P and T are primary factors, the contributions of salinity and specific ions, notably chloride ions (Cl−), are essential for accurate predictions. The RF model exhibited high accuracy, precision, and stability, effectively predicting CO2 solubility even for brines not included during the model training as evidenced by R2 values greater than 0.96 for the validation and testing samples. Additionally, the stability assessment showed that the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) spans between 8.4 and 9.0 for 100 different randomness, which shows good stability. SHAP analysis provided valuable insights into feature contributions and interactions, revealing complex dependencies, particularly between P and ionic strength. These insights offer practical guidelines for optimising CO2 storage and mitigating associated risks. By improving the accuracy and transparency of CO2 solubility predictions, this research supports more effective and sustainable CO2 storage strategies, contributing to the overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy)
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