Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) stands as a disruptive force in the battle against climate change. This groundbreaking technology captures carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and power plants, averting their release into the atmosphere. Utilizing advanced capture methods such as chemical absorption and membrane separation, CCS presents a sustainable avenue for curbing greenhouse gas emissions. By securely storing the captured carbon underground, it ensures long-term environmental benefits. CCS heralds a new era in energy production and environmental stewardship, promising transformative solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
2. What is a disruptive
technology?
Disruptive technology is an innovation that significantly alters
the way that consumers, industries, or businesses operate. A
disruptive technology sweeps away the systems or habits it
replaces because it has attributes that are recognizably
superior. Clayton Christensen introduced the idea of disruptive
technologies in a 1995 Harvard Business Review article.
Christensen later expanded on the topic in The Innovator's
Dilemma, published in 1997. It has since become a buzzword
in startup businesses that seek to create a product with
mass appeal
Even a startup with limited
resources can aim at
technology disruption by
inventing an entirely new way
of getting something done.
Established companies tend to
focus on what they do best and
pursue incremental improvements
rather than revolutionary changes.
They cater to their largest and most
demanding customers.
3. Risk-taking companies may
recognize the potential of
disruptive technology in
their own operations and
target new markets that can
incorporate it into their
business processes.
These are the "innovators" of the
technology adoption lifecycle.
Other companies may take a
more risk-averse position and
adopt an innovation only after
seeing how it performs for
others.
Companies that fail to
account for the effects of
disruptive technology
may find themselves
losing market share to
competitors that have
discovered ways to
integrate the technology.
4. ● Disruptive technologies occur less frequently but are more convenient to use in
the long term. They initially might not even satisfy the demands of the high end
of the markets, but once they appear attractive profit-wise, they surpass
market expectations. In business theory, disruptive technology follows the
tradition of identifying radical technical change and the creation of tools for its
use at a firm or even policy level. Unlike small companies or startups,
incumbent companies tend to focus on their most demanding customers and
don’t have the flexibility to adapt quickly to newer shifting needs.
● On the other hand, small companies can target overlooked customers and gain
momentum as they explore new markets.
● The major difference to remember is that large companies focus on improving
efficiency and don’t have enough time to prepare for the appearance of
disruptive technologies.
● Risk-taking companies tend to recognize the potential of disruptive technology
and find ways to incorporate it into their business processes. These are usually
young companies or startups.
5. ● Technologies are not likely to be disruptive on their own. Change happens when a company or
industry adapts the technology to cater to one piece of the customer value chain. According to
Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, the following lead to successful disruptive
technology:
● Enabling Technology: An innovation or invention that makes a product affordable and accessible to a
wider population.
● Innovative Business Model: A business model that targets new consumers that didn’t buy products in
an existing market, or low-end consumers (the least profitable customers).
● Coherent Value Network: A network in which suppliers, distributors and customers are better off
when the disruptive technology prospers.
What makes a disruptive Technology Successful?
6. What are CCS plants?
CCS refers to a suite of technologies that enable the mitigation of
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from large point sources such as
power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities, or the
removal of existing CO2 from the atmosphere.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted
that, if we are to achieve the ambitions of the Paris Agreement
and limit future temperature increases to 1.5°C (2.7°F), we must
do more than just increasing efforts to reduce emissions – we
also need to deploy technologies to remove carbon from the
atmosphere.
7. How does CCS Work?
● There are three steps to the CCS process:
● 1. Capturing the carbon dioxide for storage The
CO2 is separated from other gases produced in
industrial processes, such as those at coal and
natural-gas-fired power generation plants or
steel or cement factories.
● 2. Transport The CO2 is then compressed and
transported via pipelines, road transport or ships
to a site for storage.
● 3. Storage Finally, the CO2 is injected into rock
formations deep underground for permanent
storage. Image Source- https://etech.iec.ch/issue/2020-06/a-future-for-carbon-capture-and-storage
8. A CCUS application consists of three stages:
capture, transport and storage (or usage) of CO2.
The main methods for capturing CO2 are: post-
combustion; pre-combustion; and oxy-fuel
combustion. Currently, operational facilities fitted
with CCUS can capture around 90% of the CO2
present in flue gas. It is technologically possible to
achieve higher capture rates, and research is
ongoing to reduce the costs of doing so. CO2 can
also be captured directly from the atmosphere by
drawing in air using fans and passing it through
an environment consisting of solid sorbents or
liquid solvents. This practice is more energy
intensive and therefore more expensive as CO2
has a much lower concentration in the
atmosphere than in flue gas.
9. ● Once the CO2 has been captured, it is
compressed into a liquid state and
transported by pipeline, ship, rail or
road tanker. As well as CCS, there is
a related concept, CCUS, which
stands for Carbon Capture Utilization
(or sometimes this is termed ‘usage’)
and Storage. The idea is that, instead
of storing carbon, it could be re-used
in industrial processes by converting
it into, for example, plastics, concrete
or biofuel. Image Source- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_utilization
10. CCS and Promising Future?
● Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a disruptive technology
promising in terms of reducing CO2 emissions that would otherwise
contribute to climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary
greenhouse gas contributing to anthropogenic climate change which is
associated with human activities.
● The majority of CO2 emissions are results of the burning of fossil fuels for
energy, as well as industrial processes such as steel and cement
production. CCS has been in operation since 1972 in the US, where several
natural gas plants in Texas have captured and stored more than 200million
tons of CO2 underground.
11. ● CCUS can play a strategic role in global decarbonization efforts in a number of
ways. These include:
● (i) reducing emissions in ‘hard-to-abate’ industries (those that are particularly
difficult to decarbonize);
● (ii) producing low-carbon electricity and hydrogen, which can be used to
decarbonize various activities; and
● (iii) removing existing CO2 from the atmosphere. The various roles of CCUS can also
help make the energy supply more diverse and flexible, in turn contributing to
energy security, which has become a growing priority for governments around the
world.
12. CCS could capture between 85-95% of the CO2
produced in a plant (IPCC, 2005), but net
emission reductions are in the order of 72 to
90% due to the energy it costs to separate
the CO2 and the upstream emissions. CCUS
technologies also provide the foundation for
carbon removal or "negative emissions" when
the CO2 comes from bio-based processes or
directly from the atmosphere. There are
around 35 commercial facilities applying CCUS
to industrial processes, fuel transformation,
and power generation.
13. What is the scope in India?
● NITI Aayog Official released a report in December 2022 titled "Carbon Capture
Utilization and Storage (CCUS): A Key Pillar for Decarbonizing India's Economy." The
report highlights the promise of CCUS technology in reducing India's Carbon dioxide
emissions and achieving the country's climate goals.
● CCUS technologies hold tremendous potential in helping India reduce Co2 emissions
by up to 45% by 2050 and achieve NZE 2050.
● The use of technology could create around 1.4 million jobs by 2050 and generate
significant economic benefits such as increased energy security and reduced fossil
fuel imports.
14. ● CCUS will serve as cornerstone in decarbonizing India's economy and the
government shall develop policies to incentivize CCUS deployment across
various sectors. The report emphasizes the importance of investing in
research and development to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness
of CCUS technologies and accelerate their deployment.
● The Report also suggests establishing the institutional framework and
regulatory policies to facilitate the implementation of CCUS projects.
● The report predicts that CCUS projects will become cost-effective over time.
● The NITI Aayog Report underscores the potential of CCUS in decarbonizing
India's economy and achieving the country's climate goals. Globally, power
and industry account for about 50% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
● The carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage program aims to reduce carbon
emissions by either storing or reusing it so that captured carbon dioxide
does not enter the atmosphere.
15. Department of Science and Technology
(DST) aims to nurture the area of
Carbon Capture, Utilization, and
Storage through an emphasis on
research and development and
capacity building of both human
resource as well as infrastructure, to
evolve technologies and
methodologies that address issues
related to high capital costs, safety,
logistics and high auxiliary power
consumption.
16. India's collaboration programs for
CCUS/CCS
● 1.1 Mission Innovation Challenge
on CCUS
The objective and scope of Mission
Innovation carbon capture innovation
challenge is to enable near-zero CO2
emissions from power plants and
carbon-intensive industries. CCUS can
achieve significant CO2 reductions
from power plants (fueled by coal,
natural gas, and biomass) and
industrial applications.
17. 1.2 Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT)
● This initiative aims to facilitate R&D and innovation that can lead to development of
safe and cost effective CO2 capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies. The
intension is to facilitate the emergence of CCUS by accelerating and maturing CCUS
technologies through targeted financing of innovative and research activities. The scope
also envisages to address the challenges related to CCUS in technological,
environmental, social and economic context of the country.
● India has joined forces with France, Germany, Greece, Norway, Romania,
Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States to
achieve these objectives.
18. ● CCUS technologies offer significant strategic value in the transition to net zero:
CCUS can be retrofitted to existing power and industrial plants, which could
otherwise still emit 8 billion tonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2050.
● CCUS can tackle emissions in sectors where other technology options are limited,
such as in the production of cement, iron and steel or chemicals, and to produce
synthetic fuels for long-distance transport (notably aviation).
● CCUS is an enabler of least-cost low-carbon hydrogen production.
● CCUS can remove CO2 from the atmosphere by combining it with bioenergy or
direct air capture to balance emissions that are unavoidable or technically difficult
to abate.
What makes CCS Disruptive?
19. CCS and COVID-19
● The Covid-19 crisis represents both a threat and an opportunity for
CCUS: the economic downturn has almost certainly impacted the
investment plans and lower oil prices are undermining the
attractiveness of using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery.
● But CCUS is in a stronger position to contribute to economic
recoveries than after the global financial crisis.
● A decade of experience in developing projects and the recent uptick in
activity means that there are a number of “shovel-ready” projects
with potential to double CCUS deployment by 2025.