CCUS will play a major role in the efforts of governments and organisations to meet their net zero and carbon emission targets. But is it ready yet for commercial scale up?

Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) is a set of technologies designed to limit or remove CO₂ emissions from large plants, such as factories, power stations, refineries, and so on, or by removing existing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

CCS and CCU in CCUS programmes

CCS refers to carbon capture, and storage, whereby CO2 is captured from flues and other exhaust pipes, separated from other gases, transported, and then stored in geographic formations such as under the sea or in depleted coal mines, for example.

On the other hand, CCU involves carbon capture and utilisation, as captured carbon can then be converted into practical products such as animal feed or building materials.
Climate change is inevitably making governments around the world enforce strict carbon emission levels, through stringent regulations and legislation. Heavy industry is both one of the largest sources of emissions and the sector facing the biggest challenges when it comes to carbon management.

For example, when combined, the production of cement and steel production  create around 14% of global carbon emissions. Concrete is the second-most consumed commodity on the planet, after water. Much of concrete and steel production relies on the burning of fossil fuels to reach the temperatures required for their manufacture.

Despite many pledges and efforts by governments to tackle the causes of global warming, CO₂ emissions from energy and industry have increased by 60% since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed in 1992.

Given the concerns for the planet, and the government/global level agreements and obligations to cut CO₂ emissions and the burning of fossil fuels, carbon management is now an essential minute on the boardroom agenda, but it will require a radical transformation in the way we produce and consume energy will be needed to bring about a rapid reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.

While upstream measures are important, dealing with emissions downstream is essential – which brings up back to Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage. This approach is intended to target emissions and to provide remedies that mitigate their impact.

CCUS can be broken down into more specific processes:

• CCUS: The umbrella term for all forms of carbon management. CO2 can be captured at source (i.e., carbon capture). Multiple strategies will be required to meet net zero requirements.
• CCS: The capture of CO₂emissions from any industrial process that uses fossil fuels to produce an end product, such as steel or cement. CO₂ is then transported from where it was captured, for example via a pipeline, lorry, or ship, and is then stored underground typically at a depth of 800m (0.5 miles) in geological formations such as aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and used mines.
• CCU: Carbon capture and utilisation. This method involves carbon capture, but rather being stored (which could become a problem further down the line) CCU converts CO2 emissions into something more useful, such as biomass, thus deriving useful products from emissions.

CCS permanently sequesters CO₂ underground, but faces high costs and potential long-term impacts and the risk of leakage. CCU, conversely, provides potential economic benefits by creating a circular economy with waste products essentially recycled into useful materials.

Is CCUS ready for commercial scale?

So, CCUS is essential for carbon abatement overall — but is CCUS ready as a commercial scale technology to meet the challenge of capturing CO₂ emissions at industrial levels?

According to the International Economic Agency (IEA) there are currently 45 commercial facilities applying CCUS processes. In 2023 alone, announced capture capacity for 2030 increased by 35%, while announced storage capacity rose by 70%.

However, a report from the Carbon Capture Europe Summit and Leader Associates (which can be downloaded here), notes that of 381 CCUS projects in Europe, 328 of them are still in the early planning phase (accounting for 86% of all projects). Only 5% of the total projects are under construction. It notes that 25 projects have been cancelled in the past year.

While investor confidence in the technology is growing, and helping to build momentum, most believe that it will not be ready for commercial scale until 2030 or so as the technology is not yet mature enough to remove CO₂ at the levels demanded of climate change initiatives and targets.

However, if we breakdown CCUS into the two approaches of utilisation and storage, a slightly more nuanced picture emerges. Both are attracting considerable interest, attention – and investment.

The market for CCS solutions was forecast by Fortune Business Insights to grow at a CAGR of 18.18%, from $4.51 billion in 2025 to $14.51 billion by 2032. At the same time, the CCU market was forecast to grow from $5.1 billion in 2024 to $11.9 billion by 2031 – a 13.5% CAGR and is considered to be the most advanced technology in terms of scale.

In other words, CCUS is fast approaching, but CCU is the most mature and offers the most promise for immediate investment.

Remediiate already offers a commercial scale CCU solution

For example, Remediiate has a commercial scale CCU process that converts CO₂, via algal photosynthesis into products such as biofeed and building materials. Once CO₂ is captured at source, we algal photosynthesis converts CO₂ into carbohydrates and protein, which can then be converted into other products. No energy input is required as it’s a natural process, which we can control at your plant.

So, while CCUS overall is not ready for commercial scale up, CCU is. Most organisations are likely to need a combination of technologies, including CCU and CCS, to meet targets and regulations.

But you can begin your abatement journey — today — with a commercially ready CCU solution that has already been deployed in industrial facilities.

Contact us to find out more about how we can help with your carbon management strategy.