Assessment of technologies for CO2 capture and storage. Summary: Research Report 203 41 110, UBA-FB 000938

The aim of the study was to summarize the current status for carbon capture, transport and storage for CO2 emissions from power stations. Special attention was given to the implications from the introduction of carbon capture and storage in power stations on the efficiency, emissions and costs for electricity generation. To start with, a detailed analysis was made of the national, European and international activities in this field. The analysis focused on the identification of main actors and the different cooperations of actors. To do this, the available literature was studied and analysed using a bibliometric approach which also took presentations at national and international conferences into account. In the second step, a technical analysis was conducted for the three main routes of carbon capture (pre-combustion capture, post-combustion capture, oxy-fuel combustion) with special emphasis on the impacts on the environment. Truck, ship and pipeline transport were analysed as means of transporting the CO2 from the power station to the storage site. In addition, the different storage possibilities for a secure, long-term storage of the captured CO2 were studied in the report. Particular emphasis was placed on storage in gas fields and saline aquifers which are the most promising options in Germany. The report thus provides an up-to-date review of the status of carbon capture and storage in the world. It therefore supports the decision-making process when introducing this new technology, taking into account the environmental effects.