The integration of hydrogenation and carbon capture utilisation and storage technology: A potential low‐carbon approach to chemical synthesis in China

Summary The development of carbon emission reduction technologies and clean energy utilisation are two critical drivers for reducing and controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from human activities. Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) is an established and crucial emission reduction technology capable of achieving near‐zero‐emission from fossil fuels. Hydrogen, a zero‐carbon fuel, provides energy security while improving air quality. However, hydrogen is commonly derived from fossil fuels with significant associated CO2 emission. Hence, this study investigates the feasibility of integrating CCUS in the hydrogen industry, particularly from technical, sustainability, and policy perspectives. This study also critically reviews existing CCUS and hydrogen production technologies and discusses the prospects and challenges of each. Studies show that CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2‐EOR) and CO2 enhanced coal‐bed methane recovery (CO2‐ECBM) are promising CCUS technologies in China, while producing clean hydrogen from fossil fuels with CCUS and water electrolysis are ideal development route. Specifically, this study proposes the coupling technical route of CCUS + SMR (steam methane reforming) and CCUS + CTH (coal‐to‐hydrogen) to accelerate carbon emission reduction by 2050 considering their promising carbon reduction potential and the ratio of hydrogen with CCUS. Besides, CO2 hydrogenation integrated chemical production is becoming increasingly popular to achieve carbon emission reduction and low‐carbon economy. However, the relatively high costs and lack of hydrogen transportation infrastructure is currently the major bottleneck restricting the development of CCUS and hydrogen industry. Therefore, government subsidies, standardised operation of the carbon market, and technological innovation are useful strategies to address this issue. This study critically reviewed the existing CCUS and hydrogen production technologies, policies, projects, and carbon emissions data, and discussed the prospects and challenges. It was found that CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2‐EOR) and CO2 enhanced coal‐bed methane recovery (CO2‐ECBM) are promising CCUS technologies, while clean hydrogen derived from fossil fuels with CCUS and electrolysis of water is the ideal development route in China. The integration of CCUS technology in hydrogen industry was studied and the coupling technical route of CCUS + SMR (Steam methane reforming), CCUS + CTH (coal‐to‐hydrogen), and CO2 hyd