Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2023, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (4): 429-439.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2023.2.70

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Carbon dioxide storage in China: Current status, main challenges, and future outlooks

DENG Yirong1(), WANG Yonghong1,*(), ZHAO Yanjie1, GU Peike1, XIAO Jin2, ZHOU Jian1, LI Zhaohui1, YU Zhiqiang3, PENG Ping’an3,*()   

  1. 1. Guangdong Key Laboratory of Contaminated Sites Environmental Management and Remediation & Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Guangzhou 510045, China
    2. Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
    3. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
  • Received:2022-06-25 Revised:2022-11-12 Online:2023-07-25 Published:2023-07-07

Abstract:

Excessive fossil fuel consumption and land misuse lead to continuous increasing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, causing a series of environmental problems such as global warming. To effectively control carbon emissions underground carbon storage is developed and it plays an important role in China’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality while ensuring its energy supplies. Here, we systematically summarize the technical principles and characteristics of typical terrestrial (such as CO2-EOR and CO2-ECBM) and marine carbon sequestration techniques (such as natural gas hydrate sequestration and marine sediment sequestration), and present an overview of China’s carbon emission profile and storage potential, characteristics of domestic carbon-storage pilot projects at different capacities (10000 s to million tons), gaps between China and foreign countries, and main challenges in carbon sequestration. In view of China’s carbon-storage status and goal of carbon peaking/carbon neutrality, we suggest to improve policy support, storage evaluation standards, and relevant laws and regulations, explore suitable storage sites and high-potential areas, strengthen scientific research and access to advanced technology, increase CCS/CCUS infrastructure investments and construction scales, and develop model pilot projects and industrial clusters. As Guangdong Province possesses industrial (trillion ton) carbon-storage potential ahead of carbon peaking, its coastal areas with the greatest carbon storage potential should take the lead in the industrial application of underground carbon-storage technology as well as in the developments of industrial carbon-storage clusters and trillion-ton carbon-storage industry towards achieving China’s carbon neutral target.

Key words: carbon emission, carbon neutralization, carbon storage, carbon storage industry, carbon cluster storge

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