Growth Opportunities in Chemicals and Materials for Carbon Capture

Big Opportunities and Big Challenges in the Short Term

Given the rising trajectory of emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) introduced the concept of carbon capture in a 2014 report and subsequent reports. It stressed the need for carbon capture in 2022 by including some form of it in almost all its forecasting scenarios.

All existing CCUS technologies are nascent, so they face similar challenges: techno-economic uncertainty, high complexity projects (such as those that involve geological storage), and little information on the current and potential environmental impacts of projects that involve capture, transport, and sequestration. Other equally relevant challenges include cost-effectiveness, carbon pricing mechanisms’ uncertain effectiveness in fostering capture markets; the need for public and private funding to build the required infrastructure; and the need for an enabling regulatory framework, social license, and a careful evaluation of the impacts on communities.

The CCUS industry presents a high risk (particularly for new entrants) and an enormous revenue outlook for the next decades, while the plan is not yet written.

Based on extensive research and primary interviews, this report attempts to build a 2030 demand forecast for the main chemicals and materials under consideration for use in carbon-capture infrastructure: amines, potassium carbonate, activated carbon, and zeolites. It also analyzes other capture methods that use different process chemicals, such as Selexol, Rectisol, and metallic-organic frameworks.