Carbon capture and storage (CCS) (or carbon capture and sequestration or carbon control and

sequestration[1]) is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO

2) from large point sources, such as biomass or fossil fuel power plants, transporting it to a storage
site, and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere, normally an underground geological
formation. The aim is to prevent the release of large quantities of CO

2 into the atmosphere (from fossil fuel use in power generation and other industries). It is a
potential means of mitigating the contribution of fossil fuel emissions to global warming[2] and
ocean acidification.[3] Although CO

2 has been injected into geological formations for several decades for various purposes, including
enhanced oil recovery, the long term storage of CO

2 is a relatively new concept. 'CCS' can also be used to describe the scrubbing of CO

2 from ambient air as a climate engineering technique.

CCS applied to a modern conventional power plant could reduce CO

2 emissions to the atmosphere by approximately 80–90% compared to a plant without CCS.[4] The
IPCC estimates that the economic potential of CCS could be between 10% and 55% of the total
carbon mitigation effort until year 2100.[4]

Carbon dioxide can be captured out of air or fossil fuel power plant flue gas using adsorption (or
carbon scrubbing), membrane gas separation, or adsorption technologies. Amines are the leading
carbon scrubbing technology[5]. However capturing and compressing CO

2 and other system costs are estimated to increase the cost per watt-hour energy produced by 21–
91% for fossil fuel power plants;[4] and applying the technology to existing plants would be more
expensive, especially if they are far from a sequestration site. A trial of bio-energy with carbon
capture and storage (BECCS) at a wood-fired unit in Drax power station in the UK started in 2019: if
successful this could remove a tiny amount of CO

2 from the atmosphere.[6]

Storage of the CO

2 is envisaged either in deep geological formations, or in the form of mineral carbonates. Deep
ocean storage is not currently considered feasible due to the associated effect of ocean
acidification.[7] Geological formations are currently considered the most promising sequestration
sites. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) reported that North America has enough
storage capacity for more than 900 years worth of carbon dioxide at current production rates.[8] A
general problem is that long term predictions about submarine or underground storage security are
very difficult and uncertain, and there is still the risk that CO

2 might leak into the atmosphere.[9]

CCS is closely related to pyrogenic carbon capture and storage (PyCCS).[10]