Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

One way of reducing emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), where CO2 is physically removed from flue and waste gases, for example from power plants. The CO2 can then be compressed to liquid form and stored in suitable underground locations.

In Denmark, the geological conditions for storing CO2 are present in many areas. The collected CO2 would typically be stored in porous, permeable sandstone layers. Depositing the CO2 at high-pressure depths greater than 1 km. will ensure that it remains in liquid form. The sandstone must be capped by impermeable layers of clay, preventing CO2 from seeping through.

The technologies for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) already exist and are in use, for example by oil and gas fields in the North Sea, though they are not yet ready for large-scale commercial use. Research is currently focused on areas such as more efficient methods of CO2 capture.