LCA-based cost-benefit assessment and carbon footprint accounting of CCUS technologies in China

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies have gained widespread recognition as crucial for achieving the 1.5 °C target and carbon neutrality. However, knowledge about the life-cycle cost-benefit and carbon footprint of CCUS technologies in China is limited. Ignoring the self-consumed carbon emissions of CCUS technologies makes their carbon reduction effects overestimated. Based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method and China-specific project-level data, the study systematically evaluates and compares the cost, benefit, and carbon footprint of currently available CCUS technologies in China throughout five major stages of capture, liquefaction and storage, transport, treatment, and dismantlement. The results show that life-cycle emission reduction costs of China's CCUS technologies range between 155 and 1590 CNY/t CO₂, of which the most significant costs come from the capture stage. If accounting for self-consumed emissions, CCUS technologies can virtually achieve around 70% of what they captured. Carbon footprints of China's CCUS technologies mainly occur from the capture stage and liquefaction and storage stage, where the source configuration of electric power affects the most. Moreover, this study highlights that a 10% increase in electricity subsidy could lead to a 5–7% decline in CCUS's costs. CCUS technology are more likely to achieve profitability under low discount rates. Leveraging captured CO₂ for CO₂-enhanced oil recovery and providing reasonable electricity subsidies are jointly advocated to facilitate the potential deployment of CCUS technologies in China.