An almost equally significant difference is observed in the ongoing projects. By the end of 2023, the capacity of facilities under construction in the CCUS segment was 12 million tons per year against just 50,000 tons per year in the DAC segment. One of the reasons for this is the expensiveness of DAC technologies: the unit costs of extracting CO2 from the flue gases of thermal power plants or carbon-intensive production processes (such as steel or cement production) range from $50 to $250 per ton, whereas in the case of DAC the costs range from $400 to $700 per ton of CO2, including the removal of impurities from captured carbon dioxide using thermal energy, as well as subsequent liquefaction of the carbon dioxide for delivery to end consumers. The latter include meat and soda producers, as well as nuclear power plant (NPP) operators who use carbon dioxide to cool down reactors.
The difference in cost between the two technologies will likely lead to differences in their commercialisation strategies. DAC technologies will likely be used primarily in recreational areas for residents of industrial zones, while CCUS systems, which are more affordable for businesses, will be used to reduce emissions in sectors where high CO2 emissions cannot be avoided. This refers to, in particular, minimising Scope 1 emissions associated with the extraction of raw materials or the production of industrial goods: unlike Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, they cannot be reduced through the diversification of sources of consumed electricity or more rational use of products by end consumers.
However, despite the lower cost of CCUS technologies, they also continue to be largely at an early stage of their development. The traditional method of CO2 capture is the use of monoethanolamine, a colourless liquid with an ammonia odour that can effectively absorb carbon dioxide. An alternative is the use of metal-organic frameworks – lattice structures made of metal and organics that are capable of holding foreign substances and later releasing them due to changes in temperature and pressure.
