Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is a process chain that separates carbon dioxide from industrial or energy-related sources, conditions and transports it, and injects it into a suitable underground geological formation for long-term isolation from the atmosphere. CCS does not itself prevent emissions arising elsewhere in a product or value chain.
In simple terms
A CCS system includes capture, compression or conditioning, transport, injection, and monitoring of stored Carbon dioxide. Capture can be applied to selected large sources where suitable technology and infrastructure exist. The full system uses energy and materials, and performance depends on capture rate, upstream emissions, transport, storage-site characterization, leakage management, and the time boundary assessed. Climate mitigation decisions therefore compare CCS with direct process changes, Energy efficiency, low-emission energy, material efficiency, and demand-side options rather than treating capture as automatically preferable.
Why it matters
As a form of Carbon sequestration, CCS can reduce emissions from some difficult-to-abate industrial processes and may support certain carbon-removal pathways when paired with biogenic or atmospheric carbon capture. Its contribution depends on verified storage durability and system-wide emissions. Poor accounting can overstate benefits by ignoring uncaptured emissions, energy use, upstream impacts, or leakage risk.
Example
A cement plant separates part of the carbon dioxide in its exhaust, compresses it, sends it through a dedicated pipeline, and injects it into a characterized geological formation. The operator measures captured and stored quantities, monitors the site, and reports remaining plant and supply-chain emissions rather than treating the facility as emission-free.
How it differs
Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the broader uptake and storage of carbon in biological or geological reservoirs; CCS is an engineered capture, transport, injection, and geological-storage chain.