Adsorption: A process in which CO₂ molecules adhere to the surface of a solid material, enabling their separation from other gases. Unlike absorption, where CO₂ dissolves into a liquid, adsorption relies on solid surfaces, often activated carbon or zeolites.

Amine Scrubbing: Uses a liquid solution containing amines to chemically bind and remove CO₂ from flue gases. It is one of the most common carbon capture methods, particularly in power plants. The amine solution is later heated to release the CO₂ for storage.

BECCS: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage involves capturing CO₂ produced during bioenergy production. The captured CO₂ is then stored underground, making BECCS a negative-emission technology, as it can remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Blue Hydrogen: Refers to hydrogen produced from natural gas where the CO₂ by-product is captured and stored, reducing emissions. This contrasts with grey hydrogen, where CO₂ is released, and green hydrogen, made using renewable energy.

Calcium Looping: Captures CO₂ using a two-step process involving calcium oxide (CaO). CO₂ reacts with CaO to form calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). The CaCO₃ is then heated to release CO₂ and regenerate CaO for reuse.

Capture Costs: The expenses associated with capturing CO₂ from industrial processes or power plants. These costs include the installation, operation, and maintenance of carbon capture equipment and are a critical factor in the economic viability of capture technologies.

Capture Efficiency: Measures the proportion of CO₂ successfully captured from an emission source compared to the total CO₂ produced. High capture efficiency indicates a more effective system, crucial for reducing overall emissions.

Capture Rate: The amount of CO₂ captured over a specific time period, typically measured in tons per day. It reflects the operational capacity of a carbon capture system.

Capture Technologies: Encompasses various methods used to capture CO₂ from industrial and power plant emissions. These technologies include absorption, adsorption, membrane separation, and cryogenic processes, each with different efficiencies and applications.

Capture Yield: The total amount of CO₂ captured relative to the theoretical maximum possible from a given source. It is a measure of how much CO₂ is captured compared to what could potentially be captured.

Capture-Ready Design: Involves designing new plants or retrofitting existing ones to make future installation of carbon capture technology easier and more cost-effective. It ensures that critical systems are in place to facilitate the addition of carbon capture equipment.

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS): The process of capturing CO₂ emissions, using them in industrial processes, or storing them underground to prevent their release into the atmosphere. CCUS is essential for reducing industrial carbon footprints.

Carbon Clusters: Groups of industrial facilities that collectively capture and share CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure. This collaborative approach can reduce the costs and logistical challenges of individual CO₂ management.

Carbon Hubs: Centralized locations where CO₂ from multiple sources is collected, processed, and either utilized or transported for storage. They serve as key nodes in the carbon capture infrastructure.

Cement Industry: A major industrial source of CO₂ emissions, primarily from the chemical reactions involved in cement production. Implementing carbon capture technologies in this industry is critical for reducing global emissions.

Chemical Looping: A carbon capture process where metal oxides are used to transfer oxygen to fuel, combusting it without direct contact with air. The resulting CO₂ is captured in a pure form, ready for storage or utilization.

CO₂ Capture Efficiency: Similar to capture efficiency but specifically refers to the percentage of CO₂ captured relative to the total CO₂ produced. It is a key metric for assessing the performance of carbon capture systems.

CO₂ Compression: Involves compressing CO₂ gas to a liquid state, making it easier to transport and store. Compression reduces the volume of CO₂, facilitating its movement through pipelines or other transportation methods.

CO₂ Pipeline Transport: Refers to the transportation of CO₂ through pipelines from its source to storage or utilization sites. Pipelines are one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to move large volumes of CO₂ over long distances.

CO₂ Purity: The concentration of CO₂ in a captured gas stream, which is crucial for its subsequent use or storage. High CO₂ purity is often required for processes like enhanced oil recovery or long-term geological storage.

CO₂ Storage: The process of storing captured CO₂, usually in geological formations like depleted oil and gas fields, deep saline aquifers, or unmineable coal seams, to prevent its release into the atmosphere.

CO₂ Tanker Transportation: Involves the transportation of CO₂ via tanker ships, typically in a liquid state. This method is used when pipelines are not feasible, such as for overseas transport of CO₂ for storage or utilization.

CO₂ Transportation: Encompasses various methods for moving CO₂ from the capture site to storage or utilization locations, including pipelines, tankers, and trucks. Efficient transportation is essential for the viability of carbon capture and storage systems.

Combustion Emissions: Emissions that result from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and biomass, to produce energy. Combustion emissions primarily consist of CO₂, along with other pollutants like NOx and SOx.

Cryogenic Separation: A method that separates CO₂ from other gases by cooling them to very low temperatures until the CO₂ condenses into a liquid. Cryogenic separation is energy-intensive but effective for achieving high CO₂ purity.

Energy Penalty: The additional energy required to capture, compress, and transport CO₂, which reduces the overall efficiency of power plants and industrial processes. Minimizing the energy penalty is crucial for making carbon capture more viable.

Enhanced Oil Recovery: A technique where CO₂ is injected into declining oil fields to increase oil production while simultaneously storing the CO₂ underground. This process can help offset the costs of carbon capture.

Ethanol Production: The production of ethanol, often from biomass, which can be coupled with carbon capture to reduce CO₂ emissions. Ethanol production is considered a potential avenue for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

Flue Gas: The mixture of gases, including CO₂, produced during combustion in power plants and industrial processes. Flue gas is the primary source from which CO₂ is captured in carbon capture systems.

Flue Gas Desulfurization: A process that removes sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from flue gases before they are released into the atmosphere. This is often a necessary step before CO₂ capture, as sulfur can interfere with capture processes.

Gas Scrubbing: A method for removing impurities from gases, such as removing particulates, sulfur, or other contaminants from flue gas before CO₂ capture. Gas scrubbing is essential for maintaining the efficiency and longevity of capture equipment.

Gas Shift Reaction: A chemical reaction in which carbon monoxide (CO) reacts with water vapor to produce hydrogen (H₂) and CO₂. This reaction is used in processes like hydrogen production and is relevant to CO₂ capture in these systems.

Hard to Abate Sector: Refers to sectors where carbon emissions are particularly difficult to reduce, such as cement, steel, and chemical industries. These sectors often require specialized carbon capture technologies due to the complexity of emissions.

Membrane Separation: Uses semi-permeable membranes to separate CO₂ from other gases in a mixture. This process is based on the different rates at which gases permeate through the membrane, making it a versatile capture technology.

Oxy-Fuel Combustion: A combustion process where oxygen, instead of air, is used to burn fuel, resulting in a flue gas that is mostly CO₂ and water vapor. This makes CO₂ capture easier and more efficient.

Physical Absorption: A process where CO₂ is absorbed into a liquid solvent, separating it from other gases. Unlike adsorption, absorption involves the CO₂ dissolving into the liquid, which is then processed to release and capture the CO₂.

Point Source Carbon Capture: The capture of CO₂ directly from the emissions of an industrial plant or power plant before it is released into the atmosphere. Point source carbon capture is a critical strategy for reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

Point Source Emissions: Emissions that come from a single, identifiable source, such as a power plant or factory.

Post-Combustion Capture: Captures CO₂ from the flue gases emitted after fuel combustion in power plants or industrial processes. This method is widely used because it can be retrofitted to existing plants.

Power Generation: The process of generating electricity from various energy sources, including fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables. Power generation is a significant source of CO₂ emissions, making carbon capture critical in this sector.

Pre-Combustion Capture: Captures CO₂ before fuel combustion by converting fossil fuels into a mixture of hydrogen and CO₂. The CO₂ is then captured, and the hydrogen can be used as a clean fuel.

Process Emissions: Emissions that originate from industrial processes that do not involve fuel combustion. These emissions are typically the result of chemical reactions within industrial operations, such as the production of cement, steel, or chemicals.

Retrofitting: The process of adding new technology or features to older systems. In carbon capture, retrofitting often refers to adding capture systems to existing power plants or industrial facilities.

Scale-up challenges: The challenges associated with scaling up carbon capture technologies from pilot projects to commercial-scale operations. These challenges include technical, economic, and logistical barriers.

Solvent: A liquid used to absorb CO₂ from gas streams in carbon capture processes. Common solvents include amines, which chemically bind to CO₂ and are later regenerated to release the captured CO₂.

Solvent Regeneration: The process of recovering and reusing solvents after they have absorbed CO₂ in a capture system. Solvent regeneration typically involves heating the solvent to release the CO₂.

Solvent-Based CO₂ Capture: A carbon capture method that uses liquid solvents to absorb CO₂ from gas streams. The CO₂-laden solvent is then processed to release and capture the CO₂.

Sorbent-Based CO₂ Capture: A carbon capture method that uses solid materials, called sorbents, to adsorb CO₂ from gas streams. The sorbent is later regenerated to release the captured CO₂.

Steel Industry: A major industrial source of CO₂ emissions, primarily from the chemical reactions involved in steel production. Carbon capture is crucial for reducing emissions in this sector.

Supercritical CO₂: A state of CO₂ where it exhibits properties of both liquids and gases, occurring above its critical temperature and pressure. Supercritical CO₂ is used in various industrial processes, including CO₂ transport and storage.

Waste to Heat Plants: Facilities that convert waste materials into heat and electricity, often referred to as waste-to-energy plants. These plants can also incorporate carbon capture to reduce CO₂ emissions.