Carbon dioxide capture and utilisation (CDU), or carbon recycling, involves capturing emitted CO2 and using it as a raw material to produce valuable substances for human use. This process holds the potential to significantly contribute to the mitigation of climate change. Industry, research institutions, and governments have collaboratively developed a roadmap for carbon recycling technologies. This roadmap outlines two key technological approaches.

The first is CO2 capture and mineralisation technology, which focuses on capturing CO2 from low-concentration sources and converting it into construction materials. The second technology involves converting CO2 into useful chemicals, such as methane, light olefins, methanol, higher alcohols, and jet fuel. These CO2 mineralisation and conversion technologies are currently at various Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) between 3 and 6. This means that while the concepts are technically feasible, they require further development and demonstration before they can be scaled for commercial use.

Industries and governments are taking robust action to support translational research—efforts aimed at moving basic scientific discoveries more quickly and efficiently into practical applications. This includes piloting and scaling up carbon capture and utilisation technologies. Notably, the conversion of CO2 into methane has successfully transitioned from a scientific concept to a commercially available CO2 methanation modular technology.

Despite the promising potential of carbon recycling technologies and existing government support, several challenges remain in achieving commercial-scale deployment. Reducing costs to a level that is commercially viable requires further research to improve processes and decrease energy consumption. The development of more efficient catalysts is another critical hurdle. Additionally, stronger regulatory frameworks are needed to promote carbon recycling as a viable climate mitigation option.

For carbon recycling to become a key solution in achieving a net-zero future and mitigating climate change, it is essential to foster a well-coordinated global effort. A shared understanding of the current development status of carbon recycling technologies is vital for enabling this transition.

To advance this understanding, the Asia CCUS Network will host a knowledge-sharing session entitled: Introduction to the Current Progress of Carbon Recycling with a Focus on Synthetic Chemical Products in Asia. This session will cover, among other topics:

1. The development of various carbon recycling technologies and their current readiness levels.
2. Available policies and regulations, including roadmaps, incentives, and other support mechanisms.
3. Collaborative efforts needed across Asia to accelerate progress.

The keynote speaker for the session will be Dr Chen Luwei, a professor at the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy, and Environment, National University of Singapore.