Review of carbon capture technologies and their commercial implementation

Report no.11/25: Carbon capture technologies are expected to play a key role in the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries such as oil refineries. Given the rapid evolution and diversification of carbon capture process solutions, understanding which technologies are commercially available, extensively tested, and suitable for deployment in existing industrial settings is essential.

In this study, Concawe commissioned TNO to perform a comprehensive review of all major carbon capture technologies, including post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxy-combustion systems. For each category, the report summarises key process solutions in absorption, adsorption, membrane separation, and cryogenic separation and their potential industrial applications.

The study also provides an in-depth analysis of pilot and demonstration-scale tests, presenting detailed performance data such as operating conditions, energy efficiency, and material losses. Commercial applications and large-scale industrial deployments are highlighted where available. Together, these insights establish a robust knowledge base for comparing the efficiency, maturity, and applicability of the various carbon capture technologies and identify key data gaps in the open literature that must be addressed to support further scientific and industrial evaluation.