Potential sources of CO2 and the options for its large-scale utilisation now and in the future

Abstract

The current emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere through man-made activities are outlined and the options for recycling CO₂ for some useful purpose, as distinct from simply storing or disposing it in an environmentally-benign manner, are discussed. It is shown that for CO₂ recycling to have any significant impact on reducing emissions of this gas, it must form part of some large-scale energy conversion process which is based on a non-fossil-fuel energy source such as solar or nuclear energy. Since the quantities of undiluted CO₂ available for recycling are relatively small, the cost of recovering CO₂ from sources such as power station flue gas must be taken into account in the overall CO₂ recycling/energy conversion scheme.