Coupling carbon capture and utilization with the construction industry: opportunities in Western Germany

Abstract

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is an essential method to sequester unavoidable CO
₂ emissions in regions with insufficient geological storage capacities. Nonetheless, there are several uncertainties and knowledge gaps in terms of the future value chains of some CCU technologies (e.g. carbonation). This paper analyzes the potentials of coupling CCU with the supply chains of the construction industry by means of carbonating the concrete products and waste concrete in the German federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia. Based on extensive data and statistical analyses, the locations and outputs of the concrete and recycling plants have been determined in order to quantify their CO
₂ sequestration capacities. Location-allocation models have been applied to allocate the carbon sources to the potential carbon sinks and calculate the minimum transportation costs. The analysis shows that the total annual sequestration capacity is up to 1 Mt CO
₂ with an average transportation distance of 37.4 km (8.3 EUR/ton). Nonetheless, some emission sources have a clear comparative advantage in terms of their proximity to the carbon sinks as the distance ranges between 0.7 km and 99.7 km. Also, some carbon sinks have a comparative advantage in terms of capacities and technology readiness levels. Therefore, the paper also presents models for the different products in order to display the potentials of each category separately and offer more flexibility to the stakeholders.