SUPPORTING INFORMATION Cost Analysis of Carbon Capture and Sequestration of Process Emissions from the U.S. Industrial Sector

The research identifies 656 industrial facilities and 174 ethanol plants in the contiguous U.S. as primary opportunities for point-source carbon capture. It focuses exclusively on process emissions, excluding indirect emissions from the electrical grid and stationary combustion. The study employs a technology-agnostic cost model to estimate the cost of CO2 avoided, incorporating capture, compression, transport (via trucking or pipeline), and injection costs. Key sectors analyzed include cement, bioethanol, refining, hydrogen, and ammonia production, with a particular emphasis on the proximity of these facilities to sedimentary basins and existing CO2 pipelines to determine eligibility for the federal 45Q tax credit.

• The study identifies a significant opportunity for carbon capture from industrial process emissions in the contiguous U.S., focusing on 656 facilities emitting 242 MtCO2 and 174 ethanol plants emitting 41 MtCO2/yr.
• The analysis excludes indirect emissions from the electrical grid and stationary combustion to focus on chemical process emissions, which are the emissions facilities have immediate control over and are relevant for the federal 45Q tax credit.
• Different industrial sectors exhibit varying CO2 purities and emission sources: bioethanol produces high-purity CO2 (99+%) from fermenters, cement emissions (14-33% CO2) come primarily from the exhaust stack, and hydrogen and ammonia production often rely on hydrogen separation units (HSU) with an assumed CO2 concentration of 45%.
• The cost of CO2 avoided is calculated using a multi-regression model that considers capture rate, CO2 concentration, and volumetric flow rate, and then adds the costs of compression, transport, and injection while subtracting applicable tax credits.
• Proximity to CO2 sinks is a critical factor for viability; for example, in the Louisiana-Mississippi pipeline area, 42 of 59 facilities within 0-20 miles are eligible for the 45Q tax credit, representing 23.72 MtCO2/yr.
• The study assumes a standard cost of $11/tCO2 for the injection of CO2 into either dedicated geologic sequestration or enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

APA

Pilorgéa, H., McQueen, N., Maynard, D., Psarras, P., He, J., Rufael, T., & Wilcox, J. (n.d.). SUPPORTING INFORMATION Cost Analysis of Carbon Capture and Sequestration of Process Emissions from the U.S. Industrial Sector. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/Pilorge_et_al._2020_on_industrial_CCS_in_the_US_.pdf

Chicago

Pilorgéa, Hélène, Noah McQueen, Daniel Maynard, Peter Psarras, Jiajun He, Tecle Rufael, and Jennifer Wilcox. SUPPORTING INFORMATION Cost Analysis of Carbon Capture and Sequestration of Process Emissions from the U.S. Industrial Sector. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, n.d. https://www.eesi.org/files/Pilorge_et_al._2020_on_industrial_CCS_in_the_US_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pilorgéa |first1=Hélène |last2=McQueen |first2=Noah |last3=Maynard |first3=Daniel |last4=Psarras |first4=Peter |last5=He |first5=Jiajun |last6=Rufael |first6=Tecle |last7=Wilcox |first7=Jennifer |title=SUPPORTING INFORMATION Cost Analysis of Carbon Capture and Sequestration of Process Emissions from the U.S. Industrial Sector |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Pilorge_et_al._2020_on_industrial_CCS_in_the_US_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pilorgandsupporting, author = {Pilorgéa, Hélène and McQueen, Noah and Maynard, Daniel and Psarras, Peter and He, Jiajun and Rufael, Tecle and Wilcox, Jennifer}, title = {{SUPPORTING INFORMATION Cost Analysis of Carbon Capture and Sequestration of Process Emissions from the U.S. Industrial Sector}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Pilorge_et_al._2020_on_industrial_CCS_in_the_US_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }