Carbon capture, utilization, and storage in 2026: overview
CCUS captures carbon dioxide from industrial exhaust or ambient air, then either converts it into products or transports it for long-term geological storage. It matters most where process emissions are difficult to avoid, but capture alone does not guarantee climate benefit: energy demand, transport, storage integrity and the fate of utilized carbon all shape net abatement. The system challenge is end-to-end integration—matching sources with capture technology, CO₂ specifications, pipelines and verified storage or durable use.
Recent work is pushing beyond capture efficiency toward integrated routes and practical constraints. In September 2026, Yara began operations at its Sluiskil facility, while Seoul National University researchers studied steel-slag binders that mineralize CO₂ in situ. Research from August 2026 screened bio-based solvents for water-lean MEA capture; other studies examine CO₂ stream impurities, reservoir monitoring and transport network design. Industrial deployment and carbon mineralization are advancing in parallel, while water availability and public acceptance remain non-technical hurdles.
- 1Infrastructure matters: CO₂ stream specifications, transport routes and geological characterization are emerging as system-level constraints alongside capture chemistry.
- 2More industrial deployment: Yara’s Sluiskil facility began operations in September 2026, bringing industrial capture into active service at an ammonia and fertilizer plant.
- 3New carbon pathways: Research on steel-slag mineralization and bioenergy with carbon capture is broadening interest in durable storage and negative-emissions routes.
Top organizations working on carbon capture, utilization, and storage
Ranked by Linknovate activity score · last 24 monthsThe activity score adds up the relevance of every patent, publication, grant and news item linking an organization to carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Showing 7 of 3,000 organizations.
| # | Organization | Approach | Signals (24 mo) | Momentum | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
Chinese Academy of Sciences CAS
Research · China |
Post-combustion capture | PUB 3,826 · NEWS 191 | +13% | Recently, affiliated researchers examined pilot demonstrations of integrated CO₂ capture and conversion and reviewed MOF adsorbents for capture, alongside research on pressure-swing adsorption and offshore geological storage. |
| 2 | 
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research · China |
Post-combustion capture | PUB 2,371 · NEWS 18 | -10% | Recently, affiliated researchers assessed MOFs for selective CO₂ capture from blast-furnace gas and reviewed MOF adsorbents, while also investigating CO₂ mineralization in mafic and ultramafic rocks. |
| 3 | 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Other · United States |
Geological storage | PUB 23 · NEWS 2,130 | -24% | The EPA regulates underground CO₂ injection, including permits for geological storage, and establishes environmental requirements for projects that store carbon dioxide. |
| 4 | 
Tsinghua University
Research · China |
Carbon dioxide utilization | PAT 9 · PUB 1,474 GRANTS 1 · NEWS 182 |
-2% | Recently, affiliated researchers investigated integrated carbon capture and hydrogenation, including catalyst selectivity, alongside work on porous carbon capture materials and direct-air-capture impacts. |
| 5 | CU
China University of Petrolum
Research · China |
Geological storage | PAT 6 · PUB 1,088 NEWS 12 |
+17% | Recently, affiliated researchers examined CO₂ miscible flooding in shale reservoirs and CO₂-hydrate formation, building on work on injection-well behavior, shale storage, and enhanced oil recovery. |
| 6 | 
European Commission
Other · Belgium |
Direct air capture | PUB 18 · NEWS 3,209 | -46% | Recently, the European Commission selected 77 net-zero technology projects for Innovation Fund grants, including direct-air-capture projects. It also shapes EU policy and funding frameworks for carbon capture and storage. |
| 7 | 
U.S. Department of Energy
Other · United States |
General | PUB 9 · NEWS 2,182 | -42% | The Department of Energy funds research, development, and demonstration of carbon-management technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage. |
| 8 | ··Hidden organizationCompany | Approach | PAT 00 · PUB 00 GRANTS 0 · NEWS 00 | +00% | Available to registered users. |
| 9 | ··Hidden organizationCompany | Approach | PAT 00 · PUB 00 GRANTS 0 · NEWS 00 | +00% | Available to registered users. |
| 10 | ··Hidden organizationCompany | Approach | PAT 00 · PUB 00 GRANTS 0 · NEWS 00 | +00% | Available to registered users. |
Leading research centers
Leading research institutions 2,676 total
- Chinese Academy of Sciences CASChinaRecently, affiliated researchers examined pilot demonstrations of integrated CO₂ capture and conversion and reviewed MOF adsorbents for capture, alongside research on pressure-swing adsorption and offshore geological storage.
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinaRecently, affiliated researchers assessed MOFs for selective CO₂ capture from blast-furnace gas and reviewed MOF adsorbents, while also investigating CO₂ mineralization in mafic and ultramafic rocks.
- Tsinghua UniversityChinaRecently, affiliated researchers investigated integrated carbon capture and hydrogenation, including catalyst selectivity, alongside work on porous carbon capture materials and direct-air-capture impacts.
- ··Hidden research institutionCountryAvailable to registered users, with their key researchers.
- ··Hidden research institutionCountryAvailable to registered users, with their key researchers.
Where carbon capture, utilization, and storage innovation happens
Share of documents with at least one organization from each country.
Open the interactive map with all 3,000 organizationsMain technical approaches
Last 24 months| Approach | What it is | Documents | Leading organizations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-combustion capture | Separates CO₂ from exhaust after fuel combustion, offering retrofit potential but requiring energy-intensive solvent regeneration or adsorbent cycling. | 3,223 |
Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, ExxonMobil |
| Pre-combustion capture | Removes CO₂ from syngas before combustion, but typically requires process redesign and high-pressure gas treatment. | 11,444 |
European Commission, ExxonMobil, Linde Group |
| Oxy-fuel combustion | Burns fuel in oxygen to produce a CO₂-rich exhaust, simplifying separation but adding the energy and cost of oxygen production. | 795 |
ExxonMobil, Linde Group, Royal Dutch Shell |
| Direct air capture | Removes CO₂ directly from ambient air and can be sited flexibly, but dilute concentrations make energy use and cost difficult to manage. | 1,561 |
Direct Air Capture LLC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| Geological storage | Injects compressed CO₂ into deep geological formations for long-term containment, with safety depending on site characterization, transport and monitoring. | 3,948 |
China University of Petrolum, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell |
| Carbon dioxide utilization | Converts CO₂ into products or materials, but its climate value depends on process energy, product lifetime and whether it displaces higher-emission alternatives. | 2,666 |
ExxonMobil, Canada Computing Unlimited, China University of Mining and Technology |
Emerging trends
Last 12 months vs previous 36 monthsTerms whose frequency in the last 12 months grew the most compared with the previous 36 months.
Funding and investment
Recent funding rounds
Funding data lists $4.23 billion in grants across 3,293 grants since 2020. It also lists $21.0 billion across 31 funding rounds.
Patent landscape
Top patent holders · last 24 monthsRecent developments
Latest news, duplicates removed- Jun 2030TECO 2030 has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chart Industries to jointly develop technological solutions that will capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by ships and subsequently store it in liquid form.…Energy Industry Review
- Oct 2026Executive Summary Water availability poses a major risk to planned hydrogen and carbon capture and storage projects. Texas is a prime example of a state struggling to meet existing water demand while simultaneously…Hydrogen Central
- Sep 2026Yara has begun operations at its Sluiskil fertiliser and ammonia facility in the Netherlands, launching what is described as Europe’s largest commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The facility in Zeeland…Innovation News Network
- Jul 2026Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as several governments and private companies pledged to support a green transition. The use of CCS was expected to help…Oil price
- Month 20XXHidden developmentAvailable to registered users with alerts enabled.
Frequently asked questions about carbon capture, utilization, and storage
What companies are working on carbon capture, utilization, and storage?
ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Saudi Aramco and Daikin Industries are among the companies active in CCUS. ExxonMobil and Shell develop capture, transport and geological-storage services, while Saudi Aramco is active in carbon management and storage. Patent activity also identifies Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd and LG Corp among the leading patent holders.
Which universities and research centers lead carbon capture, utilization, and storage research?
Chinese Academy of Sciences CAS leads the named research organizations with 4,017 documents in the 24-month window, followed by University of Chinese Academy of Sciences with 2,389 and Tsinghua University with 1,666. Recent work spans MOF adsorbents, integrated capture and conversion, geological storage, and CO₂ mineralization.
How much funding has carbon capture, utilization, and storage received?
CCUS funding data lists $4.23 billion in grants across 3,293 grants since 2020, as well as $21.0 billion across 31 funding rounds. These are separate tracked funding categories. The round total is an aggregate, and the available data does not establish that every listed round was dedicated solely to CCUS.
Who holds the most carbon capture, utilization, and storage patents?
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd leads the listed patent holders with 156 patents, followed by LG Corp with 86 and Saudi Aramco with 50. Daikin Industries Ltd has 47, and Schlumbeger Technology Corporation has 40. These counts identify the leading holders in the available patent data.
Is carbon capture, utilization, and storage patent activity growing?
Patent activity is down 41.2% in the reported growth measure, with 6,073 patents in the 24-month window. Publication activity moved in the opposite direction: publications in the last year grew 4.2%. This contrast points to continuing research alongside a slowdown in patenting, rather than uniform growth across all innovation signals.
How mature is carbon capture, utilization, and storage?
CCUS is commercially deployed in industrial facilities: Yara’s Sluiskil facility began operations in September 2026, and CO₂ injection began at California’s first operational CCS project in May 2026. Maturity still varies across the chain. Capture, transport, storage-site characterization, monitoring and reliable project financing each affect whether projects can scale.
What are the latest developments in carbon capture, utilization, and storage?
Recent developments include Yara’s Sluiskil facility beginning operations in September 2026 and ABB launching an integrated CCUS gas-measurement solution in March 2026. Research directions include steel-slag mineralization, bio-based solvents for water-lean MEA capture, and methods to monitor CO₂ movement and strain in storage systems.
What are the main approaches in carbon capture, utilization, and storage and how do they differ?
The main approaches include post-combustion capture, pre-combustion capture, oxy-fuel combustion, direct air capture, geological storage and carbon dioxide utilization. They differ by where CO₂ is separated, whether it is removed from exhaust or ambient air, and whether it is stored underground or converted into products. Energy demand, infrastructure and permanence vary by route.
Which countries lead carbon capture, utilization, and storage?
The United States leads the country data with 259,674 documents and a 39.6% share, followed by China with 192,753 documents and a 29.4% share. The United Kingdom, Germany and Japan are also among the leading countries by document volume. These figures describe recorded activity, not project capacity or deployment.
What are the applications of carbon capture, utilization, and storage?
Power generation is a major application with 13,364 documents, followed by hydrogen and ammonia with 9,142 and cement and steel with 2,441. Other applications include oil and gas processing, bioenergy and ethanol, and shipping and marine. The technologies address both concentrated industrial emissions and, through direct air capture, carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere.