Topic: Industrial Carbon Capture and Utilization: Measuring, Mitigating, and Monetizing CO₂ Emissions

Industrial sectors, especially heavy industries such as steel, cement, and chemicals, are among the largest contributors to global CO₂ emissions, accounting for nearly one-third of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. As global efforts intensify to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to well below 2°C, decarbonizing industry has become a central challenge. Conventional mitigation strategies alone are insufficient to achieve deep emission cuts, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors where process-related emissions are unavoidable.

Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) has emerged as a promising solution to address this gap. By capturing CO₂ emissions directly from industrial sources and converting them into value-added products (such as building materials, fuels, or chemicals), CCU offers a dual benefit: mitigating climate impact while creating economic incentives. However, the large-scale deployment of CCU technologies is hindered by a range of challenges, including accurate measurement of carbon flows, energy intensity, techno-economic feasibility, and uncertain policy and market environments.

This special issue invites original research articles, case studies, and policy analyses that explore the full spectrum of CCU, from precise measurement of industrial CO₂ emissions, to strategies for enhancing capture efficiency, improving utilization pathways, and assessing the financial and environmental viability of carbon-based products. The aim is to accelerate knowledge sharing and practical implementation of CCU systems as part of a just and effective industrial decarbonization transition.

Proposed topics include, but are not limited to:

1. Accurate monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of CO₂emissions in industrial processes

2. Technological advances in CO₂capture from point sources (e.g., post-combustion, oxy-fuel, pre-combustion)

3. Innovative CO₂utilization pathways and their life-cycle impact assessment

4. Economic and environmental assessment of CCU products and supply chains

5. Integration of CCU technologies with renewable energy systems

6. Regional or sectoral carbon management strategies incorporating CCU

7. Policy instruments and carbon pricing mechanisms to incentivize CCU deployment

8. Business models for monetizing captured CO₂in industrial ecosystems

9. Case studies of pilot and commercial-scale CCU applications

10. Socio-environmental implications and public acceptance of CCU technologies

Carbon capture; carbon utilization; industrial decarbonization; CO₂ measurement; carbon accounting; low-carbon technology; circular carbon economy; CCU policy; CO₂ valorization; techno-economic assessment