Potential advantages for combining DACCS with amine post-combustion capture plants – CoDACCS - and ways to make new plants CoDACCS-ready

Delivering net zero emissions, and also likely subsequent requirements for a period of global net-negative emissions, requires the deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies, including Direct Air Capture with CCS (DACCS) as an alternative to biomass energy with CCS (BECCS) that involves lower land use requirements. Standalone DACCS can be deployed anywhere in the world, so is expected to be undertaken predominantly in intrinsically low-cost locations. Significant cost reduction benefits may, however, also be delivered when DACCS is integrated with conventional point source CCS facilities, a concept termed ‘CoDACCS’ that has many potential variations depending on the host plant CCS system and the DACCS technology being considered. Synergistic CoDACCS integration opportunities, beyond the essential sharing of CO2 Transport and Storage (T&S), include utilities (electricity and heat), shared PCC process equipment (absorber, solvent, and desorber), and cooling tower air flow. The capital and operational advantages that CoDACCS could secure may lead to the persistent deployment of DACCS in higher-cost regions that also need to have point source CCS. Although this is an early stage in CCS and, even more so, in DACCS deployment, it is essential that awareness of the potential of CoDACCS is raised to ensure that technology and project developers and researchers include this option in their work. In particular, there is only one chance to make elements of the new point source CCS infrastructure that is starting to be deployed ‘CoDACCS Ready’ by low-cost measures at the concept development and early design stages. This paper therefore lays out a clear framework for the types of CoDACCS opportunities, and for ways of achieving CoDACCS readiness, to progress the development and deployment of CoDACCS where it is proved to be beneficial in the rapidly developing point source CCS and DACCS sectors.