What are the likely air pollution impacts of carbon capture and storage? *

Abstract

We quantify the potential impacts of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) on local air pollution in the U.S. Gulf region. We characterize pre-CCUS local air pollution emissions from fossil-fuel electricity generation and large industrial carbon emitters and compare these with projected post-CCUS local air pollution emissions, leveraging carbon capture quotient estimates from the engineering literature. We then analyze net emissions impacts on secondary particulate matter formation and  damages via the AP3 integrated air pollution assessment model (Clay, et al., 2019). An important aspect of the environmental impact of CCUS is increased ammonia emissions from CCUS technology, which we show can lead to net air pollution damages from CCUS deployment at natural gas power plants and most industrial facilities. Taken as a whole, our work suggests that CCUS may pose significant tradeoffs between global climate benefits and costs to local communities.

Keywords: local air pollution, carbon capture, climate change mitigation, co-benefits, integrated assessment modelling, environmental justice JEL Codes: Q40, Q51, Q52, Q53, Q55

JEL Classification: Q40, Q51, Q52, Q53, Q55