Capture And Geological Storage Research Articles

Analysis of the legislative and regulatory framework of CO2 capture, transport and storage systems in targeted European countries

The installation and operation of infrastructures for carbon capture, transport and storage of CO2 to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants and carbon-intensive industries, is of major importance to fulfil the targets for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. The industrial sector is considered a major contributor to CO2 emissions. Carbon dioxide Capture and geological Storage (CCS) is currently the only technology considered to be able to directly decarbonise industrial facilities such as cement, petrochemical, and steel industries, without requiring a complete rethinking of the industrial sectors. Although CCS technologies contribute to climate change mitigation, the number of CCS installations constructed in Europe is weaker than expected, among others, due to several aspects of the CCS legal framework implementation and legal gaps. For this purpose, the MOF4AIR European project performed an overall assessment of the legislative and regulatory framework in the EU on the capture, transport and storage systems of CO2. This paper presents the results of the assessment; an analysis of the legislative and regulatory conditions in MOF4AIR participating countries; a comparison between the examined countries on the legislative framework and a set of recommendations for the improvement of the legal framework.

Public perceptions of carbon capture and storage in Canada: Results of a national survey

Carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) is one strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that has attracted interest from government and industry in Canada. A key factor that will determine if organizations implement CCS is whether the public support the development of the technology. Public views and understandings of key issues surrounding CCS were assessed via Internet and phone on a representative sample of 1479 Canadians. We examined descriptive statistics to understand public perceptions of CCS and applied regression models to assess how risk perceptions, perspectives of climate change and trust in government relate to the support for or opposition to CCS development and funding for the technology. Results indicate there is low support for CCS in Canada; however, findings varied when taking into account participants’ proximity to projects. Furthermore, the publics’ perceptions of the risk and benefits of CCS influenced support for or opposition to the technology. We discuss implications of public perceptions on the development and deployment of CCS and provide recommendations for communication strategies about the technology.

Impacts of injection pressure of a dip‐angle sloping strata reservoir with low porosity and permeability on CO2 injection amount

AbstractSloping strata reservoirs with low porosity and permeability are widely distributed in China. The first CO2 capture and geological storage (CCS) demonstration project in China that has been constructed in the Ordos Basin is a representative. In this paper, a 3D numerical model was constructed to evaluate the influence of injection pressure and strata dip angle on the CO2 injection amount in a sloping strata reservoir during CO2 injection period. We reached the following conclusions: (i) There is a ‘balance time point (BTP)’ for the total CO2 injection amount between a horizontal reservoir and a sloping one, and the BTP will decrease with the injection pressure increase. (ii) The influence of the dip angle of a sloping reservoir on the total injection amount is non‐monotonicity. For a fixed injection pressure, before the BTP, the greater the dip angle, the greater the CO2 injection amount, but after the BTP, the change rule is reversed. (iii) The injection pressure significantly affected the total injected CO2 amount, but the influence of the dip angle (in the range of 0° to 15°) on the total injection amount was not significant during injection. (iv) To a sloping reservoir, for long time injection (i.e., injection time is longer than the BTP), the bigger the dip angle, the greater the distance of the CO2 upward migration, and the smaller the total injected amount compared to the horizontal reservoir. So, in actual site selection of a CCS project, the small dip angle reservoir was beneficial. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Improving monitoring protocols for CO2 geological storage with technical advances in CO2 attribution monitoring

Existing monitoring protocols for the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in geologic formations are provided by carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS)-specific regulations and bodies including the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, the European Union (EU) CCS and Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) Directives, United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Final Rules, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Modalities and Procedures (for developing countries). These protocols have varying levels of detail but similar principles and requirements for monitoring, and all include the need to quantify emissions and measure environmental impacts in the event of leakage to the surface. What they do not all include is the clarification that quantification monitoring should only be undertaken in cases where CO2 has been attributed to leakage and not when leakage is only suspected. Quantifying suspected emissions is a significant monitoring challenge and undertaking, and may rely on acquiring large data sets over long time periods. This level of effort in monitoring would be unnecessary if the source of CO2 detected at the surface is attributed to natural sources rather than from leakage, but a step to attribute CO2 source is either missing from these protocols or is outdated in technical scope. Regulatory bodies call for protocols to be updated based on technical advances, and ongoing technical advances into leakage monitoring have now benefited from a first-ever public claim of leakage over a geologic CO2 storage site in Saskatchewan, Canada, bringing more emphasis on the role of attribution monitoring. We present a brief update of some of the newest technical advances in attribution and suggest that CO2 ‘attribution monitoring’ could now be included in monitoring protocols to avoid unnecessary and costly quantification monitoring unless it is fully warranted. In this context, this paper describes an option to improve the existing protocols for monitoring CO2 at geological storage sites made possible because of recent developments in near-surface attribution monitoring techniques.

Examining Community Perceptions of Energy Systems Development: The Role of Communication and Sense of Place

An increasing demand for the development and implementation of low carbon energy systems has furthered the need to understand the factors that influence a community's support for or opposition to local energy developments. Carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) is one such energy system where it is widely acknowledged that public perceptions and acceptance of CCS technologies are critical to their implementation. CCS refers to the capture of carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources and the long-term storage of these emissions in stable underground reservoirs. This case study examines how place attachment and community networks factored into resident's perceptions of a proposed CCS project that was ultimately canceled due to local opposition. Participants were concerned about preserving shared places, spaces, and interactions that were valued by community members. Results demonstrate the need to ascertain how locally affected populations view CCS or other energy developments, especially with regard to their ideas about community, sense of place (ties to area and local relationships), and how they communicate about those factors. Such factors are important given the initiative to develop low carbon energy systems in rural areas.

Monitoring of CO2 geological storage based on the passive surface waves

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and geological storage (CCS) is one of promising technologies for greenhouse gas effect mitigation. Many geotechnical challenges remain during carbon dioxide storage field practices, among which effectively detecting CO2 from deep underground is one of engineering problems. This paper reviews monitoring techniques currently used during CO2 injection and storage. A method developed based on measuring seismic microtremors is of main interest. This method was first successfully used to characterize a site in this paper. To explore its feasibility in CO2 storage monitoring, numerical simulations were conducted to investigate detectable changes in elastic wave signatures due to injection and geological storage of CO2. It is found that, although it is effective for shallow earth profile estimation, the surface wave velocity is not sensitive to the CO2 layer physical parameter variations, especially for a thin CO2 geological storage layer in a deep underground reservoir.

The Role of UNFCCC Mechanisms in Demonstration and Deployment of CCS Technologies

Abstract The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change can provide an important source of financing and technological learning to support uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and geological storage (CCS) in developing countries. In this context, a review of the current and future mechanisms for such support is outlined. Two important applications of CCS are considered further: CCS with CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) and CCS on bioenergy emission sources (BECCS). Both technologies may be key to supporting near-term deployment of CCS in developing countries because of certain advantages they hold over other CCS applications.

Early Opportunities of CO2 Geological Storage Deployment in Coal Chemical Industry in China

Carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) is regarded as a promising option for climate change mitigation; however, the high capture cost is the major barrier to large-scale deployment of CCS technologies. High-purity CO₂ emission sources can reduce or even avoid the capture requirements and costs. Among these high-purity CO₂ sources, certain coal chemical industry processes are very important, especially in China. In this paper, the basic characteristics of coal chemical industries in China is investigated and analyzed. As of 2013 there were more than 100 coal chemical plants in operation. These emission sources together emit 430 million tons CO₂ per year, of which about 30% are emit high-purity and pure CO₂ (CO₂ concentration >80% and >98.5% respectively). Four typical source-sink pairs are chosen for techno-economic evaluation, including site screening and selection, source-sink matching, concept design, and economic evaluation. The technical-economic evaluation shows that the levelized cost of a CO₂ capture and aquifer storage project in the coal chemistry industry ranges from 14 USD/t to 17 USD/t CO₂. When a 15USD/t CO₂ tax and 20USD/t for CO₂ sold to EOR are considered, the levelized cost of CCS project are negative, which suggests a benefit from some of these CCS projects.more » This might provide China early opportunities to deploy and scale-up CCS projects in the near future.« less

Looking for leakage or monitoring for public assurance?

Monitoring is a regulatory requirement for all carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) projects to verify containment of injected carbon dioxide (CO2) within a licensed geological storage complex. Carbon markets require CO2 storage to be verified. The public wants assurances CCS projects will not cause any harm to themselves, the environment or other natural resources. In the unlikely event that CO2 leaks from a storage complex, and into groundwater, to the surface, atmosphere or ocean, then monitoring methods will be required to locate, assess and quantify the leak, and to inform the community about the risks and impacts on health, safety and the environment. This paper considers strategies to improve the efficiency of monitoring the large surface area overlying onshore storage complexes. We provide a synthesis of findings from monitoring for CO2 leakage at geological storage sites both natural and engineered, and from monitoring controlled releases of CO2 at four shallow release facilities – ZERT (USA), Ginninderra (Australia), Ressacada (Brazil) and CO2 field lab (Norway).

Sensitivity study of surface waves for CO2 storage monitoring

Carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) is a potential technology to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Suitable techniques are essential for site characterization as well as CO2 injection and storage monitoring. A surface wave seismic method was explored in this study to investigate its feasibility for this purpose. Elastic wave responses of CO2 flooded rock were first investigated numerically in two types of rocks, carbonate rock and sandstone. It is indicated that elastic wave velocities change more significantly as there is greater difference for bulk modulus between the injected CO2 and the existing media in pore spaces. With the wave velocity and density variation ranges estimated from the rock sample study, the sensitivity of surface wave velocity was examined by perturbing parameters of the CO2 storage layer in two layered reservoir models. It is found that the surface waves are more sensitive to the changes of shear wave velocity and thickness of CO2 storage layer; but they are less sensitive to density and compressional wave velocity variations. The fundamental mode of Rayleigh waves is most sensitive to the physical parameter perturbation of the CO2 storage layer for the carbonate case. However, high frequency modes were observed to be more active for shear wave velocity and thickness variation scenarios in the sandstone reservoir simulations. The simulations demonstrate that the monitoring feasibility increases as the CO2 reservoir layer becomes thicker and the bury depth goes shallower. However, with the geological setting parameters found in existing CCS projects, it is concluded to be a challenge to detect abnormalities in a CO2 storage reservoir by comparing the shift of shear wave velocity profiles that are derived from analysis of surface wave response data. It is, therefore, proposed to consider other microtremor attributes during the development of CO2 monitoring techniques based on passive measurement of microseismicity, which is explored by some researchers.

CCS Projects as Kyoto Protocol CDM Activities

The December 2011 decision by the meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, to adopt modalities and procedures for carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) as clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities under the Kyoto Protocol was the culmination of many years of international negotiation. The Durban CCS decision establishes a practical international standard for managing CCS projects that ensures a high level of environmental protection. It is an important official recognition by the UNFCCC that CCS is a technology capable of achieving deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and sets an important precedent for the inclusion of CCS projects within emerging international markets and other financing and technology support mechanisms outside of the CDM. This paper analyses the Durban CCS decision and the implications for project proposals.

A preliminary sub-basin scale evaluation framework of site suitability for onshore aquifer-based CO2 storage in China

Development of a reliable, broadly applicable framework for the identification and suitability evaluation of potential CO2 storage sites is essential before large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) can commence. In this study, a sub-basin scale evaluation framework was developed to assess the suitability of potential onshore deep saline aquifers for CO2 storage in China. The methodology, developed in consultation with experts from the academia and the petroleum industry in China, is based on a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) framework that considers four objectives: (1) storage optimization, in terms of storage capacity and injectivity; (2) risk minimization and storage security; (3) environmental restrictions regarding surface and subsurface use; and (4) economic considerations. The framework is designed to provide insights into both the suitability of potential aquifer storage sites as well as the priority for early deployment of CCS with existing CO2 sources. Preliminary application of the framework, conducted using GIS-based evaluation tools revealed that 18% of onshore aquifer sites with a combined CO2 storage capacity of 746gigatons are considered to exhibit very high suitability, and 11% of onshore aquifer sites with a total capacity of 290gigatons exhibit very high priority opportunities for implementation. These onshore aquifer sites may provide promising opportunities for early large-scale CCS deployment and contribute to CO2 mitigation in China for many decades.

CCS 기술의 CDM 사업화 수용에 대한 방식과 절차 분석 및 대응방안 고찰

유엔기후변화협약회의(UNFCCC)에서는 이산화탄소 포집 및 저장(Carbon dioxide capture and storage, CCS)의 부족한 경제성 확보 및 개발도상국으로의 확대의 하나의 방편으로 CCS를 청정개발체제(Clean Development Mechanism, CDM)로 수용하는 것에 대한 논의가 2005년부터 진행되었다. CCS의 CDM 수용과 관련하여 CCS 기술보유국 및 산유국과 개발도상국간의 의견차이로 인하여 합의를 이루지 못하고 논의가 거듭되다, ‘10.12월 칸쿤 회의결과, CCS의 CDM 수용 가능성에 대해 합의가 이루어졌다(CMP[2010], Decision7/CMP.6). 당시 당사국들은 CCS의 CDM 수용을 위해 방식 및 절차에 관련한 주요 이슈, 즉, 1) 저장지 선정, 2) 모니터링, 3) 모델링, 4) 경계, 5) 누수 측정 및 계산, 6) 월경 효과, 7) 연계프로젝트 배출 계산, 8) 위해성 및 안전성 평가, 9) CDM 체제하의 책임 등에 대한 합의를 우선 요구하였으며, 동기간 동안 과학·기술자문부속기구(SBSTA)에서는 의견 교환 및 워크숍 개최 등을 통해 방식 및 절차에 대한 초안을 마련하였다. 이 초안을 바탕으로 "11년 12월 남아공 더반 회의에서 마침내 CCS기술을 CDM으로 수용키로 최종 합의하였다(CMP[2011], Decision-/CMP.7). CCS의 CDM 수용은 단순히 경제적 인센티브의 제공이라는 의미를 넘어 CCS 기술이 국제사회에서 이산화탄소 저감기술로 공식적으로 인정받았다는 것을 의미하기에 국내의 관련 기술 및 산업뿐만 아니라 법·정책적 측면에서도 큰 영향을 미칠 것으로 보인다. 이에 본 논문에서는 각 이슈들에 대한 국제적 논의 동향을 분석하고, 이를 통해 현재 우리나라가 계획하고 있는 CCS 실용화를 위해 선행되어야 할 정책적 고려 사항을 도출하였다. 금번에 채택된 CCS기술의 CDM 체제 방식 및 절차에 따르면, 우리나라와 같은 비부속서 I 당사국도 방식 및 절차에서 제시한 법·제도를 수립할 경우 CCS CDM 사업 활동 수행이 가능하다. 현재 우리나라는 상위법인 ‘저탄소 녹색성장 기본법’이 제정되어 있으나 CCS CDM 방식과 절차에서 요구하고 있는 세부 법·제도 프레임웍은 미비한 상황이다. 따라서 단기적으로 포집, 수송, 저장 분야 별로 관련법 개정을 통해 CCS CDM 기반 조기 마련과 함께 장기적으로는 단일법 제정을 포함한 CDM 체제 하의 CCS 사업관련 종합적 법제도 기반을 준비할 것을 제언하고자 한다.

Estimating and managing risk across the carbon dioxide capture and geological storage lifecycle

Developing a carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) facility is a complex major project that typically involves the integration of new and established technologies from the power generation, chemical, gas and oil industries to provide a solution. Adding to this complexity are the often large contracting entities made up of joint ventures of companies with differing areas of expertise, multiple stakeholders and a changing international regulatory and financial environment. This paper looks at strategic, technological, geological, safety, environmental and commercial risks across a typical CCS project lifecycle. This lifecycle is in itself a challenge as it includes several distinct phases. The process of site characterisation and selection, design, construction, operation and closure may be spread over 30–50 years, but then extends to several hundred years more when considering the long-term containment aspects. Using information from several CCS and related projects it is shown that a structured approach can be used to estimate, understand and manage risks and support decision making across the lifecycle, and in particular the design and construction phases of the physical CCS process from capture to transport, storage and monitoring.

Monitoring carbon dioxide storage using passive seismic techniques

Carbon dioxide stored in geological reservoirs to reduce anthropogenic emissions must be monitored to ensure that no leakage is occurring. One leakage risk is that injection-induced pressure increases may generate fractures in the caprock, providing a pathway for buoyant carbon dioxide to penetrate the reservoir seal. Geophones can be deployed to detect fracturing events. The rates and magnitudes of seismicity, and their hypocentres, can be used to characterise geomechanical deformation induced by injection, and thereby assess the risks of leakage through fractures. In this paper synthetically modelled data are used to show how surveys should be designed to maximise the potential for this technique within the specific remits of carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS), before discussing several case examples where passive seismic monitoring has been used to monitor subsurface injection of carbon dioxide. Recommendations and suggestions are given for the deployment of passive seismic monitoring as CCS moves from pilot to full-scale demonstration and commercial projects.

Public awareness and opinion on CCS in the province of Québec, Canada

AbstractCO2 capture and geological storage (CCS) is a major topic of interest in Canada, where many CCS projects are either underway or in the planning stage. In order to get information about public acceptance for a potential CCS pilot project in the province of Québec, two identical Internet‐based public awareness and opinion surveys were conducted: one in 2010 and one in 2011. Results of the two surveys show that respondents are not really aware of what climate change is and that they know almost nothing about CCS. In 2010, respondents did not generally reject CCS technology or a potential pilot project in their region. In fact, they were slightly favorable toward such a project. In 2011, the picture changed slightly as an intense debate on shale gas exploration had taken place in the province at the end of 2010. It appears that respondents were less likely to be favorable toward the use of CCS. It is not possible to specifically link the increase of respondents against CCS or a potential pilot project and the increase of security concerns to the debate regarding shale gas exploration. However, the social context in a region where controversial shale gas activities are underway may not be the best for a potential CCS pilot project to become accepted by the local community. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Importance of co-captured gases in the underground storage of CO2 : Quantification of mineral alterations in chemical experiments

Abstract Carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) is being developed to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from anthropogenic point sources, e.g. fossil-fuel power plants, to the atmosphere. To establish CCS technology, it is indispensable to develop a reliable database and geochemical models concerning the geological storage of CO 2 , e.g. in saline aquifers, which are to be filled with “overwhelmingly CO 2 ” (Directive 2009/31/EC). To establish reliable models it is essential to have applicable thermodynamic properties, kinetic data, and a good understanding of the occurring chemical reactions. So far most experiments and existing data apply to pure CO 2 gas instead of the captured CO 2 waste gas that will contain minor amounts of co-captured gases, e.g. O 2 , N 2 , NO x , SO x , CO, H 2 , H 2 S. Quantitative measures of the chemical alterations due to these accessory gases are scarce. In the national COORAL project “ CO 2 Purity for Separation and Storage”, a number of institutions work towards a better understanding of environmentally and economically feasible concentrations of the accessory gases during capture, transport, injection and storage. The sub-project at BGR focuses on high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) experiments to elucidate mineral and fluid alterations and quantify kinetic rates for the mineral-fluid- CO 2 -co-injected gas system. An unstirred batch-reactor system allows for four contemporaneous experiments at precisely defined p-T conditions of up to p≤590 bar T≤350 °C. Runs are conducted using three components: (1) natural mono-minerals, (2) salt solutions representing brines of deep saline aquifers in Northern Germany and (3) binary gas mixtures of CO 2 plus one accessory gas. All experiments take place in an inert environment, using gold reaction cells with volumes of up to 130 ml, which allow the addition or removal of fluids throughout the experiment without altering the experimental conditions. Further experiments comprise experiments using (1) multi-mineral set-ups in a batch experiment and (2) up to 45-cm-long sedimentary rock cores in flow-through reactors. The latter system is currently under construction, while batch - and capsular - experiments run successfully. To further optimize the experimental design and to evaluate the experiments the project combines laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, applying the geochemical simulators PHREEQC and ChemApp which will be coupled to OpenGeoSys (OGS) for thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) process simulations.

CO2 point emission and geological storage capacity in China

Abstract Carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) is regarded as an effective option to reduce CO 2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels. CCS is particularly important to China due to its large and rapidly rising emissions and high dependence on fossil fuel, and large remaining coal reserves. This paper presents the key results of the authors’ study to evaluate o pportunities for the deployment of CCS technologies within China. It focuses on the data, methodology, and results of basin-scale CO 2 sto rage capacity and CO 2 point emission estimation in China. There is a total estimated theoretical CO 2 geological storage capacity of 3088 gigat ons in China’s onshore and offshore basins, including a storage capacity of 3066 gigatons for deep saline formations accounting for 99% of total geological storage resource. China also has an annual emission about 3.9 billion tons of CO 2 from large point sources in 2007. In view of initial site-source matching analysis, He huai Basin, Bohai Bay Basin, Subei Basin and Sichuan Basin have the best potential for CCS deployment. There is significant potential for CCS technologies to deliver deep, sustained and cost-effective emissions reductions for China over the course of this century

Pipeline design for a least-cost router application for CO 2 transport in the CO 2 sequestration cycle

CO 2 capture and geological storage (CCS) is considered as a viable option to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions during the transition phase towards the use of clean and renewable energy. This paper concentrates on the transport of CO 2 between source (CO 2 capture at plants) and sink (geological storage reservoirs). In the cost estimation of CO 2 transport, the pipeline diameter plays an important role. In this respect, the paper reviews equations that were used in several reports on CO 2 pipeline transport. As some parameters are not taken into account in these equations, alternative formulas are proposed which calculate the proper inner diameter size based on flow rate, pressure drop per unit length, CO 2 density, CO 2 viscosity, pipeline material roughness and topographic height differences (the Darcy–Weisbach solution) and, in addition, on the amount and type of bends (the Manning solution). Comparison between calculated diameters using the reviewed and the proposed equations demonstrate the important influence of elevation difference (which is not considered in the reviewed equations) and pipeline material roughness-related factor on the calculated diameter. Concerning the latter, it is suggested that a Darcy–Weisbach roughness height of 0.045 mm better corresponds to a Manning factor of 0.009 than higher Manning values previously proposed in literature. Comparison with the actual diameter of the Weyburn pipeline confirms the accuracy of the proposed equations. Comparison with other existing CO 2 pipelines (without pressure information) indicate that the pipelines are designed for lower pressure gradients than 25 Pa/m or for (future) higher flow rates. The proposed Manning equation is implemented in an economic least-cost route planner in order to obtain the best economic solution for pipeline trajectory and corresponding diameter.

Trojan horse or horn of plenty? Reflections on allowing CCS in the CDM

The discussion around allowing CO 2 capture and geological storage (CCS) into the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is important, as the CDM is currently the only structural incentive for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the developing world. Without the potential incentives given by the CDM, CCS in developing countries will only take place sporadically in niche sectors. The debate around CCS in the CDM has developed into a highly polarised discussion, with a deep divide between proponents and opponents and no view on reconciliation between the various perspectives. Environmental organisations and several developing-country parties in the climate negotiations are increasingly vehemently opposed against CCS in the CDM, and industrialised countries, several large fossil-fuel-dependent developing countries and industry view CCS as a natural option under the CDM, provided some surmountable technical and procedural barriers are taken care of. This paper argues that the efforts of those trying to bring the discussion to a close by solving technical and procedural issues around CCS in the CDM will not lead to agreement because of underlying convictions of all stakeholders. Six convictions are identified and discussed. Based on the discussion of the convictions of both opponents and proponents, research needs and a potential negotiation package are suggested. The research needs are primarily in the field of the CDM market impacts of CCS, the issue of enhanced oil emission accounting, and sustainable development aspects, and particularly whether developing countries could actually benefit from technological leadership in the field of CCS, or whether they will be worse off. Devoting attention to the identified convictions could provide information for a more acceptable negotiation package on CCS in the CDM.