Advancing CCUS: Insights From Academic Research

In the quest to achieve carbon neutrality, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) plays a pivotal role in climate change mitigation. Considering the significance of CCUS in this context, this report is designed to present the current state-of-the-art of CCUS research by exploring the contribution of academic studies to the development and enhancement of CCUS technologies and practices. It is also the objective of this report to identify the current research directions and uncover critical gaps that necessitate further scholarly exploration.
For these purposes, a dataset of 1,663 documents with CCUS-related keywords in their topics was extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The included articles originate only from sources within the fields of business, economics, and operations research management science. Based on a bibliometric analysis of the dataset, the report provides an overview of the CCUS research, identifies current trends and themes, as well as the potential and challenges addressed in contemporary research.
The findings show not only an exponential global increase in publication output indicating a growing interest, but also relevant recognition of the CCUS-related studies within the scientific community. The analysis also reveals that the United States of America (USA) is leading the charge in CCUS research, with five US universities ranking in the global top ten based on number of publications. Until 2020, the United Kingdom had held second place, but it was surpassed by China, which experienced a noticeable surge in this research field. This remarkable progress has been spearheaded by Tsinghua University’s prominence in the global publication ranking.
Regarding research topics, the academic community continues to prioritize climate change, with a strong emphasis on climate policy and carbon sequestration, while the topic of CC(U)S seems less explored. It is also noteworthy that carbon utilization rarely appears as an independent author’s keyword—this does not necessarily imply a disinterest in the topic, but rather a sign of a research field that is currently underexplored. In conclusion, the review indicates that contemporary research has predominantly focused on technological aspects, while those related to marketization and holistic perspectives on business potentials remain relatively underdeveloped.