为应对气候变化，全球需要加快并大幅减少二氧化碳排放。对工业烟气中的二氧化碳（CO₂）进行捕集，并进一步利用或永久封存，是实现深度减排的重要路径之一。梅塞尔通过 ZeCarb 提供覆盖碳捕集、利用与封存（CCUS）全流程的一站式服务。

脱碳转型中的“先有鸡还是先有蛋”

推进脱碳转型，往往面临一个典型的“先有鸡还是先有蛋”难题。要加快转型，需要多项条件同时具备：充足的绿色能源供应、可利用的CO₂封存能力、完善的CO₂运输基础设施，以及具有经济可行性的完整产业价值链。

但这些条件很难在短时间内同时成熟，许多环节目前仍处于起步阶段，相关系统的建设和改造也需要时间。钢铁、水泥等行业，乃至以化石燃料为基础的发电领域，都很难立即实现完全无CO₂排放，因此通常被称为“难减排行业”。对于这些行业而言，CCUS是降低CO₂排放的重要手段之一。在实际过程中，首先通过专用装置从工业烟气中分离并捕集CO₂。分离出的水蒸气、氧气和氮气等组分可按要求排放，而捕集到的CO₂则进入后续利用或永久封存环节。

CCUS：脱碳转型的重要一环

根据国际可再生能源署的数据，到2050年所需实现的CO₂减排量中，约20%需要通过CCUS实现。事实上，碳捕集并不是一项新技术，相关工艺已经应用数十年。从工业废气中分离和回收CO₂，早已是一项成熟且经过验证的技术。包括梅塞尔在内的气体供应商长期以来一直采用这一技术回收CO₂，并将其应用于饮料和食品等行业。

目前，从烟气中捕集CO₂有多种技术路线。在工业规模应用中，胺洗法是较为成熟、可靠的技术之一，每小时可捕集数吨CO₂。烟气与胺溶液接触后，CO₂被选择性吸收；随后通过加热再生，将CO₂从溶液中释放并回收。之后，CO₂还需要经过压缩、干燥、净化和液化等处理，以满足永久封存对气体质量的严格要求。如有需要，还可以进一步提纯，使其达到食品行业的使用标准。

工程能力与一站式服务

目前，梅塞尔在全球运营着300多套CO₂回收装置。这些装置可部署在钢铁、水泥、玻璃等大型工业设施附近，对这些行业产生的大量烟气进行处理。梅塞尔CCUS市场与传播经理Fabian Weber表示：“我们不仅具备工程技术能力，也拥有设备以及项目调试方面的专业经验。”

长期以来，梅塞尔主要将回收的CO₂用于自身业务，或作为工业气体产品销售，这些业务未来仍将继续。但随着减排要求不断提高，CCUS不仅项目规模越来越大，应用场景和商业模式也在不断变化。Fabian Weber 解释道：“企业需要降低CO₂排放。一方面，这是全球许多国家法律法规的要求；另一方面，碳排放配额的成本也在不断上升。企业需要碳捕集系统来实现净零目标，同时为欧盟2030年气候目标作出贡献。”

梅塞尔的优势之一，是能够提供覆盖CCUS全流程的一站式解决方案。“我们擅长针对不同排放源回收CO₂，并在客户生产现场设计和安装合适的系统。之后，我们不仅负责系统运行，还负责CO₂的运输，以及后续利用或封存。”

此外，梅塞尔还可以在项目规划、安装、运营以及相关审批和合规手续等方面为客户提供支持，让客户能够更加专注于自身核心业务。

拓展CO₂的循环利用

ZeCarb 覆盖从CO₂捕集到最终利用或封存的完整价值链。捕集到的CO₂不一定只能被“封存”，还可以重新作为资源进入生产循环。其中一种方式，是利用捕集的 CO₂生产合成燃料。通过可再生能源制取的绿色氢与捕集的CO₂，可以合成汽油、柴油或航空燃料的替代品。这类合成燃料（e-fuels）有望帮助航空、航运、重型运输等难以直接实现电气化的行业降低碳足迹。早在2021年，已有航班使用通过CCU路线生产的合成航空燃料。

捕集的CO₂还可以用作生产塑料、包装材料、纺织品和医药产品等的原料。目前，市场上已经出现利用CCU技术生产的清洁剂、聚合物和保温材料。建筑行业同样具有较大的减排潜力。例如，通过矿化过程，可以将CO₂以碳酸盐形式永久固定在建筑材料中。目前，相关CCU技术已经应用于砖块、铺路石和水泥等产品的生产，并可结合钢铁和建筑行业产生的部分固体副产物，实现资源再利用。

欧洲引领二氧化碳封存

除了再利用，要实现既定的CO₂减排目标，捕集后的CO₂还需要进行永久封存，即碳捕集与封存（CCS）。这一领域已经拥有成熟技术，同时也存在适合长期封存CO₂的地质构造。目前，CO₂已被注入油气田，用于提高油气采收率，这种方式在美国尤为常见。采用类似技术，也可以将CO₂注入适宜的地下地质构造，实现长期封存。

Fabian Weber 表示：“考虑到目前的CO₂排放规模，CCS不可或缺。目前欧洲正在推进多个CCS项目，计划到2030年形成每年超过9000万吨CO₂的封存能力，其中大部分位于北海地区。与此同时，还需要建设专门的CO₂接收和装船终端，将CO₂装载到运输船上。多个相关港口项目已经在推进，其中包括德国不来梅的 CarbonBridge项目。”

根据目前的研究，北海地区潜在的CO₂封存能力十分可观，理论上可容纳相当于欧盟全年排放量数倍的CO₂。不过，Fabian Weber 也指出，目前已经建成的封存能力距离实际需求仍有很大差距。与此同时，市场正在快速发展，全球目前约有600个CCS 项目处于不同开发阶段。适合封存CO₂的地质构造以及已经枯竭的油田和天然气田正在逐步开发利用。与此同时，各方也在加大投资，建设将CO₂注入海底地层所需的基础设施。

128年来，梅塞尔作为全球最大的私营工业、医用、电子及特种气体专家，始终坚守安全、以客户与员工为核心、承担社会责任、推动可持续发展，并以信任与尊重为基石。凭借“气体创彩生活“的品牌理念以及众多的专利气体应用，梅塞尔正在为环境与气候保护、脱碳进程及创新发展提供强劲动力。

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To combat climate change, global CO2 emissions must be reduced rapidly and significantly. The capture, utilization, and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas can make a decisive contribution toward achieving a zero-emissions scenario. Under the name “ZeCarb,” Messer offers Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) as a service.

The chicken-or-egg dilemma

Decarbonization faces an acute chicken-or-egg dilemma: For progress to move quickly, everything would have to be in place at the same time—sufficient green energy, available CO2 storage capacity, a well-developed CO2 transport infrastructure, and economically viable value chains. Of course, this can’t happen at the snap of a finger, and many elements of the transformation are still—to stick with the metaphor—in the “egg” stage.

Building and retrofitting these systems takes time. It is impossible to operate all steel and cement plants—or even the entire fossil-fuel-based power generation sector—completely without CO2 emissions. These industries are “hard-to-abate.” CCUS is an essential component to reduce the CO2 emissions of such facilities. The flue gas is captured at the stack, and the CO2 is separated from the other gas components in a dedicated facility. Mainly water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen are released into the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is either repurposed for “secondary use” or permanently stored underground.

No successful transformation without CCUS

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), CCUS will need to account for about 20 percent of the necessary CO2 reductions by 2050. The first component of CCUS, carbon capture, has been available for decades. The separation of CO2 from industrial exhaust is a proven technology. Gas suppliers such as Messer use it to recover carbon dioxide for reuse, for example, in the beverage and food industries.

There are various methods for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas. On an industrial scale, amine scrubbing is the most proven method, capable of capturing several metric tons of CO2 per hour. It is highly efficient and particularly mature and reliable compared to other processes. The flue gas is passed through a basic amine solution, which binds the CO2. Heating the saturated solution then releases the carbon dioxide, which is subsequently captured again. The carbon dioxide is then compressed, dried, purified, and liquefied. It meets the strict quality requirements of storage site operators for permanent CO2 storage. If necessary, it can also be designated as CO2 for the food industry.

Engineering expertise and comprehensive services

Messer already operates more than 300 such CO2 recovery plants worldwide. They can be installed at sites where large furnaces—for example, in the steel, cement, and glass industries—emit corresponding amounts of flue gas. “We not only have the engineering expertise, but also the hardware and commissioning expertise,” explains Fabian Weber, Manager of Marketing & Communications CCUS at Messer.

Until now, Messer has captured the emitted CO2 for its own use and sold it as an industrial gas product, a service that will continue to be offered in the future. However, CCUS is not only about much larger scales but also, due to CO2 reduction mandates, a completely different utilization model, as Fabian Weber explains: “Companies must reduce their CO2 emissions because laws in most countries around the world require it and because emissions allowances are becoming increasingly expensive. They need carbon capture systems so they can meet their ‘net-zero’ targets and thus contribute to the EU’s 2030 climate goals.”

The key difference between Messer and other players in the market is that Messer offers CCUS as a one-stop service package. “We specialize in CO2 recovery from a wide variety of emission sources and install the appropriate system at the customer’s production site. We then take care not only of its operation but also the transport and subsequent reuse or storage of the gas.”

Messer provides comprehensive support to customers in planning, installation, operation, and handling the necessary bureaucracy, allowing them to focus entirely on their core business.

CO2 reduction through sustainable utilization

ZeCarb covers the entire value chain from the capture plant to “Utilization and Storage”. This includes the reuse or permanent storage of the gas. One option for “utilization” is the production of synthetic fuels. These e-fuels are produced using renewable energy from green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. They replace gasoline, diesel, or kerosene derived from petroleum. E-fuels can also help reduce the carbon footprint of sectors that are difficult or impossible to electrify, such as heavy-duty transportation, shipping, and aviation. The first flights using CCU kerosene took place as early as 2021.

Captured CO2 can also serve as a raw material for plastics, packaging, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. CCU-based products such as cleaning agents, polymers, and insulation materials are already on the market. In the construction sector, which is responsible for 25 percent of global CO2 emissions, CCU can also make an important contribution to climate protection. For example, CO2 can be permanently bound in building materials through mineralization as calcium carbonate. This CCU product is already being used to manufacture bricks, paving stones, and cement. At the same time, waste from the steel and construction industries is recycled.

Europe leads in CO2 storage

In addition to utilization, the permanent storage of captured CO2 is necessary to achieve the set CO2 reduction targets: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Here, too, proven technology is available. Suitable geological formations are also present. CO2 is already being injected into oil and gas fields to increase the yield of fossil fuels, particularly in the United States. Using the same method, carbon dioxide can be stored in empty geological formations for permanent retention.

“Given the volume of CO2 emitted, CCS is indispensable,” explains Fabian Weber. “There are currently CCS projects in Europe with a planned storage capacity of over 90 million metric tons of CO2 by 2030, most of them in the North Sea. Special CO2 terminals are needed to load the CO2 onto tankers. Several port projects of this kind are under development, including ‘CarbonBridge’ in Bremen, Germany.”

Based on current knowledge, there is potential there to store many times the EU’s total annual emissions. However, as Fabian Weber confirms, the developed storage capacities are still far from sufficient, though there is a lot of activity in the market. There are currently around 600 CCS projects in early and advanced stages of development worldwide. Suitable geological formations and depleted oil or natural gas fields are being developed for storage, and large sums are being invested in expanding the infrastructure for the subsea injection of CO2.

For more than 128 years, Messer, the today’s world's largest privately owned company for industrial gases, medical gases, specialty gases, and gases for electronics, committed to its guiding principles of safety, focus on customers and employees, responsibility for our society, sustainability, trust, and respect. Messer's Gases for Life and patented gas applications are essential for environmental protection, climate protection, decarbonization, and innovation.

,,,从捕集到利用与封存：ZeCarb 提供一站式 CCUS 解决方案,COMPREHENSIVE DECARBONIZATION PACKAGE：ZECARB OFFERS A ONE-STOP SOLUTION,环境与气候保护,Environmental & Climate Protection,脱碳,Decarbonization

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