CCUS: ‘real potential for innovation, though still limited’, according to the CNRS

The economic, political and environmental impacts of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) are promising but still limited, according to a new study on the societal impact of research into this field, published by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) on 23 September 2026.

In the face of the climate emergency and carbon neutrality targets - which involve, in particular, to tackle industrial CO₂ emissions - the CNRS notes that research dedicated to CCUS has expanded significantly since 2005.

However, despite ‘significant’ scientific advances — such as improvements to capture processes, advances in mineralisation and geological storage, and the life-cycle analysis of the entire chain — the CNRS emphasises that “no CCUS industrial sector is currently fully…