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  • Perspective
  • Open Access

Carbon Capture Technology through an Environmental Justice Lens

Kavitha Chintam and Linsey C. Seitz*

  • *Contact author: linsey.seitz@northwestern.edu
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PRX Energy 5, 011002 – Published 30 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/c8vk-qr6h

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in our atmosphere continue to reach new historic highs every day. In 2022, industry made up 30% of United States greenhouse gas emissions, including electricity end-use indirect emissions. Simultaneously, personal consumption expenditures increased by 9.2% in 2022 and continue to rise, indicating that there is an increasing need for decarbonization in production processes, with a tandem effort to combat overconsumption. One class of technologies that has garnered interest from researchers, policymakers, and communities is carbon capture. “Point source carbon capture” specifically refers to capturing CO2 at its point of emission before it is released to the environment. However, as further scrutiny is put on carbon capture technology, it is clear that further research is needed and more options are necessary to ensure that our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is not done without care. Carbon capture and sequestration or utilization have been touted as possible solutions for our growing demands, but present a range of health, safety, and environmental challenges, including siting concerns and possible leakages of pipelines or storage facilities. A relatively newer technology, reactive carbon capture (RCC), provides a potential pathway that minimizes some of those concerns. RCC converts CO2 to valuable fuels and chemicals immediately after it is captured, eliminating the need for energy-intensive desorption from capture agents, as well as CO2 storage and transport through pipelines. Thus, the entire process is contained at existing industrial plant sites, minimizing the span of environment and frontline communities that may be impacted by potential leaks and pollution. However, there are also a number of remaining challenges in RCC technology that must be addressed, alongside the need to decrease consumption, in order to be in accordance with environmental justice principles and make way for safe and effective technology adoption.

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This article appears in the following collection:

PRX Energy collection on carbon capture, utilization, and storage

This PRX Energy Collection showcases the latest advances and ideas in carbon capture, utilization, and storage, including modeling, materials- and chemistry-based research, techno-economic analysis, and more. This collection amplifies advancements related to Sustainable Development Goals #7 and #13.

The guest editors for this Collection are Maria Escudero-Escribano of Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Ewa Marek of University of Cambridge, and Jesús Velázquez of University of California-Davis.

Every article in this Collection was subjected to a rigorous peer review process, upholding the high standards applied to all papers. The PRX Energy editorial team managed the peer review and made all editorial decisions.

Popular Summary

As CO2 levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, addressing industrial emissions is essential for both climate change mitigation and environmental justice. In 2022, United States industries were responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Traditional carbon capture technologies, such as carbon capture and sequestration or carbon capture and utilization, offer solutions but also present risks, including potential health, safety, and environmental hazards that can disproportionately impact marginalized communities. A newer technology, reactive carbon capture (RCC), provides a promising alternative by converting CO2 into valuable products directly on-site, eliminating the need for transport and storage of CO2 and reducing certain risks like leaks. However, RCC still faces technological challenges and must be integrated with efforts to reduce consumption in order to align with environmental justice principles. Overcoming these hurdles is critical to developing safe, effective, and sustainable solutions.

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PRX Energy 5, 011002– Published 30 January, 2026
  • Received 8 January 2025
  • Revised 18 November 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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