Carbon Neutrality Applications in Green Technology: Case Studies and System Innovation
Keywords:
Carbon Neutrality Technologies, Systemic Innovation, Industrial Symbiosis, CCUS Integration, Multi-Level PerspectiveAbstract
As the industrial transition toward carbon neutrality enters a critical deployment phase in 2026, relying solely on incremental efficiency is insufficient to address the high energy intensity of heavy industries. However, current research frequently overlooks the "systemic friction" of standalone Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) units, failing to adequately account for parasitic energy loads and infrastructure deficits. To address this integration gap, this study employs the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) to evaluate the Systemic Innovation Framework through a comparative analysis of the Northern Lights project (Norway) and Baowu Steel's CCU integration (China). Findings indicate that coupling carbon neutrality technologies with industrial symbiosis significantly mitigates operational overheads. Specifically, Baowu's energy-carbon coupling reduced the capture energy penalty by approximately 18%, while Northern Lights' shared infrastructure model effectively lowered the Levelized Cost of Abatement (LCOA) through economies of scale. These results validate the necessity of transitioning from linear mitigation models to "Circular Carbon Hubs," providing a strategic roadmap for policy-makers to prioritize cross-sectoral infrastructure coordination over isolated technical upgrades.References
1. S. Acampora, S. Grilletta, and G. Costa, "The integration of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in waste-to-energy plants: a review," Energies, vol. 18, no. 8, p. 1883, 2025. doi: 10.3390/en18081883
2. O. U. Lirong, S. U. N. Longde, L. Y. U. Weifeng, W. A. N. G. Mingyuan, G. A. O. Feng, and G. A. O. Ming, "Trend of global carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage industry and challenges and countermeasures in China," Petroleum Exploration and Development, vol. 50, no. 5, pp. 1246-1260, 2023.
3. D. Gautam, D. Salunke, D. Lad, and A. Gautam, "Convergent synergy of carbon capture within the circular economy paradigm: a nexus for realizing multifaceted sustainable development goals," Carbon Research, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 3, 2025. doi: 10.1007/s44246-024-00178-1
4. L. Guo, L. Huang, H. Miao, L. Mi, and Z. Han, "Exploring carbon reduction pathways in the steel industry from the perspective of emerging technologies for achieving carbon neutrality," Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 385, p. 125768, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125768
5. Jain, "Synergizing carbon reduction technologies and nature-based solutions for a climate-neutral future," *Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change*, vol. 30, no. 6, p. 42, 2025. doi: 10.1007/s11027-025-10237-6
6. Leonzio, "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Clean Energy," Sustainability, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 586, 2026. doi: 10.3390/su18020586
7. Li and J. Yao, "A review of algae-based carbon capture, utilization, and storage (algae-based CCUS)," Gases, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 468-503, 2024. doi: 10.3390/gases4040024
8. Li, "Advancing 'Carbon Peak' and 'Carbon Neutrality' in China: A comprehensive review of current global research on carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology and its implications," ACS omega, vol. 8, no. 45, pp. 42086-42101, 2023. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06422
9. S. Liu, S. Sun, H. Sun, Y. Zhang, J. Lv, Y. Wang, and C. Wu, "Integrated CO2 capture and utilisation: A promising step contributing to carbon neutrality," *Carbon Capture Science & Technology*, vol. 7, p. 100116, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.ccst.2023.100116
10. D. Prajapati, D. Thesia, V. Thesia, R. Rakholia, J. Tailor, A. Patel, and M. Shah, "Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS): A critical review towards carbon neutrality in India," Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, vol. 10, p. 100770, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cscee.2024.100770
11. Ravichandran, T. T. A. Kumar, and R. Dineshkumar, "Carbon dioxide capture, sequestration, and utilization models for carbon management and transformation," Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 31, no. 44, pp. 55895-55916, 2024. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-34861-y
12. Sun and J. Tao, "Investment Decisions of CCUS Projects in China Considering the Supply-Demand Relationship of CO2 from the Industry Symbiosis Perspective," Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 12, p. 5273, 2024. doi: 10.3390/su16125273
13. W. Tang, W. Chen, S. Zhang, and Q. Zhang, "China's multi-sector-shared CCUS networks in a carbon-neutral vision," Iscience, vol. 26, no. 4, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106347
14. Wang, A. J. Robinson, and S. Papadokonstantakis, "Prospective techno-economic and life cycle assessment: a review across established and emerging carbon capture, storage and utilization (CCS/CCU) technologies," Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 12, p. 1412770, 2024. doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2024.1412770
15. D. Yan, D. Tong, S. J. Davis, Y. Liu, W. Li, H. Wang, and Q. Zhang, "Cost-competitive plant-by-plant strategy for spatially resolved CCUS deployment toward carbon neutrality in global key industries," One Earth, vol. 8, no. 9, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101378

