Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO₂), a byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion and a natural emission from biomass burning, respiration, or decay, is a major greenhouse gas and contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Carbon sequestration describes the processes by which carbon can be either removed from the atmosphere (as CO₂) and stored, or separated from fuels or flue gases and stored. Carbon sequestration can thus be either technological (usually called carbon capture and storage) or biological (biological carbon sequestration). The viability of carbon sequestration depends on the cost of the process and the policy context that determines the value of sequestered carbon.