Overview
ISO/TR 27912:2016 - "Carbon dioxide capture - Carbon dioxide capture systems, technologies and processes" is a Technical Report from ISO that clarifies CO2 capture systems and provides guidance for developing a suite of ISO standards for carbon capture as part of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The report describes CO2 capture systems, applicable system boundaries for emission sources, and the technologies, equipment and processes used for capture. It is intended to inform international standardization activities (ISO/TC 265) and to guide stakeholders involved in CO2 capture implementation.
Exclusions: industrial use of CO2, detailed compression of CO2, and terminologies not used in the report.
Key Topics
- CO2 capture system definitions and system boundaries - classification of capture systems and interfaces with power plants and industrial sources.
- Separation technologies - overview of capture methods including chemical absorption (amines), chilled ammonia, amino acid salts, sorbents/solvents, membranes, and cryogenic/evaporation approaches.
- Capture routes covered - post‑combustion capture (PCC), pre‑combustion capture, and oxyfuel combustion systems; dedicated sections for cement and iron & steel industries.
- CO2 streams and emissions - characterization of CO2 product streams, flue gases, process wastes, solvent reclaiming and emissions calculation.
- Performance evaluation - procedures for capture performance, utility consumption, operability, economic evaluation indices and GHG capture-rate definitions.
- Safety and reliability - safety categories, chemical hazards, ASU and oxygen handling (for oxyfuel), environmental impact assessment, and reliability assessment methods.
- Management systems and standardization links - operational management, coordination between capture plant and emission source, and relationships with other CCS standards; reference plant examples.
Applications
ISO/TR 27912 is useful for:
- Standards developers and technical committees (ISO/TC 265) preparing formal standards for CO2 capture.
- Project engineers and designers defining system boundaries, selecting capture technologies, and preparing technical specifications.
- Plant operators and EPC contractors assessing operability, utility needs, and safety requirements for PCC, pre‑combustion and oxyfuel systems.
- Regulators, certifiers and consultants conducting performance verification, environmental impact assessments and safety reviews.
- Researchers and technology providers benchmarking capture processes, streams and equipment for industrial deployment.
By consolidating best practices for capture system definitions, technology descriptions and evaluation procedures, ISO/TR 27912 helps align technical implementations and facilitates interoperable, safe and verifiable CCS deployments.
Related Standards (if applicable)
- Developed to support ISO/TC 265 work on carbon dioxide capture, transportation and geological storage.