The economics of possible CO2 utilization pathways in a highly decarbonized European energy system

To meet ambitious climate protection targets, European greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced to net zero by 2050. Even under these circumstances, there remain processes in industry, transport, or power and heat supply that require CO
₂
as a feedstock or emit CO
₂
as flue gas. In this paper, we characterize the physical and economic interrelations of the emerging CO
₂
economy. We find that direct air capture processes for CO
₂
become essential. We furthermore show that the use of natural gas remains economically more feasible than the use of synthetic fuels if long-term carbon storages are available.