Advancements in CO2 Capture and Storage: Technologies, Performance, and Strategic Pathways to Net-Zero by 2050

In order to reach net-zero by 2050, we need to have strong decarbonization policies, especially in hard-to-abate clean-ups like steel (8% of the global emissions), cement (7%), and power generation (30%), and negative emissions through direct air capture (DAC) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). This review paper summarizes the progress in CO2 capture, compression, transportation, and storage technologies between 2020 and 2025, including energy penalty (20–40%) and cost (15–30%) reductions, with innovations such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), bio-inspired catalysts, ionic liquids, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based optimization. This paper, as a new input into the carbon capture and storage (CCS) field, uses the Weighted Sum Model (WSM) as a multi-criteria decision-making tool to rank the best technologies in the capture, storage, monitoring, and transportation sectors. The weights of the criteria are calculated based on Shannon entropy, and the assessment is performed in three conditions, namely, optimistic, pessimistic, and expected. The weights are computed with sensitivity analysis to make the assessment robust. The viability of key projects, such as Northern Lights (Norway, 1.5 MtCO2/year), Porthos (The Netherlands, 2.5 MtCO2/year), Quest (Canada, 1 MtCO2/year), and Petra Nova (USA, 1.6 MtCO2/year), is evident, and it is projected that, globally, CCS will reach 49 MtCO2/year across 43 plants in 2025. The review incorporates socio-economic and environmental justice, including barriers such as high costs ($30–600/MtCO2), energy penalties (1–10 GJ/tCO2), and opposition between people (20–40% in EU/US). In comparison with previous reviews, this article has a more comprehensive focus, provides quantitative synthesis through WSM, and discusses the implications for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders towards achieving faster CCS implementation on the path to net-zero.