International experience of carbon neutrality and prospects of key technologies:Lessons for China

Carbon neutrality(or climate neutrality)has been a global consensus,and international experience exchange is essential.Given the differences in the degree of social development,resource endowment and technological level,each country should build a carbon-neutral plan based on its national conditions.Compared with other major developed countries(e.g.,Germany,the United States and Japan),China's carbon neutrality has much bigger challenges,including a heavy and time-pressured carbon reduction task and the current energy structure that is over-dependent on fossil fuels.Here we provide a comprehensive review of the status and prospects of the key technologies for low-carbon,near-zero carbon,and negative carbon emissions.Technological innovations associated with coal,oil-gas and hydrogen industries and their future potential in reducing carbon emissions are particularly explained and assessed.Based on integrated analysis of international experience from the world's major developed countries,in-depth knowledge of the current and future technologies,and China's energy and ecological resources potential,five lessons for the implementation of China's carbon neutrality are proposed:(1)transformation of energy production pattern from a coal-dominated pattern to a diversified renewable energy pattern;(2)renewable power-to-X and large-scale underground energy storage;(3)integration of green hydrogen production,storage,transport and utilization;(4)construction of clean energy systems based on smart sector coupling(ENSYSCO);(5)improvement of ecosystem carbon sinks both in nationwide forest land and potential desert in Northwest China.This paper provides an international perspective for a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of carbon neutrality in China,and can serve as a theoretical foundation for medium-long term carbon neutral policy formulation.

Carbon Reduction Programs and Key Technologies in Global Steel Industry

Greenhouse gases, particularly the carbon dioxide, cause global warming and extreme weather, which has become a serious threat to human beings. The steel industry creates enormous amounts of carbon emission and has tremendous potential in carbon reduction. Considering the consistently increasing demand of iron and steel, to obtain significant carbon reduction by reducing the steel production is not practical, thus the development and implementa- tion of carbon reduction programs and technologies is important for the steel industry. Despite the significant poten- tial of carbon reduction in the steel industry, ironmaking and steelmaking processes are complex. Therefore, resear- ches and developments for the carbon reduction must focus on key processes. Here, key processes and technologies adopted in ULCOS program in EU, COURSE 50 program in Japan, POSCO program in South Korea, AISI pro- grams in US and other carbon reduction programs are summarized and evaluated, and feasible suggestions for carbon reduction in developing countries are presented. If effective measures can be referred to and taken in developing coun- tries, global carbon emission can be greatly reduced.