China is accelerating its green transition by transforming carbon dioxide from an environmental burden into a valuable industrial resource. Through cutting-edge carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, the country is unlocking new economic efficiency while advancing toward its 2030 carbon peaking targets.

In May, China launched its first geothermal heating project using supercritical carbon dioxide technology in Zhengzhou, alongside the “Carbon One” project—the world’s first demonstration plant generating electricity from waste heat using supercritical carbon dioxide, which boasts a 75 percent higher thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency than traditional steam systems. Beyond energy generation, carbon emissions are being converted into industrial materials like polyether polyols in Jiangsu for use in automotive foams and coatings, while researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have successfully synthesized starch and sugar directly from carbon dioxide in laboratory settings.

Industrial application is also driving geological storage and heavy industry decarbonization. At the Daqing and Jilin oilfields, liquid carbon dioxide is injected underground to enhance oil recovery while permanently sequestering carbon, with Jilin Oilfield alone cumulatively storing 3.61 million tons of carbon dioxide by the end of 2025. Emphasizing higher-quality growth, China’s cement industry reduced carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000 yuan of value added by 15.8 percent in 2025 compared to 2020 levels, largely through waste-heat power generation.

Guided by its action plan for carbon peaking during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), China continues to combine domestic innovation with international green infrastructure projects—such as solar farms in Nauru and eco-friendly roads in Ethiopia—to support global sustainability.

Source: People’s Daily