Materials Conservation and Circularity Index Applied to Ccus

Several indices for circularity index have been proposed and applied to various organizations in the manufacturing sectors; however, the application of circularity index to the Chemical Process Industries and CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization Storage) is rather limited. Nevertheless, circular economy and CO₂ capture are considered as the means of mitigating climate change associated with the release of CO₂ and it is important that we apply an appropriate Circularity Index to this sector. In view of this, we consider the Materials Circularity Index (MCI) proposed by the Ellen MacArthur foundation and modify it to develop the modified Materials Circularity Index (mMCI). We then apply the mMCI on the process of CO₂ mineralization and compare it with the processes for Carbon Utilization. In addition, we propose that all linear processes are not the same and that it is important to consider the mMCI along with an index for resource use and conservation (the Resource Conservation Index, RCI) so that the different linear (poorly designed ‘Circular Economy’) processes and circular processes can be compared against one another. We further show that both these indices can be combined and call the same as the ‘Materials Conservation and Circularity Index’, MCCI. For the purpose of this work, we analyse three case studies and compare one against the other. Briefly, one case study on CO₂ mineralization consisting of three scenarios and two cases of CO₂ utilization are considered.