How do you calculate capture cost per ton?

Multiply CO₂ captured by the variable cost per tonne and the cost-scope share, add the fixed cost, then divide by tonnes captured. With 100 t, $45/t variable, 80% scope, and $250 fixed, total is $3,850 and per-tonne cost is $38.50.

What is a good capture cost per tonne?

It depends heavily on source concentration. High-purity streams (ethanol, ammonia) can capture below $30/t, post-combustion flue gas often runs $40–$90/t, and direct air capture is far higher. The $38.50 example sits in the favorable post-combustion range.

Why include a cost-scope percentage?

Not every cost line belongs to the capture unit — some power or utilities may be shared or already sunk. The 80% scope share lets you count only the portion of variable cost truly attributable to capture, avoiding double-counting plant overhead.

What drives variable capture cost most?

The energy penalty. Solvent regeneration steam and CO₂ compression power typically dominate the variable rate, so steam and electricity prices move capture cost more than any other single factor.

Capture cost vs compression cost — are they the same?

No. Capture cost covers separating CO₂ from the gas stream; compression cost covers raising it to pipeline or storage pressure. Some studies bundle them; if yours does, make sure compression power is inside your variable rate.

How does fixed cost affect per-tonne cost?

Fixed cost spreads over volume, so the more you capture, the lower its per-tonne impact. The $250 fixed cost adds $2.50/t at 100 t but only $0.25/t at 1,000 t — a key reason capture economics improve with scale.

Carbon Capture & CO₂ Compression Equipment calculator

Capture Cost per Ton Calculator

Capture Cost per Ton is the single most-quoted number in carbon capture economics — the all-in dollars it costs to remove one tonne of CO₂ from a gas stream. Process engineers, project developers, and policy analysts use it to compare capture technologies, benchmark against the credit price, and justify capital spend. It rolls the variable operating cost (solvent, steam, power) and the fixed cost (labor, maintenance, capital recovery) into a per-tonne figure that can be set side by side with revenue. A project only makes sense when this number sits comfortably below the price you can sell each captured tonne for.

What this calculator does

Estimate total capture operating cost and implied cost per tonne CO₂ for a project period, skid, site, or capture train.
Use it when capture cost per ton in carbon capture and co₂ compression equipment is being put through a carbon capture and co₂ compression equipment weighted-cost review.
It computes total capture cost and the resulting cost per tonne by scaling variable cost by captured volume and the included cost scope, then adding fixed capture cost.

Formula used

Variable capture cost subtotal = CO₂ captured in period × variable capture cost × cost scope included
Total capture cost = variable capture cost subtotal + fixed capture cost

Inputs explained

CO₂ captured in period:
Variable capture cost:
Cost scope included:
Fixed capture cost:

How to use the result

Use it to benchmark a capture technology, set a break-even credit price, or compare cost across operating periods.
Lumping all variable cost into one rate hides the energy penalty's sensitivity to steam and electricity prices, which can swing capture cost sharply period to period.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Apr 2026), up 5.5% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
Steel mill PPI stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 2.3% year over year (Census).

Common questions

How do you calculate capture cost per ton? Multiply CO₂ captured by the variable cost per tonne and the cost-scope share, add the fixed cost, then divide by tonnes captured. With 100 t, $45/t variable, 80% scope, and $250 fixed, total is $3,850 and per-tonne cost is $38.50.
What is a good capture cost per tonne? It depends heavily on source concentration. High-purity streams (ethanol, ammonia) can capture below $30/t, post-combustion flue gas often runs $40–$90/t, and direct air capture is far higher. The $38.50 example sits in the favorable post-combustion range.
Why include a cost-scope percentage? Not every cost line belongs to the capture unit — some power or utilities may be shared or already sunk. The 80% scope share lets you count only the portion of variable cost truly attributable to capture, avoiding double-counting plant overhead.
What drives variable capture cost most? The energy penalty. Solvent regeneration steam and CO₂ compression power typically dominate the variable rate, so steam and electricity prices move capture cost more than any other single factor.
Capture cost vs compression cost — are they the same? No. Capture cost covers separating CO₂ from the gas stream; compression cost covers raising it to pipeline or storage pressure. Some studies bundle them; if yours does, make sure compression power is inside your variable rate.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.