carbon capture

noun

plural carbon captures
1
: any of various methods of removing carbon dioxide (as from industrial emissions) to reduce its presence in the atmosphere
Carbon capture can be applied to large-scale emissions processes, including coal and gas-fired power generation …Global CCS Institute
Direct ocean carbon capture operations look a bit like desalination or wastewater treatment plants, though something quite different is going on inside their systems of filters, tubes, pumps and tanks.Brooke Staggs
Aramco has developed an innovative mobile carbon capture system that sharply reduces CO2 emissions from a heavy-duty truck.Oil and Gas Climate Initiative
also : such a method combined with storing the carbon dioxide to keep it from entering the atmosphere : carbon capture and storage
Those bent on bringing down the fossil-fuel industry are also less than thrilled with the … push for technologies such as carbon capture, which removes and stores carbon emissions … Valerie Richardson
2
: the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by living vegetation : carbon sequestration
Plants perform carbon capture every day through photosynthesis, and they actually do so quite well.Patrick Biller
Trees are nature's best carbon capture technology and have been working to clean the air since the first leafy frond appeared on Earth …Georgette Kilgore

Examples of carbon capture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Trump administration’s pullback of carbon capture and storage grants now removes some of these artificial supports. Andres Clarens, The Conversation, 23 June 2025 Wärtsilä 3) Onboard carbon capture Plenty can be done with current ships simply by cleaning up their exhausts at the source, using carbon capture and storage bolt-ons. New Atlas, 21 June 2025 The projects are focused on carbon capture and sequestration and decarbonization initiatives, which experts say are needed to reach climate goals. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025 In addition to carbon capture, projects that were canceled include efforts to advance climate-friendly cement production, getting greener furnaces at glass and pipe companies and an effort to cut emissions at various plants used by food company Kraft Heinz. Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for carbon capture

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of carbon capture was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Carbon capture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon%20capture. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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