Techno-economic assessment of liquefied CO2 transport via trucking

Mostafa Ashkavand, Marcel Scheffler, Wolfram Heineken, Mithran Daniel Solomon, Torsten Birth · 2025 · 3 citationsRead the paper

This study presents a techno-economic evaluation of liquefied CO 2 transport via trucking, covering the full transport chain from liquefaction, buffer storage and trucking to reconditioning. The analysis spans a wide range of transport demands (25–1000 t/d) and distances (25–500 km), aiming to quantify the conditions under which trucking is a cost-effective alternative to pipeline transport. A detailed cost model was developed for each transport stage, including component-level capital and operating costs. Results indicate that trucking transport is economically favorable for long distances and low transport volumes, with its cost advantage ending beyond 400 t/d. As distance increases, trucking remains competitive at higher flow rates up to this threshold. Liquefaction is the dominant cost contributor at shorter distances, whereas the trucking part becomes the largest cost factor over longer distances. Buffer storage and reconditioning consistently contribute less to the total cost. Operational expenditure (OPEX) consistently exceeds capital expenditure (CAPEX), with energy consumption and liquefaction O&M costs together representing on average around 60% of OPEX (ranging from ∼80% for the 50 km case to ∼43% for the 500 km case). The Sensitivity analysis identifies trailer load capacity and electricity price as the most influential cost drivers, while fixed infrastructure costs have relatively minor impacts. Overall, this work provides a robust framework and practical insights for selecting cost-efficient CO 2 transport methods and supports future planning of CCUS systems. Beyond its quantitative findings, this study introduces a transparent, step-by-step methodology for CO 2 trucking cost assessment, filling a notable gap in existing literature.

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