Carbon dioxide: Production
Why a handful of plants hold a country's CO2 supply
Why a handful of plants hold a country's CO2 supply What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | not published | no public census of merchant CO2 capacity | |
| World output | about 230 Mt used a year, over 20 Mt merchant | IEA (2019, indicative); gasworld (2016) | |
| Capacity utilisation | not published | Merchant capacity runs as its host plant runs. When UK ammonia stopped in September 2021, CO2 supply fell 60% overnight. | The Chemical Engineer (Oct 2021) |
| Concentration | US over 40% of merchant CO2 (2016) | Supply in each country hangs on a few ammonia, ethanol or gas plants; in the UK, CF Industries' two plants made 60% of food-grade CO2 in 2021. | gasworld (2016); The Chemical Engineer (2021) |
| New capacity | CCS hubs and e-fuel projects could create new CO2 demand and supply | Low-carbon ammonia projects such as CF/JERA/Mitsui Blue Point will capture CO2 for storage. Green methanol and e-fuels need biogenic or captured CO2. | CF Industries 2025 results; indicative |
Top producing countries
United States 40% · over 10 Mt merchant a year; plus most of the world's EOR CO2- China: not published; largest urea producer, so largest captive user (indicative)
- India: merchant demand about 3,565 t a day (about 1.3 Mt a year) in 2024; urea CO2 about 21 Mt (29.32 Mt urea x 0.733)
- Japan: among the next largest merchant markets
- Europe: among the next largest merchant markets; heavily dependent on ammonia plants
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linde CO2 volume not disclosed | UK/US/Germany | not published | 2025 | Linde 2025 Annual Report |
| Air Liquide not retrieved | France | not published | 2025 | company |
| CF Industries UK ammonia since closed except Billingham imports (indicative) | US/UK | not published | 2021 | The Chemical Engineer (Oct 2021) |
| Ensus | UK | not published | 2021 | The Chemical Engineer (Oct 2021) |
| Occidental (OxyLowCarbon) not retrieved | US | not published | 2025 | company (indicative) |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linde India | India | not published | 2024 | gasworld India report (2025) |
| INOX Air Products | India | not published | 2024 | gasworld India report (2025) |
| Indian urea producers (IFFCO, NFL, Chambal, RCF) derived | India | 21 Mt CO2 a year captive in urea (derived) | FY2026 | Chambal MD&A FY2026 (29.32 Mt urea) x 0.733 |
India's merchant CO2 demand was about 3,565 t a day in 2024, mainly for food and beverages (gasworld). Indian urea plants consume about 21 Mt a year of CO2 captively, and many also recover CO2 from flue gas to balance their ammonia-to-urea ratio (indicative).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Largest merchant market (over 40%) and EOR user; 45Q credit of up to $85/t for storage (indicative). |
| EU | Merchant CO2 depends on ammonia plants that close when gas spikes; CO2 shortages hit food in 2021-2022. |
| India | Merchant demand about 1.3 Mt a year; captive urea use about 21 Mt. |
| China | Largest captive user via urea and coal chemicals. |
| Japan | Significant merchant market; plans to import CO2-based fuels. |
| Middle East | Large captive use in urea; CO2 EOR in Abu Dhabi (Al Reyadah, about 0.8 Mt a year, indicative). |