In recent years, Carbon Capture and Storage (Sequestration) (CCS) has been proposed as a potential method to allow the continued use of fossil-fuelled power stations whilst preventing emissions of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere. Gas, coal (and biomass)-fired power stations can respond to changes in demand more readily than many other sources of electricity production, hence the importance of retaining them as an option in the energy mix. Here, we review the leading CO2 capture technologies, available in the short and long term, and their technological maturity, before discussing CO2 transport and storage. Current pilot plants and demonstrations are highlighted, as is the importance of optimising the CCS system as a whole. Other topics briefly discussed include the viability of both the capture of CO2 from the air and CO2 reutilisation as climate change mitigation strategies. Finally, we discuss the economic and legal aspects of CCS.

Carbon capture and storage update

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture using solid sorbents has been recognized as a very promising technology that has attracted intense attention from both academic and industrial fields in the last decade. It is astonishing that around 2000 papers have been published from 2011 to 2014 alone, which is less than three years after our first review paper in this journal on solid CO2 sorbents was published. In this short period, much progress has been made and the major research focus has more or less changed. Therefore, we feel that it is necessary to give a timely update on solid CO2 capture materials, although we still have to keep some important literature results published in the past years so as to keep the good continuity. We believe this work will benefit researchers working in both academic and industrial areas. In this paper, we still organize the CO2 sorbents according to their working temperatures by classifying them as such: (1) low-temperature ( 400 °C). Since the sorption capacity, kinetics, recycling stability and cost are important parameters when evaluating a sorbent, these features will be carefully considered and discussed. In addition, due to the huge amounts of cost-effective CO2 sorbents demanded and the importance of waste resources, solid CO2 sorbents prepared from waste resources and their performance are reviewed. Finally, the techno-economic assessments of various CO2 sorbents and technologies in real applications are briefly discussed.

Recent advances in solid sorbents for CO2 capture and new development trends

It is generally accepted by the scientific community that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are leading to global climate change, notably an increase in global temperatures commonly referred to as global warming. The primary source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels for energy. As society’s demand for energy increases and more CO2 is produced, it becomes imperative to decrease the amount emitted to the atmosphere. One promising approach to do this is to capture CO2 at the effluent of the combustion site, namely, power plants, in a process called postcombustion CO2 capture. Technologies to achieve this are heavily researched due in large part to the intuitive nature of removing CO2 from the stack gas and the ease in retrofitting existing CO2 sources with these technologies. As such, several reviews have been written on postcombustion CO2 capture. However, it is a fast-developing field, and the most recent review papers already do not include the state-of-the-art research. Notable am...

Amine-Based CO2 Capture Technology Development from the Beginning of 2013—A Review

Dramatically increased CO2 concentration from several point sources is perceived to cause severe greenhouse effect towards the serious ongoing global warming with associated climate destabilization, inducing undesirable natural calamities, melting of glaciers, and extreme weather patterns. CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) has received tremendous attention due to its significant role in intensifying global warming. Considering the lack of a timely review on the state-of-the-art progress of promising CCU techniques, developing an appropriate and prompt summary of such advanced techniques with a comprehensive understanding is necessary. Thus, it is imperative to provide a timely review, given the fast growth of sophisticated CO2 capture and utilization materials and their implementation. In this work, we critically summarized and comprehensively reviewed the characteristics and performance of both liquid and solid CO2 adsorbents with possible schemes for the improvement of their CO2 capture ability and advances in CO2 utilization. Their industrial applications in pre- and post-combustion CO2 capture as well as utilization were systematically discussed and compared. With our great effort, this review would be of significant importance for academic researchers for obtaining an overall understanding of the current developments and future trends of CCU. This work is bound to benefit researchers in fields relating to CCU and facilitate the progress of significant breakthroughs in both fundamental research and commercial applications to deliver perspective views for future scientific and industrial advances in CCU.

Industrial carbon dioxide capture and utilization: state of the art and future challenges

Chemical looping combustion of solid fuels

Development of efficient catalysts for the direct hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol is essential for the valorization of this abundant feedstock. Here we show that a silica-supported Cu/Mo2CTx (MXene) catalyst achieves a higher intrinsic methanol formation rate per mass Cu than the reference Cu/SiO2 catalyst with a similar Cu loading. The Cu/Mo2CTx interface can be engineered due to the higher affinity of Cu for the partially reduced MXene surface (in preference to the SiO2 surface) and the mobility of Cu under H2 at 500 °C. With increasing reduction time, the Cu/Mo2CTx interface becomes more Lewis acidic due to the higher amount of Cu+ sites dispersed onto the reduced Mo2CTx and this correlates with an increased rate of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. The critical role of the interface between Cu and Mo2CTx is further highlighted by density functional theory calculations that identify formate and methoxy species as stable reaction intermediates. The valorization of CO2 via its hydrogenation to methanol is a highly sought-after reaction although only a handful of catalysts can efficiently promote this transformation. Here, the authors engineer the interface of a copper catalyst supported on a silica–molybdenum MXene composite, achieving a remarkable performance in the reduction of CO2 to methanol.

Engineering the Cu/Mo2CTx (MXene) interface to drive CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

Synthesis of calcium-based, Al2O3-stabilized sorbents for CO2 capture using a co-precipitation technique

Here, we report the development of novel, highly effective CaO-based CO2 sorbents via a well-scalable and economic synthesis technique, viz the re-crystallization of calcium and magnesium acetates in organic solvents We successfully synthesized a material that possessed an excellent cyclic CO2 uptake (1071 mmol(CO2) g(sorbent)-1 after 10 cycles), even under harsh, but practically relevant, regeneration conditions To obtain such a high cyclic CO2 uptake, it was found to be crucial to mix the active component, CaO, and the high Tammann temperature support, MgO, on the nanometer scale The synthesis technique developed only requires 8 wt% of MgO to effectively stabilize the cyclic CO2 uptake of the material Furthermore, we established the influence of various synthesis parameters such as the molar ratio of Ca2+ to Mg2+ and the re-crystallization media on the sorbent's morphology and, in turn, cyclic CO2 uptake Our best material exceeded the CO2 uptake (10th cycle) of limestone by 200%

Development of highly effective CaO-based, MgO-stabilized CO2 sorbents via a scalable "one-pot" recrystallization technique

The commercially dominating technology for hydrogen production (i.e. steam methane reforming) emits large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere. On the other hand, emerging thermochemical water splitting cycles allow the production of a pure stream of H2 while simultaneously capturing CO2. From a thermodynamic point of view, the Fe2O3–Fe couple is arguably the most attractive candidate for thermochemical water splitting owing to its high H2 yield and H2 equilibrium partial pressure. However, the low reactivity of Fe2O3 with methane and the high activity of Fe for methane decomposition (leading to carbon deposition and in turn COx poisoning of the H2 stream) are major drawbacks. Here, we report the development of MgAl2O4-stabilized, Cu-modified, Fe2O3-based redox materials for thermochemical water-splitting that show a high reactivity towards CH4 and low rates of carbon deposition. To elucidate the effect of Cu doping on reducing significantly the rate of carbon deposition (while not affecting negatively the high redox activity of the material) extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was employed.

Development of MgAl2O4-stabilized, Cu-doped, Fe2O3-based oxygen carriers for thermochemical water-splitting

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is an emerging, new technology for carbon capture and storage (CCS). Copper-based oxygen carriers are of particular interest due to their high oxygen carrying capa...

Agnieszka M. Kierzkowska

Papers

Engineering the Cu/Mo2CTx (MXene) interface to drive CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

Synthesis of calcium-based, Al2O3-stabilized sorbents for CO2 capture using a co-precipitation technique

Development of highly effective CaO-based, MgO-stabilized CO2 sorbents via a scalable "one-pot" recrystallization technique

Development of MgAl2O4-stabilized, Cu-doped, Fe2O3-based oxygen carriers for thermochemical water-splitting

Synthesis of Cu-rich, Al2O3-stabilized oxygen carriers using a coprecipitation technique: redox and carbon formation characteristics.