Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is broadly recognised as having the potential to play a key role in meeting climate change targets, delivering low carbon heat and power, decarbonising industry and, more recently, its ability to facilitate the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, despite this broad consensus and its technical maturity, CCS has not yet been deployed on a scale commensurate with the ambitions articulated a decade ago. Thus, in this paper we review the current state-of-the-art of CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and storage from a multi-scale perspective, moving from the global to molecular scales. In light of the COP21 commitments to limit warming to less than 2 °C, we extend the remit of this study to include the key negative emissions technologies (NETs) of bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), and direct air capture (DAC). Cognisant of the non-technical barriers to deploying CCS, we reflect on recent experience from the UK's CCS commercialisation programme and consider the commercial and political barriers to the large-scale deployment of CCS. In all areas, we focus on identifying and clearly articulating the key research challenges that could usefully be addressed in the coming decade.

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Carbon capture and storage (CCS): the way forward

In this paper, three of the leading options for large scale CO2 capture are reviewed from a technical perspective. We consider solvent-based chemisorption techniques, carbonate looping technology, and the so-called oxyfuel process. For each technology option, we give an overview of the technology, listing advantages and disadvantages. Subsequently, a discussion of the level of technological maturity is presented, and we conclude by identifying current gaps in knowledge and suggest areas with significant scope for future work. We then discuss the suitability of using ionic liquids as novel, environmentally benign solvents with which to capture CO2. In addition, we consider alternatives to simply sequestering CO2—we present a discussion on the possibility of recycling captured CO2 and exploiting it as a C1 building block for the sustainable manufacture of polymers, fine chemicals, and liquid fuels. Finally, we present a discussion of relevant systems engineering methodologies in carbon capture system design.

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An overview of CO2 capture technologies

In the last few years there has been a rapid growth in governmental funding and research activities worldwide for CO2 capture, storage and utilization (CSU), due to increasing awareness of the link between CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere and global warming. Among the various technologies and processes that have been developed and are emerging for CSU of CO2, solid CO2-adsorbents are widely applied. In this review, these solid CO2-adsorbents are classified into three types according to their sorption/desorption temperatures: low-, intermediate- and high-temperature adsorbents with temperatures ranging from below 200 °C, between 200–400 °C and above 400 °C, respectively. For each type of solid CO2-adsorbent, the synthesis, interaction mechanism with CO2 and sorption performance, potential applications and problems are reviewed. In the last section, several representative CO2-sorption-enhanced catalytic reactions are discussed. It is expected that this review will not only summarize the main research activities in this area, but also find possible links between fundamental studies and industrial applications.

CO2 capture by solid adsorbents and their applications: current status and new trends

Global warming resulting from the emission of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, has become a widespread concern in the recent years. Though various CO2 capture technologies have been proposed, chemical absorption and adsorption are currently believed to be the most suitable ones for post-combustion power plants. The operation of the chemical absorption process is reviewed in this work, together with the use of absorbents, such as the ionic liquid, alkanolamines and their blended aqueous solutions. The major concerns for this technology, including CO2 capture efficiency, absorption rate, energy required in regeneration, and volume of absorber, are addressed. For adsorption, in addition to physical adsorbents, various mesoporous solid adsorbents impregnated with polyamines and grafted with aminosilanes are reviewed in this work. The major concerns for selection of adsorbent, including cost, adsorption rate, CO2 adsorption capacity, and thermal stability, are compared and discussed. More effective and less energy-consuming regeneration techniques for CO2-loaded adsorbents are also proposed. Future works for both absorption and adsorption are suggested.

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A Review of CO2 Capture by Absorption and Adsorption

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as coordination polymers, represent an interesting type of solid crystalline materials that can be straightforwardly self-assembled through the coordination of metal ions/clusters with organic linkers. Owing to the modular nature and mild conditions of MOF synthesis, the porosities of MOF materials can be systematically tuned by judicious selection of molecular building blocks, and a variety of functional sites/groups can be introduced into metal ions/clusters, organic linkers, or pore spaces through pre-designing or post-synthetic approaches. These unique advantages enable MOFs to be used as a highly versatile and tunable platform for exploring multifunctional MOF materials. Here, the bright potential of MOF materials as emerging multifunctional materials is highlighted in some of the most important applications for gas storage and separation, optical, electric and magnetic materials, chemical sensing, catalysis, and biomedicine.

Syamalendu S. Bandyopadhyay

Papers

Kinetics of absorption of CO2 into aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol

Removal of carbon dioxide by absorption in mixed amines: modelling of absorption in aqueous MDEA/MEA and AMP/MEA solutions

Absorption of carbon dioxide into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and diethanolamine

Absorption of carbon dioxide into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and monoethanolamine

Selective absorption of H2S from gas streams containing H2S and CO2 into aqueous solutions of N-methyldiethanolamine and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol