Heavy industries such as steel, cement, aluminium, chemicals, and oil and gas are responsible for 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the availability of carbon capture systems in oil and gas, other sectors have seen limited deployment. The study aims to close this gap by spotlighting novel chemical approaches that can make carbon capture more accessible, scalable, and cost-effective.
The review details advances including new amine blends that cut energy use by over 30 percent, high-efficiency CO2-selective metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and electroswing technologies that rely on renewable-powered low-temperature processes instead of conventional heat-driven systems.
"With heavy industries accounting for a major share of global emissions, advancing these technologies is critical if we're serious about ever achieving net-zero emissions. Our review highlights the state-of-the-art chemistry behind industrial-scale carbon capture and potential breakthroughs that may further make industrial carbon capture more efficient, scalable and cost-effective. Our aim is for this work to provide the insights necessary for carbon capture to advance at the pace required to achieve global sustainability targets," said Dr. Griffiths.
The paper categorizes five primary carbon capture methods-absorption, adsorption, membrane separation, cryogenic gas separation, and electroswing systems-and evaluates how chemistry is enhancing each.
Professor Maroto-Valer noted, "Our work has identified carbon dioxide capture technologies that have progressed to the early stages of development to decarbonise industrial sectors, with a focus on the chemistry that underpins these technologies."
She added, "We took a global perspective, recognising that carbon capture must be tailored to local contexts. The performance parameters outlined in our research enable industry players to compare materials and technologies more effectively than has previously been possible. We believe this novel approach can help players across both industry and academia pinpoint research opportunities to lower the cost and scale up the commercial deployment of the carbon capture technologies available today."
Co-authors of the study include Prof John M. Andresen and Dr Jeannie Z. Y. Tan from Heriot-Watt University's Research Centre for Carbon Solutions, and Joao M. Uratani from the University of Sussex's Science Policy Research Unit.
Research Report:Chemistry advances driving industrial carbon capture technologies
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