Advances in carbon dioxide capture and conversion technologies: Industrial integration for sustainable chemical production

Abstract

Developing efficient strategies to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) is essential to addressing the escalating challenges of global warming. Despite being a major greenhouse gas, CO₂ holds significant potential as a sustainable feedstock for chemical production. It can serve as a solvent, a preservative, a raw material for producing fuels, carbonates, polymers, and chemicals, and as a recovery agent for processes such as enhanced coal bed methane and oil recovery. This review highlights significant progress made in CO₂ capture and its integration into various industrial applications. While technologies such as adsorption, absorption, membrane separation, and cryogenics have shown promise, challenges related to cost, scalability, and the efficiency of capture and utilization continue to pose significant barriers to widespread adoption. Innovative strategies, including integrated carbon capture and conversion (ICCC) and integrated carbon capture and utilization (ICCU), present promising pathways to reduce costs by combining capture and utilization processes within a single facility. Additionally, catalytic processes and biological systems, such as microalgae and microbial strains (e.g., acetogens), are paving the way for sustainable CO₂ conversion into high-value products. Successful large-scale deployment of these technologies will require sustained interdisciplinary collaboration, robust policy frameworks, and increased investment in research and development. Prioritizing sustainable energy development and management offers the potential to significantly reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions while creating useful products. Advancing these technologies will not only help in mitigating climate change but also promote the transition to a circular carbon economy, which aligns with global sustainability goals.