Industrializing reactive capture of CO2

Abstract

Electrified CO2 capture and conversion technologies support the energy transition by producing low-carbon chemicals and fuels, but near-term deployment depends on integration with current energy infrastructure. Reactive capture of CO2 (RCC) feeds CO2-rich liquids directly into an electrolyser, bypassing thermal regeneration and simplifying process integration. RCC has a greater tolerance to industrial impurities and can generate high-purity gaseous outputs, enabling a fully electrified chemical synthesis process that is suited to industrial CO2 feedstocks, but current RCC electrolysers are less developed than their gas-fed counterparts. In this Perspective we argue that RCC could become viable for early industrial adoption—ahead of other electrified routes and at present levels of selectivity and voltage—if stability and scale barriers are addressed. Progress will depend on engineering solvent-tolerant cathodes, formulating electrolysis-compatible capture fluids and advancing bipolar membrane efficiency, scalability and durability. We evaluate the performance targets necessary for RCC to become cost-competitive with alternative conversion technologies. Reactive capture of CO2 integrates capture and conversion, bypassing regeneration and potentially simplifying upstream–downstream process integration, but its deployment readiness is unclear. In this Perspective the authors argue that reactive capture of CO2 could be industrially viable at present levels of selectivity and voltage if stability and scale barriers are addressed.