CO2 capture materials: a review of current trends and future challenges

Over the last decade, CO2 adsorption technology has quickly gained popularity and is now widely applied in global CCUS projects due to playing an important role in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. As a result, novel materials, or post-modification methods of those already available have been successively reported to enhance the efficiency of CO2 capture from flue gases. This paper discusses a systematic understanding of fundamental aspects of current research trends in terms of developing selected solid CO2 adsorbent, with a particular emphasis on the upcoming challenges. The candidates are reviewed considering the practical drawbacks of imposed by industrial scale and economics, including carbon-based materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), polymers, zeolites, silica, alumina, metal oxides, amine-based adsorbents, and other composite porous materials. Sustainable sorbents derived from biomass and industrial residues are also studied due to the high need for cost-effective raw materials and their crucial role in the circular economy. Lastly, a techno-economic analysis (TEA) is included to provide the most important criteria that should be considered when adsorbents are implemented on an industrial scale. Consequently, the review is summarized, and recommendations are offered for future research in the advancement of CO2 capture materials. The paper aims to establish a comprehensive theoretical basis of adsorption technologies currently progressed to reduce CO2 emissions, along with highlighting the identification and precise articulation of the most important future research paths that could be beneficial to address over the next years.