Carbon Dioxide Capture: Current Status and Future Prospects

The surge in greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) spurred by the Industrial Revolution, has surpassed the critical threshold of 400 ppm, fueling global warming, ocean acidification, and climate change. To mitigate the adverse effects of these emissions and limit the global temperature rise to below 2 °C, the ambitious target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 was established in the Paris Agreement. Current state-of-the-art technologies, such as amine scrubbing, remain problematic owing to their high energy requirements, susceptibility to corrosion, and other operational challenges. Owing to the lack of suitable technologies coupled with escalating energy demand, there is still a significant amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for the development of alternative technologies that offer high efficiency, low energy consumption, cost-effective installation, and operation. In this review, we delve into the emerging technologies poised to address these challenges, evaluating their maturity levels in comparison to existing commercially available solutions. Furthermore, we provide a brief overview of ongoing efforts aimed at commercializing these innovative technologies.