Carbon capture using chemical absorption: Absorbent intergenerational evolution, process innovation, and large-scale application

Carbon capture via chemical absorption is critical for carbon neutrality but faces deployment barriers including high-energy consumption, high cost, and insufficient system integration. This review establishes a three-dimensional review framework including absorbent intergenerational evolution, process integration, and industrial demonstration application, systematically sorting out the evolution process, current state and challenges, and future breakthrough paths for carbon capture technology. Regeneration energy consumption of three absorbent generations has decreased gradually from 3.0 to 4.0 GJ/t CO₂ to around 2.0 GJ/t CO₂, nearing practical limits. Yet, regeneration temperatures remain >393 K, indicating significant optimization potential. Balancing the comprehensive problems of further energy consumption reduction, high desorption temperature, high viscosity (>100 mPa·s), and complex degradation paths remains challenging. Carbon capture process optimization achieves 10%-20% system energy savings, but misalignment persists between absorbent and process development. In future, developments in absorbent research and process innovation should be matched, and the process innovation of solvent low-temperature regeneration with waste heat and renewable energy should be emphasized. Moreover, advanced CO₂ regeneration methods are recommended for further energy efficiency enhancement including cascade integration of low-grade thermal energy, co-regeneration driven by light and electricity, and in situ capture and catalytic conversion. Engineering challenges include efficiency penalties, costs (35$-70$/t CO₂), corrosion, insufficient system integration, and lagging development of demonstration projects. Accelerating the third-generation absorbent demonstrations and intelligent system controls is essential. More research should be emphasized about energy storage and peak shaving role of carbon capture, utilization, and storage, and the intelligent and flexible operation. The framework identifies pathways to overcome key constraints and develop advanced carbon capture technology.