A study shows that advances in chemistry are increasingly positioning carbon capture as a viable solution for large-scale industrial decarbonisation

Significant advances in chemistry could transform efforts to curb emissions from the world’s most polluting industries, a new study reveals.

Published in Nature Reviews Chemistry, the research paper entitled ‘Chemistry advances driving industrial carbon capture technologies’, discusses how chemical innovations are enabling more efficient and scalable carbon capture solutions for heavy industries, such as oil and gas, steel, cement, aluminium and chemicals.

These sectors, responsible for 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 85 percent of manufacturing-related emissions, are critical to meeting global climate goals.

The study was conducted by a team led by Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Champion and Director of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Herriot-Watt University in the UK, and Dr Steve Griffiths, Professor and Vice-Chancellor for Research at American University of Sharjah (AUS).

Also contributing to the study were Professor John Andresen from the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and Dr Jeannie Tan from the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS), both at Heriot-Watt University, as well as Joao Uratani from the University of Sussex’s Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU).

Carbon capture technology involves capturing CO2 directly from industrial and energy sources before it enters the atmosphere, then transporting and storing or repurposing it to avoid climate impact.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global carbon capture capacity must increase more than 100-fold, from around 50 million tonnes today to between 4 and 6 billion tonnes annually by 2050, to help limit global warming to 1.5 deg C.

While carbon capture technologies are already established in the oil and gas industry, their adoption across other carbon-intensive industries like cement, steel, and chemicals has lagged significantly.

This review shows that advances in chemistry are increasingly positioning carbon capture as a viable solution for large-scale industrial decarbonisation.

The research highlights innovations including novel amine blends that reduce energy consumption by over 30 per cent, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that can selectively capture CO2 with extremely high efficiency, and new electroswing technologies that operate at low temperature using renewable electricity instead of energy-intensive heating.

According to Dr Griffiths: "With heavy industries accounting for a major share of global emissions, advancing these technologies is critical if we’re serious about ever achieving net-zero emissions. Our review highlights the state-of-the-art chemistry behind industrial-scale carbon capture and potential breakthroughs that may further make industrial carbon capture more efficient, scalable and cost-effective. Our aim is for this work to provide the insights necessary for carbon capture to advance at the pace required to achieve global sustainability targets."

The paper reviews five main types of industrial carbon capture technologies: Absorption, adsorption, membrane separation, cryogenic gas separation and electroswing systems.

It provides insights into how chemistry innovations are improving both their effectiveness and affordability.

Professor Maroto-Valer says: "Our work has identified carbon dioxide capture technologies that have progressed to the early stages of development to decarbonise industrial sectors, with a focus on the chemistry that underpins these technologies."

He adds: "We have taken a global approach, as carbon capture solutions are context-specific, as reflected in our global heat map of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects. Moreover, we have established clear performance parameters that allow comparison of different materials and technologies. This novel approach critically allows us to identify research opportunities to drive operating costs down and to scale up commercial operations."