CO2 Capture and In Situ Conversion Technologies: Prospects and Perspectives for Green and Low-Energy Transformation

Abstract

CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) are two important processes to address the gigaton challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Given that both processes are energy-intensive, integrating CO2 capture and utilization (ICCU) can improve energy efficiency and reduce economic costs by eliminating steps such as CO2 concentration, storage, or capture media regeneration. Aiming at building a bridge between theoretical research and practical application, this review promotes the understanding of high-temperature ICCU, mild/low-temperature ICCU, and emerging electro-/photo-driven ICCU. The reaction mechanism and technical bottleneck are comprehensively evaluated, which could provide a perspective on the design principle of dual-functional materials (DFMs) combining synergetic adsorptive and catalytic sites. On this basis, novel strategies are proposed from the viewpoint of chemical process intensification to strive for a thermodynamics and kinetics matching between the capture and in situ conversion processes. It is expected that this review can stimulate more research in the future involving expanding the product range, fabricating long-term DFMs, developing a workable reactor, optimizing operation conditions, and establishing an industrial demonstration.