The Carbonic Anhydrase Promoted Carbon Dioxide Capture

Abstract

To match simultaneously the climate change mitigation with the increasing global demand for energy is a tremendous paradox for this century. To satisfy both criteria, carbon capture seems to be a mandatory technology for the development of sustainable energy infrastructures. Post-combustion capture is a mature and proven technology, but not economically attractive unless novel solvents and optimized processes are implemented. The use of carbonic anhydrase, inspired by the CO2 metabolic process in cells, a natural fast biocatalyst, is a promising technique which can dramatically improve the implementation and economics of carbon capture under stringent environment demands. In this tutorial review, the authors address the state of the art of the carbonic anhydrase-driven processes for carbon capture, recent developments, current and prospective research and engineering achievements.