Carbon-based adsorbents for CO₂ capture: A systematic review

Since the industrial revolution, rapid urbanization, industrialization, and vehicle transportation have transformed human society. However, this progress has incurred significant environmental costs due to an overwhelming reliance on fossil fuels. The resulting surge in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO₂, underscores the urgent need for effective solutions. Researchers have explored various methods for capturing and storing CO₂ but face limitations related to cost and adsorption efficiency. This review emphasizes the potential of carbon-based adsorbents as a leading solution for CO₂ capture, elucidating recent advancements in effective CO₂ capture across activated carbon materials, graphene materials, carbon nanotube materials and carbon nitride materials. Unlike previous studies that primarily emphasize the optimization of preparation conditions such as temperature, pressure, reaction time, raw material ratios, and different additives, this review aims to enhance the adsorption performance of carbon-based adsorbents through intrinsic structural adjustments and surface functional groups modification by dissecting the underlying adsorption mechanisms. Finally, this review outlines the challenges of carbon-based adsorbents in future industrial applications and concludes with a forward-looking perspective on evolving landscape of carbon-based adsorbents, emphasizing their critical role in mitigating climate change.