CO₂ capture using solid sorbents

Global warming and climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases, especially CO₂, has become a widespread concern in the recent years. Capturing CO₂ is one of the major approaches to tackle this issue. Among the currently available CO₂ capture technologies, adsorption processes using solid sorbents capable of capturing CO₂ have shown many advantages. In the past few years, many groups have been engaged in the development of new solid sorbents for CO₂ capture with superior performance and desirable economics. The main purpose of this chapter is to provide a bridge between detailed technical reports and broad resource and economic assessments on CO₂ capture using solid sorbents. The fundamental aspects of solid sorbents for CO₂ capture are firstly discussed, which include both the selection and the evaluation of sorbents. The following characteristics of solid sorbents are covered: the equilibrium adsorption capacity, selectivity, adsorption/desorption kinetics, multicycle durability, mechanical properties, hydrothermal and chemical stability, and energy consumption of regeneration. Typical families of solid sorbents such as activated carbonaceous materials, polymeric materials, zeolites, silica, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and alkali-metal carbonate loaded with or without functionality for the adsorption of CO₂ are then reviewed, respectively. In addition, a brief review on technical challenges and pilot plant developments are presented. Finally, a few recommendations are provided for further research efforts on CO₂ capture with solid sorbents.