COMPREHENSIVE INSIGHTS INTO CO₂ CAPTURE: TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

In response to the urgent global imperative to mitigate anthropogenic climate change, carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technologies have become critical components of decarbonization strategies across the energy, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. This systematic review provides a comprehensive and comparative analysis of current CO₂ capture methodologies, drawing from 98 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2023. The review encompasses the full spectrum of capture technologies, including chemical absorption, physical adsorption, membrane separation, cryogenic methods, direct air capture (DAC), and hybrid or integrated systems. A structured search and selection process was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 framework, retrieving literature from major databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and ScienceDirect. Key performance metrics—including capture efficiency, regeneration energy, operational scalability, environmental impact, and lifecycle emissions—were synthesized thematically and compared across technologies. Chemical absorption, particularly using monoethanolamine (MEA) and blended amines, remains the most mature technology, demonstrating high removal efficiency but incurring significant energy and environmental costs due to solvent degradation, corrosion, and thermal regeneration. Solid adsorption systems utilizing porous materials such as zeolites, activated carbon, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) showed promising low-energy alternatives, although scale-up constraints and moisture sensitivity limit current deployment. Membrane-based systems exhibited operational simplicity and adaptability in high-pressure environments but were limited by fouling and the permeability–selectivity trade-off. Cryogenic separation demonstrated high-purity CO₂ recovery and viability in niche applications, yet was hindered by its thermodynamic intensity and infrastructure demands. DAC technologies offered unique potential for atmospheric CO₂ removal, but their high energy requirements and material costs present substantial barriers to economic scalability. Hybrid systems, integrating complementary mechanisms, emerged as effective configurations for industrial decarbonization, though they entail higher capital investment and control complexity. Lifecycle assessment across all technologies revealed that environmental performance is highly dependent on energy source, material durability, and system integration. The review concludes that no single technology is universally optimal; rather, selection and implementation must be context-specific, guided by techno-economic evaluations, environmental trade-offs, and long-term system integration potential.