The use of catalysis for faster CO2 absorption and energy-efficient solvent regeneration: An industry-focused critical review

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2022-01, Vol.428, p.131264, Article 131264
• Main Authors: de Meyer, Frédérick, Bignaud, Charles
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysis; CO2 absorption; Regeneration
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.131264

•Most experiments on CO2 capture catalysis are not at industrial conditions.•Regeneration is controlled by thermodynamics, unchanged by catalysis.•With a catalyst the lean amine loading is higher, impacting absorption.•Catalysis of absorption might be beneficial, but still needs to be proven Absorption in an aqueous amine solution is currently the most mature industrial process to capture anthropogenic and native CO2. The high cost of the technology prevents its massive deployment. There is a growing number of experimental reports on the benefits of using a catalyst to speed up the absorption of CO2 or to lower the energetic cost of the solvent regeneration. In this review the basics of industrial absorption and regeneration are first reviewed, as well as the mechanisms to catalyze the absorption and the desorption of CO2. Subsequently, the results in the literature on heterogeneous and homogeneous catalytic CO2 capture are critically assessed with a focus on the industrial reality of the process. It is shown that a catalyst for the regeneration has only little room for maneuver because the desorption is fundamentally controlled by thermodynamics. The overall benefice of catalyzing the absorption still needs to be proven. The review aims to realign the research with the industrial reality and indicates several key points of attention to perform more industry-focused experiments and to analyze the overall benefit of using a catalyst.