CO 2 Capture and Conversion to Fuels Using Renewable Energy
Yogya Dhull, Piyushi Kumari, Anushka Simalti, Swati Sharma, Uma NarangABSTRACT
Rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations demand sustainable carbon management strategies. Renewable energy‐driven CO 2 capture and utilization (CCU) offers a promising route to emission mitigation and sustainable fuel synthesis. This review systematically examines green CO 2 capture techniques, focusing on the material–process relationships that govern performance. Adsorption and absorption systems, including zeolites, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), nanostructured sorbents, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvents (DESs), are discussed with attention to adsorption thermodynamics, sorbent–CO 2 interactions, selectivity, and regeneration energy penalties. Renewable CO 2 conversion processes, including photocatalytic and thermochemical approaches, are assessed. Integrated capture and conversion (ICCU) systems are highlighted as an emerging strategy that directly couples adsorption and catalytic transformation to reduce energy and separation costs. Despite notable progress, scale‐up remains hampered by material instability, mass‐transfer limitations, high energy demands for regeneration and hydrogen production, and techno‐economic concerns. Unlike reviews that address capture, conversion, or ICCU in isolation, this review offers an integrated materials‐to‐process perspective linking green capture materials, renewable energy inputs, conversion pathways, and fuel synthesis, with particular attention to the transition from separate to integrated capture–conversion processes. It emphasizes rational capture‐material design, renewable energy integration, and catalytic process optimization to advance CO 2 ‐to‐fuel technologies toward industrial viability and a circular economy.