Capture and Separation Technologies of CO2 from Combustion of Fossil Fuel

Abstract

The problem of global warming caused by CO2 emission has raised serious concerns since the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased rapidly. The combustion of fossil fuels is one of the major sources of the greenhouse gas CO2. These fossil fuels are essential as they supply more than 70% of the world energy consumption. It is therefore essential to develop technologies that will allow us to utilize the fossil fuels while reducing the emission of greenhouse gas CO2. This review highlights the challenges for capture technologies which have the greatest likelihood of reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, namely pre-combustion, post-combustion and oxy-fuel combustion. Various separation technologies, including physical and chemical absorption, physical and chemical adsorption, cryogenic and membrane are thoroughly discussed.