The Anthropocene and CO2: Processes of Capture and Conversion

Anthropocene is discussed in this article in the point of view of chemical CO2 capture, use and conversion. The processes and technologies of carbon capture are presented as well as some of the several ways of using or converting it into other chemicals. The technologies of precombustion, poscombustion, oxycombustion and chemical looping were discussed. The materials used for CO2 capture, including amines, solid adsorbents such as charcoal, zeolites, metal organic frameworks, double layer hydroxides and membranes, were briefly presented. The major direct industrial uses of CO2 were discussed for the obtention of key chemicals, such as urea, methanol, cyclic carbonates and carboxylic acids. Some routes were selected to be discussed in more detail, showing the better catalysts and processes in use or research. The comparison between capture and storage and capture and use is not so easy as it may be regarded initially because it depends on the process, technologies, raw materials, obtained products and the analysis of a careful up-to-date life cycle (for the present market) of each process and route, which is already not available.