Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives
Direct Air Capture (DAC) is emerging as a critical climate change mitigation strategy, offering a pathway to actively remove atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>. This comprehensive review synthesizes advancements in DAC technologies, with a particular emphasis on the pivotal role of nanostructure...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Molecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/14/3048 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839615487644794880 |
|---|---|
| author | Cataldo Simari |
| author_facet | Cataldo Simari |
| author_sort | Cataldo Simari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Direct Air Capture (DAC) is emerging as a critical climate change mitigation strategy, offering a pathway to actively remove atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>. This comprehensive review synthesizes advancements in DAC technologies, with a particular emphasis on the pivotal role of nanostructured solid sorbent materials. The work critically evaluates the characteristics, performance, and limitations of key nanomaterial classes, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), zeolites, amine-functionalized polymers, porous carbons, and layered double hydroxides (LDHs), alongside solid-supported ionic liquids, highlighting their varied CO<sub>2</sub> uptake capacities, regeneration energy requirements, and crucial water sensitivities. Beyond traditional temperature/pressure swing adsorption, the review delves into innovative DAC methodologies such as Moisture Swing Adsorption (MSA), Electro Swing Adsorption (ESA), Passive DAC, and CO<sub>2</sub>-Binding Organic Liquids (CO<sub>2</sub> BOLs), detailing their unique mechanisms and potential for reduced energy footprints. Despite significant progress, the widespread deployment of DAC faces formidable challenges, notably high capital and operational costs (currently USD 300–USD 1000/tCO<sub>2</sub>), substantial energy demands (1500–2400 kWh/tCO<sub>2</sub>), water interference, scalability hurdles, and sorbent degradation. Furthermore, this review comprehensively examines the burgeoning global DAC market, its diverse applications, and the critical socio-economic barriers to adoption, particularly in developing countries. A comparative analysis of DAC within the broader carbon removal landscape (e.g., CCS, BECCS, afforestation) is also provided, alongside an address to the essential, often overlooked, environmental considerations for the sustainable production, regeneration, and disposal of spent nanomaterials, including insights from Life Cycle Assessments. The nuanced techno-economic landscape has been thoroughly summarized, highlighting that commercial viability is a multi-faceted challenge involving material performance, synthesis cost, regeneration energy, scalability, and long-term stability. It has been reiterated that no single ‘best’ material exists, but rather a portfolio of technologies will be necessary, with the ultimate success dependent on system-level integration and the availability of low-carbon energy. The review paper contributes to a holistic understanding of cutting-edge DAC technologies, bridging material science innovations with real-world implementation challenges and opportunities, thereby identifying critical knowledge gaps and pathways toward a net-zero carbon future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c5dc3aa3ff6342e69e44e02f3fb4c7bb |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-c5dc3aa3ff6342e69e44e02f3fb4c7bb2025-07-25T13:32:09ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-07-013014304810.3390/molecules30143048Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future PerspectivesCataldo Simari0Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Cosenza, ItalyDirect Air Capture (DAC) is emerging as a critical climate change mitigation strategy, offering a pathway to actively remove atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>. This comprehensive review synthesizes advancements in DAC technologies, with a particular emphasis on the pivotal role of nanostructured solid sorbent materials. The work critically evaluates the characteristics, performance, and limitations of key nanomaterial classes, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), zeolites, amine-functionalized polymers, porous carbons, and layered double hydroxides (LDHs), alongside solid-supported ionic liquids, highlighting their varied CO<sub>2</sub> uptake capacities, regeneration energy requirements, and crucial water sensitivities. Beyond traditional temperature/pressure swing adsorption, the review delves into innovative DAC methodologies such as Moisture Swing Adsorption (MSA), Electro Swing Adsorption (ESA), Passive DAC, and CO<sub>2</sub>-Binding Organic Liquids (CO<sub>2</sub> BOLs), detailing their unique mechanisms and potential for reduced energy footprints. Despite significant progress, the widespread deployment of DAC faces formidable challenges, notably high capital and operational costs (currently USD 300–USD 1000/tCO<sub>2</sub>), substantial energy demands (1500–2400 kWh/tCO<sub>2</sub>), water interference, scalability hurdles, and sorbent degradation. Furthermore, this review comprehensively examines the burgeoning global DAC market, its diverse applications, and the critical socio-economic barriers to adoption, particularly in developing countries. A comparative analysis of DAC within the broader carbon removal landscape (e.g., CCS, BECCS, afforestation) is also provided, alongside an address to the essential, often overlooked, environmental considerations for the sustainable production, regeneration, and disposal of spent nanomaterials, including insights from Life Cycle Assessments. The nuanced techno-economic landscape has been thoroughly summarized, highlighting that commercial viability is a multi-faceted challenge involving material performance, synthesis cost, regeneration energy, scalability, and long-term stability. It has been reiterated that no single ‘best’ material exists, but rather a portfolio of technologies will be necessary, with the ultimate success dependent on system-level integration and the availability of low-carbon energy. The review paper contributes to a holistic understanding of cutting-edge DAC technologies, bridging material science innovations with real-world implementation challenges and opportunities, thereby identifying critical knowledge gaps and pathways toward a net-zero carbon future.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/14/3048CO<sub>2</sub> capturedirect air captureatmospheric airmoisture swing adsorptionsolid sorbents |
| spellingShingle | Cataldo Simari Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives Molecules CO<sub>2</sub> capture direct air capture atmospheric air moisture swing adsorption solid sorbents |
| title | Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives |
| title_full | Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives |
| title_short | Nanomaterials for Direct Air Capture of CO<sub>2</sub>: Current State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspectives |
| title_sort | nanomaterials for direct air capture of co sub 2 sub current state of the art challenges and future perspectives |
| topic | CO<sub>2</sub> capture direct air capture atmospheric air moisture swing adsorption solid sorbents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/14/3048 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cataldosimari nanomaterialsfordirectaircaptureofcosub2subcurrentstateoftheartchallengesandfutureperspectives |