Carbon Capture and Utilization Update

In recent years, carbon capture and utilization (CCU) has been proposed as a potential technological solution to the problems of greenhouse‐gas emissions and the ever‐growing energy demand. To combat climate change and ocean acidification as a result of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, efforts have already been put forth to capture and sequester CO 2 from large point sources, especially power plants; however, the utilization of CO 2 as a feedstock to make valuable chemicals, materials, and transportation fuels is potentially more desirable and provides a better and long‐term solution than sequestration. The products of CO 2 utilization can supplement or replace chemical feedstocks in the fine chemicals, pharmaceutical, and polymer industries. In this review, we first provide an overview of the current status of CO 2 ‐capture technologies and their associated challenges and opportunities with respect to efficiency and economy followed by an overview of various carbon‐utilization approaches. The current status of combined CO 2 capture and utilization, as a novel efficient and cost‐effective approach, is also briefly discussed. We summarize the main challenges associated with the design, development, and large‐scale deployment of CO 2 capture and utilization processes to provide a perspective and roadmap for the development of new technologies and opportunities to accelerate their scale‐up in the near future.