Present status and overview of Chemical Looping Combustion technology

World climate change occurring mainly due to human activities has led to an environmental concern all over the planet. Global CO2 emission has reached an alarming level which is regarded as the most lethal anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. To have a check on the carbon emissions, many clean coal technologies were proposed out of which Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) technology came out as the most promising technology of all. The process of CLC avoids direct contact between the fuel and the air. It is based on the transfer of oxygen from air to fuel by means of a metal based oxygen carrier and this process is blessed with inherent sequestration of CO2. This paper presents a review of the CLC technology and it׳s all round advancement during last 10-15 years. The all round development of the process include progress in terms of the use of gaseous, solid as well as liquid fuels, the evolution in the oxygen carriers and the reactor systems being used in the process. The development in the oxygen carriers has gained maturity, the use of solid fuels is gaining momentum, and the liquid fuels need further attention for its development. Recently, a fair number of hours of continuous operation in pilot plants have instilled the confidence required in further development of this process towards commercialization. The big stride that the CLC technology has taken in such a small duration of time, there leaves no doubt that this technology has the potential to grow manifolds with further research.