Next steps for solvent-based CO2 capture; integration of capture, conversion, and mineralisation

In this perspective, we detail how solvent-based carbon capture integrated with conversion can be an important element in a net-zero emission economy. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is a promising approach for at-scale production of green CO2-derived fuels, chemicals and materials. The challenge is that CO2-derived materials and products have yet to reach market competitiveness because costs are significantly higher than those from conventional means. We present here the key to making CO2-derived products more efficiently and cheaper, integration of solvent-based CO2 capture and conversion. We present the fundamentals and benefits of integration within a changing energy landscape (i.e., CO2 from point source emissions transitioning to CO2 from the atmosphere), and how integration could lead to lower costs and higher efficiency, but more importantly how CO2 altered in solution can offer new reactive pathways to produce products that cannot be made today. We discuss how solvents are the key to integration, and how solvents can adapt to differing needs for capture, conversion and mineralisation in the near, intermediate and long term. We close with a brief outlook of this emerging field of study, and identify critical needs to achieve success, including establishing a green-premium for fuels, chemicals, and materials produced in this manner.