Capturing carbon
Andy Extance finds uncertainty over efforts to capture and store CO2 from power generation
As well as economic and political issues, technical and chemical challenges contribute to slow progress in carbon capture, use or storage. Today, most carbon-capture processes rely on monoethanolamine and its energy-intensive absorption–desorption cycle, making them expensive, as well as bringing further pollution problems. Consequently scientists are considering many alternative absorber materials as well as approaches that avoid the absorption–desorption cycle altogether.