Carbon Utilization Technologies & Methods

Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases emitted due to human activities, industrial processes and transportation from the combustion of fossil fuels and is considered the primary contributor to global warming and climate change. Carbon utilization refers to the use of captured carbon oxides, mostly CO2 and occasionally CO, as a feedstock for processes or the production of valuable products such as chemicals, synthetic fuels, and building materials. It has a high potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions. There are various methods and technologies for carbon utilization, including chemical, biological conversion, and mineralization, which will be explained in this chapter. First, important fuels and chemicals, including methane, methanol, dimethyl ether, formic acid, carbon monoxides as well as urea and polymers that can be produced by utilizing carbon dioxide will be introduced and the synthesis methods of each will be described. The use of carbon dioxide in the beverage and food industry will thereafter be looked into. In the biological conversion section, the types of microorganisms used and the products resulting from this conversion, such as bio-plastics, biofuels, and bio-alcohols, are introduced. Furthermore, the two types of carbon mineralization – in-situ and ex-situ – which are thought to be the most recent and efficient techniques for carbon utilization will be covered. The applications, products, challenges and risks of each of these techniques will be clearly discussed. Finally, the cost of utilizing carbon and its prospects for the future will be covered in the end.