Fight for carbon neutrality with state-of-the-art negative carbon emission technologies

Highlights

State-of-the-art negative carbon emission technologies are reviewed and summarized.

The challenges and prospects of each technology are given.

Since both capture and conversion are relatively energy-consuming, the intelligent design of combined systems can significantly reduce costs and operational steps, which may be the focus of future negative carbon technology development.

Abstract: After the Industrial Revolution, the ever-increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration has resulted in significant problems for human beings. Nearly all countries in the world are actively taking measures to fight for carbon neutrality. In recent years, negative carbon emission technologies have attracted much attention due to their ability to reduce or recycle excess CO₂ in the atmosphere. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art negative carbon emission technologies, from the artificial enhancement of natural carbon sink technology to the physical, chemical, or biological methods for carbon capture, as well as CO₂ utilization and conversion. Finally, we expound on the challenges and outlook for improving negative carbon emission technology to accelerate the pace of achieving carbon neutrality.

Keywords: Carbon neutrality; Renewable energy; Negative carbon emission; Carbon utilization; Carbon footprint reduction; Climate change mitigation

DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2022.11.005