Research progress of clay minerals in carbon dioxide capture

CO2 capture and storage technologies are the most effective means of reducing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Natural clay minerals possess a large specific surface area and remarkable adsorption capability but meanwhile at a very low cost, remain one of the best candidates for environmental materials. They are widely used in three of the most popular capture methods: adsorption, absorption, and membrane separation. This review focuses on the application of clay minerals in the CO2 capture processes, comprehensively summarizes the CO2 capture capacity of different materials involved in clay minerals and the corresponding mechanism, critically evaluates the corresponding advantages and disadvantages, and discusses the challenges and prospects of clay minerals in CO2 capture in the future. More importantly, the influence of the presence of CO2 on clay minerals is also described, which can help to predict the possible process of geological storage after capture. Very recently, the concept of "carbon neutrality" has been put forward by the international community and received more attention, it is believed that this timely review will not only deliver readers with an insightful understanding of clay-based environmental carbon capture materials, but also provide critical guidance for "carbon neutral" from a mineralogical perspective.