Carbon Capture with Simultaneous Activation and Its Subsequent Transformation

Carbon capture and storage/sequestration (CCS) is now being considered as a potential option to mitigate global warming associated with carbon accumulation. The chemical absorption technique employing efficient amino-containing absorbents has been widely developed. Nevertheless, extensive energy consumption in desorption-compression process would be a crucial barrier to realize practical CCS. On the other hand, CO₂ is very attractive as a typical renewable feedstock for manufacturing commodity chemicals and fuels. However, the reactions involving CO₂ are commonly carried out at high pressure, which may not be economically suitable and also pose safety concerns. Consequently, we have proposed a carbon capture and utilization (CCU) strategy as an alternative approach to addressing energy issue in CCS. This crucial point of CCU could be simultaneous activation of CO₂ upon its capture (e.g., formation of carbamate/alkyl carbonate) and thus in situ catalytic transformation into value-added chemicals under mild conditions, avoiding additional desorption step. This chapter is intended to discuss carbon capture and in situ transformation of CO₂ to oxazolidinones, carbonates, quinazolines, urea derivatives, isocyanates, and carbamates via the formation of CO and CN bond.