Absorption-microalgae hybrid CO2 capture and biotransformation strategy-A review

CO2 capture, storage and utilization (CCUS) is one of the dominant strategies to mitigate climate change. Absorption, adsorption, membrane, cryogenic and microalgae are the typical CO2 capture technologies, and high capture cost is still a common challenge of existing techniques. To overcome the challenge of energy consumption, hybrid CO2 capture/utilization processes have been widely researched in the last decade. In this review, the existing absorption-microalgae hybrid CO2 capture processes were summarized. The advantages and challenges of carbon capture and microalgae biotransformation integrated strategy were discussed. In the hybrid system, carbon could be more efficient utilized via microalgae in form of bicarbonate, and converted into value-added ingredients without energy-intensive regeneration. The influence factors on the absorption-microalgae hybrid system were investigated. In addition, the potential solutions to intensifying absorption-microalgae hybrid process were also put forward. Compared to the conventional CO2 absorption and microalgae fixation method, hybrid process could be a competitive alternative to capture CO2 from industrial emissions.